{{Short description|Housing unit built on or in a storage space vehicles}} [[File:Bonnie and Clyde Garage Apartment.jpg|thumb|The Bonnie & Clyde Garage Apartment in Newton County, Missouri]] A '''garage apartment'''<ref>{{cite book | first=Kira | last=Obolensky | title=Garage: Reinventing the Place We Park | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PX4BKDouBeIC&pg=PA123 | year=2003 | publisher=Taunton Press | pages=123– | isbn=9781561586455}}</ref> (also called a '''coach house''', '''garage suite''' or in Australia, '''Fonzie flat'''<ref>{{cite web | url=http://andc.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/WOTM%20JAN%202013.pdf | title=Oxford Word of the Month: fonzie flat | date=January 2013 | quote=noun: a self-contained dwelling usually above a garage | publisher=Australian National Dictionary Centre | accessdate=2017-06-15}}</ref>) is a residential unit located within, or above, a garage accociated with a house.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stacy |first=Christina |last2=Noble |first2=Owen |last3=Morales-Burnett |first3=Jorge |last4=Lo |first4=Lydia |year=2020 |title=Designing accessory dwelling unit regulations |url=https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/Designing%20Accessory%20Dwelling%20Unit%20Regulations.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320222449/https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/Designing%20Accessory%20Dwelling%20Unit%20Regulations.pdf |archive-date=2024-03-20 |access-date=2026-04-23 |website=Urban Institute |publisher=Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center}}</ref> The garage may be attached to or detached from the main dwelling, and the unit typically has a separate entrance through internal access may also be present. A garage apartment is one type of "accessory dwelling unit" or ADU, a term used by architects, urban planners and in zoning ordinances to identify apartments smaller than the main dwelling on one lot or parcel of land.<ref>{{cite book | author1=Daniel K. Slone | author2=Doris S. Goldstein | author3=W. Andrew Gowder | title=A Legal Guide to Urban and Sustainable Development for Planners, Developers and Architects | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O5nEB4GELYEC&pg=PA245 | date=2008-08-18 | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | pages=245– | isbn=9780470053294}}</ref> Other examples of ADUs include granny flats, English basements, mother-in-law suites, and auxiliary units.
In the United States, garage apartments are commonly found in older urban areas, either as purpose-built secondary strustures (sometimes referred to as 'guest' or 'carriage' houses), or as conversions of existing buildings. ADUs may be regulated by size, occupancy, lot size, core features (such as kitchens or bathrooms), other building codes and parking allotment.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2014-11-26 |title=How attached garages changed traditional neighborhoods |url=https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/how_attached_garages_changed_traditional_neighborhoods |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618233847/https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/how_attached_garages_changed_traditional_neighborhoods |archive-date=2021-06-18 |access-date=2026-04-23 |work=Michigan State University |language=en}}</ref>
Garage apartments are sometimes discussed in the context of new urbanism, and related approaches to urban planning. In some jurisdictions in the United States, the construction or occupancy of accessory dwelling units is restricted by zoning regulations, including limitations on who may occupy them.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ma |first=Haewon |year=2024 |title=Nonprofit Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) programs as affordable housing strategies |url=https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/research/files/harvard_jchs_ADUs_as_affordable_housing_ma.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219041445/https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/research/files/harvard_jchs_ADUs_as_affordable_housing_ma.pdf |archive-date=2024-12-19 |access-date=2026-04-23 |website=Harvard University |publisher=Gramlich Fellowship Paper}}</ref>
== Origins == The word "garage", introduced into English in 1902, derives from the French word ''garer'', meaning "to shelter".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Origin and history of garage|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/garage|access-date=2025-04-20|work=www.etymonline.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Yumpu.com |title=THE MOTOR CAR AND THE COuNTRy HOuSE - English Heritage |url=https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/6367519/the-motor-car-and-the-country-house-english-heritage |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250421181642/https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/6367519/the-motor-car-and-the-country-house-english-heritage |archive-date=2025-04-21 |access-date=2026-04-23 |work=yumpu.com |language=en}}</ref> By 1908, architect Charles Harrison Townsend commented in ''The Builder'' that "for the designation of a house for an automobile we chiefly use the French word 'garage,' and also, in my opinion, the more desirable English equivalent 'motor house'.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Horniman History: Charles Harrison Townsend|url=https://www.horniman.ac.uk/story/horniman-history-charles-harrison-townsend/|access-date=2025-04-20|work=www.horniman.ac.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410120305/https://www.horniman.ac.uk/story/horniman-history-charles-harrison-townsend/|archive-date=2021-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Motor Houses: The Early History of Garages|url=https://www.autodoorsandgates.co.uk/blog/motor-houses-the-early-history-of-garages|access-date=2025-04-20|work=www.autodoorsandgates.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Townsend, Charles Harrison 1851 - 1928|url=https://architecture.arthistoryresearch.net/architects/townsend-charles-harrison|access-date=2025-04-20|work=architecture.arthistoryresearch.net}}</ref>
In the past, garages were separate buildings from the house ("detached garage"). Sometimes a garage was built with an apartment above it that could be rented out. As automobiles became more popular, the concept of attaching a garage directly to a home became a common practice.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The History of Garages|url=https://didyouknowhomes.com/the-history-of-garages/|access-date=2025-04-20|work=didyouknowhomes.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702154544/https://didyouknowhomes.com/the-history-of-garages/|archive-date=2019-07-02}}</ref> Garage apartments are becoming increasingly popular because of their versatility and functionality.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guide to Garage Apartment Plans|url=https://archivaldesigns.com/blogs/house-plan-news/the-ultimate-guide-to-garage-apartment-plans|access-date=2025-04-20|work=archivaldesigns.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-10-17 |title=How Rural Towns Are Learning to Love ADUs |url=https://sfbayadu.com/adu-stories/garage-conversion.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250420221906/https://www.governing.com/urban/how-rural-towns-are-learning-to-love-adus |archive-date=2025-04-20 |access-date=2026-04-23 |work=Governing |language=en}}</ref> While a person with a detached garage has to walk outside in all kinds of weather, a person with an attached garage has a much shorter commute inside the building.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ikenson |first=Ben |date=2024-11-21 |title=The ADU Boom Has Begun. Is It Adding the Housing We Need? |url=https://www.dwell.com/article/adu-backyard-homes-housing-shortage-solution-37285bd3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205153055/https://www.dwell.com/article/adu-backyard-homes-housing-shortage-solution-37285bd3 |archive-date=2024-12-05 |access-date=2026-04-23 |work=Dwell}}</ref>
== Garage insulation == In northern climates, the temperature inside an uninsulated attached residential garage can drop to freezing in the winter.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How to Heat an Uninsulated Garage|url=https://backyardlord.com/how-to-heat-an-uninsulated-garage/|access-date=2025-04-20|work=backyardlord.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=How Cold Will an Unheated House Get?|url=https://temperaturemaster.com/how-cold-will-an-unheated-house-get/|access-date=2025-04-20|work=temperaturemaster.com}}</ref> Temperatures inside an uninsulated attached garage in temperate climates can reach uncomfortable levels during the summer months.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nirvan |first=Golzar |last2=Haghighat |first2=Fariborz |last3=Wang |first3=Liangzhu (Leon) |last4=Akbari |first4=Hashem |date=2012-10-01 |title=Contaminant transport through the garage – House interface leakage |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132312000753 |journal=Building and Environment |volume=56 |pages=176–183 |doi=10.1016/j.buildenv.2012.02.030 |issn=0360-1323|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Extreme temperatures can be a source of energy loss and discomfort to adjacent residences due to heat transfer between the garage and these rooms. Homes with an attached garage often struggle with this "interface" problem. Insulating the exterior of a building from the elements without extending the insulation to the wall separating the garage from the house, and/or other garage walls and the roof, can be a costly mistake.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-12-06 |title=Ways to Improve the Energy Efficiency of Your Garage |url=https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/heating-and-cooling/improve-energy-efficiency-garage.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113085621/https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/heating-and-cooling/improve-energy-efficiency-garage.htm |archive-date=2016-01-13 |access-date=2026-04-23 |work=HowStuffWorks}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite newsletter | url=https://archives.huduser.gov/rbc/archives/newsletter/vol3iss1more.html | title=Accessory Housing is Part of the Solution | volume=3 | issue=1 | work=Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse newsletter | publisher=United States Department of Housing and Urban Development | date=January 2004}}
Category:Apartment types Category:Garages (residential) Category:Real estate terminology Category:Housing Category:Residential buildings