A Basement Garage Vs. A Separate Attached Garage

The daylight basement home is an efficient use of space. One side of the basement is at ground level. The basement contains a two car garage and a large family room.  Part of the basement walls are on the outside of the house.

With this style of home you have two outside levels. The front door is at ground level on that side of the house. You drive around to the back to the garage which is in the basement. These are fun to landscape and fun to live in.

The advantages of a garage in the basement.

Having the garage in the basement has many benefits. The car stays cool in summer and warm in the winter. To get into or out of the automobile, you never have to go out in the weather. It does not matter if it is 100° in the summer or if it is snowing or raining in the winter, you are always comfortable. You never scrap snow and ice off the windshield before you leave home.  All you do is walk from the basement to the garage.

There are two large garage doors for the car.  These are insulated and have windows in them.  The inside of the garage is never dark during daylight hours.  The garage insulation helps keep the house comfortable, too.

When the home was built with the garage in the basement, the building codes required a few adjustments in building materials.  The sheet rock had to be thicker in the garage and the door to the family room was a fire door.  This is to protect the people living in the house from fires.

As the garage is located by the lower level patio, the Bar-B-Que is stored in the garage.  With just a few steps, the Bar-B-Que can be moved to where it is needed.  The large garage doors allow easy access to anything stored there.

The family room borders the garage. A stairway connects the family room and garage with the main part of the house. The family room stays very warm and comfortable during the winter and cool and comfortable in summer.  An outside door gives access to the patio area and back yard.  With the large picture window, the family room feels like any other room. 

The basement walls are insulated, dry walled, and painted. The basement floor has been waterproofed and covered with a thick pad and carpeted.  The family room is comfortable year around.

The daylight basement design allows water to escape freely around the outside of the foundation and basement. This water runs towards the daylight side of the house.  Careful landscaping details drain the water away from the garage and family room area of basement.  The land is sloped to send the water down the driveway to the sewer drain, thereby protecting the home from flooding and water damage.

This daylight design with the garage keeps your car handy, comfortable to get into, and out of the weather.  The basement family room is full of sunlight and enjoyable to use.