It’s true that planning and constructing a building from scratch can be a daunting task especially for people who haven’t done it before. Sometimes, these plans, on paper, look as though they couldn’t be any better until you begin to see a few things that, well, could have been done better. Putting the additional structure above the garage is one thing a lot of homeowners skip when planning a new building.

The space above both single and double-car garages can be put to really good use when factored into the planning of the house. For homes with no dedicated space for guests, a little studio apartment above your roofed parking space will easily solve that problem. This is just one of the many ways in which these overlooked spaces can be utilized. You’ll be happy to know that we have a number of garage plans with apartments that have been designed by our architects and easily available for anyone to work on.

$800

  570 sq/ft     1 Bed     1 Bath

$700

  650 sq/ft     2 Bed     1 Bath

$800

  532 sq/ft     1 Bed     1 Bath

$1100

858 sq/ft     2 Bed    1 Bath

$1000

  1031 sq/ft     1 Bed     1 Bath

$400

782 sq/ft     2 Car

One Level Apartment Plans with Garage

As earlier mentioned, a lot goes into building a house and planning, as with most things, is crucial. Usually, when people decide to build a house, they are faced with the dilemma of either using a ready-made plan or designing an original one.

There are probably thousands of ready-made building designs and even garage plans with apartments one level above that one can get. It must be said that designing a home from scratch is no easy task. If therefore the piece of land for the project has a common layout, you should consider going with a pre-made design to save yourself a lot of headaches. However, if your land has an unusual layout or shape, then you should get an original design that will put the land to good use.

Ground Floor

For a one level apartment, you’d want to have the non-private parts, so to say, of the home on the ground floor since most visitors won’t go past this area. Rooms like the kitchen, ante-room, and the family or living room are typically ground floor rooms.

You can choose to have a room with a door for your kitchen separate from the family room for more privacy or allow it to flow into the family room. The latter appears to be more aesthetically pleasing and that’s why a lot of homeowners go with it.

If space is not an issue and you would still like to keep some privacy for your living room, you can have an ante-room added to your plan. In this room, guests can be attended to without them having to come into the main family room. Your ground floor could also have a garage with living quarters for guests or friends from out of town who would like to stay over at your place for a day or two.

First Floor

It is on this floor that most rooms are usually located since they are intended to be private. Away from the business on the lower level, residents are able to enjoy less noise and more privacy.

Rooms on this level are able to get better views of the street since they have a higher elevation. If you plan on installing large windows to allow more natural light, make sure the lower ends of the glasses are frosted so people don’t see through your home from the street.

In many homes with an upper level, sounds can be heard from the ground level when there is movement in the rooms above. To reduce the noise, you may want to make use of hardwood flooring since they make fewer creaking sounds.

Apartment Plans with Detached Garage

Some houses have their garage attached to them and some don’t. This is more a thing of preference than functionality, although some may have been recommended by the architect for structural reasons.

If you plan on having your parking space separate from the main building, as earlier mentioned, you can put the space above the garage to great use. If you’d want to get started right away, we have some detached garage plans with apartments that you could choose from.

Detached garages are often bigger than those built into the main building. Thanks to this, one can build a decent-sized, one room apartment above them to serve various purposes. It doesn’t have to be an apartment; it could be built as a multipurpose space that can be utilized for a variety of functions. Who knows, your neighbor may decide to rent it out for an event one day!

Garage Plans with Living Spaces

Planning out a garage with a living space is fairly straightforward. In most cases, the living space is on top of the parking space and is built to be more practical than luxurious. As with a normal house, garage apartment floor plans have to be made so that the structure is built strong and solid. This is because the living space above it will have the basic amenities like, a washing machine and dryer, a refrigerator, and a bath tube if possible.

To make access to the top level private, you should build the staircase inside of the garage. This way, no random stranger will have easy access. Careful planning will go into this since the staircase has to be positioned such that it doesn’t affect the parking space in any way.

Truoba Garage Apartment Plans

Truoba Mini 621 house plan

Truoba detached garage plans facade
Truoba Garage 117 detached garage plan

Truoba Garage 117 house plan

Garage Apartment Floor Plans

When planning garages with apartments, one should do so considering the budget. The cost of getting the plan and building will vary depending on a number of factors. One is how much the architect is charging and two, the size of the floor plan.

On average building a garage costs about $50 per sq. ft. Single-car garages usually cost between $10,000 and $27,000. For 2-car garages, we see a steep rise as prices can reach up to $40,000. To build a covered parking space that can house above three cars, prices start at around $57,000.

With these base figures for constructing a garage, one can easily estimate how much will go into building an apartment above a garage. To lower costs, consider going with a simple floor plan or layout that can be repurposed by simple demarcations with wood.

Hiring Contractors

If you’re new to home building, you’ll definitely need a lot of advice, recommendations, and research. The same applies if you plan to build a garage with an apartment. There are hundreds of building contractors out there that claim to do everything perfectly; don’t be swayed by their sweet pitches.

Start by asking friends and family that have built their houses from the ground up. They’ll be happy to recommend the contractor or contractors they worked with. You should also do your research since you may be able to find others that are better than the ones recommended to you.

Ask to see similar projects they’ve worked on to be sure they are exactly all they claim to be. Once you have gotten the one that you’re happy to start your building journey with, get the numbers down. Let them know the size of your budget so that they can plan accordingly.