Should Your Garage Have Windows?
If your home has its original garage, you might be asking yourself whether or not it should have windows. Perhaps you’re constructing a new garage and find yourself cycling back to similar questions—does a garage require windows? How many and what are the advantages in outfitting a garage with them?
There are two compelling reasons to have windows in your garage: natural light and ventilation. These are the most obvious advantages in having garage windows, but aside from letting in light and ventilation, having this construction feature in your garage may simply be required for compliance with local building codes.
Natural Light
Garages have undergone a transformation since their invention as early carriage houses. They’re now a place for projects, seasonal storage, cars and equipment, and even a space for hanging out with friends or family.
Natural light is essential for any kind of room, the garage no longer being the exception. Even if you’re only using the garage to store vehicles and few bikes, a little natural light can go a long way, but windows become especially necessary for homeowners looking to do any sort of project in their garages.
There’s also the benefit of having light to dry out a space that’s known to become rather damp and musky. Pristine garages that are windowless will collect water from rain runoff and the melting snow when tracked in by vehicles, and without a day of sunlight drying it out, you’ll be stuck with a smelly and damp space. Having windows to let in the light can help minimize wet areas.
The addition of windows in the garage also increases curb appeal. If you personally don’t care one way or another about having windows in your garage for a little extra sunlight, the next homeowner might. Resale value can be a motivator to finally install one or two windows in your garage because a small update can go a long way.
Ventilation
If natural light in your garage is something you don’t have a personal preference about, even for resale value, consider installing windows for ventilation. It’s a crucial feature and one that can easily save you from toxic fumes that are bound to occur within the walls of your garage at some point or another.
With cars being stored in garages among other concerning things like chemicals, paints, and hazardous products, window ventilation is a must. Working in the garage can become dangerous without proper ventilation. Having two windows on different walls of the garage will create cross circulation, as air is pulled in from one window and out through the other. Essentially, windows act as a circulating fan or vent.
Speaking of fans, installing one won’t do much if your garage lacks windows for the air to escape. Windows help keep the temperature regulated inside the garage, preventing it from becoming a hot box in the summer. Windows can support air conditioning units, window fans, or act on their own to move hot air out of the garage, protecting whatever you may store inside of it.
Types of Garage Windows
What kind of window style choices do you have?
Standard Wall Windows: You don’t have to get fancy with your garage windows; they can be the exact same style as the ones your house has. Double-hung windows are the most popular option, offering energy efficiency, temperature regulation, insulation, and when cracked open, the ability to ventilate even a small space like your garage.
Skylights: Yes, you can put skylights pretty much anywhere—including a garage. If you’re looking at constructing a new garage, don’t overlook the addition of skylights. Not only does it add plenty of natural light, but skylights are a great solution if you can’t add standard windows.
Garage Door Windows: If you can’t or don’t want to outfit your garage with wall windows, you can always incorporate them within your garage door. Garage door windows don’t sacrifice security or privacy, either. You can get a garage door with privacy glass or frosted glass to keep out prying eyes, and all windows in garage doors are manufactured to high standards that prevent them from being easily broken into.
Windowed Entry Doors: Another simple and affordable way to incorporate windows into your garage is by updating your entry door. Entry doors come in all shapes and sizes, including ones with good-sized windows to let in a dose of natural sunlight. Much like garage doors with windows, entry doors that have windows are designed with thick glass to prevent impact damage to better protect you and your home.
The Advantages of Garage Windows
Garages tend to be dark and dingy, but windows can turn around any space. Even basements, known to also be rather damp and musky spaces when unfinished, have windows. If you’re building new or renovating old, adding garage windows will not only serve you in the immediate sense, but in the future whenever you decide to sell.
At Danley’s, we have all the garage styles and sizes that will improve the value of your home. All the stuff that you wanted to move out of the garage can be stored inside a two-car or even a three-car garage. Speak to a specialist about garage sizes and get a free quote online today.
