What is a Tandem Garage?
A tandem garage is a two-car garage (double garage), but built so that one car parks in front of the other.
Real Estate Agent Explains Tandem Garages
In this example, this tandem garage is 13 feet wide and 38 feet long. There is enough space to have two cars parked and room to walk between them. Tandem garages can be many different sizes. Some garages may be larger or smaller than this, though. Also, some tandem garages have two garage doors so they are drive-through tandem garages. This means two doors and two driveways, however, which would definitely reduce yard space.
Why Does It Matter?
The orientation and dimensions of a garage matter very much – for more on garage dimensions, see my article Buyers Beware – Is That Garage Going To Work? Basically, not all two-car garages are side-by-side garages. If you have a long, narrow garage, you might have trouble parking. That is, if there are two cars in the household and someone needs the car that is parked in front of the other car, someone needs to move one car to get the other one out. This can be a huge pain every time you want to get that first car out. However, if you have a drive-through tandem, there is no issue of having to move cars. When shopping for a home, be sure to find out which sort of garage the property has. See Are Tandem Garages Bad? for more information on living with a tandem garage.
