Please, shut the door!
When we were working with the Architect on the design of the custom home we were building in Frankfort, Illinois, he gave us the option of having direct access from the attached garage service door to the kitchen area of our home?
I thought about how we might sometimes warm up the car, of course with the overhead doors open, and possibly forget the service door leading from the house to the garage could be accidentally left slightly cracked open? 
The Architect agreed to lengthen the laundry room enough in his design plan so the entrance and exit to the garage would be to and from the laundry room, to create some kind of minimum protection of there being a room to catch the fumes before they could enter the entire home.
My respected colleague Vince as a much better recommendation for homes with attached garages.
It seems everyone knows that the door leading to an attached garage from the residence needs to be at least a one hour burn through fire rated door. A hollow core non fire rated interior type door to the garage is not an option. (below a picture of a common hollow core door)
It seems that during my inspections, I find that in many homes one small but extremely important device is overlooked. This door must have a device or hinge that automatically closes the door to the garage. Not only in the case of a fire but in those cold times when, in a poorly insulated garage especially, you may need to warm the car up for a period of time. As you go back in the house for a cup of coffee, or whatever, the fumes from the car are allowed to enter the home, without such a device. Carbon monoxide from your vehicle can enter the home and it is very harmful to your health. Even if your area has no "building codes" that requires this device, your health and safety depend on it! Please, automatically shut the door!
Vince Chinell
VICO Home Inspection
eMail: vgchinell@gmail.com
Affiliate Member of the Tri-Lakes Board of Realtors
