How big is your lot? Is it possible to site the garage so that the doors dont face the road?

Three doors facing the road does usually look odd to me.

vancleaveterry,

The lot is 89' wide x 160'
If we build a side load garage, it can be done, although a little bit tight. By doing it, we will have an increse of $4,500 (more concrete for driveway, a bit more of foundation, more brick, windows for garage front are bigger and the trusses are a bit more for the new configuration)

The total of the house is $340,000 including lot. Is it worth it to spend the extra money?

We are facing west. I do not like the idea of making the garage center load because all that concrete in front of the entry door will make the house too hot. I prefer a nice yard than just concrete.

Thanks for your help

For resale, some people don't really use their garage as a garage. That group would probably not object to an L shaped garage, with two of the stalls in tandem. In fact, some might favor it.

A car hobbyist might like it too, as a favored spot to work on a restoration job, or something like that. He will not like it, if it is too narrow or too short, which is a common problem in spec homes.

The rear space in a tandem garage also makes a good workshop area, for those who don't need to park three cars. It would be especially appealing if it had a good sized man door to the outside.

A few buyers will want all three vehicles to have direct access to the drive. I suspect they would be a distinct minority. They would probably pass on it, unless there were other overriding features that they had to have.

Personally, if I were building a house with a three car garage and had lot restrictions, I would not hesitate to do an L shaped garage, but no matter what, I would make sure each vehicle space was a minimum of 12x24 (outside framing dimensions). That little bit extra over typical spec house designs makes it easy to get in and out of and around parked vehicles.

The majority of the 3 car garages in my area are tandems, including the house we currently live in. In terms of using that tandem space for a 3rd car, I don't know a single person who does that. Ours is built out like a woodshop for my husband, which he likes better than when he had it set up in a 3 across shaped garage. Most people have their tandem space filled with shelving, a fridge, bikes, strollers, etc. We'll be building a true three car that's a side load. Is it warm where you are? What about a covered porte cochere in front of the garage? That way, you could park 2 additional cars in front of the garage.

We went against the norm when we built a two-car garage. We're retired and only drive one car. We have a full basement and an attic for storage.

Our garage has two carriage style doors. The garage and and the back hall portion of the house form a rectangle 35 wide by 22 deep that is at a 120-degree angle to the front of the house. The rest of the house is about 65 feet wide and 40 feet deep. So, the front width proportions are 35/65.

Our drive is bluechip gravel. It comes in from the street between yew hedges and makes a "T" in front of the house. This makes it easier to exit the garage at one end of the "T" by backing to the other end. It also provides off-street parking for four cars when we have company. Two cars at each end of the "T" are able to come and go without shuffling cars.

The non-garage end of the "T" is where our snow plow guy deposits the snow. (If you go with a gravel drive and are in snow country you need to find someone who knows how to remove the snow and leave the gravel!)

There's no sidewalk. The gravel comes right up to the garden beds and covered stoop at the front of the house.

Placing your garage at an angle might take away from the bulk of a three-car garage (with three doors to break up the facade). I think ours looks better in part because some of the angle that is 'garage' is 'house', with a window.

I forgot to add that most homes in our area have at *least* three car garages; many have four stalls; one (a collector) has 12! (You saw his garage in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".)

Now, what's IN these garages? They must be full of something other than cars because a lot of houses have three car garages and three cars sitting out in front of the garage doors. It would seem that many people use their garages mostly to store 'stuff' (RIP, George Carlin). If so it doesn't matter if one space in a three car garage is a tandem.

Here's my .02. In terms of resale, I agree with the others that a tandem garage is fine. Most people do use that third spot for storage anyway. However, for YOU it sounds like you will be parking 3 cars. (or did I read that wrong?) I would hate having to play "musical cars" everytime you want to get the car out that's in the front. I would try to do the side entry if you can!

Frog Hopper,
Thanks for your comment. I think what you said makes a lot of sense.
If we decide to go ahead and go this route, I will make sure the garage is generous in space.

whitneymac,
Yes, as long as we provide the extra space for whatever the future owner needs, this should be ok. It is actually good if the working area is in a more private location.
We are in Liinois - very cold in the winter.
We will want a porte cochere when we retire, down south.
Thanks for your imput

Chisue,
Sounds like you have a lot of space in your lot! Very nice!
I'd love to use gravel, pavers or asphalt but where we are building they just allow concrete (is a subdivision inside the city)
Maybe in our next house we can use gravel. I actually saw recently a little old world style house and the driveway was all gravel, I thought it looked very charming.
Thanks for your help!!!

Lindy,
Thanks for your input! We just have 2 cars. Our concern is more on the resale value issue since some familys have a son with a car or they just have an extra car. I do now some persons with and extra car (most of them convertible) and they just use it in the summer.
thanks again

Are you in Chicagoland too? We're north of the city, but our DS and his family live in the city -- NW side. No fun getting there now that the Edens is all torn up.

Chisue,
Central Illinois, here. Capital city.
Love Chicago, we go there a couple of times in the year. I bet is also windy where your DS lives.

You can NOT have too big a garage. You could have a covered portico in front and it would minimize the look of the "garage" == My garage is @1500 sq' 3 bays, 3rd bay is 52' deep -- would have gone bigger if did again.

msm859,
52' deep is a nice size. I just do not want to have a Garage with a house. I prefer a house with Garage :)
I like the idea of a portico but if I do that the house will go further back and the backyard will be smaller but I will check into that. Thanks for your imput.

Is it worth $4500 to have a side load garage?

Abolutely!

That is a dilemma of modern house design. Everyone wants the biggest garage they can have, but lots are smaller than ever. That forces the garage to take center stage as a practicality. If your lot is big enough for a side load, it minimizes the impact of the garage on the aesthetics and still gives you functionality. Rear load garages are also options that aren't considered that often because people want space in the back yard for gardening etc. But, using the garage apron as a patio extension can really work for those who entertain a lot, and it doesn't really add that much overall to the $$ for the extra concrete.

Live wire oak,
Thanks a lot for your comments.
My best view is in the back so I do not want to place the garage there. On the other hand, house faces west. Placing the garage at front will protect the house.