Garage In Front of Home - Comment on this Picture

9 years ago

In going thru the process to build a home, I've learned a lot from what I've read on GardenWeb. But I think I've gotten a little paranoid about some things I read as well :)

One common comment is about houses with the garage in front. My proposed build, and basically most houses by me, are 3 car side entry garages. This pushes the garage out front by normally a single car garage, or as much as the full 3 car garage. I'm at loss - I don't really have alot of options to NOT have the garage up front, and turning it on an angle doesn't appear to be doable, or a cost effective option either.

I came across a picture (attaching) in a magazine talking about Landscape Lighting. Excuse the scan, but it looks to me like this is a side entry garage where they added an architectural element to at least make the back of the garage interesting looking.

Any comments on 3 car side entry garages, and the attached picture?

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Comments (5)

kirkhall
9 years ago
The big challenge to me with a side entry, large garage, is to think about how your guests will approach the house (esp the front door).

The driveway, out of necessity of accessing the garage, is to one side. If that is the only driveway and approach to the house, then a person would park in your driveway, then have to walk all the way around the protuberance of the garage, to find/get to the front door... That is inconvenient to say the least; but also un-reassuring, if it isn't obvious where the front door *is*. Often, a side door gets used by guests/UPS man instead.

If, however, you can have an approach to the house, and a driveway/parking area for guests that is from the perspective of the photographer in the above picture, then it is less an issue. The UPS man knows where to deliver your package. Your guests know where you front door is. They can easily get to it, without having to walk around a 3 car garage...

See?
Annie Deighnaugh
9 years ago
What makes this one work is the fact that the front entry is still more prominent than the garage. Not easy to do. The best side entries include a circular drive so guests can park and find the front door easily.
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I have been learning so much since I started this project and have been asking for advice from GW members. My wife and I took this on as a project that would be extremely challenging and fun. So far, it has been both and am still in the design phase. We are trying to quickly get the design to a phase where plans can be drawn up and can start talking to builders and your help is really pushing that along. To keep things rolling, below are images of the rear. You can see better the offset roofs that would be cleaned up by pushing the rightmost roof to the back. The back still needs work. Latest iteration put larger windows in the den (right most) and larger kitchen window. Not sure how I feel about the small gable over the left rear door. Any suggestions to add a bit of 'life' to the rear are appreciated. The bigger windows helped, but it still seems like it could be improved. I'm not too concerned with the rear of the garage, but more with the central living areas and how it will look from the yard.
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Gosh, thanks Persnickety. That's nice. The little rectangle behind the stairs is a closet, but it doesn't have to be there. I'm going to meet with my builder tomorrow, so we'll probably hammer out the plan for the stairs then. I'm also planning to meet with a window guy tomorrow, and I'm going to seriously consider the number and placement of windows. We might add a couple more. Part of the problem (with a lot of aspects of this house) is that we're trying to compromise between keeping it "authentic" looking and adding things necessary for modern tastes and convenience. For example, the old houses that I am basing the appearance on do not have large areas of glass. They ususally have fairly skinny windows placed individually so you never get a good view. We're putting pairs of windows together to improve on that a little. I really like the idea of stretching the utility room across where the back door is and eliminating the back hall. The only problem is, we need a door from the utility room going into the dog yard, and I don't want that to be the only back door. I also don't want to go through that room to get to the bathroom. Oh, another change I am thinking of is to add a partial wall across the open side of the kitchen to close it off somewhat from the hall. That would give us more area for cabinets and stuff and we could enlarge the opening between the kitchen and dining/living room for a little more open feel. Also, it would make the bedroom, bathroom and utility room feel more separate from the rest of the house. What do you think?
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Is there currently living space above the garage nearest the door? I think it would make a huge difference to add some kind of contemporary dormer above that garage, that ties in the angles on the right side of the house. Even without immediately removing one of the garage doors, I think it would make a big difference in breaking up the long line of the roof that draws even more attention to the garage doors. Once the garage door becomes a wall, it will also provide more dimension. I think this will be a really interesting update to follow, I’m glad I stumbled on it! Please post pictures as you go along :)
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pixie_lou
9 years ago
Compared to the price of a house, garages are cheap to build. And since it's "just the garage" many people don't put any design or attention to detail in their garage. I've seen many garages with no windows, no trim - just a huge box with a couple garage doors.

I agree that this one has some nice design to it - it blends into the existing house design, yet the main entrance remains the focal point.

Since many lots are designed to minimize frontage, their often isn't room to place the garage at the side of the house. On the flip side, a garage toward the rear of the property necessitates a huge driveway to get to the garage
mrspete
9 years ago
As a photography teacher, I can assure you that the photographer knew exactly what he was doing.

First, he took it at a slightly "uphill" angle so that the buildings appear large and impressive, and the angle de-emphasizes the fact that the house entrance is kind of pushed towards the "L" where the two buildings meet. If this house were seen from the other side or from straight-on, it wouldn't look as impressive.

Also, the graphic artist who placed it on the page carefully placed the spot where the house and the garage meet in the "gutter" -- that is, the spot where the two pages meet, and you lose a little bit of visual space -- so that you are mentally "forgiving" of that weak point in the plan.

Finally, he allows the right-hand side of the roofline to run off the edge of the page, leaving you with the impression that the house goes on and on.

It's a superb example of photography designed to show a house at its very best.

As for re-creating this type of look, I definitely like the idea of an architectural element to tie the garage into the house -- and this house does it well in that the element is a "mini-version" of the front door's porch. I also agree that with this layout, a circular drive is a good choice -- but also an expensive choice because you're going to also need a straight-to-the-back-of-the-garage drive. Overall, I hate the pushed-forward garage concept. It does leave your guests wondering where to park and which door to use. In a layout like this, it crowds the front door and gives the front of the house an odd look -- unless you position yourself in just the right spot, which is what the photographer has done.

Instead of choosing from one photograph, I suggest you drive around some neighborhoods and view some garages designed in this style. Look at them from all angles and decide whether this is what you want.
annkh_nd
9 years ago
I know what you mean, burbmom. Our garage sticks out in front of the house too - but since we have a pie-shaped lot, there was no possible alternative.

My Mom's best friend built a lovely alternative - the garage is side-entry, behind the house. One can park in the driveway, and clearly see and access the front entry, but the garage has convenient access to the house. She had the luxury of a large rural lot, which few of us have.

Garage In Front of Home - Comment on this Picture

Comments (5)

kirkhall

Annie Deighnaugh

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pixie_lou

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