I prefer a semi-circular drive with a branch going to the garage.

Something like this: http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com/landscaping6.html

By chance we've had this design in our last 3 houses and I've grown to really like it! Provides plenty of off street parking. Avoids people having to back up in the driveway. Gives you a framework for interesting landscaping (we have a cactus garden in our semi-circle)

I would make the drive a gentle "S" curve from the street to the garage. Never a straight line! A circular or guest parking area is your call!

Todd, I would branch off your driveway "early", create a nice "S" curve which ends at your garage. Prior to the garage, I would add a circle or 90-degree guess parking for a couple of cars (your choice) and a nicely landscaped path to the front door.

I respectfully disagree with the previous comment regarding a straight driveway. I favor a straight driveway, it gives a place for the kids to dragrace without utilizing the public roadways, but keep your house and other structures out of the trajectory of the straight portion of the drive (brake do sometimes fail).

Do what Virgil said, but backwards starting from your front door:

nicely landscaped path from the front door.

guest parking for a couple of cars

add a circle

create a nice "S" curve which ends at your garage

create a nice "S" curve which ends at the "early" part of the drive from the circle.

Something like these? "Blue" lines would be my driveway off the shared drive.

I'm just guessing, but does the red arrow happen to indicate the location of the front door.

I like the curve with the circle like your first blue line option, and I've seen it done and work well. This is a house my friend used to own, with a slightly curved drive and kind of a P shape with a circle where guests could park or turn around by the front door. The structure above the house (smaller grey roof) is the garage (3 bays I think) and the large brown roof is a basketball court. Above the garage you can sort of see the parking pad for the garage and gym; to the left of those is the circle. It worked out very nicely to give drivers a front view of the house when they arrived, and then the option of skipping the circle to go straight to the garage or parking pad, or following the circle to park or turn around. The hollow circle provided a spot for plantings and some directional assistance for those driving around it. A solid circle might be a bit confusing.

Thank you for helping me back on track.

That's what I thought of first Todd. That last sketch you have there.

And how would you back out of the garage and leave the property? I think the minimum turning radius for a fire truck is around 45'...same for medium sized moving van...

Problem solved if you make the circle larger and move it to the right so that the right side aligns with the garage drive.

How big is what you drive? I see getting into the side load garage difficult, and getting Out of the front load garage difficult. You are making a tight U-turn to get into one, and how do you back out and turn to go down the drive in the second.

I know someone who has a grand drive like this but for the husband to get his SUV into the actual garage is about as easy and elegant as parallel parking it on a city street.

lol I don't have a garage yet so I never considered backing out lol. Yes! What Virgil said!

Maybe what you need is two drives, one for yourself and one for guests. If they were marked and the second one was more obvious that's probably what guests would use. I work in an office and there is a private/staff only entrance first, right inside the main door to that floor from the parking (and the same for the office across the hall). It's always unlocked when the office is open. No visitor to the office mistakenly goes in that door even though it's first.

I would make the useable driveway area around the garage bigger. My dad's house has a big circle drive (larger than what you would need), but the general layout works wonderfully for guests, and for his own cars and trucks getting in and out of the garage. He also pulls a tractor/snow plow in and out of the garage during the winter. No issues for large delivery trucks, either. Even with many guests over, cars getting in and out isn't a problem. There has to be a way to configure the entry the way you would like, while still making day to day driving/parking in the garage comfortable for you.

That is getting better, but picture how you are going to pull OUT of the garage. You will want to angle the back end away from the circle drive/driveway (so you can pull forward toward the circle/driveway). It doesn't look like you have enough room to do that?

Let's take this a step at a time, beginning with needed functions. With such a long driveway between main road and house, you will need to:

1. Get your car from the road into the garage;

2. Get your car from the garage onto the road (without excessive backing);

3. Have visitors arrive and depart;

4. Have at least medium size delivery and moving trucks enter and leave your property, as they deliver a new sofa, those new washer and dryer twins, and haul off all the old furniture to Goodwill (and they won't want to back up very much either);

5. Have the local fire department arrive with a medium size pumper in time (and get close enough) to save your house from the BBQ fire on the back patio.

This means a thoughtful plan for a variety of vehicles of various sizes and turning radii to enter, turn around and leave your property.

From a design point of view what does this mean? First, visit with your local building department and find out their regulations for drives such as yours.

Secondly, become familiar with the dimensions and turning radius of the vehicles which will be on your property.

Third, work out a reasonable site plan to accommodate all of the above.

For example, here's common dimensions for a medium size car to enter and leave a single car garage, without excessive backing:

Here's a typical plan with a circular turnaround which works. Not sure why they wanted two curb cuts:

"...not worried about my yard having tire tracks..."

Guess you don't need to be concerned about a well designed driveway after all! :-)

No. Really fire trucks are a huge thing to think about. The neighbor to my uncles farm had the entire house and garage burn down because the fire trucks couldn't get back to the house. You really need to think about this! :)

Tire tracks in the yard is one thing, having a fire truck planted in the front yard is another.

Soggy yard with rock features, or flat and dry?