I think a more useful book would be how to build an attached garage for dummies. Based on this discussion I think I will write a blog post on this very subject. The "occupant behavior" factor is obviously huge and can go a long way to reducing problems. However, there is no guarantee that homeowners will operate a home appropriately and its more of a guarantee that they wont. Its a lot like putting an atmospherically vented combustion appliance in a home and instructing the homeowners to not run the dryer, vent hood and bath vents at the same time. At some point, maybe lots of points, backdrafting will occur and even though people arent dying from it regularly, its not healthy. Then there is the problem of closing the garage door before the exhaust has "aired out". Do you expect people to sit in the driveway/garage and closing the door only after a certain amount of time? How long? One solution to this problem is to have garage exhaust vents (required by Energy Star V3) on occupancy timers which I feel is good practice but is not foolproof. Again, dryers, vent hoods and bath vents can overcome a garage vent as can a mild breeze blowing from a certain direction. Carbon Monoxide is definitely the most concern for falling skies but even idle vehicles and the many things that people store in their garage are not what you want to be breathing inside of your home. Rush hour traffic is bad enough but there is no reason to compound things in what should be a healthy home where we spend most of our time. Iam willing to bet that even rush hour traffic has better air quality than the majority of homes indoor air quality (with wind movement being a big variable). Outdoor air is almost always cleaner than indoor air. Iam not aware of any codes that eliminate all operable openings into a home. Weatherstripping is not foolproof either and the bigger source of air infiltration from the garage into the home is the sill plate. Builders that are not achieving blower door tests results of ACH50 1.5 or below have a much lower chance of getting this crucial location properly air sealed or the attached garage separated from the home in general. As for the OP's case, most designers and builders would be pushing hard for an attached garage due to the space limitations involved. I would have to agree for the most part but the health factor is another big reason to try to design a garage as they envision it. There is obviously not enough room for an angled garage and while putting the garage to the back of the lot is not ideal, its a sacrifice that may have to be made to fit the design goals for an infill lot situation. Better to have an uncomfortable drive situation than contribute to sprawl in my opinion.

We are buying an old house with an old one-car garage that is basically crumbling. The wood is very decayed and the whole thing is leaning. I would like to replace it with a little workshop/art studio, but the garage is in violation of the setbacks so the only way to rebuild it is to call it a "conservative restoration" and basically rebuild it from the inside out without ever tearing it completely down to the foundation. Has anyone else ever done this? If so, can you give me a sense of the major steps and expenses? Thanks! -Melissa

Yes, cerebral flatulence can be a common occurrence, especially if I eat cauliflower and don't blow my nose...... However, in this case I'm following my reference book. http://psknight.com/ Page 6: List of Materials, Part B, Service Size 100 amps Hot conductors 2-#3 R90XLPE copper (black red or blue) Neutral conductor 1-#8 R90XLPE copper (white or natural grey) Service raceway 1 1/4 inch(35) or #3 copper TECK cable Service ground conductor #6 bare copper Service panel size 24 circuits Note (b) A 1" (27) raceway would also be acceptable for this 100 amp service but the list above shows 1 1/4" which will permit a service upgrade to 150 amps at a minimum expense later. It also says 60 amp service needs 2 #6 hot conductors, 120 amp needs #2, 150 amp needs #1, and 200 amp needs #2. This doesn't make sense. Is this book wrong, or is there something goofy with the CEC?

That sounds really high to me. We built a 28' x 36' garage with a loft - it had a brick face, hardie plank on the sides and back, insulated, heated and cooled, plumbed, with a separate electrical service for around $50,000. Our cost of living is probably less than yours but still if you are not plumbing and heating the space then that seems a bit high. I mean we know the materials cost for a 26' x 28' garage in the D.C. area is around $6,224 for grooved siding. to remove the siding and add brick will be a good bit of money, and that doesn't include foundation, insulation or labor but it seems unlikely that those things would add $50,000. Aside from brick you can build a sided garage in a long weekend once you get the foundation done.