Garage

    Size

      The plan I drew up called for a 2-car garage, but our builder changed it to a 3-car garage (for golf-cart storage) and we were very glad he did. Although we have never had a golf cart, we have had no trouble filling up that extra space with kayaks, bikes, storage cabinets, exercise equipment, etc.

      At least a half-dozen houses in our neigborhood (Isabella) which were built with 2-car garages have had a third bay added on for their golf carts. Naturally, it's cheaper to get that third bay to start with.

      Craft also made the garage deep enough for us to put storage cabinets in the back. Adding a few feet to the length of a garage is a relatively inexpensive option and one that you will probably never regret.

    Extras

      We did not get storage cabinets built into the garage. When we finally went shopping for them, we found that they are big and heavy, making them difficult to transport, and are not a lot of fun to put together. They are also pretty pricey compared to getting cabinets built in during construction when they can be made up of studs, sheetrock, and plywood shelving.

      So in Judy's floor plan, I specified a storage closet built into the back of the garage. To the left of the closet, just outside the laundry room door, is space for an upright freezer. To the right of the closet is where the water heater is located.

      A "people door" is another feature to consider. In our house, we placed it where we could exit the garage right by the deck steps and on into the house. In Judy's, the door is on the right side of the garage so that if Judy is working out in that area or needs to get to the breaker box, which is just out that door, she doesn't have to go through the front or back door or through the garage door.

      Finishing the garage floor with an epoxy coating is another popular option. It protects the concrete from oil and other stains and makes it easy to clean, plus it looks better than bare concrete.

      An external pad on the garage door frame for activating the door opener is a must. Even with a walk-in door, we use the access pad frequently.

    Location

      In HSV, most people have attached garages. This allows quick access between the house and garage while avoiding rain, snow, and ice.

      Because our house is 200' back from the street, we didn't have to worry about the house facing the street, so we turned it so that it had a front view down one golf hole and a side down another golf hole. To maximize the views, we pushed the house as far as possible back against two of our lot's boundaries, as seen below. If we had attached the garage either to the front or side of the house, we would have lost a substantial percentage of our view, so we made it detached.

      Most people will have houses facing the street with a garage extending from one end or the other, such as in Judy's plan:

      Judy's garage is in what I consider to be an ideal location:

      • The laundry room (and the garage itself) serves as a mud room.
      • From there, you go straight into the kitchen, making for short hauls of groceries, or
      • You can turn right in the laundry room and go into the master closet and bath, which is handy when you are getting dressed to go out, as well as when you are returning from a long drive and need to race to the john. Maybe that's just me, but I have often wished I had put a half-bath in the garage. (Is this too much information?)

      In contrast, look at the floor plan, below, which is similar to Judy's, but which forces you to walk around the house to get to a bathroom or to carry clothes between the laundry room and master closet:

    Entrance To Garage

      You have two choices for the location of the garage door(s) in a plan like the one above: facing the street, or on the side of the garage.

      If you want a grassy front yard, then you will probably go with garage doors facing the street:

      If you plan on a low-maintenance (gravel, mulch) front yard anyway, running the driveway into a side entrance to the garage has its advantages:

      • Additional parking, compared to a front entrance garage.
      • A shorter walk to the front door for visitors.
      • Even lower maintenance than something like gravel or mulch in the front yard.
      • More attractive from the street. A big garage door is not a particularly good looking architectural feature. Compare the look of a garage door facing the street to the picture below where the wall facing the street has windows, brick trim, and landscaping in front of it:

      Again, the trade-off with the side-facing door is that the longer driveway does cost more, and if you want a grass yard, you can't have a driveway running through it.

      It is possible to have a side entrance on the opposite side of the garage from the front door. This lets you have both the more attractive wall facing the street plus leaves your front yard for grass or a courtyard.

      The drawback with this plan is a longer walk from the driveway for visitors and delivery people, which can be a problem in rain, snow, and/or ice. If visitors park on the street in front of your house, they usually walk down the driveway to get to the sidewalk to the front door. With the driveway off to the side of the house, this makes a longer walk for them.

      Also, a driveway entering from the side of the house requires a much wider lot than if the garage door faces the front door or the street.