Do you have a preference in your own home as to whether or not your garage is attached to your home? I've always had an attached garage, or no garage. I hate the no garage, and it seems an unattached garage would suck, but maybe it's not so bad?
I prefer detached garages because they tend to lend themselves better to narrower lot configurations, and open more possibilities for different loading configurations without drastically expanding the footprint of the house. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly from my landscape architects eyes, I like the way detached garages define exterior spaces--more like courtyards, and help break spaces into rooms rather than a single expansive rear yard.
Ok, couple more things--
I also like the idea of the 'carriage house' or 'in-law unit' above the detached garage, and as a separate, detached dwelling. I do not like how attached garages tend to dominate building facades, particularly from the street. Again, detached opens up more opportunities for driveway/lot configuration.
Agree with everything Larchinect said. Mine is detached but joined to the house by a cool breezeway. I prefer not having a big empty cold room attached to the house.
And if we DO have to go out to it in the middle of the night it's just a lovely reminder that we live in a climate, and that there are stars and weather and raccoons and all those great things in the world.
I prefer no garages... you people who own cars in the suburbs never cease to amaze me... you shit on the environment with your nasty automobiles and do nothing to influence your representatives to plan your neighborhoods better...
I have a detached garage with alley access. Agree with Larchinect. The space between my house and garage is like an outdoor room. My only dissatisfaction is that the garage is to the west and blocks late afternoon sun and the western sky and the view of sunsets. But I just go for walks to see the sunset and use the deck on the south side of my house in late afternoon. I despise the garage with house attached configuration that is so dominant. The worst attached garages are tuck unders. I am sensitive to vibrations and wouldn't be able to feel comfortable in a space with big spans and the movement of the ddoor because of the vibrations.
There are pro's and con's. I've had two homes with detached, and one with attached (and one without).
In my old historic neighborhood, the detached garage was off the alley. From a urban planning standpoint, I liked a streetscape devoid of driveways and large garage doors. That was a nice aesthetic. Even on large lots like one of my homes, you could have a meandering drive with a dropoff at the front door... and a side drive leading to the detached workshop/garage at the corner of the lot (that house, it was more like a barn). The other major advantage is the availability of windows on the house since one wall is no longer looking into what might be a garage. So things like a greenhouse style mud room is more than achievable to enter into the house. Another advantage is size when you do it; there aren't many limiting considerations like wall alignments. If you are detaching, you can make more use of the attic spaces, walls (more windows) and probably accommodate a workshop type space (easy unloading of materials versus dragging into a basement).
The downside. Heat; you can't scavenge from the main house and needs it's own system (or not). Ditto with electrical panels. When the weather is bad, you get wet. And creates less useable site space. And if you are plumbing, service issues like supplies being buried deep enough to avoid freezing and inverts of sewer lines getting to the main = more cost. And, overall it's more expensive because of the nature of it; second foundation, second exterior, second roof, etc.
I'm not bitter- I just care about the environment... building two or three car garages isn't the solution... it is a regurgitation of a lifestyle that is fed to average people by politicians who embrace planning around car culture... these are the same people who favor projects like the Keystone XL and so on... I suppose the better word would be- passionate and frustrated about making a difference. The OP is just one example in millions who would rather build a attached/detached garage instead of hauling their ass to Washington or contacting their representatives and say they've had enough with having to drive 10 minutes to get to the grocery store... Then again- maybe their fat ass likes not having to walk... either way this thread wouldn't even be a thread if cars were not such an integral part of society and I submit that they shouldn't be... I'm in my late 20's and I don't have a driver's license...
Bulgar, I live in a streetcar suburb built in the 30s and 40s of houses that mostly have detached garages. Although it's definitely termed suburbia, these aren't McMansions that we built yesterday.
I can walk a few blocks to groceries, a drug store, cafes, restaurants, and my son's school (it's about 20 minutes to his school).
There's a quote I read that changed my world, written at least 25 years ago by someone (a neighborhood activist, I think) whose name I've long forgotten, describing himself: "I used to believe there were only two kinds of people: those who live downtown, and those who didn't yet realize that they wanted to." This used to be me, totally. Now it isn't.
I'm not saying you're wrong, just that you're not being very nuanced. Previous to living here I lived smack in the middle of downtown Philly and walked everywhere. There are pros and cons to both ways of living.
(Also, it's really presumptuous of you to think that everyone who owns a garage has NEVER contacted a representative about quality of life and environmental building issues. Good lord, I write letters both locally and nationally frequently, serve on two boards, attend neighborhood development meetings, etc etc etc. You've got some blinders on.)
Detached is great for whatever use the code will allow as well as workshop, bootleg apartment, rehearsal studio, etc. the cost of building increases but that's not a problem for Sarah as she is looking to buy. Small buildings are easy to heat with a wood stove, no HVAC necessary.
With new construction a detached garage is a valuable design element offering too many possibilities to count from juxtaposition and scaling to courtyards etc. Developers don't attach them because it's better, they do it because it's cheaper.
Sarah, There was a storage closet at the garage end. The sides slid into a track on the floor and were locked in by a piece of wood that rotated 90 degrees on the center of the sides. It took about 30 minutes to assemble/disassemble.
I have lived in houses that have had attached and detached garages and prefer the detached. Safety is the biggest concern because of the storage of flammable and or toxic materials and fumes and the gas tank on the car.
If you want to come up with a good plan to take to to DC, bb, I'll go with you but until then I'm just a citizen-designer involved at the city and county levels where I help make a difference showing people alternatives to car based living. I went 7 years without a car, longer if you count college years. I have a car but mostly can telecommute so don't drive that much.
Gruen, you're not far off. It's so much easier to get groceries into the kitchen if you can park in there. Honestly, lugging groceries up stairs from that "tuck under" garage seems like a hassle.
BulgarBlogger, I used to be you...city dweller (in nyc)...but as life has progressed, my subsequent homes have gotten further from central city. heck, i used to bike commute to my office and jobsites. now i live in a forest and drive a truck (but have no commute anymore)
i'm aware of my footprint
but i've lost the smug
not all lifestyles are urban or can be and they are no less sustainable
One thing to contemplate--What would the world look like if we all lived 'downtown?' Hint: Variety is good and degrees of urbanism exist along a continuum based on your distance from the center...or something like that... ;)
bulgar - yeah, we should work to reduce car-dependency and fight for spatial equity on our public ways, but cars aren't going away - and people are going to need a place to put them - hopefully in the future less of them, but they'll still exist.
IMO - the question isn't attached vs detached, it's how you're going to use this big, mobile object to your advantage. you don't have to just store your car - you can use it to define space - temporal space. sarah - put your architecture hat on.
lol gruen... you left out the other Texas reason. "Man cave". It's where your wife might let you hang your neon Budweiser,Coors stuff along with Dogs playing card and velvet Elvis. It's where the airhockey, foosball, and card tables get retired. It's a place where diamond plate steel IS an acceptable finish and no one freaks out when you spill your beer on the floor.
In the course of remodeling my 1940's cape, I demo'd the tiny attached garage which was not designed to fit any car, much less one designed before 1960, and built a 1-1/2 car garage in the rear yard which has proven to be a very useful multipurpose space. It works better on my narrow lot and it really cleaned up the massing/street view of the house.
you need an attached garage for the twin yukon denalis AND a detached garage for the drop top Porsche and the Harley. Oh and you need a porte cochere to unload the goodies from trader joe's and costco
What's all this "lugging" and "unloading" about? Don't they have "Boys" in Alaska?:)
While detached, mines heated, probably wrong on this but think deep cold his hard on cars. My partner kept his Corvette in a carport, he was a better architect than I was, but I just couldn't wrap my head around the idea.
Seriously, I hate garages too but they provide necessary storage space for all the unnecessary shit we own. Detached is absolutely better imo.
"just move to the city and call it a day... i've had it with you people from suburbia..."
Impossible for most people. NYC is an overly expensive playground for hipsters and rich slobs. Also, funny how delusional people from the city are with regard to sustainability. You dirty bastards spread your shit elsewhere and rely on imported resources like everyone else... as if the city magically generates its own goods and cleans up its own shit. Your are simply outsourcing your mess elsewhere so don't feel too good about yourself. Slightly cleaner with regards to CO2 foot print but nothing to brag about.
As long as we have a reliable source of petroleum and other energy sources we can maintain our current settlement patterns. Energy efficiency in cars and mech systems can extend but also exacerbate the use of energy.
Also the social Darwinists on here take note. Not everyone wants to live in New York. Also you don't need to be some type A overly ambitious person to live in a large metropolitan area. It's a choice you make, just like your insistence on sustainability. Which by the way has no definition.
Nyc exports rubbish to West Virginia among other places and relies on global networks to sustain its population.
you dont have to live in nyc (or any other city) to live a low impact lifestyle. We live in a small mountain town, ride bikes or bus to work many days (commute is about 3 miles doorstep to office). A lot of our work is focused on guiding design and planning decisions to make our small downtown more walkable (to encourage retail, cultural growth), advocate for more local recreation opportunities (trails, sports fields, parks, river stuff, etc). We are proponents of new housing growth because currently most homes here are either XXL or XS, missing the middle income market (which leads to govt subsidy and high turnover). We want to promote good design and planning (from the regional to the backyard) because we think good design fosters economic, social, and cultural growth. We can do this by simultaneously minimizing impacts (even enhancing) our natural environment--so, theres your definition of 'sustainability.'
Point is--if you want to think you need to live in a metropolis to have a substantial impact on the well being of our global environment, you go on ahead and keep believing that. From my perspective, sustainability, sprawl, growth, and community are not just buzzwords we toss around at the local coffee shop. We, in the burbs and small towns, pushing our local officials to design better streets, neighborhoods, parks, trails, downtowns, etc are on the front lines. Sooner or later you'll realize that the most glamorous work (and their associated locales) are not always the most impactful.
I get tired of hearing architects/landscape architects preach about the social capital of the big metros (and the cultural bankruptcy of small town USA).
I probably 'should' be stuck in a large metro area working for a mega firm doing phytoremediation master plans for villages in India, but the recession happpened and instead I ended up in some dark, dusty corner of middle America.
I made the best of it, and started my own business because I see lots of lethargic design work happening on what I consider to be the 'front lines'--Middle class, middle America. I want to work on big, prestigious, and exciting projects, but for now I am focusing on my sphere of influence, and LEARNING as I go. It's exciting enough running a business, however small.
So, I challenge you and anyone else out there reading this to reconsider what it means to make a difference in this industry. The suburbs exist and they are going to continue existing in one form or another because there will always be a 'center' and then 'everywhere else' so to speak.
Blame the engineers... for the last 50 years our county engineers kept pushing the roads leading out of town... wider, smoother with sewers & water, all the people did was follow them.... you would think that the local AIA chapter would have cried out, but they didn't, so let me amend that - blame the architects.
To Attach or NOT Attach....
Do you have a preference in your own home as to whether or not your garage is attached to your home? I've always had an attached garage, or no garage. I hate the no garage, and it seems an unattached garage would suck, but maybe it's not so bad?
What are your thoughts?
We had a detached garage in Maine. It was connected by a breezeway with detachable sides for the summer.
From a landscape architects standpoint--
I prefer detached garages because they tend to lend themselves better to narrower lot configurations, and open more possibilities for different loading configurations without drastically expanding the footprint of the house. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly from my landscape architects eyes, I like the way detached garages define exterior spaces--more like courtyards, and help break spaces into rooms rather than a single expansive rear yard.
Ok, couple more things--
I also like the idea of the 'carriage house' or 'in-law unit' above the detached garage, and as a separate, detached dwelling. I do not like how attached garages tend to dominate building facades, particularly from the street. Again, detached opens up more opportunities for driveway/lot configuration.
Detached keeps auto fuel and fumes away from your home.
Agree with everything Larchinect said. Mine is detached but joined to the house by a cool breezeway. I prefer not having a big empty cold room attached to the house.
And if we DO have to go out to it in the middle of the night it's just a lovely reminder that we live in a climate, and that there are stars and weather and raccoons and all those great things in the world.
I prefer no garages... you people who own cars in the suburbs never cease to amaze me... you shit on the environment with your nasty automobiles and do nothing to influence your representatives to plan your neighborhoods better...
Detached lets you put the garage and house where they need to be (ie where each fits best on site, which isn't always in the same location).
I have a detached garage with alley access. Agree with Larchinect. The space between my house and garage is like an outdoor room. My only dissatisfaction is that the garage is to the west and blocks late afternoon sun and the western sky and the view of sunsets. But I just go for walks to see the sunset and use the deck on the south side of my house in late afternoon. I despise the garage with house attached configuration that is so dominant. The worst attached garages are tuck unders. I am sensitive to vibrations and wouldn't be able to feel comfortable in a space with big spans and the movement of the ddoor because of the vibrations.
Lye, where did you store the detachable sides?
And Tint, what is a "tuck-under?"
So how far is too far for the breezeway? Do you ever feel like you have two front yards with the detached garage idea?
There are pro's and con's. I've had two homes with detached, and one with attached (and one without).
In my old historic neighborhood, the detached garage was off the alley. From a urban planning standpoint, I liked a streetscape devoid of driveways and large garage doors. That was a nice aesthetic. Even on large lots like one of my homes, you could have a meandering drive with a dropoff at the front door... and a side drive leading to the detached workshop/garage at the corner of the lot (that house, it was more like a barn). The other major advantage is the availability of windows on the house since one wall is no longer looking into what might be a garage. So things like a greenhouse style mud room is more than achievable to enter into the house. Another advantage is size when you do it; there aren't many limiting considerations like wall alignments. If you are detaching, you can make more use of the attic spaces, walls (more windows) and probably accommodate a workshop type space (easy unloading of materials versus dragging into a basement).
The downside. Heat; you can't scavenge from the main house and needs it's own system (or not). Ditto with electrical panels. When the weather is bad, you get wet. And creates less useable site space. And if you are plumbing, service issues like supplies being buried deep enough to avoid freezing and inverts of sewer lines getting to the main = more cost. And, overall it's more expensive because of the nature of it; second foundation, second exterior, second roof, etc.
Tuck under is garage either on grade or in a basement level with living space above. The spaces above a garage can be drafty or noisy. The noise is from overhead doors. I can't figure out how to post a pic from my phone but here is a link. https://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=ms-android-verizon&source=android-browser&q=tuckunder+garage#imgrc=4yqVvrGEjXpLaM%253A%3Bundefined%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bullmarketrealty.net%252F_account%252Fimages%252Flisting%252F126-1.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bullmarketrealty.net%252Flisting126.htm%3B500%3B375
just move to the city and call it a day... i've had it with you people from suburbia...
I live in the city. Go back to whatever hell hole u came from that made u so bitter.
I'm not bitter- I just care about the environment... building two or three car garages isn't the solution... it is a regurgitation of a lifestyle that is fed to average people by politicians who embrace planning around car culture... these are the same people who favor projects like the Keystone XL and so on... I suppose the better word would be- passionate and frustrated about making a difference. The OP is just one example in millions who would rather build a attached/detached garage instead of hauling their ass to Washington or contacting their representatives and say they've had enough with having to drive 10 minutes to get to the grocery store... Then again- maybe their fat ass likes not having to walk... either way this thread wouldn't even be a thread if cars were not such an integral part of society and I submit that they shouldn't be... I'm in my late 20's and I don't have a driver's license...
Bulgar, I live in a streetcar suburb built in the 30s and 40s of houses that mostly have detached garages. Although it's definitely termed suburbia, these aren't McMansions that we built yesterday.
I can walk a few blocks to groceries, a drug store, cafes, restaurants, and my son's school (it's about 20 minutes to his school).
There's a quote I read that changed my world, written at least 25 years ago by someone (a neighborhood activist, I think) whose name I've long forgotten, describing himself: "I used to believe there were only two kinds of people: those who live downtown, and those who didn't yet realize that they wanted to." This used to be me, totally. Now it isn't.
I'm not saying you're wrong, just that you're not being very nuanced. Previous to living here I lived smack in the middle of downtown Philly and walked everywhere. There are pros and cons to both ways of living.
(Also, it's really presumptuous of you to think that everyone who owns a garage has NEVER contacted a representative about quality of life and environmental building issues. Good lord, I write letters both locally and nationally frequently, serve on two boards, attend neighborhood development meetings, etc etc etc. You've got some blinders on.)
Detached is great for whatever use the code will allow as well as workshop, bootleg apartment, rehearsal studio, etc. the cost of building increases but that's not a problem for Sarah as she is looking to buy. Small buildings are easy to heat with a wood stove, no HVAC necessary.
With new construction a detached garage is a valuable design element offering too many possibilities to count from juxtaposition and scaling to courtyards etc. Developers don't attach them because it's better, they do it because it's cheaper.
Sarah, There was a storage closet at the garage end. The sides slid into a track on the floor and were locked in by a piece of wood that rotated 90 degrees on the center of the sides. It took about 30 minutes to assemble/disassemble.
I have lived in houses that have had attached and detached garages and prefer the detached. Safety is the biggest concern because of the storage of flammable and or toxic materials and fumes and the gas tank on the car.
I also agree with everything Larchinect said.
Donna, you are right- it is presumptuous.
FYI: I didn't say the things I said in order to sound passive.... sometimes you have to make a big stink out of something to call attention to it.
If you want to come up with a good plan to take to to DC, bb, I'll go with you but until then I'm just a citizen-designer involved at the city and county levels where I help make a difference showing people alternatives to car based living. I went 7 years without a car, longer if you count college years. I have a car but mostly can telecommute so don't drive that much.
Gruen, you're not far off. It's so much easier to get groceries into the kitchen if you can park in there. Honestly, lugging groceries up stairs from that "tuck under" garage seems like a hassle.
BulgarBlogger, I used to be you...city dweller (in nyc)...but as life has progressed, my subsequent homes have gotten further from central city. heck, i used to bike commute to my office and jobsites. now i live in a forest and drive a truck (but have no commute anymore)
i'm aware of my footprint
but i've lost the smug
not all lifestyles are urban or can be and they are no less sustainable
i suspect your perspective will change as you age
Lugging groceries? The boy just brings them in and sets them on the counter. Now if I could just get him to put them away:)
BB--I appreciate the sentiment.
One thing to contemplate--What would the world look like if we all lived 'downtown?' Hint: Variety is good and degrees of urbanism exist along a continuum based on your distance from the center...or something like that... ;)
bulgar - yeah, we should work to reduce car-dependency and fight for spatial equity on our public ways, but cars aren't going away - and people are going to need a place to put them - hopefully in the future less of them, but they'll still exist.
IMO - the question isn't attached vs detached, it's how you're going to use this big, mobile object to your advantage. you don't have to just store your car - you can use it to define space - temporal space. sarah - put your architecture hat on.
Great, reading this makes me want to detsch my garage
Second Texas observation:
You only build a detached garage when you intend to put a garage apartment/rental/mother in law unit above it.
Both types of garage apply to your city house and your country house. Because you have both. Because Texas.
Sarah, where will hubby go when you kick him out of the house?
lol gruen... you left out the other Texas reason. "Man cave". It's where your wife might let you hang your neon Budweiser,Coors stuff along with Dogs playing card and velvet Elvis. It's where the airhockey, foosball, and card tables get retired. It's a place where diamond plate steel IS an acceptable finish and no one freaks out when you spill your beer on the floor.
In the course of remodeling my 1940's cape, I demo'd the tiny attached garage which was not designed to fit any car, much less one designed before 1960, and built a 1-1/2 car garage in the rear yard which has proven to be a very useful multipurpose space. It works better on my narrow lot and it really cleaned up the massing/street view of the house.
Garage is on the right.
^ exactly.
but if you are doing an attached garage - this is how you should do it:
more here
Carerra are you going to buy that one?! It's on the market....
apparently cameron's house from ferris bueller just sold. that would have been a good one too.
Donna, without revealing too much I already paid for that house once, no point in paying for it twice.
you need an attached garage for the twin yukon denalis AND a detached garage for the drop top Porsche and the Harley. Oh and you need a porte cochere to unload the goodies from trader joe's and costco
What's all this "lugging" and "unloading" about? Don't they have "Boys" in Alaska?:)
While detached, mines heated, probably wrong on this but think deep cold his hard on cars. My partner kept his Corvette in a carport, he was a better architect than I was, but I just couldn't wrap my head around the idea.
Don't think I'm this organized......
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10154775377775112
Seriously, I hate garages too but they provide necessary storage space for all the unnecessary shit we own. Detached is absolutely better imo.
"just move to the city and call it a day... i've had it with you people from suburbia..."
Impossible for most people. NYC is an overly expensive playground for hipsters and rich slobs. Also, funny how delusional people from the city are with regard to sustainability. You dirty bastards spread your shit elsewhere and rely on imported resources like everyone else... as if the city magically generates its own goods and cleans up its own shit. Your are simply outsourcing your mess elsewhere so don't feel too good about yourself. Slightly cleaner with regards to CO2 foot print but nothing to brag about.
Hamptons garage:
^ attached or detached? lol
Cheap shit prefab. Perfect for the tasteless and the clueless rich.
Donna, without revealing too much I already paid for that house once, no point in paying for it twice.
carrera, cmon, out with it!
"Impossible for most people. "
NO- IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE. SUSTAINABILITY IS A CHOICE; NOT SOMETHING YOU SPRINKLE ON TOP OF YOUR LIFESTYLE LIKE GETTING "ENERGY EFFICIENT CARS."
The only reason the city is dirty is because all the folks who live outside of the city come to work here with their cars...
bike to the train station and using public transit!
Also the social Darwinists on here take note. Not everyone wants to live in New York. Also you don't need to be some type A overly ambitious person to live in a large metropolitan area. It's a choice you make, just like your insistence on sustainability. Which by the way has no definition.
Nyc exports rubbish to West Virginia among other places and relies on global networks to sustain its population.
chi-gmp
you dont have to live in nyc (or any other city) to live a low impact lifestyle. We live in a small mountain town, ride bikes or bus to work many days (commute is about 3 miles doorstep to office). A lot of our work is focused on guiding design and planning decisions to make our small downtown more walkable (to encourage retail, cultural growth), advocate for more local recreation opportunities (trails, sports fields, parks, river stuff, etc). We are proponents of new housing growth because currently most homes here are either XXL or XS, missing the middle income market (which leads to govt subsidy and high turnover). We want to promote good design and planning (from the regional to the backyard) because we think good design fosters economic, social, and cultural growth. We can do this by simultaneously minimizing impacts (even enhancing) our natural environment--so, theres your definition of 'sustainability.'
Point is--if you want to think you need to live in a metropolis to have a substantial impact on the well being of our global environment, you go on ahead and keep believing that. From my perspective, sustainability, sprawl, growth, and community are not just buzzwords we toss around at the local coffee shop. We, in the burbs and small towns, pushing our local officials to design better streets, neighborhoods, parks, trails, downtowns, etc are on the front lines. Sooner or later you'll realize that the most glamorous work (and their associated locales) are not always the most impactful.
Well, I'm glad to hear that.
I get tired of hearing architects/landscape architects preach about the social capital of the big metros (and the cultural bankruptcy of small town USA).
I probably 'should' be stuck in a large metro area working for a mega firm doing phytoremediation master plans for villages in India, but the recession happpened and instead I ended up in some dark, dusty corner of middle America.
I made the best of it, and started my own business because I see lots of lethargic design work happening on what I consider to be the 'front lines'--Middle class, middle America. I want to work on big, prestigious, and exciting projects, but for now I am focusing on my sphere of influence, and LEARNING as I go. It's exciting enough running a business, however small.
So, I challenge you and anyone else out there reading this to reconsider what it means to make a difference in this industry. The suburbs exist and they are going to continue existing in one form or another because there will always be a 'center' and then 'everywhere else' so to speak.
Blame the engineers... for the last 50 years our county engineers kept pushing the roads leading out of town... wider, smoother with sewers & water, all the people did was follow them.... you would think that the local AIA chapter would have cried out, but they didn't, so let me amend that - blame the architects.
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