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My house is on a 60 foot wide 7500 square foot lot and it has a 2 car detached garage in the back. The driveway is one car wide where it goes past the house. This is my preferred layout for a number of reasons.
But at any rate, in most cities I've lived in, houses built before about 1950 had detached garages on small lots; so it is absolutely possible to have a modest house on a small lot and not have a front garage.
I prefer this as well, but we are not likely to see detached garages make a comeback. It is too expensive, and inconvenient for mole people (people who do not like to go outside and be exposed to awful sunlight). However there does appear to be the beginning of a move away from snout houses (a house that presents as "Garage with attached house")
People have realized how ugly they are and more importantly how the promote an un-neighborly lifestyle.It is not a big movement just a trickle for now, but it is a turn away from the garage look on houses. More and more developments are moving the ugly garages back to the side or rear. The problem is you need more land for this configuration and they cannot cram the houses in as close together. Thus in places like California where build-able land is at a premium, you will not likely see a decline in snout houses - possibly not ever.
Places where you cannot touch your neighbors bedroom window from your house - some locations are seeing the beginning of a movement away from snouts especially in high end properties. Other places (Dallas Area for example) despite plenty of available space are still mass producing snout houses and there are few or no exceptions (maybe a few custom homes where the owner wants a house rather than a garage with living quarters tucked behind it.
Put me down for a small 1920's bungalow with a detached garage in the back. That's what I like and that's what we got.
Those houses look soulless and are way too big for me. Plus, some of those houses would look better in different settings. A large timber frame house looks pretty out of place in soccer-mom suburbia.
And to whoever thinks you need a large lot to have a detached garage in back is simply wrong. Our lot is only 4,300 square feet and we have a 2 car detached garage. We're in an urban area where no one has big lots (except the houses on the lake).
Put me down for a small 1920's bungalow with a detached garage in the back. That's what I like and that's what we got.
Those houses look soulless and are way too big for me. Plus, some of those houses would look better in different settings. A large timber frame house looks pretty out of place in soccer-mom suburbia.
And to whoever thinks you need a large lot to have a detached garage in back is simply wrong. Our lot is only 4,300 square feet and we have a 2 car detached garage. We're in an urban area where no one has big lots (except the houses on the lake).
Make that a large lot or a small house.
In your typical Southern California subdivision the houses are about 12 feet apart. There is no way you could squeeze a driveway and a turning area in there. In many cases, the back yard is not more then a few hundred square feet, often that is completely filled by a concrete patio and a tiny pool.
In your typical Southern California subdivision the houses are about 12 feet apart. There is no way you could squeeze a driveway and a turning area in there. In many cases, the back yard is not more then a few hundred square feet, often that is completely filled by a concrete patio and a tiny pool.
Why do you need a turning area? Our house is about 1,500 square feet. Plenty of room for a family of four.
And our backyard is all patio.
If you want the garage to the side or back of the house, you must live in a very small town with abundant space, and if that's what you like, great, but that's not reality anywhere I've ever lived. Even for $1M+ budgets in a place like Las Vegas, Portland, or Los Angeles, you're going to have the garage in front like every other house. You simply cannot find that big of lots that each house would randomly have a garage to the side, how would that even work in a neighborhood?! You'd have side alleys all over the place. It doesn't make any sense design-wise whatsoever. Maybe out in the country, sure, but then you're going to live in a lame small town with probably lame architecture and a cheap house.
I agree a house shouldn't appear all garage when you look at it, that's an ugly look if all you see approaching is a giant garage, but I've borderline never seen a house where the garage wasn't in front of the house. Even my dad's 20,000 square foot house has a three-car garage on one edge of the house, left side if you were facing the front door. It would waste valuable property to have to drive around the back of the house, which is where the pool should be.
It’s easy. Some HOA’s here have even banned front entry garages.
Last edited by southernnaturelover; 03-22-2019 at 04:00 PM..
Why do you need a turning area? Our house is about 1,500 square feet. Plenty of room for a family of four.
And our backyard is all patio.
Are you out of your mind?! LOL. Wow dude. Our house is 2,900 square feet and just big enough for 2 people because it happens to be on 3 floors. That’s literally the only way it works. Our next house is 4,500 and again it wouldn’t work being any smaller because it’s two floors. For sound purposes alone no house that small could ever work. Do you just all happen to sleep at exactly the same times and nobody ever watches TV when someone else is doing anything else or nobody watches any movie with 7.1 surround so you all sit around playing board games and reading?! Count yourself lucky I guess your needs are very low. That is TINY!
As for detached garages, how on god’s green earth do you make fun of houses with garages up front taking up a lot of space (I don’t love that either), but then promote a horrible design where you have to LEAVE the house just to access a garage?! That’s absolutely worse and absolutely awful! Especially if you live in a place like Portland it’s raining almost every day. Or even Las Vegas, it’s 110 in the summer, nobody wants to walk outside first they just want to get in their car. It’s just weird if a garage isn’t part of the house.
I have no clue what someone thinks is livable about a tiny little house. Obviously to each his own, but I work from home and my GF works part time from home. If one of us has to sleep earlier or later that means two bedrooms plus two offices, so 4 bedrooms for all intents and purposes. Then we need fun space, because that’s the primary point of a house not just sleeping in a bed. You could do that in a yurt. In our case that’s a finished basement with 800 square feet for dual TVs for gaming, arcade machine, pinball, and home gym. That’s what makes a place livable! I can entertain and hang out with friends, I stay in shape, I watch movies as close as I can to how they were intended to be watched, and I can do all of these things without bothering my GF two floors above me while she is working or sleeping or whatever else. I can’t imagine living my life on someone else’s schedule because I’m crammed into a tiny place. Oh wait just kidding I can because that’s exactly how it was before 2 years ago when we moved into a house and it was miserable. Every time I had a friend over it would drive her crazy while she was studying. Any time I wanted to stay up later working it became an issue. That’s no way to live. Small houses are for the birds.
It’s funny because I guarantee 99% of people responding will never own a house as nice as most of these. And if you can’t see 5 is a gorgeous house I think you must just have no concept of design. Maybe you like really old run down shacks?! These houses would all start at $1M at least lol.
Location: Formerly Pleasanton Ca, now in Marietta Ga
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonathanLB
It’s funny because I guarantee 99% of people responding will never own a house as nice as most of these. And if you can’t see 5 is a gorgeous house I think you must just have no concept of design. Maybe you like really old run down shacks?! These houses would all start at $1M at least lol.
I agree. Everyone has different tastes but people saying these homes have no soul I disagree with that. Maybe those people like quirky houses with faults.
It's like when realtors are trying to sell a house that is small or is just weird, they call it cozy or charming.
I think there's just a lot of haters or jealous peopleon this board sometimes.
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