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Just curious why you prefer this kind of setup. I'm not a fan of detached garage due to having to walk outside from car to get into house, esp during inclement weather.
Workshop? Band practice space? Studio?
I'm with meanieme. I really like having our garage attached to our kitchen so I don't have to bring in the groceries in the rain.
I'm sure you could build one in an older neighborhood with big lots.
Yeah, as another poster mentioned, Carpenter Village and Southern Village both seem to have the rear access garages. Some of the bigger houses around the perimeter aren't, but those are way too expensive. Kitt's Creek and Amberly look rear access as well.
It looks like Savannah in Morrisville and Governor's Village in Chapel Hill are the only two so far...
As far as the "why", not for a dedicated studio, workspace, etc - just for a typical garage.
And again, I'm not totally opposed to attached garages. But front access, and architecturally distinct from the rest of the house. I googled home elevations in NC and took some screenshots of "yes" and "no"...
Since my original hopes aren't sounding so great, any neighborhoods with more of the "yes" style, that also have medium sized lots, and sidewalks with a green buffer before the street?
I'm with the OP on houses that from the front appear to be just a big garage door, with a house added on to it. That seems to be commonplace on tract home builders in the lower price points. Locally, it seems like you need to start to get into the $500k plus range for a newer house with an attached garage with some architectural features to separate it.
What's your budget? Also how big of a plot of land is too big? I think you can find plenty of sidewalks and green space it's the architectural piece we need to help you with but we need a general budget. There's one in Berkely in Cary that might fit the bill.
I'm with the OP on houses that from the front appear to be just a big garage door, with a house added on to it. That seems to be commonplace on tract home builders in the lower price points. Locally, it seems like you need to start to get into the $500k plus range for a newer house with an attached garage with some architectural features to separate it.
I don't like them, either. Ugh.
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Yeah, as another poster mentioned, Carpenter Village and Southern Village both seem to have the rear access garages. Some of the bigger houses around the perimeter aren't, but those are way too expensive. Kitt's Creek and Amberly look rear access as well.
It looks like Savannah in Morrisville and Governor's Village in Chapel Hill are the only two so far...
As far as the "why", not for a dedicated studio, workspace, etc - just for a typical garage.
And again, I'm not totally opposed to attached garages. But front access, and architecturally distinct from the rest of the house. I googled home elevations in NC and took some screenshots of "yes" and "no"...
Since my original hopes aren't sounding so great, any neighborhoods with more of the "yes" style, that also have medium sized lots, and sidewalks with a green buffer before the street?
Oh, yeah. We have plenty of the ones that are in your "Yes" section. I'm with you. I don't like the ones you Xed out, either.
They're weird.
I live in a house with a side-load garage that is what you are looking for, too... technically, anyway. The garage is the garage. The front of our house has a porch and a door in the middle, between the windows for the dining room and my study. The garage is a separate entity in that it's not part of the "main house." It just loads from the side.
You might want to consider those, too.
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yes, there are plenty of non-tract neighborhoods that don't have "half the front is a garage" elevations.
It's actually a good thing that you want to eliminate a broad spectrum of newer construction/neighborhoods that way. Makes your choice easier. One main thing I'd think to look for is bigger or wider lots. There's a reason you feel like those garage are out of scale is squeezed into a narrower space.
Yeah, a big part of what bothers me about the "No" layouts (aside from just way they look) is how much square footage gets lost on the 1st floor. We have two living areas, a kitchen, and a dining room downstairs right now. I like having the two living rooms - one has ended up as more of the kids playroom. I would much rather have more room downstairs. We don't hang out upstairs in our bedrooms.
I think I may have mentioned our budget at the beginning, but it's in the high 300s to low 400s. If it's realistic, ideally we'd want a 2 story 4 bedroom (with all 4 bedrooms upstairs).
As far as lot sizes go, we just don't want to be in a neighborhood that's *too* spread out. Of course it depends how the square footage is laid out and what the footprint of the house is. About 15'-20' between houses is just fine. I'd say the biggest lot we want to deal with is like 10,000 SF.
I'm glad to hear there are a good portion of "yes" options out there. If we can get pickier, I'd rather stay away from McMansion-y looking houses and ones that only have a facade on the front side. Really just looking for something architecturally traditional.
Any suggestions of neighborhoods that might fit the bill for these more specific options?
Garage access from front of house
Garage that's architecturally distinct from the rest of the house
Medium-ish lots, somewhere around 8000-9000 SF
Sidewalks with a grass/tree buffer before the street
Not McMansion-y, or with front-side-only facades
In the upper 300s - lower 400s
I realize that once we start getting more specific it might be time to get a realtor involved, but I'm still just trying to get an idea of where these kinds of neighborhoods are. It's hard to look at single properties on Redfin/Zillow and really get a feel for what's out there.
I live in a house with a side-load garage that is what you are looking for, too... technically, anyway. The garage is the garage. The front of our house has a porch and a door in the middle, between the windows for the dining room and my study. The garage is a separate entity in that it's not part of the "main house." It just loads from the side.
You might want to consider those, too.
Yes, my next door neighbor's house is like that. Not so common but probably more common than the detached behind the house. I'm a big fan of that style. Looks nice from the outside but same functionality as the traditional attached garage. My DD has a friend in Preston Village with that style. PV probably out of OP's price range though.
OP I think involving a realtor is a good idea....I'm sure you can find something you like around here, just might need some help getting there. Good luck!
I'm with the OP on houses that from the front appear to be just a big garage door, with a house added on to it. That seems to be commonplace on tract home builders in the lower price points. Locally, it seems like you need to start to get into the $500k plus range for a newer house with an attached garage with some architectural features to separate it.
If you want new construction then yes......the garage-door dominated facade is status quo.
Facades on the OP's "yes" list were the norm in the 80s-early 2000s. The garage was an off-shoot of the main part of the house and typically had a bonus room above the garage; often with it's own back-staircase. Lots were bigger then so the larger footprints that style of house needed was more of a reality.
Since the bubble....it's either the garage takes up the whole back yard and has it's own backstreet....or it becomes one with the main mass of the house itself taking up half of the facade.
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