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KerbyWR - couldn't agree more! I also hate houses where the front faces the road. House should face the best view which is usually NOT the way they are traditionally placed. The best that can be done for houses with front garages is to disguise them with beautiful doors and breathtaking landscape...
Not every lot has an alley for a rear garage, nor does every lot have the capacity for a side garage. Garages facing the street allow the garage to be attached to the home, and allow for a shorter (and therefore lower maintenance) driveway.
Alleys are great, but they take up space that obviously people no longer want to sacrifice and municipalities no longer want to maintain.
My tastes are a bit old fashioned. I like Victorians, Queen Annes, Tudor and Arts and Craftsman style architecture with garages on an alley or the side or severely recessed so they are not a focal point.
There are a few neighborhoods that have built new construction with these great designs from the past.
I would like to see a lot more of them.
This is my house, which has a 3-car garage facing the front ...
I don't think it's ugly! Of course, others might. Oh, well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoNative
KerbyWR - couldn't agree more! I also hate houses where the front faces the road. House should face the best view which is usually NOT the way they are traditionally placed. The best that can be done for houses with front garages is to disguise them with beautiful doors and breathtaking landscape...
Hmmm ... I have a huge and beautiful back yard (actually it was probably the biggest reason I bought the house -- lots of privacy!). If the front of my house faced my current back yard, that would mean most of the bedrooms would face the street. That sounds like a horrible idea.
Not every lot has an alley for a rear garage, nor does every lot have the capacity for a side garage. Garages facing the street allow the garage to be attached to the home, and allow for a shorter (and therefore lower maintenance) driveway.
Alleys are great, but they take up space that obviously people no longer want to sacrifice and municipalities no longer want to maintain.
Well, I wouldn't say front loading garages are ugly or tasteless, but they're not my preference. I live in a "new urbanist" community and all garages are in back of houses, accessed either by an alley or by a driveway that goes back between the houses. I much prefer it this way.
There is a style of house though, that I absolutely cannot stand. It's in newer construction where the house has one 2 car garage that faces the street, and then a separate, single car garage that's in front of the house, but turned 45 degrees (so if a car backed out of each garage at the same time, they run into each other). So you have this massive sea of concrete in front of the house and the front door is hidden back in a corner, between the two garages. This also means the house has no front-facing windows on the main level, plus the odd situation where you have two garages that aren't connected. I don't get it.
We have too many houses in Las Vegas where the 3-car garages dwarf the front of the houses. I live in an older neighborhood, of 60's houses where they, then, only provided for one-car garages. But most of them in my neighborhood have been converted to housing spaces, garage door eliminated.
More than likely, over time, as we become more of a third-world country, with extended families, these garages will become bedrooms, garage doors disappearing, cars parked outside, at least for those who can still afford to own and operate a car.
We have thousands of houses here in California (not where I live) that have the garage as a main feature
in front of the house ! It's just so ugly. I have a home in the historical district of Boise, Idaho with the garage
on the alley. You really can appreciate the beauty of the house without these garage doors staring you in the face. You know what I mean.
Well, I wouldn't say front loading garages are ugly or tasteless, but they're not my preference. I live in a "new urbanist" community and all garages are in back of houses, accessed either by an alley or by a driveway that goes back between the houses. I much prefer it this way.
There is a style of house though, that I absolutely cannot stand. It's in newer construction where the house has one 2 car garage that faces the street, and then a separate, single car garage that's in front of the house, but turned 45 degrees (so if a car backed out of each garage at the same time, they run into each other). So you have this massive sea of concrete in front of the house and the front door is hidden back in a corner, between the two garages. This also means the house has no front-facing windows on the main level, plus the odd situation where you have two garages that aren't connected. I don't get it.
Usually homes that have those types of garages have in-law suites. The two car garage is attached to the home and the one car garage has access to the in-law suite, which is fully equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, etc. It may not be the most attractive visually but is very functional for families that may have older parents/college graduates living in the home with them. They are a popular for new construction here in Phoenix as several generations of the family might have to live together for economic/heath reasons.
I also like that some have a small front courtyard as a result of the garage placement, which is great for gardening/patio furniture.
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Of course, others might. Oh, well.
