What's up with the garages in the back? (Houston, Dallas: for sale, townhomes)

[galore]

Originally Posted by Mister Nifty

In regards to garages, well, I tried bringing up two important points. One is the inferior foundation of the garage when compared to that of the house. The house's foundation always seems higher than the garages. Check it out for yourself. Two is in regards to the rules that they have regarding attached structures. In a lot of localities, an unattached structure does not need a building permit to get constructed. Perhaps it isn't wise to connect the inferior foundation of the garage to that of the house? Perhaps an unattached garage allows them more freedom in how to build the house?

You cook up fantastic theories all the time and present them as truth, which shines a dim light on you.

Let's debunk both claims:

* garage floors are usually 4" below the house floor due to code requirements (either IRC or local). This is a safety feature - google is your friend if you want to learn more. Claiming the foundation is inferior because the floor is lower is silly because this totally ignores other components of a foundation, like grade beams etc.

* attached vs. non-attached structures and permit requirements. This totally depends on the city. In Dallas, you need a permit once the structure exceeds certain dimensions. You can't just build a non-attached garage without a permit. Again, just use a search engine and EDUCATE yourself instead of coming up with your weird fantasies

p.s. I'm sure there a quite a few ladies who find "car stall" sexier than "garage". Especially the kinky ones.

[Mister Nifty]

Originally Posted by galore

You cook up fantastic theories all the time and present them as truth, which shines a dim light on you.

Let's debunk both claims:

* garage floors are usually 4" below the house floor due to code requirements (either IRC or local). This is a safety feature - google is your friend if you want to learn more. Claiming the foundation is inferior because the floor is lower is silly because this totally ignores other components of a foundation, like grade beams etc.

* attached vs. non-attached structures and permit requirements. This totally depends on the city. In Dallas, you need a permit once the structure exceeds certain dimensions. You can't just build a non-attached garage without a permit. Again, just use a search engine and EDUCATE yourself instead of coming up with your weird fantasies

p.s. I'm sure there a quite a few ladies who find "car stall" sexier than "garage". Especially the kinky ones.

Interesting. I would suppose that a garage floor has to be pretty solid to support the weight of a vehicle. By inferior, I mean in regards to how it is reinforced by rebar Rebar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Residential Garage Slab & Rebar Question - The Inspector's Journal Forums
Here is some fellows discussing garage flooring. It seems they don't use rebar much but mostly mesh while code is going to make one use it in the foundation of a house. So, I think that pretty much means that the garage's foundation is inferior to that of the house's. Also, did you get the subtle point that the fellow was making about using 2 x 4's for the forming? A two by four is actually 1.50 by 3.50 inches. So, right off the bat, the garage floor isn't even going to be 4 inches thick! And, as the concrete of the house envelops the sand underneath so that the foundation floats on top of it, that might not be the case for the foundation of a garage.
I did make the point about code differing depending on what city you live. Unattached structures a lot of the time won't need a building permit. So, I did introduce something to take into consideration as to why some garages are attached to houses and others are not.
Look, you got me so flustered here that I totally forget about my soup and it got cold. Please, let's not get distracted from the point of this ever fascinating subject! Stay the course! Remain on topic!

[imcurious]

This one house that struck me as being so cool was probably a multi-million dollar affair . . . as you face the street - and very close to the street was a one-car garage, kind of the old-fashioned looking kind. on top of it, was a very cool tower . . . so the garage element was hidden by this awesome tower. then to the left of the one car garage was a two car garage with the outside wall flush with the one car garage - in other words, the door of the garage was not facing the street . . .the door is the ugly part. anyway, obviously some thought had gone into it and it turned out very attractive and functional at the same time. because the house faces the ocean, the street view is not as important as it might have been otherwise. it's almost like the street was functioning as an alley, but not . . . it had the alley feel from the one car garage with the tower on top of it. and really nicely landscaped.

[Tta]

I prefer rear garages for a lot of reasons.
However, I also feel that they can be dangerous since there is low visibility for people pulling out or driving through the alley. Also, there are plenty of stupid drivers who zoom through the alley.

[Mister Nifty]

Originally Posted by Tta

I prefer rear garages for a lot of reasons.
However, I also feel that they can be dangerous since there is low visibility for people pulling out or driving through the alley. Also, there are plenty of stupid drivers who zoom through the alley.

Yes, Tta. And those same stupid drivers are the ones who zoom through store parking lots. As I've often said, our nation would be far better off removing from the curriculum the teachings of history in the classroom and replacing that with the endeavor of how to drive properly. An adult taught his or her whole life how to properly drive is certainly going to graduate knowing how to do that endeavor better; meanwhile, an adult who isn't taught his or her whole life how much their ancestors once lived as fools is certainly going to graduate having a better appreciation for how great their nation truly is.
In regards to people driving like lunatics in the alley where children often play? Well, there is a social solution to that problem. No need to call the police.

[stan4]

I don't like alley parking or alley garages myself. Not enough room, security issues, less room up front and in back to play, etc.

Your house doesn't have to look 'ugly' if you have a swing garage or, as in the case of our current house, the garage is nowhere near the front of the house (our house sits on a corner and is a C shape, so the garage is on the cross-street).

Frankly, if you are used to seeing a garage on the front of a house, it wouldn't really occur to you to think it's ugly...that might just be what you think a house looks like.

[Spade]

If you can hide the garage in the front as best as you can, then I guess it can be ok. Like this in Houston for the new townhomes.
Houston - Google Maps
Couldn't find any for Dallas. San Francisco is the best city in the nation for this and it's one of the densest cities in the country. But I still prefer the alley to be in the rear. The alley exists for the ugliness of your property to be in hiding. Especially for trash pickups. I didn't know Texas was big on alleys though.

[Mister Nifty]

Originally Posted by Spade

If you can hide the garage in the front as best as you can, then I guess it can be ok. Like this in Houston for the new townhomes.
Houston - Google Maps
Couldn't find any for Dallas. San Francisco is the best city in the nation for this and it's one of the densest cities in the country. But I still prefer the alley to be in the rear. The alley exists for the ugliness of your property to be in hiding. Especially for trash pickups. I didn't know Texas was big on alleys though.

The Dallas - Fort Worth area once was big on the trash being picked up in the alley, but that is no longer the case. In most instances, the trash is put out in the front so that the hydraulic lift trucks can spill half of it on the street while emptying. Then again, I'm being pessimistic. I should have said that they manage to empty it half way full into the truck.

[imcurious]

Originally Posted by stan4

I don't like alley parking or alley garages myself. Not enough room, security issues, less room up front and in back to play, etc.

Your house doesn't have to look 'ugly' if you have a swing garage or, as in the case of our current house, the garage is nowhere near the front of the house (our house sits on a corner and is a C shape, so the garage is on the cross-street).

Frankly, if you are used to seeing a garage on the front of a house, it wouldn't really occur to you to think it's ugly...that might just be what you think a house looks like.

I am used to seeing it and I can still identify it as UGLY. It's just bad architecture. Not inspiring. It makes a point by saying "the car is more important than anything, that is why the garage is in front." Horrible. Hate it with a passion.

[Haute Mom]

Originally Posted by stan4

I don't like alley parking or alley garages myself. Not enough room, security issues, less room up front and in back to play, etc.

Your house doesn't have to look 'ugly' if you have a swing garage or, as in the case of our current house, the garage is nowhere near the front of the house (our house sits on a corner and is a C shape, so the garage is on the cross-street).

Frankly, if you are used to seeing a garage on the front of a house, it wouldn't really occur to you to think it's ugly...that might just be what you think a house looks like.

agree 100%. i just hate the way people end up parking on the street in the front. annoying! i guess i am just not used to it, bc i didn't grow up in a place where neighborhoods put garages in the back!