Are rear-entry garages just a DFW thing?

[AV8n]

I just moved to the area a few months ago, and was surprised by the popularity (at least among builders) of the rear entry alleyways. It seems like a nice concept, but in my neighborhood many people park on the street in front of their house, which to me defeats the purpose.

In my case, my truck won't fit alongside the car in the garage, and the alley is too narrow for my comfort, so I am one of the aforementioned street-parkers.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by roskybosky

I'm from the Northeast, where front garages are all you see, but being in Dallas/Coppell for so long I've come to like the rear entry garages best. The street looks tidier, you can see the houses, and the home design isn't ruined by a giant door in front. I also like the privacy of entering my house w/o the neighbors seeing my car go in and out a hundred times a day.

well i am from the Northeast too and something I noticed about them, in terms of "tidiness" that you mentioned. In some of the neighborhoods I visited it felt eary like no one actually lived there and the homes were all model homes instead of actual homes where people lived. Almost like a hollywood movie set... And quite honestly, I will take the cars in the driveway (assuming the homes are not 50' lots) because what rear-entry does to the backyard is an abomination to all mankind.

[hellpaso]

Originally Posted by skids929

... And quite honestly, I will take the cars in the driveway (assuming the homes are not 50' lots) because what rear-entry does to the backyard is an abomination to all mankind.

lol--I have one of those rear-entry garages, and instead of a backyard, I have a side yard!

[biscuitmom]

Originally Posted by skids929

an abomination to all mankind.

Couldn't agree more.

I've not lived anywhere but DFW for the past 45 years so don't know for sure if rear-entry drives are a local thing or not.
Long ago, DH & I lived very briefly ~shudder~, only 10 months, in a house with such. We fled that house, sold at a loss, solely because of the alley rear-entry.

[Pete53FR]

I live with an alley and rear entry garage. Its wonderful my garbage is picked up in city cans behind my house. Its easy to get in and out no worries about weather. We have a 2 and 1/2 car garage and park one car so lots of room to store stuff and keep a second fridge.

If I were to get another house I would hope I could get the same arrangement. By the way I am on first name basis with all the neighbors on my block. We all look out for each other and even put newspaper up when someone is gone as they do for me.

[skids929]

Originally Posted by Pete53FR

I live with an alley and rear entry garage. Its wonderful my garbage is picked up in city cans behind my house.

The thought of having trash cans in my back yard, a loud annoying clanging trash truck once a week in my backyard, and most importantly the sound of cars in and out all day, in my backyard doesn't appeal to me in the least.

There would have to be alot of other factors that outweigh what I don't like about rear entry to buy one of those homes.

Most people, throughout the US, do not use their front yards for recreation, which makes the backyard sacred ground. The thought of turning a significant portion of my backyard into a concrete driveway, and a place where I abut a street, where all that activity takes place is frankly, gross.

I (and most others tend to agree) prefer woods back there, and would even be ok with another home..But an easement for people to access their homes without all the benefits of living in an actual URBAN atmosphere where you endure that crap for the conveniences, nope. I move to the suburbs for peace and quiet, serenity from all the annoying hustle and bustle of life, not to stare at a fence that blocks a road and a trash truck and trash cans. Not to mention I would be fearful with children, since the backyard is their actual play area, they would wander into a narrow street like that that has poor sight lines due to all the fencing and get hit.

Clearly not for me, and it's important to point out what I see as major flaws in this type of planning in a suburban setting.

[goodhugh]

I lived in Houston the first 20 years of my life in a house with a garage that was used for storage. I moved to Dallas and have been here for 22 years. Every house with the exception of the apartment I lived in years ago has had rear entry garages. I have to say I much prefer rear entry garages. I also LOVE the fact my trash cans are in the rear and out of sight. I personally think neighborhoods with no garages in the front look much nicer and cleaner.

When I lived in Preston hollow I was surprised to find that many of the alleys were abandoned or reclaimed by the homeowners on many streets. Now I'm in East Dallas and I find that alleys are used sparingly and are not in very good repair. I would like to give kudos to the City of Dallas though. The alley behind my house when I moved in was almost un-driveable due to over growth and the gravel (it's not paved) had not been maintained in years. I opened a ticket with the City of Dallas via the 311 system (I opened the ticket online). A month later.. all of the residents of the alley had cleared the overgrowth and then the city came out and resurfaced it. It is much nicer now.

[sapphire]

We love having a rear-entry garage. The front of our home looks like....a home. We do have a few people on our street that park out front but it's not that big a deal. Our alleys are well-maintained, and there is virtually no noise from traffic going through them, except for 2 minutes on Mondays when they pick up our trash. I think I can live with that. To me, it's a much neater, cleaner look but it's just a personal preference. We do hope our next house has this setup, though!

[Souleiado]

Originally Posted by biscuitmom

Couldn't agree more.

I've not lived anywhere but DFW for the past 45 years so don't know for sure if rear-entry drives are a local thing or not.
Long ago, DH & I lived very briefly ~shudder~, only 10 months, in a house with such. We fled that house, sold at a loss, solely because of the alley rear-entry.

Having a house with an ally rear entry doesn't lower the value of your house around DFW , it is the most common and preferred design.
By having a rear alley , you can also avoid all the problems that come with sharing a fence, and let's not forget that pools are very common here and when comes time to construct , repair, or emptying , back alleys are better.

[biscuitmom]

Originally Posted by Souleiado

Having a house with an ally rear entry doesn't lower the value of your house around DFW , it is the most common and preferred design.
By having a rear alley , you can also avoid all the problems that come with sharing a fence, and let's not forget that pools are very common here and when comes time to construct , repair, or emptying , back alleys are better.

We lost money because we chose to move again after only 10 months, so we had to pay closing costs twice in one year. It was well worth it to us. I've been a DFW homeowner for 45 years so am familiar with pros and cons of both alleys and pools, neither of which I'll ever again want!

I don't care for fences either. Trees, rocks, and creeks give us nice natural separation; we have only one small stretch of ornamental black iron fence. And in lieu of a lawn, we have trees, rock, ground cover, and native plants. We don't even own a lawn mower.
Even in Dallas, not everyone drinks the ~ alley- wood fence - St. Augustine ~ kool-aid.