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Old 04-18-2011, 05:57 PM
 
Location: Up on the moon laughing down on you
18,495 posts, read 32,781,060 times
Reputation: 7752

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Bingo. You nailed it.

I have seen many townhomes like that too, where the front of the first floor is all garage, there is the living room behind it and bedrooms upstairs. Basically what you posted but no space between homes.
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Old 04-18-2011, 06:00 PM
 
Location: Up on the moon laughing down on you
18,495 posts, read 32,781,060 times
Reputation: 7752
Quote:
Originally Posted by houstonfan View Post
I won't buy a house without an attached garage. I love the convenience of unloading my stuff into the house and the neighbors don't have to see what I'm unloading or loading.
lol, next time you visit the pleasure shop tell the cashier put the goodies in a paper bag because you have nosey neighbors.
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Old 04-18-2011, 06:05 PM
 
23,738 posts, read 14,854,098 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HtownLove View Post
The Op actually posted a pic of one of the better ones. This one you can see the front door and a bay window, the lawn is well cared for, and the front yard is well landscaped. Most times all you see is a garage, some concrete driveway and a rotting tree blocking the view of the rest of the house.

also what is Houston's phobia of windows all about?

My aunt's 4 bedroom house has only three windows. Two bedrooms have windows and there is a tiny one in the kitchen.
How old is the house? The ones built prior to the 70's had few windows. By the 80's the builders had figured out that windows are cheaper than brick, insulation, drywall and paint. My house has 48, several of which are 2 stories tall. I can't even clean them myself. We need to use sun glasses in the kitchen. Too many windows.
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Old 04-18-2011, 06:28 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,150 posts, read 85,977,665 times
Reputation: 130838
My one story house, build in 1949 has 16 windows ( 2 bdr/2 bath ) so, I don't think that age has much to do with it.
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Old 04-18-2011, 06:29 PM
 
Location: Up on the moon laughing down on you
18,495 posts, read 32,781,060 times
Reputation: 7752
Quote:
Originally Posted by crone View Post
How old is the house? The ones built prior to the 70's had few windows. By the 80's the builders had figured out that windows are cheaper than brick, insulation, drywall and paint. My house has 48, several of which are 2 stories tall. I can't even clean them myself. We need to use sun glasses in the kitchen. Too many windows.
Dunno how old it is, but before 1970 sounds about right. It is a hedious thing painted in gray with dark grey trim and black burglar bars. Entire set up looks like a prison. Burglars are scared of it. brings up bad memories.
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Old 04-18-2011, 07:43 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,150 posts, read 85,977,665 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by houstonfan View Post
I won't buy a house without an attached garage. I love the convenience of unloading my stuff into the house and the neighbors don't have to see what I'm unloading or loading, multiple trips are easier than having to get to the detached garage. I like that late at night, if I have to get something out of my car, I can be in my PJs and nobody will see me. Same goes with getthing everything else that is in the garage like garden tools, balls, junk. I also like that on a rainy day, I don't have to get myself wet getting to and from the car. I don't care if the the garage is in the front or side, as long as it's attached. I also think if the rest of the house is balanced with the size of garage door, it's esthetically pleasing.
Many houses with an detached garage have covered walkway like this, and no one see you because this is a part of your backyard: ( you walk from the garage to the back of your home, usually kitchen or mud room)

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Old 04-18-2011, 08:59 PM
 
177 posts, read 423,346 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by irishlover View Post
I don't know...this house was on a 16,000 sq ft lot. Then again, who knows what the buyer asked for...maybe they wanted this design!

Obviously this ins't just a Katy thing...I just drive by Katy everyday so it seems particularly acute there. I know it's throughout Texas and I'm sure many parts of the US...my question was more of a general one, geographically speaking. And I don't agree with you on the cookie cutter homes in Ashford Forest/Lakes area. EVERY house is almost completely different from the one next to it. And not just a different brick color or garage color (lol)...a completely different design. For maybe a few thousand dollars more (in the Ashford area) I can't figure out why people would buy a little piece of hell in Katy...
Just so you know it's not just in Texas that houses are built with a garage that way. Here in Minneapolis is the same way. Like you, I am not a fan either. Hate it.
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Old 04-18-2011, 10:00 PM
 
483 posts, read 1,555,463 times
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That's just the typical "ranch style" tract home. They're cheap to build and convenient for the owner, but sacraficing aethstics. The alternatives are:
1. Put a detached garage way in the back, which looks nice but is inconvenient especially if it's cold or raining outside.
2. Put an attached garage in the back that you drive straight into; this requires more land as you need a deep and fairly wide lot to do this
3. Put an attached garage in the back that is perpendicular to the house. The lot has to be deep but not wide. But parking and backing out is difficult.

The other thing is, I've looked at thousands of house plans, and having a front-facing garage doesnt necessarily make the house ugly. But it needs to use a nice looking door, feature a nice roof and architectural details like molding, and can't be so large it dwarfs the house. The house should have copious landscaping and have things like a fountain or large flowerbed to distract you from the garage.

I've seen some beautiful homes with front-facing garages.. but they tend to be very high end. I think you just need to raise your price range to find what you're looking for
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Old 04-18-2011, 10:10 PM
 
483 posts, read 1,555,463 times
Reputation: 1454
Folks, what it boils down to is cost. All the ideas here like putting the garage in the back or having single-garage doors with double-gable roof and exterior moulding, can't be done if the builder wants to build a cheap house for the masses. It requires either more materials/labor or more land.

You want a nice-looking house? Pony up the money.

This is like complaining a Kia looks so ordinary and why doesn't Kia make their cars look like Aston Martins. You should be buying the Aston in the first place
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Old 04-18-2011, 10:18 PM
 
3,106 posts, read 9,093,164 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GettaClue View Post

Builders could do a lot to help the front-facing aesthetics if more of them used two separate doors with a more decorative surround, instead of a plain and essentially flat (i.e.: pressed panel) double-wide door. Even something as simple as this makes a noticeable difference:


Hey...that 2nd picture is actually the same style as our house except a different elevation. That's a Perry.

I can't stand the garages being the dominant feature on the front of a house either but have to say that OP's photo is a lot less obnoxious than some others I've seen.

I'll venture to say that price point & lot size/shape have a lot to do with the design of attached garages in the front over a decade's design aesthetic.

The houses in our old neighborhood in San Diego were built in the late 1920s with a few built in the mid-1940s. Our 1929 Spanish Colonial had a detached garage & was set back from the street with a long driveway. The majority of the houses across the street from us - also built the same year - have their attached garages in the front.
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