Come knock on my garage doors (Houston, Sherman: fit in, HOA, house) - Texas (TX) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

texas7 · 05-03-2014, 09:45 AM

I much prefer the look of detached but enjoy the convenience of attached. And, I feel safer when I leave the house before dark or arrive home late - once I open the garage door, drive in and put the door down - I'm in.

One of my co-workers who lives in the Cypress area 290/Eldridge area said with the way Houston's crime has gotten so random and just chances of easy opportunity that she feels burdened that she feels the need to look out the windows along the front and side of her home before she walks out to her car at 4:30 a.m. every day.

Agree with the example of the photo of the Woodlands home with front garage vs. spring home for same price. Easy choice in which looks more appealing. However, the detached is more expensive in most cases and for a lot of people they simply can't afford the bigger lot, detached garage home so they get a very nice home built in tract neighborhoods that are the Houston standard with attached garages. They keep their neighborhoods neat and lawns nicely manicured and make it a nice family place to live - can't judge anyone for that.

Bike4Life · 05-03-2014, 10:32 AM

I'm aware that some lots are small and having a detached garage is the back is more expensive. But that does not justify some of you to ridicule me just for pointing out the flaws. If houses were better designed, your house would sell faster with a premium price. But if your neighbors all have white garage doors in the front, then I'll go elsewhere. It won't appreciate in value.

Here is a good example on how to disguise your garage door

But developers are still slapping ugly, white garage doors. Why would you buy this bland McMansion for $825,000?

texdav · 05-03-2014, 10:37 AM

Its obvious some don't agree since there are so many. Why does it matter to Op that they want something different from Ops choice.

westhou · 05-03-2014, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bike4Life

I'm aware that some lots are small and having a detached garage is the back is more expensive. But that does not justify some of you to ridicule me just for pointing out the flaws. If houses were better designed, your house would sell faster with a premium price. But if your neighbors all have white garage doors in the front, then I'll go elsewhere. It won't appreciate in value.

Here is a good example on how to disguise your garage door

But developers are still slapping ugly, white garage doors. Why would you buy this bland McMansion for $825,000?

You are being ridiculed by the people who own homes with the ugly white garage doors on the front of their homes.

timtemtym · 05-03-2014, 12:14 PM

Houston really needs to get on board with alleys and back garages. It really shocks people who didn't grow up there to drive around looking at all the prominent garages. Alleys can get pretty gross over the years (we have some in my neighborhood (from the 1930's) that are completely undriveable and attract abandoned pieces of furniture... So maybe the drive on the side and detached in the back is the best model.

lhafer · 05-03-2014, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by timtemtym

Houston really needs to get on board with alleys and back garages. It really shocks people who didn't grow up there to drive around looking at all the prominent garages. Alleys can get pretty gross over the years (we have some in my neighborhood (from the 1930's) that are completely undriveable and attract abandoned pieces of furniture... So maybe the drive on the side and detached in the back is the best model.

Our neighborhood had a burgular who was targeted homes that specifically had back alley driveways. He would rob people at gun point in their driveway and kept getting away with it because no one saw it, and people were having a hard time giving a good description.

trbstang · 05-03-2014, 01:27 PM

I was shocked with the homes in Dallas and Plano when we looked around up there. The alleys and rear garages really took up a lot of yard space that could be used for other things, IMO. Yes, the fronts looked nice, but it was not something I was used to.

I prefer the detached garage myself and that is what we have. 3 car, 31'x31' set back about 65' from the curb. Plenty of parking space, place for the kids to play ball and the balls don't go rolling out in the street, and no big honking garage sticking out in the front. We had that in our first house, but it was only a $53K 1,600 sqft starter home. In our neighborhood most homes (60-70%) have detached garages in our mid priced section. In the cheaper section with smaller lots it is more like 75-80% with attached garages, while the high end section it is more like 90% detached. That was one reasson we picked our area is because I don't like areas that have cars sticking out in front of the house all over and cars up and down the street. Most of our neighbors park in the garage or up in the driveway.

Blame the big front garages on the desire to produce large low priced homes on postage stamp lots. You really need a good 65'+ wide lot for a nice home and detached garage, and many lots are smaller than that. I've seen a few homes with a porte cochere over the driveway with a second story above, and a detached garage behind the house. If it is a small lot, that is a possible solution. Some people prefer the attached for the convenience factor, but I agree, make it look like the picture above; don't make it the main focus! And spend more than $600 for the cheap flimsy door, especially if it makes up a considerable part of the front of the house.

Svensk08 · 05-03-2014, 01:43 PM

In some parts of the U.S., a house with its attached garage sticking out in front is referred to as a "snout house".

DejaBlue · 05-03-2014, 01:44 PM

The funniest thing is attached garages seem to bring out the hidden tacky in the owners. Most who have an attached garage park in the driveway. I've seen the garage when up. It's pretty clean so get inside. The house already looks small on the outside because of the garage out front then there's a large SUV blocking it.

It's kind of weird to. You justify wanting to be able to just go right inside yet you park, get out then walk outside to the front door. Verses raising the garage, going inside then going through the laundry room and being in the house. It's a little stuck on stupid and pointless

Either than or attached people park on the street. Very rarely will detached owners park on the street. There's a long driveway and a garage.

madrone2k · 05-03-2014, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Social D

Coming from the DFW area where back alleys/garages were common it took me a long time to accept the front driveway that is most common here. I have grown to accept the front garage look and I would love to have a three car garage. I would rather see the three garages than a bunch of cars parked in the driveway or street ( or front yard). I would agree, that it does look goofy to have a big ass pick-up truck parked out front that dwarfs the size of the house.

Detached garages help the house look better, I just did not find them as convenient.

That said, if posting pictures of peoples homes just so you guys can mock them makes you feel superior, then congratulations.

When visiting Dallas for extended periods in the 70s, I noticed that back alleys were way more common there, so I suppose they were mandated? Or maybe the developers just responded to what the market expected?

I agree that it would not be nice to post pictures just to mock people, but I have to say that I don't like what is apparently the norm in Houston, which is to have the facade of houses be all about the garage, plus have the driveway and street all full of pickup trucks and the like. OK, maybe my reaction is driven by aesthetics, but other cities don't do this so much and they seem to more often offer environments that are better for enjoying home life and raising kids.