Garage Design Feedback

[DT86]

The rear door opening against the stairs seems like a bad idea.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

My shop is 24X32 and I had a 16' door installed and have never regretted it for a minute. I do regret not installing a garage door opener though. The big door creates an illusion, if nothing more, of having more working space when it's open.

As for the breezeway, the greenhouse sound like a good idea; however I would suggest that you consider turning one half of it into a cedar lined closet. Our garage had a little extra room on the East wall, so I built a closet/storage area that really comes in handy. We store our Winter clothes there in the Summer, and somehow they have grown to occupy the space provided and more. Of course you could do what I did and build the closet into the garage. The closet and shelves were built with doors, so it doesn't give the appearance of an open shelf area and doesn't lend a cluttered appearance...we have plenty of that in the rest of the garage!

 

[fordmantpw]

Personally, I like the like of 10' doors better than the larger ones, but that's just me. We have 10' wide by 7'-6" tall on ours and my Super Duty with the towing mirrors slid out fit just fine.

I second the thought of moving the man door in the back away from the steps a bit. At least give yourself enough room to swing the door all the way open in front of the steps, or just swing it the other way.

 

[dodge man]

I like the option 1 the best, it has more usable space. A bigger door might be nice but it depends on what you want to do with the garage. Is it just going to be for parking cars or are you going to use it as a shop? If you are going to use it as a shop, will you wish you had a lift in it some day? My shop is 30 wide and 28 feet deep, its a pretty good size for 2 vehicles with room for tools on one side and storage and a work bench across the back. My only problem is I wish I had built it taller so I could have a lift.

 

[95XL883]

- If doing a closed breezeway does anyone have one that they get any use out of? Just having a hard time thinking of how I would utilize this space.
Jeremy

I grew up in a house with a breezeway that was enclosed during the initial construction. It was one of the most used rooms in the house. The front and back of the room was all windows which made it very light and felt very open. It was a game room, a TV room, a gathering room, a room that could be used without having to worry about a little bit of dirt. (My mom had seven kids. Dad traveled a lot. The house was immaculate but the enclosed breezeway was the one room where if something got spilled it wasn't a big deal, if the dog was a little dirty it was not a big deal. We were all very comfortable in that room. The two architectural items that made that room were the front and back windows walls and that it was between the kitchen and the garage. It was big enough that we could use it without disrupting the flow of people to and from the garage and kitchen. If your plan were mine, I would seriously want to enclose it. Hope this helps.

P.S. The house is gorgeous. Well done!

 

[Will_C]

I have plans for a house I hope to build next spring. It has a mudroom extending from the house into the garage. I plan on a bathroom with a shower, washer/dryer, and storage shelves located on there. It will be a perfect place to change clothes and wash up before going into the house.
I am sure a breezeway could serve the same purpose.

Will

 

[aczlan]

The rear door opening against the stairs seems like a bad idea.

I can tell you from experience that it is a very bad idea. We did that in an addition and it made it a royal pain to get anything in and right upstairs. It also makes a quick exit down the stairs and outside impossible.

Aaron Z

 

[DuckSlayer1017]

Like Will C said, the framed in breezeway would make a great mud room. Also, like someone else said make sure there is enough room to be able to open car doors plus room for shelves, kids bikes maybe a freezer or whatever may end up in there. Our two car can only fit one car because of all the stuff e have in our garage. Two cars would fit in mine if I didn't keep anything in there except the cars.

 

[jk96]

Thanks everyone for the comments so far. Its a big help. I can see the breezeway being used as a mudroom as many have suggested. The door to the main house leads to a short hallway with the laundry room on the right of the hallway so makes sense. I have a two car garage currently in the walkout end of the basement on the right side of the house so this is where bikes, 4wheelers, tools, etc would most likely go and not in the garage addition. I agree with some about not seeing the garage doors on the front of the house but have also seen some designs that looked really sharp. Turning it 90 degrees to move the doors seems odd to me as it makes it really wide in comparison to the home. I'll have to give it a thought. I have a 1 ton dually so the need for at least one 12 foot door is there. Noted on the door and stairs. This was the first plan that came in so I had not even noticed that yet. Thanks.

 

[LD1]

A 1-ton dually don't justify 12' doors IMO.

I had 9' doors on my old shop. Pulled my dually and 9' plow In there all the time. 10' would have seemed like a walk in the park.

12' is certainly nicer, but certainly not a need.