Driveway layout assistance needed

[75H2]

I can't find the answer anywhere on the net. I bet there is someone out there who can help. We are about a month away from moving into our yet to be completed house. My problem is this, the house sits on a bit of a "knob" or small hill drops off moderately front & back. I am having a very hard time comming up with a driveway layout / approach that looks nice & is functional. I have a 3 car side entrance garage attached to the house and a small 24 X24 garage / shed set back about 75 feet facing the same way as the house. The smaller building will house the SCUT & other toys.

I want to make sure the sight lines comming up the drive draw people to the front door rather than drivingand looking at a set of grage doors & wondering how to get in.

Anyone else had this to deal with. Is ther software out there? Design service? I con only do this one time, I need to get it right

 

[RussMan]

I have a similar situation, and will be moving into our new home end of March. We too have 3 car garage on the end, but want to direct people to the front door.

As people come up our driveway there will be a split in the road, one leading to the garage but the other leading to a circle drive directly in front of our front door. People seem to like circle drives. I think it will work well for us, and might be an option for you.

 

[orezok]

I have a somewhat similar situation with a 500' drive leading up to the house which has a circular drive in front. The drive comes straight at the front door. I have a metal building garage that is 50' to the left of the house.

It never fails that when someone comes to the house, they will ignore the paved circular drive and pull up in front of the garage on the rock.

I guess that it must be habit.

 

[tony123]

I'm a Landscape Architect. Have you thought about hiring one to do some planning for you?

Some simple tips...

1. Suggestions of a circular drive at the front of the house are a good idea.

2. If not, put some guest parking that faces towards the front door, and then narrow the drive as it goes towards the garages.

3. Consider what the plant material will be doing. Is it possible to use plant material to screen off the garages and "private" parking? Make the "private" area less inviting and the public an obvious choice.

All this being said, I'm a Landscape Architect and have these same issues at my own home. I haven't put in any plant material yet, but think that will go a long ways to a solution at my place.

Having a good Master Plan can be so valuable. It gives you a long term goal so that all projects work towards a cohesive end. And it will save you many times the fee in the long run. Try calling someone local to your area. At a minimum you may get one out for a one hour consultation.

Good luck. And let us know what happens.

tony

 

[WBWI]

We have a similar situation and no room for a circular drive. My plans are some type of formal walk way from the drive to the front door. We'll see what this year brings as far as completing the project.

 

[RobS]

We have a circle drive in front and the garage is clear in the back. Most use the circle, but there are those who still drive all the way around. I'm thinking of some posts and landscape materials that will make the rear drive a bit less welcoming, kind of what Tony said.

If your terrain precludes a drive in front, put in a nice, welcoming walkway and keep the garage doors shut.

 

[tony123]

hahaha...that's my technique for now. Just keep the garage doors shut.

WBWI, that's a beautiful home and property. The grading and siting of our houses are very similar. I love your color choices too.

Here's a photo showing my garage side. As you can see, you can't see the front of the house at all from here. About 50' up the hill I have a spur for two guest parking spaces. They face right out across the neighbors horse pasture and to the mountains view. I hope that in time my landscaping will encourage people to park there. It will also help matters when I get a walk from there to the front door. Of course, that will require some steps down the slope. The walk you see in the photo is really not meant for guests.

 

[75H2]

Tony & WB you both have amazing houses. Thanks for sharing. I'm glad I'm not the only one working on this.

A few posters mentioned "circle drive". Just a question about terminology. Are you refering to a driveway with 2 separate entrances to the main road? OR are you referencing a drive with a single entrance that "circles infront of the house? If possible I'd do the shortest drive I could. I'd like to pave one day. The shorter the more likely I can swing it.

There was a trailer on the property when I bought it. It's been sold & moved. But, I still have 2 separate entrances to the property. I could do a "horseshoe" driveway. But the house does not sit in the middle of the property. The drive would not be symetrical. Anyone think that is an issue? This is the one think I wish my wife had an opinion. I really need some more input.

I've attached my very crude sketch of the layout. I did it old school cut and paste & it looks it. Please ignore my chicken scratch handwriting. Does this give anyone any ideas?