Garage Drives Design of Today's Custom Homes

The Kent, Wash., home's exterior features discreet access to its subterranean storage area via a single-car-wide garage door that swings inward, revealing the garage's entrance ramp. When the garage door is closed, a custom-designed planter box mounted on a track similar to that used for a rolling gate slides in place in front of the garage door.

"Although it may seem to be an extreme case, this project really demonstrates how important the garage has become for the custom home buyer," says Gelotte, "as well as the lengths that we sometimes have to go to avoid having it dominate the front elevation of the home."

The garage is one of the primary drivers of the design of today's custom home, he says.

"The placement of the garage is very important," says Gelotte. "It is one of the first things to get figured out when we start a new project. Most of my clients have very strong ideas about how much garage space they want and how they want it to work for them. Often times, this goes way beyond it just being a place to park their cars. In terms of design, addressing the garage has become as important as addressing any other room in the home."

While it may not strike the same emotional chord with buyers as a gourmet kitchen or sexy master bathroom, the garage is one of the first elements of a new home to be discussed during its design phase. Its size, amenities, and connection to the living spaces, as well as its orientation on the building site, all reflect the tastes, needs and lifestyle of the individual homeowner and influence not only the look and livability of the home, but also how it relates to its community.

"Most people don't want to admit it, but we really identify ourselves by what we drive," says architect William Kreager, a principal with the Seattle-based architecture, land planning and interior design firm Mithun and a speaker on the subject of developing smart design solutions for higher density applications. "We love our cars, and because they are a fact of life, the garage is as well. This is even more so the case for the luxury home buyer, where the design of the garage is dictated by the size, type and number of vehicles they own."

Although garage size is on the increase, the average lot size has decreased by an average of 15 percent nationally, challenging builders and architects to be more creative than ever to meet their client's demand for a bigger garage that performs more like living space without having it overwhelm the home's exterior facade.

The challenge, says Kreager, is to strike a balance between functionality and aesthetics.

"Most buyers prefer to have an attached garage over a detached one. But ultimately that depends on the topography of the site and the architecture of the home. It is very important to remember that we are not designing a garage with a house attached to it but a home with a garage. "

Turning the garages away from the street creates a private motor court for this Evans-designed plan. A separate porte cochere links the detached garage directly to the home office.

"If done correctly, pulling the garage into the main body of the home can make the massing of the whole house appear to be larger, adding to its perceived value from the street. Other times, depending on the topography of the site, you may be able to drop the garage down underneath the home where you don't see it from the street at all," Kreager says. "You can also 'celebrate' the garage as a cool part of the house by using details that play up its role as a desirable amenity."

Detaching the garage and repositioning it on the building site, either to the front, side or rear of the lot, promotes the development of an interior motor court, which can provide the homeowner with an enhanced sense of privacy and exclusivity. This option works particularly well for multiple garage applications. "This ensemble of structures actually creates a delightful sense of place that resembles a village," says Kreager.

Garage-orientation also plays a role in a home's security, a popular concern among many clients of architect Don Evans, president of The Evans Group, an Orlando-based architecture and planning firm that designs homes for some of central and south Florida's most exclusive clientele.

Providing his custom home clients with enough garage space to store everything from their oversized sports utility vehicles to golf carts and boats is standard practice these days, says architect Marty Beauchamp of Knudson Gloss Architects in Boulder, Colo.

"People are using their garages for so many different things these days," says Minneapolis-based custom builder James McNulty Jr., "and they are asking for some very interesting amenities such as specially zoned work spaces, recycling centers and storage areas, as well as in-floor heating and running hot water."

"Asking the right questions will help you to identify your client's space requirements and expectations," says Kreager. "You have to find out as much as possible about their lifestyle and how they want the garage to work for not only themselves, but for the rest of their family as well."

"It is very important to get them thinking about these things right from the start rather than later on in the design process," agrees Evans, who has developed a checklist of high-priority items for his clients to consider. Addressing garage space requirements is at the top of that list. "This helps us to develop a program that will meet their needs, will accommodate their unique lifestyle and is ultimately architecturally pleasing."

Evans recommends starting with a thorough assessment of the building site, including its size, location and any existing zoning or community restrictions that may affect the placement of the garage on the lot or limit where vehicles can be parked.

"The custom home market is made up of so many blended families," he says, "that it creates a very challenging environment for the architect when it comes to planning garage space. Not only do you have your client's cars to consider but also those that belong to teenagers, elderly parents, live-in help or guests. Many communities have strict rules about where cars can be parked that extend to the homeowner's own driveway. It often seems that the smaller the lot we have to work with, the more cars the client has, and the more complicated things get."

And there is a difference in the way men and women relate to the garage space in their home, too. "For men, the garage is a place to keep their toys," says Gelotte. "They have lots of ideas about what they want to do with the space. Women approach the garage from a much more practical standpoint. They are more concerned about how it will function for them in terms of convenience."

This high-end residence, designed by The Evans Group, features a circular drive that serves the formal entry to the home and separate porte cochere that leads to a dual-use motor court/sports court shared by the home’s attached and detached garages.

Address the Streetscape

A garage that dominates the front elevation of the home is a negative in terms of design, say the experts. And buyers feel the same way. "Most of our clients say they don't want to be able to see their garage door from the street when we first start talking about the style of their home," says Beauchamp.

"Downplaying the garage is easiest when you are dealing with a larger lot. In that case, the garage can go anywhere that it makes sense from the standpoint of composition," says Gelotte. "The smaller the lot, the bigger the problem becomes."

"I like to say that the garage is the enemy of man," says nationally recognized land planner David Clinger, "because I see so many neighborhoods with really nice expensive homes that feature a succession of white garage doors that draw the eye to them rather than to the house itself. When that happens, we have missed the mark. A better approach is to think about the garage as a necessity. The eye should be drawn to the front door and the garage should melt into the architecture of the home."

"The ultimate goal is that you want to create a really gorgeous entry that is not overshadowed by the garage," agrees Kreager. "This is particularly true as lots get narrower because it forces you to have to look that much harder to find the front door. It is tragic when the garage door becomes the primary entry statement on a home."

"I see so much money spent on dressing up the garage doors," says Evans, "but you can't use a fancy garage door to cover up for bad architecture."

A popular option for clients who travel extensively is to use the transition space between the garage and the main living areas of the home as a packing room that includes laundry facilities and storage space for luggage.

 A garage's relationship to the home's interior is also crucial.

"Going in and out of the house is a daily event for everyone," says Gelotte, "so the link between the garage and the interior living space, particularly the kitchen, is one of the most important transition points in the home. Creating a good garage-to-kitchen relationship is very important."

"I see a lot more people developing garage plans that make use of the extra square footage underneath the roofline of the garage for studios, retreats or teen or in-law space," says McNulty. These bonus rooms add little to the structural costs of the home and provide the owner with more flexibility for using their living space. The area beneath the garage can also be a great out-of-the-way location for a wine cellar or home theater, he says.

Evans recommends attending industry seminars, trade shows and awards programs to stay up-to-date on trends in garage design and amenities. "It allows builders to see what others in the field are doing to handle the automobile."