In the last couple of weeks, I’ve chatted about how our new home has been so far, some front door updates and did a full tour of the yard. I’ve mentioned that we’re building a detached garage and I have all the news today. So, check out our garage design plans and see where we’re heading!
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I know this has been an anticipated post (mostly from my parents). But before we get to the design plans, let’s talk about the location.
Last time, I shared an overview of our yard and talked about 3 possible garage locations. While I wanted the garage in the front corner (option 3), I didn’t think that we could build so close to the road.
I had only considered next to the house as another location (option 1), but the Husband thought that we would build in the back corner (option 2). To be honest, I hated that idea. Like, loathed to my core, so-help-me the garage would never be built in the back corner. I don’t think the Husband and I have ever disagreed on something so much as to the location of the garage.
Detached Garage Location
So we decided to build the garage next to the house! I know it probably seems like “well, duh” that’s where it should go. But please refer back to the paragraph before…
Essentially, my argument for the front corner location was so that I could front into the garage, then back into our driveway, and front into the street (the safest). I think we can just widen our driveway enough so that I can back out from the garage, then turn to face the street.
The biggest determining factor for the garage location was the rest of the yard. I didn’t want our entire lot to turn into a driveway (if we went with the Husband’s location) AND I wanted everything to connect for the kids/dog.
Here’s what I’m thinking:
We decided on a 6 foot spacing between the house and the garage. I had originally planned for 5, but the Husband was concerned it would be too close. (In terms of water/snow run-off and potential for damage to the house foundation). I also decided to line it up perfectly with the house, so there would be 9 feet to the back fence.
We could have built the garage much closer to the fence (which would have given us more front/car storage). But I liked the idea of seeing the view of the main yard from the back patio. And, I didn’t want to take down the trees that we had.
The fence in the front yard will be moved to line up with the garage. We’ll also add a small fence/gate between the house and the garage, so everything will be blocked in. I’m also excited to move our recycling/garbage to that area, instead of right next to the front door.
Garage Design Plans
Speaking of which, here is the most current view of our entry:
I painted the semi-circle (and plant hooks) black, and the Husband installed this brass outdoor light. (Check out all the lighting options we considered here). It’s already looking much better in the last few weeks.
I want the detached garage to complement the house, so you’ll notice a lot of the same elements will be repeating. While I knew what garage door I wanted, the siding took a while to get right…
We couldn’t find a siding colour to match perfectly (surprise, it’s metal siding). So I went back to the drawing board and got some different samples. This was after doing multiple polls on Instagram and Facebook. The photo above shows some of my initial thoughts (compared to the centre sample which was the closest to the house colour).
I also had to find something that would work with the brick. But I may be painting it all to match. Still TBD.
Luckily, the Husband and I both chose the same colour as our favourite: Aviator Green. It’s a lot greyer/cooler than it is “green” and works great with the siding and the brick. (If you scroll up to the samples photo, it’s the third one down on the left).
And, here’s a little moodboard of the garage design:
Our house siding is 8″ tall in the front and 3.75″ tall along the sides, so we split the difference and went with a 6″ for the garage. Other repeating elements will be the black doors (with the garage door echoing the look of the house) and the small side door that goes with our backdoors. (It only comes in white, but I’m going to paint it, and our back doors while I’m at it).
Our house’s roof isn’t black, but it should be! Luckily, the house is super tall and no one can see the awful roof colour. But the garage will have a black roof :) The existing fence will also be stained black, and anything new we bring in will probably be black as well. I also bought the matching outdoor lights in the rubbed bronze colour.
Hopefully, it all comes together in the end!
Garage Construction Progress
A couple of weeks ago, they started tearing out the junk in our yard. We had a few dump loads (trailer and truck!) and there is still another small pile that should go.
The Husband and his dad did most of this work, then our contractor and his crew came during the week.
We still have a few things to work out (like how we’ll do the steps down to the backyard), but we’re waiting for the concrete to be done for that.
The photo above shows the view from the corner of the garage into the backyard. This is my favourite spot to sit (the only shade!) and I think it will be such a cute little scene once we’re done.
For now, everything is open (and a construction zone), so there’s not as much playing. I can’t wait until it’s all fenced in – but we probably won’t be able to take full advantage until next summer.
Here’s a sort of panoramic shot showing the rest of the yard. The man door will be between the garage and the house, so we can easily go to the backyard or the front door. I also included windows on the opposite side, so we’ll have a good view of our main yard when we’re in there.
As of right now, we’re all set and waiting for the concrete to be poured. I think that’s happening tomorrow (the date has changed a lot), so fingers crossed! The Husband plans to work this weekend (with his dad and the contractor) to build all the walls, so we’ll see how it goes.
I was hoping to get some other stuff done in the yard this weekend, but I think that’s been pushed to the backburner.
Oh well, I’ll be happy once this project is done :)
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