What is the perfect size for a two car garage?
auroraborelis
9 years ago
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bevangel_i_h8_h0uzz
9 years agookpokesfan
9 years agoRelated Discussions
need help converting two-car garage into studio apartment for a handicapped faimily member
Comments (3)Universal Design and Handicap Access I have been interested in Universal Design for some time, now. I have collected some of the ideas that I have posted and that others have posted on Design Dilemmas such as yours. Please take from this whatever is helpful. Best wishes. Houzz 1.) Go to Houzz Ideabooks and enter "Universal Design" in the search box. 2.) Go to Houzz.com/Handicap-accessible 3.) Go to Houzz Design Dilemma and enter "handicapped" in the search box Universal Design 1.) www.universaldesignstyle.com 2.) www.schaefferconstruction.com specializes in Universal Design Handicap Access 1.) The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) site has specific measurements for wheelchair turning radius, placement of grab bars, everything. www.ada.gov/adastd94.pdf www.ada.gov/ 2.) ADA Ramps : ADA Code 4.8 [Thanks to Houzz contributor S. Thomas Kutch for finding this.] Bathrooms 1.) For decorative grab bars that do not look institutional, look at www.faucets.efaucets.com [Thanks to Houzz contributor Sense of Space for link] 2.) Commercial Bathroom Handicap Guidelines www.eHow.com# ixzz2Og8QNIff www.houselogic.com#ixzz2OgAPANpb 3.) Here are some Houzz Ideabooks about Universal Design in bathrooms: 741559 The No-Threshold Shower: Accessibility with Style 1562246 Houzzers Say: Dream Features for the Bath and Closet 1061289 Bathroom Safety Features that Support Your Style 2504909 Doorless Showers Open a World of Possibilities 4492518 How to Design and Accessible Shower 2507115 Houzz Tour: Universal Design in a San Francisco Home 5008400 Make a Powder Room Accessible with Universal Design Kitchens 1.) America's National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) 2.) www.starcraftcustombuilders.com for Guidelines for rules for accessibility in kitchens and baths 3.) National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Enter "Universal Design" in the search box. 4.) www.ergonomics.about.com/od/kitchen/qt/Galley_design.htm...See MoreMinimum size for a 2-car garage?
Comments (5)Most garages are too narrow. Typically something like 20' x 22' is standard, but with shelving and yard stuff hanging on either or both wall, I think more width is better. Especially trying to open the doors that would hit the wall or the other car. Just my 2 cents worth. I started parking in the driveway and left the garage for my other half. Works fine until it starts snowing this winter. :)...See MoreIdeal size (width, length) for a detached, two-car tandem garage
Comments (7)It is very hard to tell you how big and where to build your garage. I recommend you get some information and advice from your cities planning permitting department. The size of your garage is going to be determined by the setback requirements from the property line and the location of your house on the lot. Building restrictions may determine if your garage can be in the front, back, or side of your house or the relation to your lot size. You will need to consider the cost of relocating utility, gas, or water lines if they will be in the way of a new driveway or the new garage. Also consider that a garage in the back of the house means a long driveway that will take area from the yard space you will have. A garage in the front of the house uses a minimum amount of lot space for the drive way but also makes it easier for burglars to break in and get away. A garage in the front of the house should have a side walk down the side to your front door. You would not want guest having to come thru the garage each time they visited. Consider too the vehicles you have now may not be the vehicles you have 5 or 10 years from now and the sale of your house, if you decide to sell in the future, the sale could be determined by the vehicles the prospective buyers may own. Standard pickup trucks are almost 20 feet outside bumper to bumper and their current sales are higher than sedans. Do you have any aspirations to install solar panels on the garage roof or to make it heated by passive solar heat gain? That will have an influence on how the roof is angled, the type of roof, or the location of any garage windows or doors. I favor an attached garage or one attached with a covered breeze way on the road side of the house. I did not notice your state but if you have snow, cold, or a lot of rain, it is nice to get in and out of a car without being exposed to the elements, especially if you have groceries to unload and as stated before, the driveway uses less of the valuable real estate of a small lot. Plus, the common wall between the house and garage will lower your home's energy cost. Attached garages do block window views, if there are any you want to preserve, and they may increase insurance costs a little. The last thing I would suggest is to spend the very little amount, compared to the total cost of construction, to wire, plumb, and insulate the garage as it is built. It will make your garage so much more useful and if you don't, you will probably never get around to doing it later....See MoreMaking a 2 car garage into a 1 car? Also Entryway/Staircase Problem!
Comments (6)I'm hearing it loud and clear about the garage. I'm thinking that idea has sailed already - It was fun to mess around with it but at that point moving seems like a better option. With what money I have I think I would prefer to spend it on the curb appeal (dressing up the porch and widening it a bit, new door, new garage door, stone walkway, garden, painting the house a mid gray?, etc) I am currently looking into seeing if that beam is load bearing, but in the meantime, I'm feeling a lot better about the entry way after finding quite a few references with similar layouts. Makes me feel less irritated with it. I agree that keeping the pony wall is a good idea - other friends have given me the idea but I always felt it would make the house feel like an apartment. I don't know how practical white stairs would be - or removing the railing on the wall. We are getting hardwood floors downstairs pretty soon and it's the bottom two steps that I would want fixing - they are the only steps without real hardwood (the rest have what was under our former carpet). It seems that white would really open up the area, and getting rid of the railing on the wall would keep it from looking so broken up? I think when we get the new door we will have it swing away from the stairs. I'm crossing my fingers that the beam isn't load bearing because it would really solve the cramped feeling. If anything it could be a smaller beam? Additionally, getting a window at the foot of the stairs would be amazing for light but I know it might look pretty strange from the outside - even if it were a half window. Thanks!...See Morekirkhall
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