Cute house. What would the function of room above the garage be?

The reason I ask is that I would hate to see you get rid of those great windows. My basic idea would be to set the garage out some from the house, with a sort of courtyard between the existing house and the new garage/upper room. Then between the exisitng house and addition, you would add an enclosed walkway. (Location would depend on what your inside looks like).

So, your house would still be all enclosed and connected, but you would still be able to save the windows.

Consider adding on the current house to make it appear 2 stories that is similar to your neighbor next door.

I think if you add on the structure I mentioned and make the new structure mimic your existing 2-story structure (in size and in shape) your house will have a nice cohesiveness to it.

Hi Cdrdesign, Thank you for getting back to me on this, the function would be just to have an extra room ,work out bedroom etc.. and to make the exterior appearance flow well, I love the idea of a courtyard but I dont think my lot size would support that unless I went with 1 car garage which I need a 2 car for sure. Also the idea of mimicking my existing is a great simplified idea as well Thank You!

Also Dytecture I am thinking of making the appearance a 2 story with the 2 car attached in front with a tandom 1 car following to still be able to get into the back yard with a vehicle .. similar to the neighbor ,I need to contact an architect any referrals,im in the Chicagoland area ? would you also recommend this being the first step in pulling this together , or should I talk to a builder first ? Thank You both for your help with this!

You have a good start now with some ideas. I would highly recommend you hire an architect. This is a large project.He/she will be able to tell you what you can and cannot do and give you additional ideas. There are so many things to consider....not just how things look, but things you may not be thinking of like how will the roof lines meet, where are underground utilities, etc. He will also draw a complete plan that you will be able to take to several contractors and compare apples to apples. Finally, he will be able to refer you to reputable contractors.

Don't forget: part of your cost will be grading and landscaping after the work is done.

Great idea! Good luck on your project.