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Garage with space problem

We are buying a house with a problem. A previous owner finished the space above the garage and center section of the house and put in a back stairway that encroaches on the garage space. The result is that you can just fit a mid size car on the right side with 13 inches to spare to move around it and open the door into the house.

We’ve come up with the following possible solutions:

Remove the stairs and use the original front hall stairs to get up to the second floor master suite.

Add garage doors to the side of the garage and extend the driveway around to access them. We could leave dummy doors on the front for aethestic reasons. The existing door are the original hinged doors and are not weather tight and need replacing.

Add a shed shaped addition to the left side to create a sort of salt box shape and add a third bay. Not a great look I think.

Sell my Outback and get a mini.

Thanks for any suggestions I may not have thought of.


Comments (11)

  • 5 years ago

    Could you move the whole garage facade forward a couple of feet. Install Garage doors with highlight windows to break up the look. Not a pro. Just a thought.

    Saypoint zone 6 CT thanked bargainhunter
  • 5 years ago

    Forgot to also say, you could put a porch on the right hand side to balance the front

    Saypoint zone 6 CT thanked bargainhunter
  • 5 years ago

    Thanks for the suggestions. I did think of adding a couple of feet to the front of the garage, but the window above the doors is in the master bath. Not sure how I’d make that work? The shower and tub are against that wall, which is ok, we’d just be adding dead space.

  • 5 years ago

    Side load wouldn't fix your problem.

    My first choice would be a smaller car.

    Second choice would by a pseudo portico to extend the garage out 2-3'. That'd keep the second level as-is, give you some extra garage space and without becoming too obnoxious of a snout.

    Saypoint zone 6 CT thanked opaone
  • 5 years ago

    Yes, we are discussing which one of us is due to trade in for something small and sporty and having some disagreement about it.

    The side load would put the narrowed part on the width of the cars not the length and I think it might work? Still cramped.

    Yes, snout. Not a great look.


  • 5 years ago

    Rotating the garage is even worse, then you need a motorcycle + 1 car. Extending the front out would be a very expensive solution compared to the problem.

    I don't know if the garage gable extends back over the main floor bath, but it looks like there is a shower in that bath next to the closet - do you need that shower and can the stair go there?

    Saypoint zone 6 CT thanked 3onthetree
  • 5 years ago

    Add a 3rd garage, but not the shed look. Set it back a bit from the existing and have a gable facing the side yard. Ie similar to this.




    Yes a lot of garage on the front, but if you can set it back further it will be less in the face and allow you to make less changes to your driveway as well vs. doing a side load extension, plus you still have use of the old garage part for storage or a work shop area.

    Saypoint zone 6 CT thanked lyfia
  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Thanks. The garage does not extend beyond the stairs and the area above the shower is in the space above another addition behind the garage.

    The third garage is an interesting fix. We could use the extra space as there is only a small shed in the back yard, and I think the lot is wide enough to permit it. The gable is in the front, however, not the side, as in your photo. not sure how it would look added on to the side of that?

  • 5 years ago

    Just google 3rd garage bay and choose images and scroll through for inspiration.











    Saypoint zone 6 CT thanked lyfia
  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Remove the stairs, unless there is a downside to that that you didn't mention.


    Or get a Honda Fit - no AWD, but I have found it isn't needed as long as you have snow tires. And a Fit will fit almost anything you could get in an Outback, maybe more.



    Saypoint zone 6 CT thanked Isaac