NO to a 2 storey for sure . If you have so much space do a divided garage where the man cave is on one side IMO make the garage look as if it was always there and as close to the style of the house as possible . Since you have more space to the back than the side do a front to back garage with mancave at the back you could even do an access to it from the back yard.

It would seem for design continuity a single story garage would work best, but not all people are concerned with that, only function. A second floor habitable area would take up a lot of space with the stair, and possibly put your floor-area-ratio (to lot size) or height past zoning limitations.

Understand what exactly is needed with this garage: budget; storage (attic, garbage cans, yard tools, pool toys/equipment, etc); car lift (min 12' ceiling height); car display (e.g. pretty, clean, finished, and open to "man cave"); parking setup and size (tandem, boat, RV), woodshop; toy storage (ATVs, bikes, etc); how much tool area (compressor, paint booth, brake, etc); ease of driveway entry/exit along the side of house; flexibility of "man cave" for other people to use, it's connection and correlation to outdoor living and the pool; etc; and use that info to formulate how this vision starts taking shape.

If it starts becoming complicated, or can't navigate zoning, or you're not sure how to make those decisions, or compromises are sticking points because neither of you can envision how your individual ideas will look, or you'd like the project to be seamless with the house, pool, and backyard to maximize your enjoyment and ROI for the house, then an architect might be a good solution.

If you have room for the required setbacks in the backyard, you could build the mancave in the rear, extended back from the garage. Don't go up to a 2nd story. It will look pasted on and ruin the integrity of the original home design.

I'd suggest a full length dormer strategically positioned to face the future pool similar to this. Maybe a sliding barn door under the covered porch to open up for pool activities with a small kitchen and food food prep area. Man cave up above.

I'd also suggest at least 10' ceilings and at least 40' long and 30' wide. The standard 7' height of a garage door can become an obstacle and would suggest 8' high doors for starters. Design the garage to accept a hoist rail,

Thanks @outpaientzero - I think that picture is lovely and my husband would go for it in a New York second. But it's definitely beyond the scope of what we need or want. Definitely no kitchen area in this building. And while I love the look, I don't think it's right for our backyard.

@Sabrina Alfin Interiors - we have much more room side-to-side, rather than back-to-front, so the mancave will need to be to the side.

@3onthetree - it's function for my husband (his toys, cars, and collections will be in there) and aesthetics for me. He'd love nothing more than to do everything you referenced, even if it's not all needed right now, just in case. That's why I'm trying to do some legwork and gather information at this early stage.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting - the backyard is wider than deep, so the side-by-side garage will be next to the mancave portion. And it really is my goal to create something as close to the house style as possible. (Hubby doesn't agree with the importance of that.)

Absolutely none of the color/finish details are right on this, but I think we should go with a hip roof (since that's what the house has) with a little bit of red brick trim on our building. I could see something similar to this, with the mancave area to the left. The entire structure would be longer and lower, more like the house itself.

A view from above showing your lot with dimensions would help with the best answers.

So that style in no way works with your home and you say you have 25' on the side that IMO is not going to allow a car and toys and collections Check the size of your car and how big your garage needs to be .

Usually, most standard 2-car garages are somewhere around 18x20 feet. Others may be slightly bigger, measuring about 22x22 feet instead. However, size matters only if you want to do all manner of projects inside. Plus, ensuring at least 2 -3 feet between the two vehicles you store there is always essential.Dec 20, 2022

I wasn't implying that I wanted that exact style. I said that I wanted the hip roof (which my house has) and I liked the brick accents on front, but in red brick to match my house. Our structure will be lower and longer, much like our house.

We're not needing advice on the size or dimensions of the garage itself. My husband is totally on top of that. One of his cars is a 1932 hot rod - believe me, it will have plenty of room and be very protected in there.

My initial post was about getting opinions on what people think about 1-story (which I want) versus 2-story (which he wants.)

I know this isn't great, but it's all I currently have at my disposal as far as our lot size and house placement. The lot is 125' wide by 108' deep.

There's room to widen our driveway next to our current carport leading to the new garage in the back corner. Also, our little town is quite lenient with variances so I think we'll not have a problem in that area if necessary. Full disclosure, we currently own the house right next door (189) on the side we're talking about. (We'll be selling that in the not too distant future.) Plus the entire neighborhood is thrilled that we bought this hot mess of a house and are fixing it up to live there rather than turning it into an AirBnB. I'm just saying that if it's a little tight back there as far as distance to property lines, I don't think it will be an issue.

I think that most people responding agree with me that the new structure should be 1-story.

What are you planning to do with the current carport?

I would be inclined to leave the carport for the cars and add a man cave/pool house/storage building along the side, but no one can give you proper advice without seeing the lot and knowing the dimensions, where the house sits and knowing the setback rules.

We are leaving the current carport, but still need to add a 2-car garage. My husband has a lot of toys...

If it will look good we might actually extend the carport to the right (over the new part of the driveway) for additional covered parking.

This is all initial research so we know what to discuss with the draftsman and builder. And again, I understand the importance of function, but for me, form is very important. Living in the house the way it looks now is giving me a bit of a twitch. And considering I'm a pretty reasonable person on all of the aforementioned toys, I feel that my husband might have to give in to me as far as 1-story vs. 2-story.

With the tall trees in the background and painted so it does not stand out, the taller building would probably look OK.

I'd find someone to do a simple color 3D model showing the options and colors etc. to help with your choice.

I'm showing a 24x30 building.

12' tall (ceiling height)

18' tall to show what 2 floors might look like.

If it will look good we might actually extend the carport to the right (over the new part of the driveway) for additional covered parking.

That's what I was thinking, and wondering if the garage might start there and go back instead of being positioned in the far back corner.

Thank you @PPF. You've given me something to think about.

I agree that I have to find someone who can do some sort of color renderings or something for me. It's probably the only way I'll be able wrap my brain around how it will look.