How tall is the garage, pitch of the roof as seen from the house? If the rooms are facing a view of the garage, won’t they draw the shades anyway?

Think a bit about all the variables that might influence an answer.

Things like where you are located -- the sun angle is different when you go from the equator north or south.

Height of garage walls and roof.

Roof overhang on garage and house.

Location of windows on the house.

Season -- sun angle is different winter and summer.

This is a question your designer should be able to answer, but if not, you can use software to do it yourself.

Thank you for your responses. This drawing may help answer your questions. BTW we're eliminating the dormer on that south side.

The build is in southern Maine.

I'll ask my architect this coming week.

I'll suggest, gently, even though you did not ask, that you rethink the design of the house, unless, of course, you are completely satisfied.

If you would like specifics, you might start a new thread, include first and second floor plans, and all four elevations.

Our new home will have a detached garage on the south side of the house.

Is there no way to swap locations placing the garage on the north?

I would rather come and go on the warmer south side of the house, than the cold and windy north side. This is Maine.

Our gardens will be on the south side, so it makes sense to have the mudroom entrance on that side.

Also, we are going to put solar panels on south facing side of garage.

I hear ya but there’s plenty of research showing that attached garages aren't healthy because of fumes. Im 68 years old and I’ve never had a garage, so just having one will be a step up for me.

To each their own. 😁

By the way, I’m 69 years old and have had an attached garage since 1984 with no ill effects. I’ll never be without one.

An attached garage will allow you to know if your car is on fire sooner than a detached garage.

(I know its common knowledge but someone had to say it)

I've not seen plenty of research suggesting health issues with attached garages. Especially with my Tesla. Even with a combustion vehicle common sense can reduce potential problems.

Judy, fumes from an attached garage are only an issue is one runs the car in the garage (even with the door open). I live in North Dakota, and don't run my vehicle any longer than it takes to buckle my seat belt. Folks that like the car toasty warm before driving off should absolutely back the car out of the garage first.

A CO detector at the door to the garage is a reasonable precaution.

if the drawing your shared is true to scale you'll lose your south sun to the main home by mid/late September. My cheap software can render a drawing in 3D mode and apply the angle of the sun and shadowing for any minute of the day for every day of the year. Who ever did your plans should be able to tell you if they didn't do them on a napkin at the local diner.

I have personal experience with the same issue you're concerned with. I tore down a detached garage 10 feet away from the house on the south side because it was a frozen cold snow filled passage for 5 months of the year here in Minnesota. The roof orientation was the same as yours and all the snow drifted between the house and garage, so your little deck or what ever it is will be totally useless without a whole bunch of work.

The detached garage is now 50' from the south side of the house and also back 20' to minimize it's appearance and effects on the house. We've had no problems or complaints walking between the two and we are old people. (it was my wife's choice to do so, move it or attach it). I highly recommend moving your garage at least 30' to 40' from the house if you have the property to do so, I did.

I'm in the northeast US also, and have a detached garage on the north side of the house. All the houses on our block have them on the north side to protect the house from the north winds and to maximize the sunlight from the south.

Kevin9408 Thank you so much for your response! My husband and I have been mulling this over all day and came to the same conclusion that it needs to be moved much further away.

We’ll probably park near the side entrance into the mudroom and use the garage as a workshop and only occasionally for parking anyway.

It wouldn't have to be so far away if you placed it on the north side.

I really wished my driveway faced south or west. My neighbor's driveway is pavement in 1/4 the time and a lot less work. I think nasty thoughts while I shovel snow or chip ice.

Just for my clarification and I think I know the answer but are HU-582187593 and Judy , the same person?

Yeah, millworkman, I had the same thought, and I think yes.

Yes

John3582, while I agree with you about a southern exposure for the driveway, there are tradeoffs. Our driveway faces north - but that means we have large windows on the south and east sides of the house. I live in North Dakota, so I am all too familiar with snow and ice - but I shovel/snowblow for an hour or two after a snowfall, and I enjoy sunlight streaming through the windows all day. The garage also blocks the house from our prevailing NW wind in the winter - another bonus.

Of course home layout matters. In our last house, the living room and driveway faced SW, large patio door faced SE (we lived on a curve). It was the ideal orientation for the way our house was laid out.

AnnKH good points.

Overall I’m really happy with the directions of all of our rooms, etc.

Our driveway, mudroom entrance, grilling patio, and copious veggie/herbal gardens will face south. Our living room will have large windows facing south and east. The kitchen will face north, which is what i strongly prefer. The dining toom will have windows facing east and north. My herbal apothecary/office will have windows facing north and a door facing west. And the master bedroom will have windows facing south and west.

After talking to architect and husband (and folks on here) it makes sense to locate garage further away from the house, and plan on parking in the driveway near our entrances (like we do now).

Since you're moving it, How about on the northeast rear corner? Attached. Then in winter you can have the advantages of protection from weather.

As for fumes from the garage. I have had an attached garage for over 50 years and never had a problem. I have never smelled any car fumes in the house. Of course I never start the car engine with the door closed.

The only time that I have had a concern about fumes occurred when I got a van with remote starting engine. Until l realized the problem and disabled the remote, start, I found that several times I had accidentally and unknowingly started the car while it was in the garage.

If you have never had a garage, once you have one you will never give it up. It is so nice to go directly into the garage, get in the car and back, out into the cold miserable winter weather. It is also nice in the warmer months when it is raining hard, to pull in to the garage out of the rain, and close the door to the bad weather. Especially when you have a car full of groceries to unload.