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mollyd79

Struggling with detached garage design.

2 months ago



My husband and I are really struggling with finding the right design for a detached 3-bay garage that will compliment our house/property. It will sit perpendicular to our home. Our home is farmhouse style and I don't want to pick something that will clash or be boring! Would appreciate any help! Oh, and my drawing is clearly not to scale :)

Comments (13)

  • 2 months ago

    you don't want it to connect to the home?

    I would keep with the pitch of the house, not the low line of the other addition

    It would really enhance the house to join with the front overhang... (even give you some loft space).

  • 2 months ago
    last modified: 2 months ago

    @Lyn Nielson - I would love to connect to the house, but we have grade issues. The garage will be about 5 ft. higher. Notice that the house has a stone wall setting it down a bit?

    @BeverlyFLADeziner - We have a big circular driveway that will go by this area which is why our driveway looks so large. I think I also prefer a higher pitch, in line with our main house. We want living space above.

  • 2 months ago

    Do a search on Houzz for detached garage exterior and look at various styles. I'm kind of fond of barn style, but click on the words below and you see a huge range.

    Detached Garage Exterior - Photos & Ideas | Houzz

    Fools Paradise · More Info


  • 2 months ago

    @Sigrid Thank you! I have searched endlessly! There are so many I like, but I'm getting hung up on what style would compliment MY house, lol. We wanted to go with the barn/garage look. I REALLY wanted a post and beam, but my husband just won't agree to the cost :(

  • PRO
    2 months ago
    last modified: 2 months ago

    Your garage can have dormers or a shed dormer as you see below.


  • PRO
    2 months ago

    An overhead (satellite) view of the property showing the proposed garage location would be helpful.

    What is your location/climate?

    You don't want the garage to upstage the house. It should complement instead of standing out.

    What sort of living space do you want? Any other details you've left out?

    Will this be a standard sized (about 24x32) building with normal sized doors like Beverly shows?

  • PRO
    2 months ago
    last modified: 2 months ago

    Make it look like the house with out the white piece on the side the 3 bays where you have the porch.

  • 2 months ago

    @PPF We’re in SE Mass. we live on a pond. The living space is just really extra space and if time and money permits in the
    maybe some extra income.

    Our current thought is carriage house. The look of post and beam. We’d like outside stairs with a small deck on the right to overlook the pond. The garage is a higher grade than the house which makes this a bit difficult. The garage will also double as a shop for my husband who is a carpenter.

  • PRO
    2 months ago
    last modified: 2 months ago

    I love that you're doing a detached garage.

    We have a similar farmhouse look with a barn/

    carriage house garage. It's semi-attached but the styles complement each other

    This is the garage with new doors.


    these photos show how the house and garage relate--old doors:






  • 2 months ago

    The garage should be a “mini me” of the house. Same roof line, same color, windows all looking the same. If you want a living space above, make it high enough for a tall person to stand up and feel the ceiling isn’t close.

    Doors should be similar to your house door. There are so many garage door designs, you should find something that is similar to the house’s front door. (Or use this opportunity to get a new one if you don’t love the one you have.)

    I wouldn’t build something too “farmhouse” just for kicks. Your property needs to be cohesive.

  • 2 months ago

    Site planning as PPF mentions is the start. Especially with a 5' change in grade, a desired pond view (may prefer a specific roof orientation), and placing it so the massing does not compete with the house. The aesthetic style of your garage should be very simple and plain like the house.

  • PRO
    2 months ago

    I'd find an architect who works in the classic/traditional style to help you. Any time we've done any additions to any of our homes, we've used an architect. Well worth the investment to get what you want.

    mollyd79 thanked Diana Bier Interiors, LLC