Help Matching Detached Garage to Old House

[lionel762]

First time poster after about a year of reading. I purchased a yellow brick home with a tile roof. Feel free to tell me the style. Originally, I was leaning towards foursquare but the house is not square. It is definitely longer and rectangular in shape. Maybe more prairie style?

I would like to add a two-car detached garage to the left side of the house when looking at the picture. There is a treeline that I would like to remain undisturbed about 40 feet from the side porch but I would consider cutting into it if necessary. Farther behind the house is not an option because of the electric pole and water line. The right side has a lovely side yard with lots of space but no doors on that side.

What design should we go with? Should the roof match the front porch with a flat look at the top or peak to a point like the main house? We don't want a dormer and don't want the garage to be large or take away from the house itself. Should the roof be tile like the main house and front porch? Or should the roof be metal like the side porch?

The garage would probably start even with the back of the house, run along side the little side porch , and maybe end a foot or so longer than the porch. We want a sidewalk to run between the garage and the porch. Any idea how much space to leave between the porch and the detached garage?

We'd love to go brick for the siding but are there any other options we should consider? For cost, we were considering brick on the front and doing something different on the sides. If I left any important details out, just ask and I'll answer the best I can. If you think there is a better location, say that also. I value all of your opinions.

Thanks for all your great advice, and I love seeing everyone's pictures.

[jwesevich]

I would be very curious to hear what quotes you end up getting for the project. Our POs had plans drawn up for a garage that matches the house exactly and after factoring in the wood siding and shakes, the cheapest bid we got was $40k (and that's with the pad already poured).

jeff

[KathyJB]

Yikes! that's a pretty expensive garage. If you can't match it completely, I would at least compliment your house somehow. I still need to reside my garage, but instead of changing the siding from vertical to horizontal like the house, I'm keeping it vertical. I would love to use board and bat, but may have to go with the hardi. I guess I could still put cedar bats? But I digress, You have a lovely home.

[lionel762]

We're hoping for the $15,000 range, but that is without brick siding, salvaged tile roof pieces, and us doing most of the labor. A local carpenter is stopping by this weekend to give us some ideas on location and price. He thought he could match the roofline for us by making his own trusses.

Do you have any recommendations on a pointed roof or one with a flat ridge at the top?

[wletson]

we were considering brick on the front and doing something different on the sides

I would definitely vote against this idea. Not something that likely would have been done if the garage were built at the time of the house.

Wonder around town. There have to be houses around the same age as yours. Build something that looks appropriate for the age of your house. I wouldn't worry so much about matching roof lines. When you get it built, you just need to paint it with a similar pallett to match your house.

[Sombreuil_Mongrel]

Hi,
Siting the garage is of equal importance as the materials, maybe more so.
I would never bring the garage further forward than the main bloc of the house, otherwise you make it look like some suburban house of today.
Any good quality material would be satisfactory. I think a clapboard siding and a standing seam metal hipped roof would be quite good. Connecting to the house via a breezeway would also be great, maybe with lattice arches.
Casey

[superbeetle]

It would interfere least if it started at the back corner of the house and went away from the house, not toward the front (I can't tell from your description if that's what you mean).

As far as aesthetics, matching the roofline and the main colors will blend it in the most. So, if you don't tile the roof, at least match the color. If you don't use brick, at least go with a similar color (perhaps in a more grayed-down shade so it sort of fades into the background) for the siding.

[pqtex]

How about this for adapting a possible solution? I saw this home on the oldhousedreams.com website and immediately thought of your situation: http://oldhousedreams.com/2012/05/04/19 ... e-georgia/ Scroll down a bit to see a good view of the garage.

[KathyJB]

Wow Jill that's an awesome house.

[triguy128]

Defnitely just try and match the brick facade color as best as possible. Another option would be to do a color match stucco.

For the roof. You could go with jsut a flat roof with brick walls that extent 12" above hte roof line ot obscure it. That was very common in that period for carriage houses. Oterwise, I'd put a hip roof on it and get matching red shingles, unless you;'re willing to spend for clay tiles.


I think it's defnitely a type of foursquare or prarie style. The dormer and large, prominent front porch a giveways. THe interior floorplan should be into 4 clear segments. But it could also be a central hallway design since it is longer than wide. So Prarie style would fit I think.