New House and Garage in an HOA in ATL

[Scott0023]

My wife and I are recently empty-nesters and moved last summer from the Chicago area to Atlanta. It was our plan to try and find our new home after living here for a little while. The plan has been to rent and to look for the house that we will spend a good many years in.

What we were looking for:

- The house should be about 2,000 sq. ft.
- Minimal yard work
- An OK commute to work
- My wife works from home so has little opportunity to meet people who are in the same stage of life as we are. So, having neighbors about the same age would be nice.
- A ranch floor plan. No more stairs here.
- The only real item I have on my wish list is for a garage to be as big as we can reasonably afford. Really want three car and would like more. Realistically not sure that is going to happen. I really did not want to separate the living from the hobby and get a garage at a second location from the house.

The garage is mostly for car stuff but know that for the near future it will be to get the house in order. My car stuff is a '76 Lancia Scorpion with a few go fast things added. More on that as we move along.

We searched all over the greater Atlanta area and the reality was that we were not finding anything close to what we wanted. The places we found were usually too big if they had everything in the wish list.

Around Christmas time we were driving around with our list of homes that looked OK on the web. << Insert my rant - who the hell writes these descriptions on the various real estate web sites?? If they would accurately describe the specs of the homes they would save so many people, themselves included, so much wasted time. I am not talking about the exaggerated pronouns, just state the specs accurately. OK, rant off.>>

We had taken a few side trips through some of the new developments. The day was getting late when my wife said we needed to stop the detours and finish our list. Shortly after that I see the sign for "Ranch Plans" and turn into another new development.

It was a development that had crashed back in 2008 and had been sitting idle up until maybe a year or so ago. A new builder, David Weekly Homes, took it over and was on their way to finishing the neighborhood up. There are less than 60 homes total and at that time 10-15 open lots. It had been slated as an adult only neighborhood originally but the new developer was not officially doing that. Most people were over 45 or so it looked good there.

The floor plans fit with what we wanted and pricing seemed to be about where we were hoping.

So, now the garage talk. The basic floor plan had an attached 20' X 20'. Way too small. They did offer a third car option that added 11' onto the side. Something like this:

Better, we all know that there is never enough room and 31' X 20' is just a starting point.

This is where it started to get interesting. I work in the car business and we all know that sometimes when it comes to sales people that the lines between truth and fiction get a little blurred. When I started asking about the garage the attitude became really pretty simple, "If we can accomplish what you want with concrete and framing we will do it". Really?? I was skeptical.

So, I asked if there was a way to make the garage the length of the house instead of just the 20' depth. "Sure, if it fits the lot". Now we are talking.

Now we are looking at this:

After a few weeks I get to meet the project manager for our house and find that he works keeping his old 4Runner going (close link there for me) and he understands the garage thing. I really don't know yet how this is going to evolve but it is looking very good.

The conversation with the project manager goes something like this:

Me: Can we make the slab in the garage thinker to support a lift?
PM: how thick?
Me: 5"
PM: Sure
Me: Can we make the ceiling in the third car garage >12 ft?
PM: Let me see how high we can get it. It should not be a problem.
Me: Can you make the rafters above the garage attic rafters for storage.
PM: Sure. We need to do that anyway for the HVAC so we will do a few more.

Score!!

We have had a house built before with the usual pick the lot, pick the floor plan, and then pick from this list of 10 options. Those options are mostly colors, flooring, etc. I have now had many conversations with the various people from David Weekly Homes and we are pretty well down the path to getting this all put together. I need to get caught up here with were we are today.

 

[mr overdunne]

you work in cars. your right to be skeptical. hes going to tell you whatever you want to hear. lol. see how much of it ends up on the paper before you start pouring the champagne.

 

[73surffisher]

What your asking for is reasonable, , , the question you need to ask is If the community has an HOA, you had better get a copy of the bylaws, , as they will dictate what you can and can't do, , regardless of what the Project Manager promise , , you may not be able to leave your garage door open if seen from the street, , , HOA means your hosed on arrival if you like doing anything other than cutting grass and planting flowers

 

[Scott0023]

Picking the lot. Or, how not to communicate with your wife and get shot.

We picked out the lot we both liked with a couple motivations. Cost and size (small). All was going well and had the deposit down, met with the designer to pick out the colors, cabinets, flooring, etc.

The lot backed up to a grade with houses above. There would not be much yard and the back of the house had a great view of this grade <sarcasm>. After looking at it a few times we looked at the option of cutting into the grade and adding a retaining wall.

I had mentioned in passing to my wife that with what we are spending on the lot and then the retaining wall, we could spend about the same money and get the best lot in the place with a better view and privacy.

Fast forward a few weeks for the meeting with the project manager and sales consultant of David Weekly Homes. In this time my wife and I had no conversations about the lot. In all honesty I had not thought about it since I mentioned it. The night before our meeting my wife and I sit down and go over our list. The usual where do we want additional outlets, etc. No mention of the lot.

On my way to the meeting I remember the thought about the different lot. I get to the sales office before my wife and start the conversation with the builders. They are actually very supportive of changing ( I was shocked). My wife arrived a little later and the look on her face was something I have not seen often on our 26 years. we walked the new lot and she listened. 30 minutes later we were on a new lot with a new contract.

The new location only has two lots on that side of the street and backs up to green space with a small creek down behind. The yellow dotted lines are the two lots, we have the one of the left with the red box.

The opposite side of the street is all built out since that photo was taken.

In the conversation with the project manager we discussed more of the specifics of the garage. Divide up the garage into a fabrication room and store room. Add a sink, slab specs, etc. Add black pipe for compressed air drops. He will do just about anything I ask and has for most things a reasonable price structure.

During this conversation he says that we can get the garage addition 15" wide if we cut a small corner off of the house. There is a buffer we have to be behind with the green space back there.

Here's the cut off corner:

We didn't need to make the cut 45 degrees but it works better. We ended up putting a door there so there will be minimal loss to the function of the kitchen area were we lost the sq. footage. Here's a peak at how it looked a couple weeks ago.

Here's the lot after most of the dirt work was done:

A core sample from the back of the lot where there was fill:

A couple photos up with the floor plan it shows the third car garage with the back divided into two rooms. The rear most is for storage with the larger one a fabrication room. A welding table will live there as well as some of the fiberglass and carbon fiber layup tools. It will need some ventilation and filtering as this moves along.

The slab and beginning of framing. The garage is the closest to the camera.

More to come.

>Scott

 

[Scott0023]

you work in cars. your right to be skeptical. hes going to tell you whatever you want to hear. lol. see how much of it ends up on the paper before you start pouring the champagne.

The contract was signed in January. So, here we are in April and everything he promised has come true and a few nice things have happened along the way. The project is a bit further along than the photos and story that I have told thus far. At this point it is more than on paper, it is in the ground.

>Scott

 

[ChrisHolmz]

Every guy in the neighborhood is going to be jealous of that garage. Very nice floor plan.

 

[rixtrix1]

Hope this is all working out for you. Sounds too good to be true, but builders would probably be more popular if they listened to consumers instead od HOA's.

 

[WarrenJ]

Interesting project. Can't wait to follow your progress.

 

[Scott0023]

What your asking for is reasonable, , , the question you need to ask is If the community has an HOA, you had better get a copy of the bylaws, , as they will dictate what you can and can't do, , regardless of what the Project Manager promise , , you may not be able to leave your garage door open if seen from the street, , , HOA means your hosed on arrival if you like doing anything other than cutting grass and planting flowers

I have read the covenants and, like most, there are a few things that could be a challenge but I am thinking that I will be OK. There are no rules against parking on the driveway, many do so now. Nothing about keeping the garage closed except to drive in/out. There are restrictions against keeping a non-registered car visible - hey this IS Georgia.

This will be our 6th home we have owned and are currently living in our #5 rental. Some have had HOAs, some not. The HOA that is for the rental we are in right now is all but non-existent. The number of broke down cars that have not moved in many years are in driveways. Vacant homes with no upkeep. Not everywhere but they are around.

I guess the one thing with any house in a neighborhood is who are your neighbors. I think the only real solution would be to have enough land so you don't see them. That isn't in our budget. as we drove around there are probably 25% of the homes that have the added 3rd car of some form. Many have not just added the third car but an extra bump for something. I'm thinking (hoping) that there are more garage-people here than just me. My one neighbor to the side is an IT guy who got the third car.

>Scott

 

[Scott0023]

Every guy in the neighborhood is going to be jealous of that garage. Very nice floor plan.

Thank you. There are quite a few different style garages in the neighborhood. There is a woodworker guy who also is a HAM operator. His third car has the wood shop and a separate space for electronics tinkering.

I have seen a boat in one of the garages and there are others.

>Scott

 

[Scott0023]

Hope this is all working out for you. Sounds too good to be true, but builders would probably be more popular if they listened to consumers instead od HOA's.

You can say that about any business can't you. There was a homeowner's reception the other night with all of the residents at the small club house there. We had been visiting our house and some of our new neighbors invited us so we went. One of the sales guys (there are only 2) came and I was talking with him. One of the other residents came up and was asking something about hiring an electrician to move the light above their dining room table. The homeowner was upfront and said that they (the homeowner) had put the outlet in the wrong spot and wanted to move it. The sales guy said that he would get it taken care of and send an electrician over to move it.

Probably will cost the David Weekly Homes $100 if that, but they are building a lot of goodwill. They say they don't advertise and have gotten by with word of mouth.

>Scott

 

[Scott0023]

There were a couple things that had kept me from starting this thread. If you look at my join date it was right around the time that I was going to be moving to Atlanta and was hoping that I would get the garage I hoped for. Since the beginning of the year it has been coming together. Probably the two biggest things I was very cautious about in the garage was the 3rd car slab and the ceiling. Things you just can't go back and fix.

When we first discussed this with the project manager he was fine with both. I had asked for a 5" slab in the 3rd car and reminded him just before the pour. He got back to me and said that there was 6" - cool!! I happened to be talking with the framing contractor later on and he was telling me how they had to modify the framing for the slab/footers to get the correct thickness. It was really at this time that I was sold and convinced that I was getting all of the specifics I had asked for.

THEN... the rafters arrived. Much like an expectant parent the anticipation was killing me. This was the last big thing that I wanted and was looking forward to seeing them for real.

OK, here's the Money Shot
The top 7 rafters in this stack are for the 3rd car garage. The step up is for the higher ceiling height. This means that the slab will hold a lift and the ceiling will allow for a full sized lift. SCORE!! All of the other small things we are wanting can be solved from here on out. The builder and project manager came through!!

When I saw the rafters I was ecstatic!!! Now, this wasn't a total surprise as the OCD in me had already checked the plans that the framers had on a stack of lumber. The rafter detail told the story but seeing them made it real. I will post a couple photos of the attic storage later.

>Scott

 

[elvee]

Scott, what area in Atlanta are you moving into? As you've learned, saying you're in Atlanta is pretty vague. I'm guessing somewhere in the northern tier?

 

[Imcrazy]

Now gather your like minded neighbors and run for all of the HOA board positions to make sure that none of the busy bodies take over. Youll be glad you did.

 

[Scott0023]

Scott, what area in Atlanta are you moving into? As you've learned, saying you're in Atlanta is pretty vague. I'm guessing somewhere in the northern tier?

Yes, up north near Canton.

>Scott

 

[Scott0023]

Now gather your like minded neighbors and run for all of the HOA board positions to make sure that none of the busy bodies take over. Youll be glad you did.

That is the plan. I have met a few and, like many neighborhoods, most are great. I think I have met the busy-body that every neighborhood has too.

Funny story on how to deal with the PITA neighbor. I read it on another forum.

Lady across the street is always complaining about everything. Not sure if there is an HOA. She would call the police, code enforcement, etc. The guy owns a race car but the engine is partially disassembled. He goes into his garage late one night, rolls up the doors, and cranks up the stereo with a recording of engine noises. After a few minutes he turns it off, closes the doors, and goes inside.

I a few minutes he gets the knock. The cop says that there was a complaint of a race car engine running. The guy tells the cop that he does have a race car but it is in no shape to run. He takes the cop to the garage and the officer feels the engine, stone cold. "This hasn't run in a few months". " I get that lady calling and complaining about everything" She just harasses me"

That stopped the calls to the police.

>Scott

 

[Scott0023]

The 3rd car side is about 15' X 27'. The width is not really defined as it is open to the 2 car side. I may have put the side entry door a little too far towards the rear. It is something I can work around.

The first room with the door on the right is a fabrication room. I am tired of having dust and other stuff float all over the main part of the garage. Before when I welded I would cover my car with a welding blanket. No more.

In the far back of this photo is a storage room. All of the stuff that goes in normal garages goes back there; lawn mower, yard equipment, bikes, etc. It will only have outdoor access from the backyard. No more fear of a bike falling over and banging up the cars or dirt and grass clippings being tracked in.

>Scott

 

[BoostAddiction]

Nice garage, and great story working with the builder. It's a great feeling to have the garage built just the way you wanted it, isn't it?

 

[Seavs]

Can you post some pics of the completed house (renderings)? I'm curious how the house looks and the ability to add on a huge space like that. You did awesome planning that all out. Looks amazing! I would love to have an arrangement like that.

Thanks!

 

[MacTexas]

Nice project. Looks like your HOA rules allow a garage door to face the street.

 

[Scott0023]

Nice garage, and great story working with the builder. It's a great feeling to have the garage built just the way you wanted it, isn't it?

It will be a whole lot closer to the perfect garage than anything I have had before. Up until now the major decision on buying a house was what was the best school district we can afford. This is our sixth home purchase and this time around it is mostly just what we want. There is a desire for a larger garage but realistically I think this will be awesome!

>Scott

 

[Scott0023]

Can you post some pics of the completed house (renderings)? I'm curious how the house looks and the ability to add on a huge space like that. You did awesome planning that all out. Looks amazing! I would love to have an arrangement like that.

Thanks!

Thanks. Here is a photo off of their web site of the elevation we chose. It is really a pretty simple home from the outside. They only have the 2 car elevation available.

We made a few changes to the front like removing the fake dormer from the roof on the left side. This was taken a few hours ago.

Here it is from the garage side. The trash bins block some of the view but you get the idea.

I think if you look directly at the front of the house it may seem to be a little off balance with that much garage. But, the only way I can get that perspective is to stand in between the neighbor's two houses across the street from me. I do not have a wide enough field of vision when standing in front of the house on the street so I can't say. I like it and my wife who is far more in touch with these types of things likes it.

Here's a shot showing some of the OSB up in the rafters for the attic. The HVAC unit is partially over the garage. Storage will be over the garage and master bedroom. The grey backing on the wall is from the shower.

Thanks for the nice comments.

>Scott

 

[b4z]

David weekley homes have been big in Charleston for 15 years. They are a more upscale builder here. Everything they do has architectural shingles and interior up fits. They also have a build on your own lot program where they will put any of their floor plans on your lot. Above average company to deal with.

 

[Chucktown]

Looks great, Scott. David Weekley built homes on Daniel Island in Charleston when we lived out there, and their product was great. Glad to see them treating you right.

 

[Jawn]

Yes, up north near Canton.

>Scott

Well hello neighbor. I'm near Canton too.

Nice to see a garage coming together.

 

[d110pickup]

Well hello neighbor. I'm near Canton too.

Nice to see a garage coming together.

Same here, I'm in Union Hill community.
Mike

 

[Scott0023]

Things are moving along pretty quickly. The local manager for David Weekly asked the project manager if he could get the house done earlier so it looks like we will move in sometime in July. Not a bad thing as our lease is up July 31. Hopefully this will give us enough time to stain the garage floor, build a deck, install the closet organizer, and other stuff.

Errors and expectations - I think one of the greatest challenges in these projects is getting the communications rights. Here is one where I blew it. My wife and I had discussed the second bathroom's bath/shower. We were originally going to go with the standard fiberglass insert bath/shower combo. At some point after we met with the builder's design studio person we decided that we wanted the tub with a tile upper shower. It was casually talked about by my wife and I but we never went to the builder and told them directly that we wanted the tile. It was casually brought up in conversation but we never officially pulled the trigger to do it.

We stopped in a few weeks ago and there it was, the fiberglass shower. Damn, I went back and looked at our contract and they built it exactly the way they should have. ****.

So, I sent off an email explaining that we missed this. What happened was a bit of a shock. The project manager pulled it out and installed the one we wanted.

Seriously, how cool was that!!

 

[Scott0023]

But, as communications go, getting through to the subs can be a bit difficult. The different languages are one obstacle and then I have to ask, do these builders have these features in their own homes? I have said that I am in the car business, would I want a technician fixing my car that didn't have a driver's license.

That came to mind as I was looking at the natural gas stub in the middle of the outside wall, 3 feet off of the ground. I don't have a photo but I am glad I for 2 things; I go by the house as often as I can, my project manager reads his emails and fixes these things with no fuss!!

I think one needs to keep all of this in perspective as the build progresses. Problems are going to come up. Dealing with them in a professional manner keeps everything moving along with minimal defects making their way into the final product.

In the time where I am not playing home inspector I have still been doing things to my car. I dug out the MIG welder yesterday for two reasons. I need to change some of the exhaust on the Lancia and the Vidmar cabinets I have been scouring craigslist for are in need of some repairs. They added a few locks that I removed and need to plug weld the holes.

About 2 years ago I picked up a set of Lista cabinets and then this past year I have amassed 7 different Vidmar boxes. Three of them are storage cabinets with 2 doors and shelving inside. Four are with drawers.

I am wedged into this basic 2-car renal house up right now.

The car barely makes it in and if I gain 5 lbs I won't be able to get in/out of the driver's door.

Today's exhaust work.

This is pretty low so I lay on my back and get weld splatter in places I don't like. I can't wait to get into the new place with a workshop room with a welding table and a lift.

 

[Scott0023]

The front of the house as it is today.

They put the outlets for the garage door openers up on the ceiling. Here they are in the correct place.

The primer should go on this week. The spot to the right of the door is the black pipe compressed air stub. Hey, would PVC work?? Juss Kidding

The electrical panel is located such that I can add the circuits later for the welder and air compressor. The door to the left of the panel is the workshop. It was left unfinished so I can plumb the air and electrical the way I want. There will also be a vent and vacuum for sanding and welding.

 

[Crazy Backyard Builder]

Nice garage upgrade, I agree you will be the envy of all the guy's in the neighborhood.

 

[Sunbimmer]

The house looks great man

BTW more pics of the Lancia in it's full glory are very much appreciated

 

[GRN96WS6]

Nice place.

 

[Scott0023]

The house looks great man

BTW more pics of the Lancia in it's full glory are very much appreciated

Thanks for the comments!!

Here's a few photos from the last few years. It has changed a bit with a different front bumper/air dam. The rear louver is to accommodate a V6.

Chicago Lake Front

A New Air Dam

Tail of the Dragon

FIAT Models

 

[Sunbimmer]

I've completely forgotten about these cars I think they are beautiful.

Yours is simply gorgeous Thanks for sharing!

 

[theoldwizard1]

Sorry for being late to the party ...

Any lot with an "uphill" and/or a "downhill" side gets me nervous. Final grading and ground cover/hardscape are CRITICAL to having a safe and dry home.

Higher professional landscapers who have experience with hillsides and get it done right the first time. You may not have a second chance !

 

[Linda@Lista]

@Scott0023 – Looks like the house is really coming along! That garage is going to look great with those Vidmar cabinets

 

[marty_p]

@Scott0023 – Looks like the house is really coming along! That garage is going to look great with those Vidmar cabinets

Scott, Linda and I are on the same page!!!

Keep us posted...

 

[Caddis295]

Scott,

Greetings from the south side of ATL.

The house is coming together wonderfully. Your garage looks like it will be the envy of the neighborhood!


Dino

 

[JCQuick]

I feel your pain on double checking on the construction. We built our home in 2004 right in the middle of 4 hurricanes LOL . I was lucky as it was only 4 miles from my moms 9where we were staying) and on my way to work so i would stop by every morning then got back in the evening and do closer inspections.

My best inspection was towards the end as the concrete guys were doing the slab out side the garage I showed up and the whole corner of the roof and garage light were destroyed from what I'm pretty sure was a concrete trucks boom and no one could speak english

 

[Scott0023]

Sorry for being late to the party ...

Any lot with an "uphill" and/or a "downhill" side gets me nervous. Final grading and ground cover/hardscape are CRITICAL to having a safe and dry home.

Higher professional landscapers who have experience with hillsides and get it done right the first time. You may not have a second chance !

Hey Wizard,

Yes, I agree. The builder uses a landscaping company and they have their minimums that they do. We have already started the conversation about what we will add to that so we can minimize or eliminate erosion. One of the attractions of this lot its somewhat small size. It does have a lot of green space behind and on the side that we get to enjoy without owning it.

One of my goals was to have more time in the garage and less in the yard. Unfortunately in the near term the whole house and yard will be my domain.

Thanks for the comments,
Scott