New Garage - Relocate Electric Meter vs Breezeway

[zc15]

We've been meeting with contractors to discuss putting up a new garage. We were planning to build off the back of the house and extend sideways, making a 4 car garage look like a 2 car from the road.

The electrical meter is on the wall that we were planning to **** the new garage against, so I figured we would relocate the meter, put a new panel in the new garage, and feed the existing panel from the new panel.

The last contractor we met with suggested building the garage back a few feet and connect it via a breezeway. Then leave the existing meter where it is.

My concerns are both aesthetics and cost. The contractor said it would be cheaper, but I think it would look goofy having the garage start 10 feet behind the house. Additionally, we only have a 200A panel, which I think might not be enough to run a second subpanel off to the new garage.

What might you all think?

View attachment 1669102

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[The Cobbler]

your first idea is the one I would explore . I like the idea of a breezway to separate the shop from the house ( noise barrier) but I don't like the look of the breezway set back . full length breezway I would like, but that's not solving your issue

 

[nadogail]

Relocation of your meter will require involvement of your utility company and a new hookup.
I am basing this on how things work here, your provider may not require Power Company involvement.

 

[zc15]

Relocation of your meter will require involvement of your utility company and a new hookup.
I am basing this on how things work here, your provider may not require Power Company involvement.

Of course. I was thinking this would be the time to inquire about 400A service

 

[larry4406]

Of course. I was thinking this would be the time to inquire about 400A service

If going that route, expand your thinking to perhaps adding a transfer switch (or disconnect) for future generator.

I can see a few benefits of the breezeway option but I would enclose it and condition it instead:

• Allows you to retain some windows on the side of the addition facing the new garage (if they exist)
• Allows the enclosed breezeway to be configured as a nice mudroom
• Enables ingress/egress to the home during bad weather without exposing you to it
• Allows you to create a nice patio space between the house, enclosed breezeway, and new garage for grilling, outdoor enjoyment, etc. Need to provide appropriate door for this. Your first option consumes your back yard.
• Separates the noise of the garage from the house as was mentioned.

A 10' deep enclosed breezeway might not be deep enough to comfortably achieve the above items, although we have done this with as little as 9'-10" depth and 9' width (not sure on your available width). Attached are some plan excerpts of houses I have done with a garage in the rear and attached via a breezeway or conditioned mudroom. Initially, the office only offered the breezeway as an option to connect the detached garage but sales demands quickly made the office offer the conditioned mudroom option which most buyers selected. In our case, the garage loads from the rear (the roads were in the rear on an alley to access the garages while the front of the homes offered only street side parking.

 

[slidehammer]

I would not compromise my site plan for the convenience of an electric meter. In the grand scheme of things those are easy to move.

That said, detached garages are great, both practically and aesthetically. And you won't have to walk a million miles to get from one side of yard to the other. I prefer the breezeway option.

 

[racecougar]

I'd also choose the breezeway option, but I'd move the meter as well.

 

[Nthill93]

What is the new garage being used for? If it’s just storage the attached is fine. If you’re going to be welding wrenching making noise I would do the breezeway option. Do you need to upgrade to 400a service? That’s a lot of power.

 

[zc15]

Thanks for the insights so far everyone.

I apologize for the scale, but the current detached garage is further back than the diagram would allow easily on PowerPoint where I created this.

The current garage is approximately 75 feet from the back of the house. The proposed garage is 28’ deep

We’re on a 1/2 acre, so while space is not unlimited, we would still have a decent sized yard.

Proposed use for the new garage is primarily storage and basic vehicle maintenance.

I would like to keep the existing garage for welding.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

What are the tax implications with an "attached garage"; versus an "un-attached garage"?
And when I say "un-attached" that doesn't include the breezeway (attached)- but you can still have a breezeway. It's just not attached to the house or the garage. MI property taxes cant be cheap(?).

And I concur with the previous statement- "(don't) compromise your plan for the convenience of a... meter."

 

[zc15]

What are the tax implications with an "attached garage"; versus an "un-attached garage"?
And when I say "un-attached" that doesn't include the breezeway (attached)- but you can still have a breezeway. It's just not attached to the house or the garage. MI property taxes cant be cheap(?).

And I concur with the previous statement- "(don't) compromise your plan for the convenience of a... meter."

Not quite sure. I’d go detached but we’re dealing with zoning restrictions here already. Taxes are high, like you said.

Thanks for helping me rationalize. I don’t think it would be too much to move the meter, with respect to the overall project cost.

 

[D100CMB]

What would the primary function of the new space be? Daily use garage for parking your daily driver or more of a workshop?

 

[zc15]

What would the primary function of the new space be? Daily use garage for parking your daily driver or more of a workshop?

Primarily parking, with some basic auto maintenance. Storage of lawn equipment possibly

 

[u2slow]

Check with your utility if they allow the meter in a breezeway. Mine does not.

Also check your bylaws about breezeways and whats counts as attached or detached. I couldnt do a breezeway connection because a neighbour had exploited a loophole some 10 years earlier, adding more bylaw restrictions.

 

[kbs2244]

In most jurisdictions a breezeway between a house and garage makes it an "attached" garage

That means a house style foundation

 

[zc15]

In most jurisdictions a breezeway between a house and garage makes it an "attached" garage

That means a house style foundation

That’s why I was trying to avoid the breezeway. I feel like that would cost more than moving the meter

 

[mcbane]

Sometimes a detached garage is cheaper to insure than an attached garage. Might want to check with your insurance co to see if it makes a difference.

Also might want to look into local tax implications. In my area, any improvement or expansion of the house is taxed according to build cost, but a detached garage is taxed according to a fixed per-sq-ft charge.

 

[u2slow]

One cannot make generalizations about breezeways. You have to go by your local, current building bylaws for the exact details. Good time to download your bylaws and study them for a few weeks.

Same for taxing/assessments... I was taxed on the full value of the detached garage. I also had to put in concrete footings down to the frost level.

 

[dcg9381]

I have a 6' breezeway to our garage. The house is on 200A main power and the garage is fed from a 100A sub-panel. It also powers an apartment... In my experience, for a standard garage, 60A is more than enough (unless you're planning on doing an EV in the future).
Our house is reverse of yours, with the garage in front. I believe our "garage" breaker is 90A - it handles not only the garage, but a garage apartment, a laundry room, and we have a drop for an EV.

The other "simple" alternative for you is, because the panel is already there, open that wall up and drop the sub-feed out on the exterior wall, just above the foundation.

The other advantage to being connected to the house is that it's insured as the house. If it was detached, I'd be covered under insurance for "other structures" - which has entirely different insurance limitations.

 

[larry4406]

In most jurisdictions a breezeway between a house and garage makes it an "attached" garage

That means a house style foundation

The breezeway sketch/plan excerpt I posted in Post 5 we had a detail for a structural slab that keyed on a ledge at the house (full 9’ basement) and at the detached garage (footing, 4’ walls, slab) thus it spanned the overdig (net soft soils) between the two structures. Worked slick.