Fall '24 update
In progress: 1971 Porsche 911 restoration
Completed projects:
garage addition - total area for the tandem garage is about 700 sq ft.
garage cabinets - Gulf Racing-themed formica-laminated baltic birch
pergola, courtyard and landscaping - lots of cedar!
Original post:
We moved into a mid-century modern (MCM) house in 2014. I’ve been busy with various projects on it ever since. The one that might be of interest here is the expansion of the garage. People familiar with MCM houses know that most of them were designed with limited garage space. Here in Denver you’re lucky if you can find one with room for 2 cars. Our house started out with a detached 12x24 garage next to an open carport. A previous owner enclosed the carport (12x20) so we now have two 1-car garages (or a 2-car garage with a wall down the middle). I want to be able to add space for at least one more car - and it turns out that’s about all I’ll be able to do with the neighborhood zoning.
Here are renderings of the plan as it stands now as viewed from the back. I grew up in the SF bay area near Eichler houses and always liked their interior courtyards. So I'll use the garage addition to act as part of a wall to create a private courtyard.
So far most of the work on the garage addition has been virtual, so I thought I’d show the house we left behind in NH and its garage addition/modifications. When we moved in, the house had a 1-car garage and the landscaping was just a small patch of flowers (and weeds) in front of the house, and the whole thing was surrounded by 1.5 acres of grass. Not great to look at or mow.
It turns out that we didn’t take many photos of the place early on because it really wasn’t much to look at.
After ten years, it had secured 3-car parking and about an acre of fruit trees, stone walls and walkways.
You can see the lift hiding behind the barn doors better during the build. I had a local blacksmith make the strap hinges, handles and sliding latches for the carriage doors.
This photo shows why my wife liked the house in the first place: the location
I'll try to add updates as they happen. But I don't expect a permit until the New Year and the real work to begin until spring.
In progress: 1971 Porsche 911 restoration
Completed projects:
garage addition - total area for the tandem garage is about 700 sq ft.
garage cabinets - Gulf Racing-themed formica-laminated baltic birch
pergola, courtyard and landscaping - lots of cedar!
Original post:
We moved into a mid-century modern (MCM) house in 2014. I’ve been busy with various projects on it ever since. The one that might be of interest here is the expansion of the garage. People familiar with MCM houses know that most of them were designed with limited garage space. Here in Denver you’re lucky if you can find one with room for 2 cars. Our house started out with a detached 12x24 garage next to an open carport. A previous owner enclosed the carport (12x20) so we now have two 1-car garages (or a 2-car garage with a wall down the middle). I want to be able to add space for at least one more car - and it turns out that’s about all I’ll be able to do with the neighborhood zoning.
Here are renderings of the plan as it stands now as viewed from the back. I grew up in the SF bay area near Eichler houses and always liked their interior courtyards. So I'll use the garage addition to act as part of a wall to create a private courtyard.
So far most of the work on the garage addition has been virtual, so I thought I’d show the house we left behind in NH and its garage addition/modifications. When we moved in, the house had a 1-car garage and the landscaping was just a small patch of flowers (and weeds) in front of the house, and the whole thing was surrounded by 1.5 acres of grass. Not great to look at or mow.
It turns out that we didn’t take many photos of the place early on because it really wasn’t much to look at.
After ten years, it had secured 3-car parking and about an acre of fruit trees, stone walls and walkways.
You can see the lift hiding behind the barn doors better during the build. I had a local blacksmith make the strap hinges, handles and sliding latches for the carriage doors.
This photo shows why my wife liked the house in the first place: the location
I'll try to add updates as they happen. But I don't expect a permit until the New Year and the real work to begin until spring.
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I like what you're doing with the place.
