3rd bay garage addition

[TechieTechie]

So, I purchased a lovely c1928 house with a detached brick 2 car garage. Mulling around the idea of

1. Reworking the kitchen to combine kitchen and breakfast nook
2. Enlarging the garage
3. Converting the garage to an attached garage (thru a breezeway at the end of the former breakfast nook).

The garage currently is nestled right up against the rear plot line and there is a neighbors garage abutting mine (virtually sharing the rear walls). Also, I have a shared driveway and a 'dead zone' of rear yard between the kitchen and the garage, so it would be nice to better utilize the space.

The existing garage has a flat roof at the end of its useful life. So I would do the bay addition at the same time as the roof replacement...and I would love to have a typical gable roof shared between the old/new structures (and could have a slight roof overhang over the entrance to the existing garage). I'm in the frost zone, so a deep slab would be required.

Would also be great to have the extra bay designed in such a way that a future homeowner (who may not so car crazy) has the option to convert the 3rd bay into a family room.

Finally, the entire property is undergoing an electrical upgrade next month so electric should not be an issue (new underground service, panel, all new wiring compliant with 2020 code).

Here are some pics and plans. Welcome thoughts.

 

[CombatNinja]

Need pictures of how this garage relates to the neighbor's garage to give better advice. Clearly, that garage was added after the home was built, probably in the 1950s or 60s and there might have been little thought as to long term consequences of construction decisions, property lines, etc. Back then, throwing up garages was given about as much thought and was regulated about the way garden sheds are today. Make sure it makes sense to invest big money into this structure before you start. You don't want to be $15,000 in before you realize you would've been better off knocking it down and building hat you actually wanted. That said, at first blush I am thinking that as long as you are not facing a bunch of restrictions on garage size, height, etc. you may want to look at building what you want from scratch and getting your structure away from the neighbor's.

Your new place is very pretty and has a ton of character. It will look really nice cleaned up and landscaped.

 

[CraigStu]

I like the idea overall. Couple of thoughts/questions. I don't see a doorway between the old garage and the new bay which, for me, is a necessity. I don't want to walk outside to get to my car in the original garage. I am also concerned w/ the old garage structure. Is it adequate to support a roof of trusses etc? I had another thought but for some reason I can only look at the pdf once so I forget what it was.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I like your ideas, but of course the first thing is to check with your local municipalities zoning rules, for property line setback, etc. Note that since the proposed addition ties the house and garage together, there may be different requirements than there is for a detached garage.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Also, make sure that new underground electrical service won't interfere with the foundation for the addition.

 

[walta]

Yes check with your local building department before you dream to big.

When I lived in town there were lots of new rules that older building had to meet if any changes were made.

The big ones were.

Not more than 30% of you property could be covered by building and driveways impermeable to water.

Attachments of a garages required roof to footing firewalls with self closing fire door.

10 foot building set back from property lines.

Walta

 

[TechieTechie]

Need pictures of how this garage relates to the neighbor's garage to give better advice.

Your new place is very pretty and has a ton of character. It will look really nice cleaned up and landscaped.

Thanks. I am 95% sure the garage is original to the house, as there are a crapton of similar garages in the area....the brick/mortar are the same same color as the house. The door is awful and not original.

See attached. The plot is notched surrounding the garages. My garage <2 feet off the back plot line and directly on the notched portion. Except for the roof, my garage is in good shape (just had a new pad laid) and it would be a PITA to rebuild, so I'd prefer to keep if possible.

 

[TechieTechie]

I like the idea overall. Couple of thoughts/questions. I don't see a doorway between the old garage and the new bay which, for me, is a necessity. I don't want to walk outside to get to my car in the original garage. I am also concerned w/ the old garage structure. Is it adequate to support a roof of trusses etc? I had another thought but for some reason I can only look at the pdf once so I forget what it was.

Good points.

There isn't a door...but there are 2 windows on the 'shared' wall, so one of them could be blown out to make a door.

Fair question regarding structural integrity...would have to have a structural engineer assess.

 

[TechieTechie]

I like your ideas, but of course the first thing is to check with your local municipalities zoning rules, for property line setback, etc. Note that since the proposed addition ties the house and garage together, there may be different requirements than there is for a detached garage.

Also, make sure that new underground electrical service won't interfere with the foundation for the addition.

Yes check with your local building department before you dream to big.

When I lived in town there were lots of new rules that older building had to meet if any changes were made.

The big ones were.

Not more than 30% of you property could be covered by building and driveways impermeable to water.

Attachments of a garages required roof to footing firewalls with self closing fire door.

10 foot building set back from property lines.

Walta

Thanks. Understand that the garage would have to come up to code and I'd have to confirm the build/setbacks comply with code...but I wanted to make sure the concept for the garage and driveway design made sense. Don't have to worry about site permeability, there is a very large side yard off to the side.

And, one of the reasons I wanted to have a 'think' on this is precisely for the new electrical. The main pole is actually behind the garage so it will have to be dug under/just along the driveway (fun).

 

[dcg9381]

Around here, one way the city has started to deal with density is to encourage people to build ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) - which are these out buildings that can be done as residential.... I think it's a great idea. That being said, I'd be surprised if that garage wasn't a tear-down to get this going.