Drive through garage planning

[Hilltopmasonry]

Hey everyone! I am envisioning an addition to my home/garage and tried searching the forum and the internet and cant find a decent info so I figured I would start a new post

Here is the background, me and the wife purchased our home on almost a half acre lot four years ago with plans to add on how we want. Currently It is a small 800 ft.² two bedroom one bath house with a decent size 24 x 22 detached garage. Unfortunately the garage is junk, it is sitting on a concrete slab that has failed (sunk in spots) and the garage is also in a bad spot. So the plan is to add an additional 800 ft.² to the house which would include a master bedroom with a master bath, expanded kitchen area and an upstairs laundry room/mudroom that connects to an attached garage. My town allows a 1200 square-foot detached garage, however if the garage is attached and meets all of the other requirements there is no limit as to how big the garage can be. Oh darn, I just have to make sure that I do not over build on the lot. My towns Basic requirement is that you maintain 40%. "Green" space. Basically you can build up to 60% of your lot, this includes all driveways and patios. So its pretty generous.

my only issue is that the lot is more narrow but it's deep, so trying to utilize all the space with a big garage is kind of difficult mainly because I would like a drive-through garage so I have access to the area behind the garage (that is wasted space) so I can I store construction stuff for my business, including a trailer so it would have to be generous enough of a "drive through" to back a full size pickup through. Most drive throughs that i see are just regular garages that have a tiny door on the back for a lawnmower or something. If i can do this i can stop renting my current yard space saving me lots of money and from the hassle of constantly going back and forth.

What I would like basically is similar to a parking lot where you drive through with the garage doors on the right and have three angled parking spots on the left (last one for a 4 post lift) so when you park your cars they are not in the way of the "driving lane". The other wall would be for storage shelves. My true question is trying to lay it out, how wide/deep to make everything and most importantly the angle/depth of the parking spots.

I actually tried to goto an empty parking lot but just kept overthinking it all so I figured I would throw it out to you guys on GJ to see if anyone had any ideas/experiences of if i am downright crazy and lost my mind! Originally i was going to keep the garage detached but to get around it to get behind the garage it would have to be in the middle of my back yard loosing all of useful space. Plus attached garages are nicer in the winter

I know several people on here have huge shops with the door in the center that you can pull in and pull to the right or left keeping the center lane open so i was hoping to get their opinion as well!

Thanks


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[Keith_MN]

It seems to me that if your intention is to keep the drive through lane clear, why enclose is at all? Why not make the drive through lane outside the garage and turn into the garage for the three spots? It would be less expensive this way, and not need to back through the garage.

Maybe I am not envisioning the space correctly. A rough sketch of your lot would help.

-Keith

 

[matt_i]

Do you have setbacks? Seems like most communities don't allow you to build right on the property line...but you may not be in "most" either.

That said, you can use the setback increased up a little bit for your drive. I would want something around 12-13 wide for backing in an 8'6" wide trailer, personally I'd rather drive around the garage then always thru it. This would force the center lane to always be completely clear (or else traffic gets blocked). I would personally have a lot of trouble always keeping that lane open....

I'd also investigate building the garage with a lean-to on the back-side, just an open, roofed area. Makes things stored outside in the open so much happier. Just have to enclose the bottom of the roof so birds don't start nesting in the trusses....

 

[Mike.VA]

I have a left side and a front door on mine. Both 18'x10'.
It is proving very useful. the plan was to bring the boat in the side and leave the front still open for two vehicles.
You can check out my link and see. Your situation is a different, but stay with a large door and it allow you to do so much more moving around inside.
Good Luck and keep us updated our your progress.

 

[sberry]

If I could find a way around a drive thru would do it too.

 

[sctattooer]

I did very similar to what you're talking about. Mine is 30 wide, and 26 deep. My street-facing doors are standard 9' wide, but 8' tall. The bay on the right has a rear carriage style door that swings open, with a 40'x20' concrete pad behind it.
I did this because my garage is close to the road, and if the front doors are open everyone in the neighborhood stops by to see what's going on. I can drive the cars out back and work on them, or just open the back door and put a screen in the opening.

 

[penright]

It seems to me that if your intention is to keep the drive through lane clear, why enclose is at all?

If I could find a way around a drive thru would do it too.

I have to agree with @Keith_MN and @sberry.
Yes, a scale sketch and some pictures would be nice.

Here are my lessons learned. My house was built with a 2 car garage in front doors facing sideways and one car with drive through in line with drive. For me the drive through was worthless, because I did not have enough depth. Also the one car is where we keep the Mustang, so I would have to move it any time I wanted accesses, hence Keith comment. I also sit on .5 acres, but I am on the outside of a corner. My lot is pie shape, so I am wider at the back, which gives me room for a drive to the back, and my shop. Take a look at my "still in progress" build link in signature line.

Not sure how much any of these helps, but one thing I can't strongly suggest enough, is to stake out your drives and fondations. Keep in mind walls as you actually drive cars around. You may think all you need is about 8-9 feet of drive, but when you start opening car doors and turning, things get tight quick.

As for my "worthless" drive through, right now my plan is to put some metal shelves at the front. Then side it creating somewhat of a wall creating two areas. The parking is access from the front overhead door. The back will be for lawnmowers and such, will be access from the back overhead door. So I can put mower, power washer, and power generator under the shelves. Then weed eater and others above them.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Hey guys thanks for your input, sorry about the delay I haven't had a whole lot of time to respond back.

To answer some of your questions....yes i have setbacks requirements. If the garage is detached then its 4 feet and if it is attached then its 10 feet. The way my house is located on the lot makes it difficult to locate the garage to access the rear parking area without putting that garage in the middle of the back yard.

I wouldn't be driving through everyday. More like a couple times a week max, it would be needed to access my construction dump trailer and equipment behind the garage. The trailer is kept on the job alot.

I dont want a lean to because i would have to put the garage in the same spot so I could access the rear parking area and with an enclosed garage I could park the pickup and trailer in the heated garage "driving lane" when its cold to keep the trailer contents from freezing...(sand usually)

Yes the drive through lane would usually need to be clear which could be a problem

I am not good with sketches so i will try to upload something (plat) so you all can have a visual, i know its hard to explain.

I also know that positioning a trailer is difficult with tight quarters but I would be open to buying a motorized trailer mover. I could back the trailer into the garage and if needed unhook it and use the mover to position it behind the garage. They are pricey but if i could save $6000 a year to eliminate the contractor yard i need to rent now it would be worth it


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[DC73]

. . . I wouldn't be driving through everyday. More like a couple times a week max, . . .

I like the concept of what you've proposed. It would be easy enough to clear out the drive through any time you needed. Put things on wheels that could be rolled out of the way when the drive through is needed.

I've actually seen this done. Years ago, Texas had drive through beer barns. Once they passed open container laws, most of these went away. I saw one converted to be a parking garage for the office next door. Later, someone bought it and made it into a workshop. They had large workbenches on casters that could be rolled out of the way when access to the back was needed. It's no longer there or I would grab some pics for you.

I was going to do this with my shop to gain access to my backyard. In the end, setback requirements forced me to have a 10' lane between the shop and fence that I use for access instead.

DC

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Thanks for the encouragement, obviously it is not a common thing. I need the land behind the garage for my construction stuff but it would also be beneficial to anyone that has a boat, travel or snowmobile trailer, rv etc

The next week i will try to post a plat of my place for reference


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[Dr Stan]

Thanks for the encouragement, obviously it is not a common thing. I need the land behind the garage for my construction stuff but it would also be beneficial to anyone that has a boat, travel or snowmobile trailer, rv etc

No its not common as I've only seen one other than my garage. When we bought our house it only had a single car garage and access to the back yard meant driving across the yard.

So I built my shop including the driveway leading up to it before I added a second bay to the garage. I then proceeded to put two overhead doors (front & back) in my addition. Lined up quite well with the shop driveway, just had to build a concrete ramp to compensate for the different heights. I used 9ft wide doors on the addition so to match the existing door. In retrospect I wish I had modified the existing bay so I could have used 10ft doors all around.

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Here is a google view of the house and an etch a sketch of what i am thinking. Sorry not very tech savvy but you get an idea of what i am thinking

Currently its a Small 900 sq foot house with 24x24 detached garage. Plan is to double the house (red) blow down and build a new as big as possible drive through garage (blue) to be able to park equipment and store stuff behind garage (black) with out totally killing my useable back yard

You can see in the pictures how my lot is laid out by the aerial view of the fences, so it doesn't leave me with a whole lot of options to build a nice big garage and being able to access the rear corner of the yard which is totally unused and wasted space

Obviously my Etch-a-Sketch is not to scale but the plan would be so i can drive in and park off to the left at an angle leaving the driving lane open to get to the rear yard







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[ducksface]

Barnpros.com
Monitor barn.

 

[Two Speed]

I had a house with a front and rear full size door on it, city lot with minimum distance to property line, so drive-thru access was it. Previous owner kepts a boat and project car in the back yard.

It was great for moving stuff around. I wish I had a 2nd fullsize door where I am now. I would say, just do it since you are building fresh. Storage wise, yeah, you lose one wall, BUT that is great incentive to keep clutter to a minimum. Worked for me when I compare what I tend to hold onto now. And if you don't use it, shelves don't care whats behind them. But I garantee that if you have it, you will use it.

Alex.

 

[kbs2244]

Remember in all this talk that while buildings have setbacks, driveways do not.

If you are going to demo the existing garage, and replace with an attached, you need a 10 foot setback anyway.
I would leave a 12 foot space along the lot line for backyard access.

Pulling a trailer past a garage vs backing through one after a hard day would be much easier.

And remember am attached garage cannot be on slab.
It will need a full foundation just like your addition.

 

[paredown]

I'm still dealing with my 'drive through'. Our house was joined to a new subdivision, so what had been the back of the house was now the front. The POs answer to access was to saw the back off the garage (without adding a proper header I might add) leaving a kind of carport--except they left the old garage door up) Access to the house involved walking through the dingy carport to get the original front door.

So far I have added a new front entrance, stoop etc, and reframed inside the house to create a nice entrance hall. I reframed both ends of the carport/garage to fit 10x8 doors, insulated, drywalled etc--and then got stuck trying to do my own double ended garage door install. Much head-scratching and consternation while I have the doors tacked up temporarily.

Since like you the only access to the back yard is through this 'carport'--I need to maintain it as a double ended work area until I can build a new garage--and then I may revert to the 'carport' usage. (Can't bypass the carport, because the side of it sits into a pretty high bank.)

So your problem makes sense to me--and putting in a header and smaller door on your back side seems very doable--but I would caution it will get tricky if you want to put in overhead doors on both ends--or at least I haven't solved that problem yet. I've got a quote in hand and may get the pros to solve that for me.

 

[lakeroadster]

Sounds like an interesting layout. Not unlike a lot of service areas at auto dealerships.

Got any ground level photo's of your home? I'm wondering if the height of the garage is going to look out of place since you want a lift in the building.

 

[ard]

Remember in all this talk that while buildings have setbacks, driveways do not.

If you are going to demo the existing garage, and replace with an attached, you need a 10 foot setback anyway.
I would leave a 12 foot space along the lot line for backyard access.

Pulling a trailer past a garage vs backing through one after a hard day would be much easier.

And remember am attached garage cannot be on slab.
It will need a full foundation just like your addition.

If he is just 'expanding' the existing garage, he might not need that much setback.... While it is nice to have a 12 ft access, that pushes the entire structure 12ft into the backyard.

Might be a reason to get it detached? Even if it is detached in name only (ie only a few feet)

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Sounds like an interesting layout. Not unlike a lot of service areas at auto dealerships.



Got any ground level photo's of your home? I'm wondering if the height of the garage is going to look out of place since you want a lift in the building.

Yea that is a concern of mine as well since the door is going to be big compared to the house and will probably not look normal


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[Hilltopmasonry]

If he is just 'expanding' the existing garage, he might not need that much setback.... While it is nice to have a 12 ft access, that pushes the entire structure 12ft into the backyard.



Might be a reason to get it detached? Even if it is detached in name only (ie only a few feet)

I am not expanding the garage, it's a POS so it needs to be taken down, unfortunately you are correct when it is the attached there is a 10 foot setback requirement as opposed to detached where you only need 4 feet. However if the garage is attached then I can build it as big as I want whereas if it is detached I can only have 1050 ft of garage

For being in the suburbs of Chicago I live in a small town with only 2000 residents and I know most of the people in the town government including the mayor and about half the people on the zoning board so to get a slight variance to change the 10 feet setback to 8 or 7 feet might not be a big deal considering the space next to garage is wasted space next to my neighbors 6 foot fence


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[kbs2244]

Someone, I think from Chicago, once said
"All politics is local"

Another quote I am found of is
"Rules are made to be broken"

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Someone, I think from Chicago, once said

"All politics is local"



Another quote I am found of is

"Rules are made to be broken"

lol yeah well I might have missed my golden opportunity to get away with anything I wanted because this past summer my mayor was running for reelection and actually had somebody running against him. So he would've rubber stamped anything I wanted provided I supported him in his reelection ha ha

He was getting nervous about losing his position so for a while he was very accommodating...he did win the election by a large margin, he received 580 votes compared to 210 for the opponent so its back to business as usual now.

my little town is kind of unique especially in the near Chicago burbs because there is only 2000 residents however there is actually only 305 homes. A large number of that population figure is due to the fact that there is a very large apartment complex in my town so there really is only a very small number of long-term residents


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