Need opinions on reverse gable

[car46999]

Hello all,
Long time lurking member, first post. I am finally pulling the trigger on having my garage built.
The size is to be 20'x35', 6/12 gable roof with storage trusses.
I met with the builder today, and he suggested going with a reverse gable (more height in attic). Such that the 16x7 overhead door is on the 20' "pitch side", "gable side" is on the 35' side. The 20' "pitch side" will be seen as driving up the driveway.
My house seen in the pic, and the garage will be at the end of existing driveway.
The 20' "pitch side" will be seen "head on" as driving up the driveway.
My questions are:

How do you think the reverse gable will look?
Anyone have a similar size reverse gable garage?

Thank you for any help.

 

[5lima30]

If you're in an area with significant snowfall that might be a consideration. What about going with a hip roof to match your home?

 

[tatra]

wow uber lurker..........3 years and first post..........i got nothin for your question ........

 

[John in OH]

I'm still a little fuzzy regarding your description (but fuzzy thinking is normal for me!). So are you saying that the trusses will run length-wise? (ie., they will be approximately 35 ft. long??). Assuming a 1' overhang on each end of the truss, a 6/12 pitch will yield a gable height of about 9'-3". If so, this sounds like a rather ugly structure. I like 5lima30's suggestion of a hip roof to match the house. I've always thought that garages that match the main house look very classy.

 

[bczygan]

Gable end doesn't look as smooth with hip as hip would, but offers more volume for storage. If gable, doing like he says will look less bad than one on the front. Get him to sketch you a 3D of how it will look from all sides and how the roof lines will integrate. Any thought of a lift?

 

[darkk]

We did a reverse gable connected to our house. I think it looks good. You should connect it to your existing house. Here is a link...
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39357&highlight=cryptic1911

 

[Kevin54]

A reverse gable would give you more floorspace than a hip roof would and from a straight on view most would not notice as the front of your house and front of the garage would look the same. The ends would be what looked different. If you sit and really ponder over the hip roof vs. standard roof, you'll lean towards the hip to match the house, but chances are if you put a standard roof on the garage, not too many would notice anyways.
As far as the reverse gable, in a snow area, you will get dumped on in the winter, or at least I do. The wind comes OVER the roof and will drop the snow off in the front of the garage. Just something to consider. Another thing to consider is that with a reverse gable, the truss weight is resting on your garage door header. Depending on the header material and garage door size, the header could sag after a while. With attic storage trusses, you wil be looking at extra weight over a 16' garage door header. Did the contractor NOT want you to match your existing roof on the house with the hip roof or was that your choice? If the contractor talked you out of it, then I would question the contractors build skills as he may not be skilled enough to build a hip roof. Again just a thought there. If yo decide to just go with a standard roof over a hip roof, and you are going to have overhead storage, I think I would put the door on the gable end and add a window above facing the driveway. That would be my personal preference though.

 

[hdossett]

How much would 35' trusses vs. 20' add to total cost? Neighbor of mine reduced the width of an 'L' of his mancave/garage from 32' to 30' because of the extra cost of Trusses over 30'.

How much weight would a 35' truss hold vs. a 20' one?

Just questions you need to ask!

H.

 

[bczygan]

Depending on the header material and garage door size, the header could sag after a while. With attic storage trusses, you wil be looking at extra weight over a 16' garage door header.

A storage truss and longer span over the garage door will have to be calculated to provide the proper header. It will definitely be at least a deep microlam, but can be accommodated. It will not be a couple of 2x12's, but if properly engineered, it will not "sag", but deflect within limits. The short portion of the front wall to the left of the garage door should be built as a shear wall and adequately designed.

 

[scooterseats]

When I built my first shop, I copied the hip roof of our house to be aesthetically more pleasing to the eye (in my opinion). I did increase the pitch to a 6 1/2 - 12 and increased headroom in the attic to where I have a fairly large floored attic for storage and strangely, the outside appearance still looks like the house.
I would definitely opt for the hip roof over the gable and I would go with a site framed roof over trusses. Just my opinion but you will end up with more usable storage if done correctly.

 

[mobetta]

wouldnt that make your garage taller than your house??

not allowed where I live.

Id go w/ a gable entry vs a eve entry.

 

[car46999]

First, thank you for all the replies.
I will try to respond to all questions.

5lima30:
Location is N Alabama. Snow fall is not a huge issue.
Hip roof is low on list, as I loose too much attic space.

John in OH: Correct, trusses would run lengthwise: 35 ft long.

bczygan:
Front gable is the other option I am considering. Two other houses have a front gable in our neighborhood, and I think they look ok. No lift in the future, would love one but not gonna happen.

darkk:
Have not considered connecting the garage. Probably not an option with the spousal unit.

Kevin54:
I agree that the reverse gable would look good from the street, the side is what I am questioning. The contractor said they will be using "double LVL beam" for the 16' door header. And that it would not sag. I initially wanted a standard gable roof, he suggested the reverse gable for more height in attic. Hip roof was never discussed (because of the loss of storage space). I do have a good opinion of the contractor, and know they have done hip roofs previously.

hdossett:
Cost, not 100% sure. I have to double check, but they offer a free upgrade from 4/12 to 6/12 with attic storage. Also, it would be 11 vs 19 trusses. I am going to get clarification of that though. The trusses would both the 40psf live load.

bczygan:
If I go with the 35' trusses, I will definitely double check on the deep microlam LVL.

scooterseats:
I am still leaning more towards gable roof, to maximize storage space.

mobetta:
I estimate the house is ~23ft garage would be ~18ft.
And there is no restriction in our neighborhood.


This is the the builder if anyone is curious http://outbackbuilders.com

I want the extra height in the attic, but my concern is what the side will look like.
Also not visible in the photo, is that the neighbors house will mask the side.
My biggest concern is, the unknown. I can visualize it, but wanted to see if anyone has a photo of like construction.

 

[hdossett]

. I can visualize it, but wanted to see if anyone has a photo of like construction.

Not a photo, but a quick mock up in Punch!

hope it helps

H

 

[car46999]

hdossett, that helps with the visualization thanks. Still mulling it over.