Its Not Your Father's Garage Anymore
by Bob Wetmore
Homes today are better designed and better built and the level of attention to detail has grown. Garage design has graduated from the addition of a shed near the back alley to making the garage an integral part of the home's design. Architects and designers have extended their focus from bays to basements. Welcome to the new age of state-of-the-art workshops and luxury mud rooms. Today's garage is definitely not your father's garage!
Integrated Design
Current designs often incorporate garages as an attractive element of the home's elevation. Architects must use creative designs in the placement of garages due to a growing number of neighborhoods and communities adding restrictions on how garages relate to the streetscape. Whether attached, detached or a combination of the two, architects strive to soften the visual impact of the garage, and some designs even conceal their purpose.
One example is the use of windowscapes and high end wood doors that create a carriage house effect. Some plans add a five- or six-foot deep breezeway across the front of the garage to create a less obtrusive view from the street.
As with many other design features, some notable trends in garages began with the "super homes" of the very affluent and have filtered down to upscale homes. One such trend is the number and size of bays. The expected number of garage bays has increased from three to five or six in many high-end homes.
One way to control the visual scale of the garage is to break up the bays physically or combine them into a single bay. These measures can minimize the "garage that ate the house" effect. The use of side loading garages or breaking the space into smaller units (two side load, one front entry, for example) are popular strategies. Where floor space is limited, we are even seeing the use of interior lifts with a high ceiling that allows for storage of more vehicles. Once a secondary car is lifted into place, there is ample room to park a primary car underneath for everyday use. These lifts are not outrageously priced and their reliability makes this a popular alternative.
Flex Room
Likewise, the functionality of the garage is evolving as well. In addition to parking cars, storing items infrequently used and creating the typical "workshop," we see garages becoming flex rooms comparable to those inside a home. Upgrades range from art studios to decked out "guy's rooms." Adding the ability for one or more large openings in the walls creates the flexibility for options such as a home gym that can be used with the doors open and can even include a full spa. An artist working with fused glass converted her garage into a studio with matching adjacent doors, and the other side features a full-height glass garage door leading to a treed courtyard allowing flexible space indoors and out.
Just inside the home from the garage, the spaces formerly thought of as "mud rooms" are being transformed into "planning centers." This area may include the family's coat closet, a bank of cubbies or lockers, a small desk and a message board. When family members enter the home from the garage, this space allows everyone to hang coats, kick off shoes, check for messages and dump everything from keys to purses to backpacks in a spot where they are easy to gather up the next time someone leaves the home.
Another trend is the refinement of the popular home workshop. What was once a dark, untidy corner of the garage is now bright, functional and high-tech. Custom cabinets hide clutter and help organize tools and equipment. Lighting and energy control systems can be regulated to adjust to the power needs of the user.
With the multiple uses of today's garages, standard garage floors are often inadequate. Many garage floors are now coated with epoxy, making them well protected and easy to clean. These coatings add aesthetic appeal as well, often adding reflectivity to brighten the entire garage. A popular system is a multipurpose epoxy with a urethane topcoat. Scores of attractive finishes are available from numerous manufacturers.
Today's garage is a new center of focus in the home and architects are taking special notice of this functional space as an important design consideration. In size, architecture and function, the garage is evolving to keep up with design advancements in the rest of the home.
Bob Wetmore is a Principal Partner at Cornerstone Group Architects (CGA Partners), a firm specializing in architecture and interior design for both residential and commercial projects. CGA Partners' experience includes luxury residences internationally as well as a variety of commercial projects such as retail, recreational, medical and office headquarters, and multifamily facilities.
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