Garages under the House, (in the Basement)

[Eeyores Butterfly]

That is how most houses in Missouri are. I grew up with the garage in the basement and my new hosue is that way too. I'm used to it so it really doesn't faze me. It's a lot better than my apartment where I had to walk up a set of stairs from the parking lot and then another set of stairs in my building!

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[DawnCt1]

I live in Southern NH and our garage is underneath the house. I actually love it! When you come in from the garage there is a finished part to our basement and also a small hall area with a nice tiled floor. The kids dump their shoes and backpacks and coats in this area and no one sees the mess when they come over to visit. We put a nice hallway bench in the area and have a generously sized coat closet as soon as you come in from the garage as well. I usually carry the groceries into the hallway off the garage and my kids help me carry it upstairs. When we were looking at houses, many had the garage underneath. I wouldn't buy a house with the garage underneath if it didn't have a nice finished area to come into.

Our old house had the basement underneath and you would walk into the finished basement. It didn't bother me at all -

Both of you made good points.

 

[lspst8]

I have one of those 3 story townhouses too, so I have to walk up one set of stairs to the kitchen. It isn't that bad, but I'm young and live alone. I neever have much more than 4 bags of groceries at a time. Now, my washer and dryer are on the bottom level too, and that is a pain. My fiance and I plan to move before we have children in a few years, although we would get really buff from carrying baby stuff up 2 steep sets of stairs

My parents have a ranch house with the family room, laundry room, and garage in the basement, but they also have a half-circle driveway in the front. My mom just parks to unload the groceries, so it is very easy.

 

[BunsenH]

Don't all raised ranches have the garage in the 'basement'? That's a very common style house around here. Not my preference (we have a detached 2 car garage), but there are tons of 'em.

 

[Pixiedust34]

Another perspective: None of the houses on our street have a garage. I'd be glad to have one. : ) I'd especially love to have a garage in the winter when it snows so we wouldn't have to scrape the car in the morning.

There are also a lot of townhouse communities here that do not have garages.

 

[olena]

I have a townhouse that is 3 stories and the bottom level is the garage. I HATE it! My kitchen sits on top of the garage and is freezing cold in the winter. I hate having to haul my groceries up a level of stairs.

You need a dumbwaiter...

 

[cepmom]

we have a garage under and I don't like it. The driveway slants downward towards the garage so when it rains, it floods the garage. There was a sump pump was here when we bought the house, but when the power goes out, we're screwed Dh had to buy a battery back up for the pump after the last flooding thunderstorm Now I don't panic when we have a thunder and lightening storm. The driveway also is surrounded by retaining walls, making it particularly difficult to shovel in the winter, becasue we have to throw the snow up and over the walls to get it off the driveway. On top of all that, we can't even use the garage for it's intended purpose because of the slanted driveway; my car is too tall to clear the top of the garage doorThe only time I could fit a car in there was when we first bought it, so there was nothing in it and I drove a Corolla

It does make a nice built in shed though

 

[luvmy3]

Don't all raised ranches have the garage in the 'basement'? That's a very common style house around here. Not my preference (we have a detached 2 car garage), but there are tons of 'em.

Yes that is what a raised ranch or split level are. I live in one and I absolutely hate it for other reasons as well as the gargae being directly under the bedrooms.
I call where we live raised ranchville, they are everywhere here. I admit when I was kid I thought it was the coolest house, alot of my friends had them but now that I own one I realize that I was just a dumb kid

 

[cepmom]

Yes that is what a raised ranch or split level are. I live in one and I absolutely hate it for other reasons as well as the gargae being directly under the bedrooms.
I call where we live raised ranchville, they are everywhere here. I admit when I was kid I thought it was the coolest house, alot of my friends had them but now that I own one I realize that I was just a dumb kid

I grew up in a ranch and the street behind ours was filled with raised ranches...I thought they were soooo cool too and I really, really wanted to live in one. Now I'm glad I don't

 

[tonilea]

Very interesting thread! I always thought when we finally get to build, I wanted a walk out basement/garage. Since reading this thread I am re-thinking that!

 

[tazdev3225]

this type of rowhome is very common in Philadelphia. when I bought my house the garage had already been converted to a storage area. I have never used it as an entrance to the house. I park in my driveway and go up the front steps and into the house. I also have a strange rowhouse anyway. My kitchen is in the front so it saves a lot of walking once I'm in the house. I ahve always had a house like this and it doesn't bother me at all.

 

[BunsenH]

I used to work with someone who claimed a basement garage was unhealthy. He felt that automotine fumes (CO, NOX, gas, oil, etc.) filtered up into the living quarters. I never heard any studies done about this, but assume that building codes would take it into account. The guy was odd in other ways, so his opinion was suspect.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

in hilly areas - a split foyer home iwth a tuck under garage is very common here.

my parents had one for several years, after I was no longer at home. If everything else about the house was great, then this would not be a deal breaker, but it's not my first choice either.

 

[momrek06]

Our first home in MA, (1990-2005) had the basement underneath...........PAIN IN THE ***!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Built a new home in 2005, 3 miles from that house...........NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!! That house was a Cape Cod style home and with the layout of the lot, the only way to put a garage on the house was UNDERNEATH. 3/4's of the garage walls were NOT underground (does that make sense) making for a VERY VERY COLD basement in the winter months.

 

[momrek06]

I used to work with someone who claimed a basement garage was unhealthy. He felt that automotine fumes (CO, NOX, gas, oil, etc.) filtered up into the living quarters. I never heard any studies done about this, but assume that building codes would take it into account. The guy was odd in other ways, so his opinion was suspect.

In the home I built in 2005 in MA, the garage was right off the kitchen. Did that ON PURPOSE because I wanted easy access to the kitchen when coming in from shopping. No issues with that at all. I pulled my car right in. 3 steps UP and I am in the main house. The door to the house was one of those steel fireproof doors FOR THAT REASON.

 

[momrek06]

Another perspective: None of the houses on our street have a garage. I'd be glad to have one. : ) I'd especially love to have a garage in the winter when it snows so we wouldn't have to scrape the car in the morning.

There are also a lot of townhouse communities here that do not have garages.

Ahhh..two of my sisters live in MA in LOVELY condos, one in Andover and one in Lexington....NO GARAGES and it is a huge PAIN w/o a garage. AND esp after the winter you all just had.... I am currently renting an apt in CA and that even HAS a garage! AND I have NO winter issues to deal with!