Spend time planning it out and get it right the first time. by Don Westphal, A.S.L.A.

The addition of garages to manufactured homes in land-lease communities and on private property is becoming more popular every year. Manufactured home owners are looking for the same convenience and security available to site-built home owners. Unfortunately, many of the efforts to marry site-built garages to manufactured homes fall short of the generally-accepted appearance standards for garage/home integrations. Here are some of my observations on the matter. Garages are generally one of two types, free-standing (or detached) or attached. Free-standing garages are quite easy to build and easily appointed to complement the home. All that is necessary to make them aesthetically compatible with the home is matching or complementary shingles, roof pitch, color and materials. Most can be built rather inexpensively on thickened edge slabs.

Attached garages pose some more complicated challenges, both aesthetically and physically. Garages attached to manufactured homes most often are one of two types, attached or integrated. The attached variety is built adjacent to a "stock" single-section or multi-section home. Ideally, the access into the home is by way of the utility room or kitchen. Comparable foundation systems are necessary for both home and garage so that they function alike under differing weather conditions. The garage is built with four walls to stand alone and not compromise the integrity of the HUD coded home by adding unplanned stress to the home.

An integrated garage is attached to a home that is designed and approved to accommodate the anticipated load and stress of the garage. Comparable foundation systems are also required for the home and garage in this scenario so that they function as a unit after construction. The biggest problem encountered when attaching a garage to the home, especially in a land-lease community, is the difference in elevation between the floor of the garage and the floor of the home. This difference creates at least four problems. First, it may require five or more steps to get from the garage into the home. These steps and the necessary landing at the door to the home take up significant floor space in the garage. Second, sufficient clearance between the garage ceiling and top of the door into the house is difficult to achieve. Solving the second problem often creates a third one: garages are built with very tall side walls and match the garage eaves with the home eave line. This results in a large area above the garage door and unusual proportions for the garage, as pictured below.

And fourth, most garage doors come in white from the factory and since most face the street they overshadow the front door of the houses in the streetscape. All these problems can be minimized with a little planning and forethought. The distance between the garage floor and the home floor can be reduced by setting the home as low as possible and elevating the garage floor and driveway. This also reduces the amount of room needed for the steps. Creating a combination step and wheel stop in the garage floor also helps reduce this problem. The garage ceiling height problem over the home door can be solved by conventionally framing the garage roof or modifying the roof trusses adjacent to the home.

Locating the garage so that its ridge falls near the home door opening can also help. Lowering the garage side walls to a conventional eight-foot height not only saves cost, but results in a break in the eave line which can add variety to the home appearance, addressing the third problem area. Finally, one can divert attention from the garage door by painting it to match the color of the siding and shift the focus to the home entry door where it belongs.

The following contrasting pictures show how planning and forethought can create an acceptable and harmonious appearance to manufactured homes with garage additions that improve the image of a community or home-site.

I hope these few suggestions will encourage the reader to spend time on planning garage additions to their homes that result in a more acceptable appearance of the homes in our communities. Next month, we'll discuss some items to add to Community Guidelines that will assist in making a community more attractive. ##

Donald C. Westphal Associates, LLC Landscape architecture & Site planning Please check out the website at http://www.dcwestphal.com. Need help with your community upgrade? Give us a call at 248-651-5518 or email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Building An Attached One Car Garage Addition

When you bought your house the garage might have not been on your necessity list of things to have, but now, a single bay garage sure does sound like a convenience that you could really use.

There are a variety of reasons why people like to have garages, but the most popular reason is to protect their favorite car, truck, SUV, or motorcycle from UV rays and bad weather.

Laura W. bought herself a craftsman styled cape in a great neighborhood that her real-estate agent said was up and coming. Sure enough, years later Laura's house almost doubled in value and Laura bought herself a brand spanking new Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. Laura said that the moment she pulled up to her house and realized that her fancy new toy was going to have to sleep outside, she knew that she had to solve this problem ASAP.

Laura took advantage of our last promotion "Request a Free Home Addition Design" and we designed the versatile one car garage seen here, and if you look really closely, you can see her Jeep Grand Cherokee already parked inside. With the estimated cost in hand and a list of the best garage builders in her area; courtesy of our Automated Contractor Locating Service, Laura had a brand new garage addition built in less than 4 weeks!

This garage is based on a slab on grade foundation.

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1 Car Garage Plans - Simply Additions

If you've been searching for some much needed extra space around your house, you've come to the right place! Our versatile collection of garage plans includes designs for everything from garage apartments to pole barns and sheds. All of our garage floor plans have been carefully and thoughtfully drafted by top-rated, professional designers and are available in a variety of sizes and styles to meet your exact specifications. Take the first step toward getting your project off the ground and start browsing the best collection of garage plans now!

How many times have you caught yourself wishing for just one more bedroom, another few hundred square feet or a truly secluded space to get some work done? If you're like most people, a lot! Thankfully, the solution is easier than you might expect. Garage apartment plans give you the extra living space you need without requiring costly and complicated additions or modifications to the main structure of your home. Our collection of garage with apartment plans features several versatile designs to suit your style and meet your needs.

Garden Shed. Tool Shed. Storage Shed. It's all in the eye of the beholder. Whatever you call it, our all-purpose shed building plans are sure to meet or exceed your every expectation. Not quite on the same scale as a garage or pole barn, our storage shed plans serve as a manageable, in-between solution for tools, lawn equipment and all that excess "stuff" that's outgrowing your basement faster than you can keep up with!

Big things require big storage. Whether you need a place to keep a heavy-duty combine or a few heads of cattle, our versatile pole building plans can accommodate serious storage needs. As suitable for farm equipment as they are for livestock, our pole barn plans are available in a wide variety of sizes and styles and are specially designed to support the demands of a rural lifestyle or agricultural business.

What's better than a pool party? A pool party with a comfortable and convenient poolside cabana, that's what! Our cabana plans are the perfect accent to your home and outdoor pool area, offering a range of features from bathrooms to storage closets and full-scale wet bars. For simpler tastes, consider our collection of gazebo plans. Either way, you're sure to be at the top of your family and friends' summer entertaining destinations in no time!

Browse through our informational articles to learn more about choosing the right plans.

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Home Remodeling Florida Construction | 368-267-4279 | Remodeling Companies
http://coastalremodelinghomebuilder.com Home Remodeling Florida Construction | 368-267-4279 | Remodeling Companies Jeff Mauro has been in business in all facets of the construction industry...

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Coastal Remodeling Home Builder | 368-267-4279 | Home Remodeling Companies
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Home Repair Renovations | 368-267-4279 | New Roof Repair Services
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Custom Home Building | 368-267-4279 | Home Additions Garage Conversions
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Addition Over Garage Home Design Ideas, Pictures, Remodel ...

Maybe you have a large family or maybe you have a large need for storage, or maybe you happen to be a car nut and you want to store your precious rides and protect them from the elements. This 3 car garage addition is a huge haven for whatever you want to protect inside. Sure people store their Mercedes Benz, Boats, Motorcycles, and SUV's in these fortresses, but you can also use them to store classic cars like a 1969 Ford Mustang Fastback, a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, or a 1930 Duesenberg. Perhaps you're more interested in storing your 2012 Toyota Camry, or a BMW M3, well I guess you can store anything you want in this awesome and spacious 3 car garage addition.

Remember to use our Automated Contractor Locating Service to get the list of Garage Builders that are known to produce good work in your area. Simply fill out the form below to get started.

A 3 car garage will be built attached or detached to your home depending on your lot and preference with a slab on grade foundation. (see our construction costs below.)

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3 Car Garage Plans - Simply Additions

SANTA CLARA -- If you often wander forlornly around a parking garage because you forgot where you parked your car -- this garage is for you.

A 2,100-space garage going up at Valley Fair mall will feature a digital navigation system to aid memory-challenged drivers in finding their vehicles. Punch in your license plate number at a kiosk and, voil, a screen will reveal the floor, aisle and stall number of your car. That's not all. When you're driving into the garage amid weekend rush, green lights will signal how many stalls are open in each row and show which ones are available.

Steve Shea stops to watch the demolition of a multi-level parking structure at the Westfield Valley Fair mall, April 7, 2015, in San Jose, Calif. A 2,000-car garage will soon replace the structure. (Karl Mondon)

The "smart" garage is part of a $600 million expansion of Valley Fair, which plans to add Bloomingdale's, high-end retail and restaurants. The remake will feature the first Northern California location of the celebrated Taiwanese dumpling shop Din Tai Fung and a 12-screen ShowPlace ICON movie theater that will offer advanced cinematic technology and an adults-only section with leather armchairs and cocktail service.

Although much of the retail additions won't open until 2017, the high-tech garage is expected to be ready in November. It will have 1,000 slots more than the parking structures it's replacing, on North Monroe Street alongside southbound Interstate 880. It will be accessible from the new I-880 offramp. The garage also will feature photo- and motion-sensors to turn off lights when people aren't around, bicycle parking, electric-vehicle charging stations, Wi-Fi and parking stalls for drivers with young children.

But those befuddled drivers who've misplaced both their vehicles and their license plate number may just be out of luck. Surely a tech aid will come along to help, but they might have to wait for the garage's 2.0 version.

Contact Sharon Noguchi at 408-271-3775. Follow her at Twitter.com/noguchionk12.

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Valley Fair mall 'smart' garage will find your car