What do you use your garage for?

NEW -> Contingent Buyer Assistance Program
Here is a hint: This garage in 1930 changed the course of our lives and the world. IHB would not have existed without this garage.
 
<a href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/histnfacts/garage/">Sometimes it takes a geek.</a>



<blockquote>In September of 2004, HP announced efforts to preserve for future generations its most famous piece of real estate - the HP garage. The project turned the clock back on the original house, shed and garage at 367 Addison Avenue, Palo Alto, to conditions much as they were in 1939, when the founders established the now legendary Hewlett-Packard partnership. Completion of the project was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting on December 6, 2005.</blockquote>
 
[quote author="Daedalus" date=1237342309]<a href="http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/histnfacts/garage/">Sometimes it takes a geek.</a>



<blockquote>In September of 2004, HP announced efforts to preserve for future generations its most famous piece of real estate - the HP garage. The project turned the clock back on the original house, shed and garage at 367 Addison Avenue, Palo Alto, to conditions much as they were in 1939, when the founders established the now legendary Hewlett-Packard partnership. Completion of the project was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting on December 6, 2005.</blockquote></blockquote>


Impressive Daedalus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Both Google and HP started in a garage at the rear of the property.



When a garage is out of sight this is where the best secrets were born!!

In San Fernando Valley, Frontal garages became the studios for porn!!



Inspiring ideas come from detached garages?



I think Chinese home buyers should buy homes with detached rear garages and send their kids out there to study. It is much more intellectually stimulating and may be their kids could become the next Google or HP. Detached garages are much more tranquail and have good feng shui for mental inspiration. While frontal garages have too much disturbances from foot traffic, doors, cars, poker games and pantry storage and all are distractions for mental concentration.



May be this should be the theme of my marketing slogan for detached garages.
 
I'm not sure which is more unsightly. Cars sitting in the front-loaded driveway or no driveway and cars parked on the curb. I went driving through Woodbury over the weekend and saw one car after another parked bumper-to-bumper all up and down the curbs. Very congested and unsightly. (This listing photo is not Woodbury - it's Portola Springs.)



<img src="http://www.ziprealty.com/images_mls/SOCALMLS/S/56/86/S568663.jpg" alt="" />
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1237343048]Both Google and HP started in a garage at the rear of the property.



When a garage is out of sight this is where the best secrets were born!!

In San Fernando Valley, Frontal garages became the studios for porn!!



Inspiring ideas come from detached garages?



I think Chinese home buyers should buy homes with detached rear garages and send their kids out there to study. It is much more intellectually stimulating and may be their kids could become the next Google or HP. Detached garages are much more tranquail and have good feng shui for mental inspiration. While frontal garages have too much disturbances from foot traffic, doors, cars, poker games and pantry storage and all are distractions for mental concentration.



May be this should be the theme of my marketing slogan for detached garages.</blockquote>
I wonder what type of garage zovall had when he started IHB.
 
[quote author="SoCal78" date=1238113912]I'm not sure which is more unsightly. Cars sitting in the front-loaded driveway or no driveway and cars parked on the curb. I went driving through Woodbury over the weekend and saw one car after another parked bumper-to-bumper all up and down the curbs. Very congested and unsightly. (This listing photo is not Woodbury - it's Portola Springs.)



<img src="http://www.ziprealty.com/images_mls/SOCALMLS/S/56/86/S568663.jpg" alt="" /></blockquote>


The alternative would be this.



<img src="http://www.designlens.com/projects/2001/01/6/2.jpg" alt="" />
 
The biggest problem with the rear garage w/ alley access is the lack of driveway space. Aesthetics aside, one of the reasons I created this thread is because there seems to be a large majority of people who don't park their cars in their garage. Many use them for storage (or other activities) so that forces them to park on their driveway.



If they don't have a driveway, they will park in front of their home. In a front garage/driveway setup, there is still room to park at least one guest car in front of the house even if both cars are on the driveway (and you can park in front of the driveway depending on your HOA). In an alley-access garage setup, if both cars were parked in front of the house, there would be no guest parking and it would be more crowded which is what I've seen in Woodbury also.



Aesthetics wise for the house, no garage may be preferable, but then you mess with the street aesthetics and space.
 
IHO,



In the scenario of driveway depicted in the picture above if the owner throws a party and invited 4 friends arriving in separate cars. Assuming 2 guests can park on the owners driveway then where would the other 2 cars parked? When curbside parking is wiped out by driveway aprons there is no parking for more than 2 guests. Should the owner get permission from neighbors to park the extra guests' car on their driveway?



The alley load house depicted is so fugly but it does have the unassigned guest parkings so the owner could invite more than 2 friends. I am definitely not among the friends.
 
Yeah, and if we had more alternatives to transportation then maybe we could pull off the high-density thing without the car clutter... but we can't, or at least - we haven't yet.
 
[quote author="skek" date=1238123426]Maybe this discussion is indicative of the fact that lot sizes are too small in new OC communities? 8k sq ft minimum. Problem solved.</blockquote>


8k lot at about 60% floor area ratio is the no profit scenario. That is a 4,800 sf house assuming a value ratio of $275/sf for Orchard Hills. The price tag is still $1.32 million far from reality.



Many builders rather shut down their home building division and do nothing right now. Cal Pac being the most "favored" builder also shut its door on home building and laid off staff.



New home projects are risky even the most insulated companies are feeling the pinch. I do not see bargain new Irvine homes in the horizon the next few years except for just one coming up at the former Woodbury school site. Since the release will be very limited the novelty of a new home may still attracts certain cash buyers willing to be the knife catchers.
 
[quote author="skek" date=1238128041][quote author="bkshopr" date=1238127426][quote author="skek" date=1238123426]Maybe this discussion is indicative of the fact that lot sizes are too small in new OC communities? 8k sq ft minimum. Problem solved.</blockquote>


8k lot at about 60% floor area ratio is the no profit scenario. That is a 4,800 sf house assuming a value ratio of $275/sf for Orchard Hills. The price tag is still $1.32 million far from reality.



Many builders rather shut down their home building division and do nothing right now. Cal Pac being the most "favored" builder also shut its door on home building and laid off staff.



New home projects are risky even the most insulated companies are feeling the pinch. I do not see bargain new Irvine homes in the horizon the next few years except for just one coming up at the former Woodbury school site. Since the release will be very limited the novelty of a new home may still attracts certain cash buyers willing to be the knife catchers.</blockquote>


I understand the financial realities in SoCal, but in a normative, aesthetic sense, SFRs should not be jammed on lots smaller than 8k.</blockquote>


I agree with you totally. The fault were the homebuyers willing to accept sub-standard lots and TIC exploited it to the max. For good charm the lot sizes must be at least 8k. The consumers spoiled the developer. Why not just boycott the compact lots? I did and chose to move away from Irvine.



How many home shoppers can really kick the Irvine home addiction? I did.



As long people are willing to buy houses on compact lots then stop complaining about the small lot sizes.



I live only 8 minutes from Irvine and I do not have to pay Mello roos and HOA. I still have the Fab keys and transponders to most gated communities just in case I want to use the pools and club houses. I keep a dirt cheap investment property less than $200k just for the duration of my daughter going to school there.



I do not have to deal with garages in my neighborhood. No one parks their cars along the curbside ever and my commute to work is only 2 minutes.



I have the the best of Irvine without having to paying for it. I paid too much already for 20 years.
 
But some of us don't mind smaller lots, garages and HOAs that keep the neighbors in check (although that other thread about their abusive HOA is scary).



Irvine (and a garage w/ driveway) rules!
 
[quote author="irvine_home_owner" date=1238135967]But some of us don't mind smaller lots, garages and HOAs that keep the neighbors in check (although that other thread about their abusive HOA is scary).



Irvine (and a garage w/ driveway) rules!</blockquote>


You can take a small lot out of Irvine but not Irvine out of a small lot.

You can take the boy out of the garage but not the garage out of a boy.

You can take HO out of Irvine but not I out of HO.

You can take HO out of HOAs but what is left behind is still an As.

No matter how you arrange the letters it is still an As HO
 
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