Photo 1: Architectural details can
help a new garage match an
old house.

Site and Size

If you're adding a garage onto an existing house, plan to tie the rooflines together, using the same roof pitch, similar key elements such as gables, and details such as tails or rafters. Like the adjoining house, the garage in Photo 1 has stained, solid-cedar board-and-batten siding. It was installed vertically on the garage for contrast. A pair of pendant-laced gables on the upper level mimics the gables of the house.

Other details might include moldings, contrasting paint colors, light sconces, and window boxes.

 

Photo 2: Consider angling garage
doors so they don't face front.

You might want to situate the opening of your garage so that, from the street, the structure doesn't look like a garage at all. In the garage in Photo 2, the trim along the top of the walkway matches the trim on the front porch, which is visible at far left. Green shutters on the windows and flowerbeds bordering the fence are cozy finishing touches.

If you own a pickup truck and a sport utility vehicle (SUV), your garage needs to be at least 22 feet by 22 feet, and at least 8 feet high.