Consider this my “I’m tired of winter” post.
People, I really need a garage. Between snow, wind, cold snaps, extreme cold snaps and even colder cold snaps brought on by polar vortexes, this has been a tough winter for our cars.
Most nights, we’ve been pulling our cars close together and tucking them in tight to the yew bush by the front door. A couple of times, Matt even wrapped the hoods in tarps, trying to keep out the wind so that we could be sure the engines would start the next morning. We’ve brushed snow, scraped windshields and chipped ice.
Saturday afternoon my car finally said enough is enough. Driving along, I suddenly lost power. Thankfully, I was five minutes from home, so Matt was able to come pick me up. Even more thankfully, my sister-in-law was in the car, and she used her CAA membership to call a tow truck.
As I wait to hear from the mechanic and cross my fingers that this isn’t going to be an expensive fix (and try to figure out how I’m going to get to work on Tuesday, since the repair shop is closed Sunday and holiday Monday), I’m distracting myself with planning my garage addition.
This renovation is at the top of Matt’s and my list.
Yes, I want a luxurious master bedroom with a walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom. However, more than that I want a garage.
It has to be attached to the house. We could pull our cars into the driveshed, but it’s 50 metres from the house. Bringing in groceries, dealing with a rainy day or even just taking out the recycling is not convenient when you have to walk this far.
Source: Pretty Handy Girl
I really like the pedestrian door next to the vehicle doors. We’ll probably add the garage on the south side of the house. With the addition of a new window in the living room, the add-on will look something like this (although less ornate).
Source: BHG
While this picture may be a bit too decorative, I do want the garage to have some personality. It just has to be a bit more country than colonial. Something like these doors is what I have in mind for our farm setting.
I couldn’t find the original source for this image, but the doors look like Haas 940 pictured here.
For now, our garage dreams are just dreams. Goodness knows I can’t spend any real money. It’s all tied up fixing my car. However, we’ll keep saving our pennies and hope to move up the timelines. I’m sure my car is hoping she can eventually spend a winter inside.
Do you have a garage? Or are you garage-less as well? Anyone else dealing with car troubles?
Home on 129 Acres 
I’m outside too Julia. Get yourself a good high cranking battery and an automatic starter. I haven’t had a problem all winter with scraping or not starting even though my battery is old. I just have to brush off the snow. It’s cheaper than a garage!
Automatic starter would be awesome. It may seem small, but I hate going outside to start the car so that it can warm up before I leave.
At the house I live now with my boyfriend we have two garages. The one I park in is attached and the one he parks in is a small walk. At the house I owned before, I had a garage built. It was not attached, but it was so wonderful to have a garage after having none. I think the greatest invention ever is the automatic garage door opener!
The pictures you have posted are GORGEOUS garages! I would be thrilled with anything like that! The garage I had built, was extremely plain. I was trying to build something that I could afford on my own, but if I had done a little extra homework, I probably could have added some detail without spending much more!
An automatic opener is absolutely on my list.
You definitely need some kind of a fix! It’s true that an automatic starter may be helpful in the short term while you get ready to build. I had one in Alberta and I LOVED it. The only thing I had to remember was to turn on the heat before I got out of the car at night so it would come on with the engine in the morning. 🙂
Your inspiration pictures are lovely. I would consider getting one double door rather than two singles. I had two singles in one of my homes and they were a giant pain, requiring intense precision when backing up, not always my forte, especially after a long and tiring day!
I hope your car fix is reasonable. Glad to hear you weren’t stuck anywhere.
Now see I grew up with one big double door, and I’ve always thought I’d prefer two singles. I wonder if singles are available in an extra large version?
I don’t know. I like how two singles look, just not the functionality.
I get the functionality aspect. My preference for two singles is purely aesthetic.