Garage: Reinventing the Place We Parks

© 2002 Door & Access Systems
Publish Date: Fall 2002
Pages 26-27


Garage: Reinventing the Place We Park
By Kira Obolensky

Selected Excerpts

The Attached Garage

"In the beginning, garages were out back, as far from the house as possible, because the flammable nature of the car and gasoline created a safety hazard. The garage moved closer to the house when fear over fire subsided and when the American passion for convenience found its expression in home design. From the 1940s on, the garage was more often than not attached to the house."

Garage Doors

"An ugly garage door on a stylish garage is the equivalent of a fashion faux pas: It ruins the overall effect. Yet in the world of budget decisions, the custom garage door is often the first to go, because a custom door can cost twice as much (or more) as a stock model."

"The garage door deserves as much attention … as the front door, and architects often design the doors with the same details."

"It always looks better to have two single doors than one double door, but if the doors must be double, try to make them look like two singles. It breaks up the expanse of space, making the façade of the garage more visually appealing."

Quoting a Boston architect, she says recessed garage doors help "relieve the visual tension people feel when the 'gaping mouth of a garage door sits flat against the garage wall.'"

Garages and Design

"There's an increased awareness on the part of designers and garage owners that the garage is a structure worthy of good design."


CAPTION: The book contains 202 pages with about 200 glossy photos of 50-some garages. Published in 2001 by Taunton Press at 800-888-8262 ($32 US, $51.95 Canada), it is also available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and www.taunton.com. Reprinted with permission from The Taunton Press.