Versatility & Endless Potential
My Coach House garage - after a little work - has become a weekend retreat, guest cottage, office, and corporate headquarters. I love my Coach House garage because of its versatility and the endless potential it has to become whatever I need it to be.
My garage is only 22'x22', but is large enough to house my business downstairs, my convertible car, a second-floor guest apartment (with kitchen, bathroom, bathtub, and huge deck), and all my tools. Granted, it took some modifications, but the roof line and weather vane remain intact.
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When I purchased my downtown Indy home in 2004, there was no garage. My postage-stamp city lot had room for a carriage house, but it clearly would have consumed most of my backyard. Because I love gardening (veggies mainly!), I wanted to build a carriage house, but one that was slightly undersized.
Steve Schrock came to my house and helped me put together a drawing of what I wanted - a 22'x22' carriage house with 9' ceilings on the second floor (with French doors), and two garage doors (front and back). My request was a little different from most but Steve had no trouble accommodating these requests and the entire quote / construction process was fantastic.
The build phase was insanely brief, which was welcome, even after excavation discovered an old swimming pool from the twenties a few feet under the soil.
After insulating, wiring, plumbing, and finishing the entire building, I now have a weekend getaway, a workshop where I teach classes in the evening, and a playhouse for the nieces and nephews who love the tiny bedrooms and bathtub under the eaves.
Everyone I speak with about garages of course is invited to see what's possible in a Coach House home away from home. And my garage continues to accommodate my ideas: Future plans for the 2nd floor deck are a greenhouse and a two-story rain barrel, which will collect rain from the garage roof.
As I write this from my garage office, I am thankful the possibilities are endless with Coach House garages; all you need is inspiration!
Peter Kuhns
Indianapolis, IN
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