Carriage House Style Garages

by Jay Behm

Carriage houses were for the storage and maintenance of carriages and often, had living quarters in the loft above for the caretakers and coachmen. The building form expresses exactly that:

• a side-by-side arrangement of bays 
• large swing-out doors 
• windows at top to light the bays
• steep sloped roof to create the loft or attic
• front door to stairway up to loft or attic
• gables facing front if the building was large

Colonial Style Garages

by Jay Behm

Colonial Style usually refers to the 18th Century era. Because the era of housng is so well exemplified by restored Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. (also called "Early American") it serves as  my best reference to thise Colonial Style. Restoration began in the late 1930s and was funded by the Rockefellers.

Victorian Style Garages

By Jay Behm

Industrial manufacturing of the late 19th century supplied all kinds of wooden trimmings at a reasonable cost and so, within reach of consumers. And, for a time, Americans delighted in the bold expression of ornamental details and going far beyond the ordinary level of home decorating. This period brought new shapes, images, textures, colors and patterns to houses.

Craftsman Style Garages

The arts and crafts design era started in California expressed an abundance of well crafted wood detail in homes. The popularity grew into the Craftsman style of the early 20th century and flourished in western and mid-western cities for 10 to 20 years in suburban housing areas. These homes were lavishly trimmed and paneled inside with ornamentation extrapolated from the early furniture motifs. If a automobile garage was built it was for the Model T- sized vehicles of the day - fairly small for today's standards.