Our lot is connected to four other lots that sit together off of the main road. Because they are not directly on a high traffic road there is an easement that runs parallel to the main road allowing access to each property. As this private road drops to the lots, a berm rises to create a further landscaped buffer from the main road.
This easement sets our house further back on the property with our garage being entered from the side. The house is extended up in line with the garage resulting in a “U” shape to the house creating a courtyard setting. This gives the house a sense of privacy.
We also decided to detach the garage from the house to keep it separate from the living space. The break between the house and garage provides a passage into the backyard. Rather than circulating around the outside perimeter of the house you can “cut through” to the backyard. To make this passage more welcoming I rotated the garage wall so that it starts wider and then compresses as you move inwards.
This separation of the two buildings allowed for some other experimentation. I have been interested in doing a green roof for some time for various reasons. Yes, it provides greater insulation value, and yes, it holds storm water. But it is most interesting because it maintains a natural environment by maintaining vegetation that would typically be eliminated. It is currently an expensive endeavour to create a green roof, but having this smaller roof to work with was the perfect opportunity. The other benefit is that with the garage now sitting separate from the house I could differentiate it even further from the main house. The main house has a pitched roof that will be sheathed with a standing seam metal roof. Clean with sharp lines. With the garage now having a green roof this vegetated surface will stand out in sharp contrast to the main house. The green roof also extends the landscaping at the front of the house to a greater area increasing the visual appeal of the house.
