You should look up a Japanse coffee table book called Garage Life. I have a copy that you can look at when you come back state side. It has amazing design work where they turn the garage into part of the home amazing design work there. If I was to build a home I would do it like they do. Saves space and the turn the garage into a show room almost.

 

Thanks. I'll likely take you up on that.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm1IfqVofNA

 

200 bucks a foot maybe, with all the green goodies it adds up.. Look me up when your ready to build it .. Of course in 4 years who knows what it will cost.

 

nice idea. i wonder what country somebody can build that underground garage so close to the street. it's not in the US. I also wonder what keeps rain out. It can't possibly seal. Very cool if it's connected underground to the house.

lol about the house though. it looks like he has all his money in cars and $.50cents on the house

 

You took the words right out of my mouth Mark..

 

Interesting, but not for me. From the outside, I (and my wife) want everyone to think, it is just a small house.

I love the comments people left on that site though.

here's a dandy,

"I can deal wit a lift like dat filled wit Hondas. nice!! "



CRX, V-tec yo! I don't even know what that means!

 

You should do this [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm1IfqVofNA[/media]

 

Ha ha.

Sliding, check out post #18.

not my thing.

Actually, the great thing about it being "Random Thoughts about my car future" is it is totally random.

Right now, I think I'll take someones idea about converting a garage into a showroom and twist it a bit. We'll be building the house from the ground up, so the lay of the land will dictate a few things. I am also going to take the "Club House" idea that a gentleman posts pictures of in his 430 for sale thread.

Here is the skeleton of my current thoughts:

Two level house on a hill set back a ways from the street. We want plenty of space to plant trees and other Northwest Flora. As you pull up to the house, you see a small one story affair with a small stone paved path around the side of the house. The wifes Prius out front. Vroom Vroom. The house is new, and of a green design (not color, eck).

I'll leave the house discussion alone. That's my wife's space, I just live there.

As you pull around the house there is a two car garage. Then upon pulling into the garage, it looks like a typical car guys garage. 4-post lift in one bay. In front of that lift is a large door that opens wide enough (I rather not use a "garage" door here) to allow a car through.

As you come through the door you find the entire bottom floor of the house is a Motorsports lounge. I've covered this part earlier in the thread.

Anyway, I'm not a flashy kind of guy, so putting that lift in the driveway is totally not my thing.

I would however, wring the snot out of a Lambo on the track. Especially if I didn't have to pay the bill for the repairs.

 

I like the entire show room aspect of the garage. In many Japanese houses they actually integrated the garage space with a finished living area very nice if done right. What is common is the use of a glass dividing wall separating the living space and the garage space.

 

Not a bad idea, that glass wall thing. My wife would probably prefer some way of blocking it out. Drapes? (eck) Blinds? Autosmoke glass like on the trains in Europe? hmmm.