Snoutscapes extraordinaire

[Maister]

Now don't get your snout all out of joint just because I said automobiles have assumed an unnaturally prominent role in our society!

 

[Planit]

Now don't get your snout all out of joint just because I said automobiles have assumed an unnaturally prominant role in our society!

Does this house have a front door?

 

[Hink]

I know, sorry I mentioned those other colors... sometimes when I say Maize...I puke a little in my mouth. It was inconsiderate of me to throw out those colors without a warning. WARNING - The colors of a tremendously disappointing football team with one talented player follows: Blue and Gold.

Is that better?

Does this house have a front door?

Yea it is that really big white thing right there up front...

 

[Maister]

Yea it is that really big white thing right there up front...

I'll have you know that happens to be an extremely efficient design. It's barely a 30 foot drive for the Canyonero to make from the garage to the mailbox when getting the mail each day.

 

[Queen B]

Does this house have a front door?

I just hate, hate, these. I understand the efficiency but what are the generations to come going to think of us? I have to admit that I live in a ranch, which I fought but at least there is a clear front door and a nice sidewalk to get there. The front of the house allows us to sit and chat with the walkers going by. I still plan to design the porch for an even more open welcome look.

But to have the garage just sit there is terrible.

OK now I am done.

 

[Maister]

I just hate, hate, these. I understand the efficiency but what are the generations to come going to think of us? I have to admit that I live in a ranch, which I fought but at least there is a clear front door and a nice sidewalk to get there. The front of the house allows us to sit and chat with the walkers going by. I still plan to design the porch for an even more open welcome look.

But to have the garage just sit there is terrible.

OK now I am done.

There are numerous other examples of 'snouts' in my community but what struck me about this one (and the reason I took the picture) was that the garage is angled out from the rest of the dwelling at 45 degrees - drawing even more attention to it.

Moderator note:

split from RTDNTOTO

 

[WSU MUP Student]

Most of the houses in the neighborhood I live in were built in either the late-1940s to mid-1950s or the mid-1960s. All of the ones from the earlier period have attached garages but the entrances are either on the side or in the rear. All of the ones from the second period have a front entry garage or a "modified snout" which has the snout garage sticking out to the front but the entry is on the side (I'll try to find a picture). I'm glad ours open to the rear.

Generally, I don't mind the garages with the front doors facing the street as long as it is not a snout. The snout just seems like it would block sunlight and the view and really add nothing to the house.

The snouts seem to be really prevalent in condominium and site-condominium communities that I've seen here in Michigan and all over the country where every single house/condo looks the exact same, you have about 10' of driveway and you're not allowed to park outside overnight.

 

[wahday]

Does this house have a front door?

Its inside the garage...

We have a lot of post war Snout Houses here in Albuquerque, but I have never found those (as compared to the newer subdivisions where it really really bugs me) quite so horrible. Now I realize its because in those older designs, even though you can see the garage door from the street, the front of the garage is flush with the rest of the house. Many of these homes were quite small and, being a relatively temperate climate here, many owners have converted those garages to family rooms or master bedrooms. Its also easy to squirrel in a bath or washer dryer hookup and still have tons of room. I like that idea - taking back the car hole for more living space.

 

[Cardinal]

I wish I had a picture of one near me. The house (which was an attempted flip that was on the market for two years) has a single, extra-high garage door directly under the roof peak. This is flanked on either side by a two-car garage door.

 

[Hink]

I have found that it is tough to find designs for homes that don't have the garage in the front. The rear is almost unheard of, and even the side is getting more difficult. All the tract homes that have gone in in the last 5 years here have the garage at the front - even the $500k + ones.

 

[Rygor]

I know that when I am in the home market again in a couple years I won't even consider looking at a home that has a snout, or even a flush garage door. I just hate the look and just am not at all drawn to the neighborhoods where such design in commonplace. I love me some garage/shop/man-cave space but I'd ideally like to keep it separate from the house itself and hidden away - where it belongs.

 

[Dan]

Lightweights. Amateurs. You call that a snout house? HA! Here's some beauties from the community where I previously worked. (Blame a severe drought for the brown lawns.)

Fortunately, after my departure, TexanOkie fought to keep the snout house ban in the proposed development code, so that city shouldn't be burdened with houses like that in the future.

And some wonderful exceptions from the same city.

Snout houses are uncommon in Buffalo's burbs, except for patio home developments. A new trend for some McMansions, though, is having two multi-car garages on both sides of the house, framing the living area. I'll try to take a picture of one today or tomorrow.

 

[TexanOkie]

Fortunately, after my departure, TexanOkie fought to keep the snout house ban in the proposed development code, so that city shouldn't be burdened with houses like that in the future.

Indeed. Our second and final reading on the ordinance adopting that code is this Thursday (!). There's so much support amongst the Council that the City Manager placed it on the consent agenda with the minutes and various budget transfer resolutions!

 

[wahday]

Not Kosher for Passover

Lightweights. Amateurs. You call that a snout house? HA! Here's some beauties from the community where I previously worked. (Blame a severe drought for the brown lawns.)

Now you're cookin' with gas!

That looks exactly like Albuquerque's Westside or Rio Rancho (except the homes would be clustered much closer together). Or the Dallas suburbs where my cousin lives. Or maybe Las Cruces. I steer clear of all those places if I can. It makes me shudder just looking at those images. Pressing the "back" button on my browser furiously!

 

[Whose Yur Planner]

For whatever reason, they not very popular down here.

 

[illinoisplanner]

I live in a snout house (it's my parents', so not much I can do about that), kind of like the one in Dan's 4th picture, except one of the bedrooms over the garage is kind of setback from the other one (which creates more visual interest), and there's more house (about 12-15 feet more frontage) to the left of the front door. Also, this part of the house on the left is not two story, but it has high vaulted ceilings, so it's almost kind of like 1 and a half stories, with a big front window.

I can see why people don't like them, but as long as the entire neighborhood isn't like that, it's not so bad. My neighborhood has a good mix. And the other thing is that people are going to choose to be anti-social or social regardless of what kind of house they have. I've seen people who live in snout houses who are very social and always outside in their front yard playing with the kids and mingling with the neighbors. And I've seen people with non-snout houses and great front porces that are total recluses.

 

[btrage]

I can see why people don't like them, but as long as the entire neighborhood isn't like that, it's not so bad. My neighborhood has a good mix. And the other thing is that people are going to choose to be anti-social or social regardless of what kind of house they have. I've seen people who live in snout houses who are very social and always outside in their front yard playing with the kids and mingling with the neighbors. And I've seen people with non-snout houses and great front porces that are total recluses.

I completely agree with this ip.

I know people with snout houses who basically use their garage as a front porch.

 

[imaplanner]

I think snout houses are usually not as attractive as other designs. Though I happen to own two of them at the moment.

And though my city has ordinances banning most versions of them, I think planners have gone way overboard with regulations against them. Darn planning nazis.

 

[ofos]

I know people with snout houses who basically use their garage as a front porch.

I own a Cliff May ranch style home built in the mid 50's. The "L" shape configuration has the garage/carport entrance closest to the street so I guess you can call it a snout house. The interesting thing is that the 1/2 garage, 1/2 carport design was a conscious decision to integrate the carport as a covered seating area for a front patio. I've installed an exterior ceiling fan to improve air flow.

 

[Dan]

I know people with snout houses who basically use their garage as a front porch.

In Buffalo, garages used as a summertime living rooms are called "Polish patios" or "Polish porches", because they're so common in Polish-American neighborhoods.

FWIW, not including patio homes and shed-style architecture fro the 1970s, this is about as snouty as it gets with new builds in Buffalo. There's worse, but not much.

A four-car garage. Not exactly snouty, but still obnoxious.

An eight car garage. This house was so long, it was impossible to get in one picture; this was about a third of it.

Infill house with an attached garage done right.

Infill gone wrong. Very wrong.

(Yes, in the Buffalo area, lawns stay green through the entire year, even the winter. )

 

[UrbaneSprawler]

Our code has required that garages be recessed and no more than a percentage of the frontage of the home for well over a decade, so the snoutscapes in new subdivisions are a thing in the past. I certainly concur with the visual appeal of moving the garages further back and porches in the front.

With that said, living in one of these newer built non-snoutcape homes, I sometimes think about the extra 400 square feet or so of driveway I have to shovel snow off of, compared to the same house with the garage move forward. I notice the long driveway of my non-snoutscape more in the winter.

 

[Mud Princess]

Ugh! :-c That last house in Buffalo is despicable! How could you ruin what looks like a perfectly good bungalow or Craftsman-style house that way?!?

My husband makes fun of me when I make snarky comments about snout houses.

 

[WSU MUP Student]

Ugh! :-c That last house in Buffalo is despicable! How could you ruin what looks like a perfectly good bungalow or Craftsman-style house that way?!?

That house looks it should be on a corner lot where it looks like it would have a lot nicer view from the porch.

My husband makes fun of me when I make snarky comments about snout houses.

My wife used to as well, but now she has begun to join in the derision.

 

[wahday]

(Yes, in the Buffalo area, lawns stay green through the entire year, even the winter. )

What are these "lawns" you speak of?

 

[jsk1983]

Ugh! :-c That last house in Buffalo is despicable! How could you ruin what looks like a perfectly good bungalow or Craftsman-style house that way?!?

My husband makes fun of me when I make snarky comments about snout houses.

Hmm, maybe the builder flipped the house, looks like that side should back up to an alley. Not that Buffalo really has alleys.

 

[Linda_D]

Oh, no!!! :-c I may end up with a snouthouse if I build my future retirement home in the country!!! :ashamed:

The road runs north-south, my land is on the east side of the road, and I want a passive solar house so the long axis needs to run east-west. My plan was to put the garage on the west gable end closest to the road which would make a shorter driveway, buffer some of the noise from the fairly busy road, and block some of the west/northwest winds. Also the best views (woods and wildlife) are primarily to the east and the north. The front door would either be on the west partly sheltered by the garage or on the south within a sunspace type airlock (there's plenty of space for a circular/oval driveway for guests.

If I face the garage door south (perpendicular to the road) and dress up the garage, will it still be a snouthouse??? :-$ What if a windbreak of evergreens hides much of the house from the road?

 

[TexanOkie]

Oh, no!!! :-c I may end up with a snouthouse if I build my future retirement home in the country!!! :ashamed:

The road runs north-south, my land is on the east side of the road, and I want a passive solar house so the long axis needs to run east-west. My plan was to put the garage on the west gable end closest to the road which would make a shorter driveway, buffer some of the noise from the fairly busy road, and block some of the west/northwest winds. Also the best views (woods and wildlife) are primarily to the east and the north. The front door would either be on the west partly sheltered by the garage or on the south within a sunspace type airlock (there's plenty of space for a circular/oval driveway for guests.

If I face the garage door south (perpendicular to the road) and dress up the garage, will it still be a snouthouse??? :-$ What if a windbreak of evergreens hides much of the house from the road?

I think if you're going to build it out in the country, it won't be near the eyesore it would be in an urban or suburban streetscape. By all means, when you build your retirement home, especially since yours will be in a somewhat secluded area, build for your goals (views, functionality, etc.), not everyone else's. That's just my 2¢.

 

[mendelman]

I think if you're going to build it out in the country, it won't be near the eyesore it would be in an urban or suburban streetscape. By all means, when you build your retirement home, especially since yours will be in a somewhat secluded area, build for your goals (views, functionality, etc.), not everyone else's. That's just my 2¢.

Dittos. Plus, Linda_D has a better reason for the design than simple dollars maximization/getting as much living SF at the rear of the house.

 

[Linda_D]

Well, it's good to know I can still post on Cyburbia even if I build a snouthouse!

 

[DetroitPlanner]

Well, it's good to know I can still post on Cyburbia even if I build a snouthouse!

Sorry you will be banned. A rule is a rule! This ranks up there with shopping at Walmart or not buying a Subaru!

 

[Richmond Jake]

Steps from our house....taken this afternoon.

 

[Gedunker]

Carriage doors, people! Carriage Doors!. Get at least a little style and avoid the four-panel white developer's stock door! Yeesh!

 

[natski]

In my fair city we have controls banning those sorts of housing. Generally the garage has to be setback behind the facade of the dwelling and most people chose to put a balcony above the garage further recessing it.
Our main problem was the garage was taking the complete frontage of the lot and not leaving sufficient rooms and windows facing the street for surveillance etc.
I would say the main problem is with dual occupancies in this regard.