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| Existing front yard (with garage extension shown) |
As we consider floor plan changes that eliminate FDC (Front Door Confusion), and apartments with separate entrances, the front yard seems like a worthy subject of study.
I like to identify plants, but it's hard. The surveyor calls out a Cedar (far left), a Fir (with the crooked trunk that impacts the driveway), and a smaller Fir on the upper right. There are two ornamental trees--I'm not sure if they're Japanese Maples. The juniper hedge by the driveway and the clump in the middle of the yard might be Tam Juniper. The bushes with Schefflera-like leaves are almost certainly Azaleas (either Rhododendron occidentale or Rhododendron macrophyllum). We have two good-sized ferns that I'm guessing are Polystichum munitum--Sword Fern.
A design solution begins with the cars. There's a 15' w x 14' d area to the west of the driveway. That really isn't enough for a parking space, but it might be good for a Y-turn area. The crooked trunk tree almost makes it hard to get a second car into the garage on the west. I'm thinking that we might want to widen the driveway on the east--take out the little rockery and the juniper hedge. And we want to pave or gravel a parking spot along 118th uphill from the driveway.
The homeowners will pull into their 2-car garage and enter the house that way. They will back out, and might like being able to turn around (Y-turn). When service people visit, they need a place to park that hopefully doesn't block the driveway. From where they park, they need to identify and reach the front door. Peggy and I agree that if there is any kind of a door closer to them, or more visible, they will try to make it the front door--knocking, leaving packages, general FDC.
The renters will park in their space outside the garage (which may be the same as the service people) and they will need a walk to their entrance. This is either around the garage to the west or toward the living room on the east.
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| Update 2/28/15: 12' x 12' area west of driveway |
Are you taking full advantage of your side yard setback for parking?
ReplyDeleteThe two trees are 12' apart, and there is about 12' from the driveway to the west property line. We should level it and open pave or gravel it for use as a turnaround, but it's not really a full space. I'll add a detail photo to the main article.
ReplyDelete