Stand-Alone House Design Ngā Whare Tūwehe

1. Site Design 2. Placing the Building 3. Street to Front Door 4. Outdoor Spaces 5. Accommodating Cars 6. The Building

Parking in front of the house Print


​​Design Checklist​

  1. ​Any parking in front of the house complements the landscaping of the street.


​Overview


​​​Maintaining a connection between the house and the street, and making sure the street has an attractive, landscaped appearance, is a key design outcome when developing on a site.

Therefore, parking between the house and the road should be avoided whenever possible. If other parking solutions have been considered and ruled out, it is crucial to consider the impact of front-of-house parking on the wider area, and to design with this in mind.

Stand-alone garages between the house and the street are almost always a poor design outcome. They block the view from the house to the street, become the main feature of the street and can lead to safety and security issues, as well as visual monotony.​

Better Design Practice

Use open parking at the front of the house where possible.
If covered parking is absolutely necessary, a carport which still allows a good view of the house is preferable.​​

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​​Design the car park with landscaping, surfacing and good quality lighting.
This will create a welcoming entrance court as opposed to a service area.​

​Incorporate planting that will screen parked cars from views along the street. ​

Help offset front yard parking impacts through the use of verandas and porches at the front of the house.
This will help improve appearances, introduce more activity near to the street and reduce the visual impact of parking. ​


Consider the type and shape of the house and the options this creates for placing parking away from the street edge.
For example, using a taller, narrower building frontage may mean that parking can be located to the side of the house. ​


Recess the parking area into the main façade of the building.
Stand alone garages should only be used on larger lots where the site is wide enough to allow an unobstructed view to the majority of the front of the house.​
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