The garage and greenhouse. The original garage could not be saved, so it was decided to design the new one to look like the old one as much as possible with some improvements of course. The new structure could not be built on the old footprint, because the city’s code of ordinance required it to be set further away from the neighbor’s property line. Other differences were the additional height in order to compensate for the greenhouse and designing windows for the sliding barn-like doors. We even salvaged the original flat track hardware, refinished it, reinstalled it, and now the whole structure looks like it has been there for decades — one of the few remaining original garages in the neighborhood. Only I won’t be using it for parking my car in. In order to do so, I would have to open up the gates and risk losing my dogs in the process. So now I park in the driveway by the front door where nature can freely dump on my car, and the garage is used instead for storing all my landscaping tools and supplies.
Originally, I had big plans for my greenhouse but learned quickly that even with shade fabric, air vents, and a swamp cooler, the inside temperature would never be cool enough to allow most plants to survive during Dallas’ summers. This beautiful greenhouse was functional only for sheltering my summer container plants during our three months of winter and useless during the remaining nine. So I started a collection of interesting succulents, cactus and whatnots that wouldn’t fry during our summer months. Eventually it will become an extension of my garden.
More ‘Construction’ Pages
The Team
Phase 2A: Kitchen Before
Phase 2B: Kitchen After
Phase 3A: Dining and Library
Phase 3B: Office
Phase 3C: Master Bath
