just make the building 1.5 stories and section off however much of the attic that you want to finish to live in. the rest of the attic can be storage or whatever (just like a normal attic).

5/21/2010 10:25:15 AM

*lol*

There is a house like that in Sims 3.
The whole downstairs is a garage with upstairs living.

5/21/2010 10:45:42 AM

You want some double height garage for a lift, and plenty of room for a paint booth. So making some with living space on top and other parts double height should work out nicely. Then when you make the big money you can build a mansion next door and that will be the caretaker's apartment.

5/21/2010 10:49:28 AM

I plan to do 1.5 story, but i also do not want wasted "attic" space. I would also plan to extend the lower level for at least 12' ceiling height.

There are some nice ones out there, that have plenty of living space, but in my opinion not enough garage space to worry with:

http://www.houseplans.com/1032-square-feet-2-bedroom-1.5-bathroom-Colonial-house-plans-3-garage-(33230)

5/21/2010 11:42:16 AM

Quote :

"i wanna build a huge garage and just live in an apartment in the attic of the thing"

I've thought about buying a home near the coast (probably Beaufort, Morehead City, or Wilmington) with a detached garage that I could convert to a garage apartment. I think it'd be pretty sweet to rent out the main house and have the garage for myself. Maybe keep a boat in one of the garage bays and have it set up so I can pull my car/truck into the other bay. The upstairs would have all the amenities of a normal 1 br condo. I have to take care of some other priorities first though.

[Edited on May 21, 2010 at 11:57 AM. Reason : s]

5/21/2010 11:57:00 AM

the duke its no need to try and attack me just because your lifestyle is an adequate portrayal of american inefficiency. I'm not calling you out for having many vehicles because its been built into the culture you brought up with.

Not only have I been all over the country, I've lived in four distinctly different regions of the US. Just because theres a bunch of rural areas doesn't make up for the fact that most of the US has ridiculous sprawl.

5/21/2010 2:02:11 PM

WOW, you've been all over the country?

Are you going to brag about being able to tie your shoes without drooling next?

5/21/2010 2:33:20 PM

^^ I'm not saying that the American way of life is efficient. I'm saying that we're not hurting for land. I don't really like the way that Raleigh sprawls into a huge suburbia-hell...I'd rather things be built up a little more, but whatever. Your statement that "most of the US has ridiculous sprawl" is utterly fucking absurd. Most of the U.S. is wide open spaces.

Additionally, having multiple vehicles isn't as inefficient as you think. I have a huge, powerful, heavy-duty pickup. Nothing smaller or more efficient can substitute if you really need to haul or tow something big. However, I paid almost nothing for it and don't drive it often at all. Most of the time, I ride my motorcycle, getting 45-50 mpg. If the weather sucks, or I need to carry something that I can't fit in the bags on the bike, or if I have my daughter, I drive my sports car (which still gets 24-28 mpg).

So, from a fuel consumption perspective, it actually makes pretty decent sense...and it's not like I'm going to live in a 200 sq ft studio apt even if I sold my vehicles (due to needing a room for my daughter and wanting audio privacy so I can play my guitars). On top of that, it's good to have space outside where my daughter can run and play.

5/21/2010 3:02:18 PM