Carriage Homes and House Additions

Carriage homes are essentially homes converted from old stables; yes, a stable meant to house horses back in the day.

The architecture that goes into a carriage house is different from your regular townhome or brownstone. There is usually one tall archway in the centre, where horse carriages would have travelled in and out. It usually features high ceilings, with lower ceilings on the second floor where the staff would have slept. These buildings have the same appeal as a loft, with large open spaces to allow the owner to get creative.

They are quite rare to find on the market these days; as such, they are in high demand. And when they are available, they often are not without their flaws, either. Because of this, prospective owners must be incredibly patient.

They are usually converted into commercial properties or found in clusters of brownstones. This is because people would have their carriage houses in the back. Once they are brought onto the market, they are usually bought right away. If you are really committed to getting one, make sure you’re ready to enter into a bidding war. Many are prepared to pay a premium for them.

Carriage houses are a slice of history in the modern day city, which adds to their charm immensely. They were originally built in the 19th century. They are very popular among creatives.

Another feature that is nearly impossible to find in a big city is an adequate parking space. With a carriage house, that’s no problem, though. Most of them feature an in-home parking space. Not only that, but they also usually feature curb cuts where the carriages used to pull in from. This means there is a second parking spot outside.

One downside to carriage homes is that there usually isn’t any outdoor space available, because they were built to take up the entire lot. But this does make them brilliant homes in which to live and work. In fact, they make for great art galleries on the first floor because of the high ceilings.

Another problem is that they were not originally built with a lot of windows, typically only having windows at the front and back. Some homeowners install skylights, building roof decks when there might not be space for a garden, or they remove a part of the house to install a garden.

Carriage houses come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 750 square feet to 5,000 square feet. Although most of them are the same width, 25 feet, more than your average home, which comes to 18 to 20 feet. There may only be enough room for one bedroom, and the downside of having an in-home garage means there’s less square footage in your home for other things.

Keep in mind, you might need to do a lot of renovating to bring the structure into the modern age. Most people have already renovated them, but there’s always room to do more.

Contact Holcraft Contracting for all your residential construction needs today.