Snout Houses

[doady]

All photos taken on June 26, 2019.

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[lenaitch]

Is there a point? I don't much like the look of the main street presence being garage doors, but a very common suburban design to put square footage on narrower lots.

 

[Goldie]

First time I've seen the term "snout house." I'm curious of its origin.
Beautiful photographs, doady.

 

[doady]

Thanks, Goldie. I first heard the term "snout house" in a course about city planning years ago. I've seen it in news articles and there is even a Wikipedia page about it so apparently it is a common term.

I got the idea for these photos from the work of Tom Wik. I figured that even if I photograph the houses perfectly straight on, I still wouldn't be able to see their front doors.

It's sad the lack of standards for the developers. While I was walking around and photographing these houses, I started noticing even more problems, and I got some ideas for future threads.

 

[lenaitch]

The one thing I noticed in several of the pics, and have noticed this in many places around the city, is that many people apparently have no room in the garage for the large garbage containers so they become a permanent part of the streetscape.

 

[Isotack]

Thanks, Goldie. I first heard the term "snout house" in a course about city planning years ago. I've seen it in news articles and there is even a Wikipedia page about it so apparently it is a common term.

I got the idea for these photos from the work of Tom Wik. I figured that even if I photograph the houses perfectly straight on, I still wouldn't be able to see their front doors.

It's sad the lack of standards for the developers. While I was walking around and photographing these houses, I started noticing even more problems, and I got some ideas for future threads.

Most of these are at least 20 years old. They don't build them like that any more.

 

[androiduk]

Don't own a house so have no clue but are you allowed to convert those garages into living space and just put your cars in the driveway.

 

[Goldie]

I see no reason why you couldn't use it as extra living space.
May homes have cars always parked in front of their 'garages' because may are filled to the rafters with storage.

 

[Transportfan]

Most of these are at least 20 years old. They don't build them like that any more.

That's a good thing; many subdivisions from the 80s and early 90s haven't aged well, like this one near McCowan and Steeles in Markham. Lots of grey brick:

Though this one in Sauga hasn't done all that bad (hate those parking lot-style streetlights though):

 

[lenaitch]

Don't own a house so have no clue but are you allowed to convert those garages into living space and just put your cars in the driveway.

I'm not aware of any building code or zoning rule that would actually prevent it, but to do such a conversion properly is more expensive than many people realize, and I have seen very, very few that don't look like what they are - garage space turned into living space. Many people that do it seem to forget, or can't afford, the exterior/landscaping component to make it blend reasonably well.
Beside, then where do people put all the 'stuff' you need to manage a house (lawn mower, ladder, kids' bikes, etc.).

 

[gabe]

I know a few people who turned their garages into TV/man cave rooms and another couple i know, turned their garage into a beautiful living room. It's nice, but how many living rooms does one need in a house? I like a garage for storage.