I don't think I can overstate how much Eugenians love their pickup trucks, and their garages. Unfortunately the vehicles have frequently outgrown the boxes designed to house them at night, so they live on the driveway instead.
However most houses also have an abundance of driveway, so that's no real hardship, and frees up the garage space for other uses: workshop, table-tennis court, or collecting skis, boats, kayaks, and any other leisure equipment that has to go somewhere.
Garages feature prominenly in the front view of most houses, and I guess it's hard not to when you need road access, and sufficient driveway for at least two vehicles. Many houses have a double and a single garage, giving over even more frontage to the vehicles.
I was hoping to avoid the "garage with house attached" image with our house, and I think we more or less succeeded.
The double garage door takes up about 1/4 of the frontage, so hopefully doesn't dominate in quite the same way. Meantime we still beneft from having a LOT of driveway, off to the right of the house, where we could park an RV should it be required. The detached second garage is also a double inside, but being set back and angled does not draw one's gaze. The garage door is not double, because there's a regular sized door beside it, but that garage was never, and is still not, really intended for parking vehicles.
DON'T get a giant pickup truck! ;)
ReplyDeleteDear Martin - I've just been scanning your blog. Seems as if everything is going well for you. Good to hear. I was wanting to ask you about the cost of shipping your cat from London to Eugene. Our cat Slinki is still in Dublin and husband Ian is still there as well trying to get his permenent resident green card. What a tale of woe. Meanwhile I am here in Seattle sailing along getting set up in our house. People keep asking if we are going to bring Slinki over to Seattle.
ReplyDeleteJanet
Hi Janet,
ReplyDeleteactual flight costs for Elbie were about 375 GBP, which covered everything from handing him over at Heathrow to collection, except for $35 release fee (must be paid in cash) at Seattle-Tacoma Airport Animal Handling Station. On top of that he had a few jabs (including rabies) from our London vet, and needed a "Fit to Fly" certificate, valid for ten days after issue. We bought a Vari Kennel box for him to fly in for about 40 GBP. Total cost about 600 GBP.
You should check Irish rules on transportation of pets, as flying from the UK to USA might be different to flying from Ireland, even though the US airport ends up the same. Also check Washington's laws for importing cats.
We chose a direct flight to give Elbie the least stress, and travelled on the same flight, though you could avoid this issue if your husband can send him and you can collect Slinki on arrival.