Garage Plan with Apartment (aka, Eric’s Dog House)

flexible, multi-purpose space for one lucky dog

They say the best laid plans often go awry. In the case of Eric Morley, who founded and runs Carolina Timberworks, it was more a case of mislaid plans. All Eric really wanted in his new house was his own woodworking shop—with windows to the outside! But somehow, between running the business and overseeing the construction of his new home, Eric’s workshop never quite got into the plan.

Eric recalls,“My fiancé Gesche and I were five months into construction of our dream home. Early January was cold, and our upcoming marriage in May was still in the planning phase. We visited our build site as often as possible, excited to see the progress. One Saturday at dusk, walking through the cold, dark, and uninsulated house, the newly framed interior walls finally bringing the final plan fully into focus, something began to bother me: Where was my workshop space? Somehow, in the planning phase, I decided it would be enough to relegate it to the unfinished, windowless basement along with the HVAC system, the hot water heater, the ERV (energy recovery ventilator), dehumidifiers, electrical panels, and air filtration system. 

Now, as I stood in the cold, dark space trying to picture where to squeeze in my workbench, I was crestfallen. After all this, I didn’t get my workshop! And then, a terrible, awful, and wonderful idea began to form: What if we built another building for my workshop —right here on our property? I even envisioned a dual purpose for the structure: my workshop downstairs and guest quarters upstairs. Our builder, a good old North Carolina boy, howled with laughter when I explained the predicament and handed him some preliminary plans. “Sure,” he said, slapping me on the back with his big hands. “We’ll build you ‘Eric’s Dog House!’”

This great Garage Plan with Apartment is the happy result. It’s a hefty and satisfyingly challenging project you’ll enjoy tackling with a few friends. Build it as a guest house, a detached home office, an ADU, an in-law apartment, man cave/she shed, or live-work space. Heck, build it as your personal dog house!