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I love alley garages, with drive and garage fenced from the alley. Granted, neighbors don’t see you “washing our cars or loading groceries”, but they also don’t see you loading the car for a roadtrip or to head to the airport — and neither do the passersby that might decide an empty house is something to check out. I’ll talk to the neighbors when I check the mail, and otherwise be glad not to have others in the middle of my comings-and-goings.

I think the one of the saddest by products of teardowns in the rear-access garage. No more friendly waves to neighbors, no more driveways for the kids to use on their bikes, more cars on the street, more circle drives that destroy front lawns. With rear-access garages, you can go for days, weeks, and years without ever seeing your neighbors I grew up in far north Dallas, and NEVER saw my neighbors two doors down–for more than 10 years! Don’t get me wrong. I dislike having to haul the groceries in from my detached garage, and having to back out the full length of my lot, but there neighborhood loses so much with rear-access. (If you go to Plano, for ex., you almost never ever see any people on the streets. It’s eerie!

Noone has mentioned my preferred garage setup of a driveway entrance in the front leading to a garage in the rear. I’d prefer to not have an alley at all, but if I must I don’t want to have to drive my car down it to get to my house. Too much risk of dirtying or scratching it. Plus, you never get to wave to your neighbors.

i have had 3 zero lot line homes with front entry garages; yes unsightly: safer, YES; sick and tired of attempted robberies, drive bys, robberies in usually safe neighborhoods. only way to deal with it: sensor lights all over, barking dog maybe. homes here are large and people are not out much, 8′ fences, etc we are now hiring security patrol.

I can see both sides. Right now I have clients who are requesting a new house with rear entry. They have multiple cars and are tired of the curb appeal being obscured by the cars. In addition, privacy of activities like coming and going, loading the car, etc are a factor.

I agree with the comment that the best scenario is fron entry with a driveway that goes to the back garage…hopefully with enough room to circle around and drive out without backing out (so says my car-enthusiast husband!).

We have rear garages and still residents will park in front and I do have a neighbor I never see. But I don’t like sanitation in the front of the house so I lean toward rear entry. Bottom line is we are all different and like different aspects of our home’s access! Choices make life interesting and that goes for the housing market as well!