To Garage or Not To Garage?

[neversay]

We are doing a two-storey side extension and considering the merits of ditching a garage in favour of a utility room, wetroom and garden room. Two questions:

1. How important are garages to buyers? (we will still have off-street parking for two cars and on-street parking is easy. No-one on our very open and leafy street actually uses their too-thin old garages)

2. Are there garage style opening double-doors that keep internal warmth? (It would be useful to have a double door entry for visual appearance as well as access for bikes etc).

One option is to have partition walls such that a buyer can convert to the space back to a garage if they so wish. However we are there for the foreseeable future and the utility and garden rooms are far more useful for our needs (and could even double as a granny flat for our older years).

Many thanks,

N.

[JohnB]

now cars don't rust, garages seem pointless other than as cheap storage. But I'd build for yourself, not a mythical purchaser. For one a missing garage might be a deal breaker, but for another the utility space might be.

[richlist]

If like me you want to put a car in the garage then a garage is very important.......not just for the car but all of the other stuff that gets stored there as well.

If you are somebody with a single garage then I can understand that it's entirely useless for a modern car. My advice would be build a double garage (or bigger) or buy a house that comes with a bigger garage.

Garages are very useful if you have a vintage or collectable car. Or want to do any repairs to anything that you don't want to do in the house.

They are good for bikes, motorbikes, quads, anything with an engine, storing tools, diy stuff etc.

Garages are handy in the winter so you don't have to scrape Ice or snow from your car.

I would never buy a property without a building that I could use to store a car and all the stuff that goes in a garage.

Lots of people do exactly what you are doing. But, I think by doing it you will reduce the size of your market when the time comes to sell.

[jaizan]

1 I see people converting garages into rooms. I don't ever recall seeing anyone converting a room back into a garage. This gives me a good clue about where the demand is.

2 My car is always parked on the drive. It has the advantage of making the house look occupied, which is good for security.
I have a double garage & the only time the car gets moved into the garage is if I need to do a major repair AND poor weather is forecast. The last time must have been about 4~5 years ago. Generally, the garage is full of junk.

[richlist]

Untidy garage, untidy mind some might say.

Or perhaps the junk is tidy.....it doesn't change the fact that it's junk i suppose.

[sg31]

I had a single garage at this house when I bought it. I made it into a generous double and my car will never see the inside of it. With all the stuff stored in it including the ride on mower and all the other garden and building equipment it would never fit in there.

None of it is junk, I go through it regularly and clear any junk out. It's tidy (ish) with lots of stuff on racking around the outside walls and 2 seperate work benches under the windows.

I've had houses with garages off and on since 1981, I've never put a car in any of them.

If you need the room then convert the garage, I've done it in the past and I've done a lot of them for other people. Whenever you sell a house someone will find something they wish was different. That's life. Not everyone will be happy without a garage but I bet a lot of people will appreciate and pay for the extra space.

[paulnumbers]

We are doing a two-storey side extension and considering the merits of ditching a garage in favour of a utility room, wetroom and garden room. Two questions:

1. How important are garages to buyers? (we will still have off-street parking for two cars and on-street parking is easy. No-one on our very open and leafy street actually uses their too-thin old garages)

2. Are there garage style opening double-doors that keep internal warmth? (It would be useful to have a double door entry for visual appearance as well as access for bikes etc).

One option is to have partition walls such that a buyer can convert to the space back to a garage if they so wish. However we are there for the foreseeable future and the utility and garden rooms are far more useful for our needs (and could even double as a granny flat for our older years).

Many thanks,

N.

One of the big selling points of the house I've bought is that it has an internal garage. But then I'm a cyclist, and I like to arrive and leave in relative warmth, and have somewhere to charge the lights etc, and do repairs as and when necessary. But, I imagine I'm in the minority and most people would prefer the space as a living room.

[richlist]

Good point......and
Where would one keep their motorbike or jetski ?
More importantly where would one connect up to their optimate ?
No garage = bad idea.

[Arborbridge]

How important are garages to buyers? (we will still have off-street parking for two cars and on-street parking is easy. No-one on our very open and leafy street actually uses their too-thin old garages)



N.

I'm quite frustrated at how many householders are converting their garages. I've realised how many are doing this since we have started house hunting. It's not something I would do and I would hope not to buy a house where this had happened - but guess what? - we've just put an offer on a house where the "garage" is only 3m long, part having been converted into a utility room.
Why? Sometimes one is forced to compromise if other factors are satisfactory, but this wouldn't be my first choice. We have a well organised garage at the present with a workbench and shelves, plus a second car which is always in there.

In short, you may reduce the number of people interested in your house, but it wouldn't be fatal!

Arb.

[JohnB]

I'm quite frustrated at how many householders are converting their garages.
...

In short, you may reduce the number of people interested in your house

Surely if many people are doing it, it will increase the number of people who are interested in a property?

The OP is planning a 2 storey extension, so it will be a purpose built space, not a compromised conversion. It sounds like many of the garage fans here like 1.5 or double garages, perhaps the OP doesn't have the room for that.

[Arborbridge]

I'm quite frustrated at how many householders are converting their garages.
...

In short, you may reduce the number of people interested in your house

Surely if many people are doing it, it will increase the number of people who are interested in a property?

"Many" doesn't mean "most" - the number which have been so converted is still a very small percentage, although growing. Whether it will increase the net total of people interested or not, neither of us could really know.

Arb.

[quelquod]

I’ve a largish double garage (about 7m x 5m) but my car, our only one, lives outside on the drive ready to go at a moment’s notice. I won’t convert it because I use it as my workshop cum storage and I don’t need extra living space. It was one of the selling points when we bought the house, in fact it has a quite decent pit as the previous owner was a vintage car buff but I’ve boarded over it.

The only car that’s ever lived in a garage of mine was my wife’s mini when she used to drive, but I’d never fit into a house that didn’t have one.

[richlist]

Let's be honest. The reason some people are converting their garage into living accommodation is because their houses are to small for them. If your house is to small and you either can't afford an extension or your (postage stamp) garden won't accommodate an extension then the cheapest option is to convert the garage.

When those people without garages need to repair something......where do they do it ? On the dining room table ? On the kitchen worktop ? Or perhaps in their new utility room ?

[staffordian]

When those people without garages need to repair something......where do they do it ? On the dining room table ? On the kitchen worktop ? Or perhaps in their new utility room ?

I think most of the younger generation are unaware of the word "repair"

[sg31]

When those people without garages need to repair something......where do they do it ? On the dining room table ? On the kitchen worktop ? Or perhaps in their new utility room ?

I think most of the younger generation are unaware of the word "repair"

Pay a visit to your local tip and look at the items that get thrown away. Either people can't be bothered to repair things, they aren't designed to be repaired or it's uneconomic to do so.

Things are 'improved' every year, fashionable colours change, people want the latest. It's sad but that is how things are now.

I wonder if garage conversion rates depend on area. I know in Brighton land and property values were so high the step up from 2 to 3 bed or 3 to 4 bed was expensive. The cost of a loft conversion, basement conversion or garage conversion was always much cheaper. I would expect the same in London or in other high value places. In lower value areas it might not happen as often.

[neversay]

Thanks - good points. Our street is in a nice location and convenient for a small City and greenspace such that people mostly use foot or cycle power. It's a sought-after area (or 'aspirational' as a builder once described it!) so moving elsewhere would make other parameters - like schools, commutes, etc - worse. Larger houses do not come on the market very often here and tend to fetch a high premium. Extensions that are done well seem to provide a great return on investment.

I really do appreciate the value of storing bikes inside and having a small workshop (our existing garage is full of tools and junk). The discussion is making me think that the utility room should be small garage sized such that if you remove the units, bike storage, extra fridge-freezer then a buyer could choose to use it as a garage.

This weekend I will try to do the measurements and draw up a floor plan. Perhaps I can share it and get your thoughts on how to carve up the space most effectively as it might be so close that a couple of feet move of a partition wall could give the best of both worlds.

[sg31]

Thanks - good points. Our street is in a nice location and convenient for a small City and greenspace such that people mostly use foot or cycle power. It's a sought-after area (or 'aspirational' as a builder once described it!) so moving elsewhere would make other parameters - like schools, commutes, etc - worse. Larger houses do not come on the market very often here and tend to fetch a high premium. Extensions that are done well seem to provide a great return on investment.

I really do appreciate the value of storing bikes inside and having a small workshop (our existing garage is full of tools and junk). The discussion is making me think that the utility room should be small garage sized such that if you remove the units, bike storage, extra fridge-freezer then a buyer could choose to use it as a garage.

This weekend I will try to do the measurements and draw up a floor plan. Perhaps I can share it and get your thoughts on how to carve up the space most effectively as it might be so close that a couple of feet move of a partition wall could give the best of both worlds.

You can buy secure bike storage sheds if that helps. They aren't cheap. This looks a good place to start. It wasn't the one I first had in mind but this came up on Google...

https://www.asgardsss.co.uk/bike-cycle-storage

I've never used that company.

As far as a workshop is concerned you could use a high quality wooden shed. I got a 10x 8 for £1k (ish), I don't use it as a workshop but it could be used as such depending on your needs. Another alternative could be a precast concrete garage. I had one at a previous house, it didn't have a garage door,just a side door. It was in the garden, nowhere near the drive. I think I remember a previous thread on these lines.

I think my basic point is there are a lot of options that may suit so it's best to look at various possibilities and pick the one that suits you most.

[bungeejumper]

Untidy garage, untidy mind some might say.

Well, I'd say that a tidy garage is a sign that somebody hasn't got enough to do.

My garage** gets a thorough sort-out and strip-down twice a year, usually in April and in October when it and the garden both switch into summer/winter mode. In summer, it fills up with my granddaughter's glorious clutter; in winter, with garden furniture and barbecues and overwintering plants, and ongoing projects of all kinds.

I try very, very hard not to hoard second-hand nails and screws, although I do have an impressive collection of old salvaged nuts and bolts, which often tend to come in sizes that the shops don't stock any more. And I freely admit to keeping "likely-looking" junk, such as pipes, wooden doors, several miles of cable, and a whole box of variously shaped brackets and plumbing materials. Plus great sheets of galvanised steel (from old washing machines, etc), lead for roof chimney flashing, and any amount of other stuff that might save me a ten mile drive to B&Q on a Saturday afternoon.

My ultra-tidy son-in-law, meanwhile, keeps his shed so stripped down and bare that he can' hardly find a screwdriver when he needs one, let alone the bits he'll need to put up a shelf or fix a dripping tap. Every time he needs to do a small job, he picks up the phone and pays someone to do it for him. I don't work that way.

BJ

(** Actually an old stable, not deep enough to take a car, but you get my drift.)

[DrFfybes]

We are doing a two-storey side extension and considering the merits of ditching a garage in favour of a utility room, wetroom and garden room. Two questions:

1. How important are garages to buyers? (we will still have off-street parking for two cars and on-street parking is easy. No-one on our very open and leafy street actually uses their too-thin old garages)

2. Are there garage style opening double-doors that keep internal warmth? (It would be useful to have a double door entry for visual appearance as well as access for bikes etc).

One option is to have partition walls such that a buyer can convert to the space back to a garage if they so wish. However we are there for the foreseeable future and the utility and garden rooms are far more useful for our needs (and could even double as a granny flat for our older years).

Many thanks,

N.

It depends on the house the value, and the area. A double garage on a £250k house in Manchester might be OTT, but on a £600k house in Wigan it could be too small.

We're looking around at the moment, a double garage or space for one is the minimum, and it must be at least 6mx6m so you can actually get 2 cars in, open the doors, and still store tools etc.Ideally also a separate workshop with a tall 7mx4m building too, so I can get a car lift or inspection pit in. However I suspect we aren't the typical buyer.

We have seen a few with part converted garages and partition walls added afterwards that can be removed to restore the garage, which sounds good but it then reduces the house size and invariably the price seems to reflect the extra living space (or the house needs it).

Build what suits you, it will probably suit someone else too.

Paul

[bruncher]

The orientation of the available parking could be a factor. Does the off-street and on-street parking get morning sun? Frost on windscreen + condensation is a pain if the car is required in the morning. Is there an option of a car porch or lean-to if the garage is converted to a utility room? Just having the front of the car under cover, can prevent frost on the windscreen.