Garage options, need input

mustang68

So I'm looking at houses and I need some input on garages.

At the moment I have have no off street parking, so I work with my car out on the road, it is a pain to bring everything out and then bring it all back again.

One of the houses I'm looking at is a 1950's house with a small garage to the side, I could fit the car in there, but I'd have to work on the car in the front garden in the cold. I could do something fancy with leaving the garage as drive though and then putting a garage in the back garden, but I'd rather not do that as I'd loose the possibility of extending out the side of the house in the future.

If you have a classic and a side garage how do you find it, working on the car in the front garden, where do you store your tools etc.? Has anyone ever knocked one of them through to the back garden? I'm open to input.

Thanks

kja1888

Always go for the biggest option. I've got a lean-to behind my side gates, which is ok for quick jobs but has limited space around the car, and an 8mx4m garage behind it which is great for space/storage and for working in. I've cars parked in both, and I can swap around as required. The small garage you describe is really only for parking. If you have the chance to build a bigger garage go for it. Draughty wooden one is best for car preservation, a steel one is cheap and easy to erect. I still keep my best tools in the house though, and try and hide the rest of the stuff.

Redrocket

If there's one thing i noticed at home with my Dad, and later with myself, if right now you think that your garage is big enough before moving in and using it, take that size and double it, and it still maybe wont be enough.

Surely there must be a few houses around with a larger garage than what you describe above?

mustang68

Redrocket wrote: »

Surely there must be a few houses around with a larger garage than what you describe above?

There are, but the costs of the home are usually higher. I'm also not going to let the garage dictate the kind of house I live in, I could get something with a workshop, but I want a home. 99% of the time I'm not going to be at the car.

So far I've I've just been working on the road, so working in the front garden and being able to leave the car on stands or whatever overnight would be a huge improvement. The ability to pop it into the garage would be amazing too for the winter weeks.

Ideally I'd love a huge garage to drive into, but with I'm looking at (front garden with a small garage to park) how do people get on?

Mahatma coat

but I want a home. 99% of the time I'm not going to be at the car.

your Username suggest that you are in posession of an Old Ford Muscle Car, as the once proud owner of a few Falcons meself might I suggest you revise that 99% figure to something with a bit more basis in Reality :D:D

No Shed is ever big enough, this is based on the Proven Fact that your stuff expands to fill the spaces available. We have a shed at home here that was often used to fix a Combine havester/Beet harvester/Zetor tractor or any number of preposterously large Agricultural machines, I was workin in it last week and there was barely enough room to get round the car:eek:

Dades

Mustang68, I'm in the same boat as yourself.

Work on the road currently but looking to move to a bigger gaff. Having looked at hundreds of properties, most houses that had garages were too pricey, and those that weren't were going to need that garage converted anyway.

Also, very few of those garages had any width to them to start. I'm resigned to probably settling for a 2/3 car driveway so at least you can work from within your own property and use a cover without every tripper having a peek under as they walk by.

mustang68

Dades wrote: »

I'm resigned to probably settling for a 2/3 car driveway so at least you can work from within your own property and use a cover without every tripper having a peek under as they walk by.

True. My wife spotted three kids taking the valve caps off the car last night, they only got one before I got out of the house. Wonder how they got it off as they are supposed to be security locked. I'll be happy to get the car off the road.

Daved_XB

I’m in this exact situation right now… I have a garage that is just wide enough to put the car in & get the door open.. at first I thought this would be a big pain for me as I was used to a large 3 car garage when I lived in Australia which allowed me to have the luxury of as much space around the cars as I needed. The main thing here in Ireland is to get the car indoors out of the elements.

I have not yet found a job that I cannot do on my car either in my garage or out in the driveway (the day I do I’ll go to the Pit Lane).. you’d be amazed how much you can do without having to move the car outdoors, once you can get to the engine bay or get under her & to date the only job that needed me to spill out into the drive way was to replace the front suspension (see pic) the rears I was able to do in the garage & if you plan the jobs right you can always try to have the car back in such a state at the end of each day that it can be driven or pushed back into the garage for secure overnight storage… is the driveway flat on angled?? Mine is a slope which would prevent pushing the car back in as she’s just too heavy for that

bijapos

mustang68 wrote: »

I could do something fancy with leaving the garage as drive though and then putting a garage in the back garden, but I'd rather not do that as I'd loose the possibility of extending out the side of the house in the future.

Knock out the back of the garage and put a car port out the back, more space and you can work under it in bad weather. A car port is relatively expensive to remove if you want to extend the house later.

I've a good mobile tool box, its a cart I got made up about 1.1m x .7m, with a tool chest and some other drawers on it, along with an old kitchen cabinet. Fits everything, it can be locked and chained to a ring in the floor if I want and theres less packing up when I want to move it around.

superfly35

I was in the same scenario of you last year, I was moving place and I looked for a house with a garage.

I am renting so the scenario might be different.

But my conclusion at the time was I better have a small garage on the side, than none.
The garage I have is only 5m*3m normal side garage size in Ireland.

I could park my car I suppose in it, but I could not really turn around.

But it is definitely better than none.

After I would really like to have a bigger one maybe one day. If you are renting it is really hard to find such place.

If I was buying, I would definitely take the problem differently. I think I will go for a end terrace house, usually they have enough room on the side to build a garage big enough to work easily.

You would need 7m*5m as a garage to park you car and work around it and having the tool and everything. You also need a pit.

Another option will be a house with a lane at the back, and you can transform part of the garden.

Hermy

Daved_XB wrote: »

Off topic but I'd recommend axle stands!

Tigger

Hermy wrote: »

Off topic but I'd recommend axle stands!

i was thinking the very same

Daved_XB

Tigger wrote: »

i was thinking the very same

No need to have a health & safety panic :P The Pic was taken as I was walking into the garage to get them

mgbgt1978

I see the neighbours directly across the road have put their house up for sale,
Obviously no sense when it comes to cars;)

Daved_XB

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

I see the neighbours directly across the road have put their house up for sale,
Obviously no sense when it comes to cars;)

Nah, it was for sale before I moved in..... I can only assume that the ad on Daft has been updated now to mention the Muscle car views that the property now has...

Lets not forget that when it comes to property sales its all about displacement, displacement, displacement... or something like that

Big Nasty

Hermy wrote: »

Off topic but I'd recommend axle stands!

You're not the first to say that, that right Dave!?!

OP, please don't tell me the 'Stang lives on the side of the road at the moment! :eek:

Hermy

MCMLXXV wrote: »

OP, please don't tell me the 'Stang lives on the side of the road at the moment! :eek:

The Stang lives near you???:eek::eek:

mustang68

MCMLXXV wrote: »

OP, please don't tell me the 'Stang lives on the side of the road at the moment! :eek:

Indeed it does, looking at it parked outside now, it is not fond of the rain!

Thanks all for your input, I feel much better about a garage at the side of a house now, while not ideal (I think we'd all like a 100m2 insulated garage with lighting, a lift, an arcade cabinet, a fridge and some old car memorabilia) it will be much better than leaving this out on the road.

Big Nasty

mustang68 wrote: »

Indeed it does, looking at it parked outside now, it is not fond of the rain!

They're certainly not! :eek:

Do you at least have a car cover? A Carcoon wouldn't work on the street but would be ok in your drive.

mustang68

The car came with a custom cover, which was more like a dust cover, useless in the rain. I have a carcoon which I plan to use either in the garage (of the house I'm looking at), or outside.

Daved_XB

I think you’ll find that you will adapt to what ever size shape garage you have… once the car fits in & she’s out of the weather & away from people is all that really matters.. & to be honest they are never big enough, you’ll always fill em up with crap collected over the years..

I’ve had a few over the years & whilst some where better than others I’ve never not been able to adapt to the work space… if that makes sense..

The first one I had was on the house I built in Aus.. it had space for 2 x cars with 1.5 meters for toolboxes & parts storage at each side & a roll thru door at the back.. I loved that made it so easy to get the car out the back if needed/wanted (also please note the BIG green axle stand!!!! & the cars not even in the air.. also the 2 x ramps just inside the door on the right :P )



After my divorce I had to rent & was in a panic to find a place with a double car garage… this was the best I could get.. very long but not very wide for practical working on the cars.. but I still managed to do a lot there



Then the last place I rented in Aus before moving back here was a beautiful two wide garage with space along the back & side walls for tools & bits etc



Again Note the axle stands under the spare V8 in the back corner… :P



Now that I’m here… I found it very very hard to find a rental with a useable garage at all…. The one I have is a very tight fit.. I have at best an inch & a half each side of the mirrors in the door opening



But once she’s in I have a bit more space to work & store tools & parts etc



The roof in my current garage leaks a bit & I’ve been thinking of going down the carcoon path too…. be interested to hear any feedback people have with actually living with one.. i.e how much of a pain is it to get the car in & out of etc… can the car go in wet, things like that..

Big Nasty

Dave Shelly (RSD / Admin) had one Dave - he's the man to ask.;)

superfly35

Hi Daved_XB,
You actually have quite a bit of space in this Irish garage, I which I could do that.
Maybe one day

You also have very nice car.

galwaytt

....this touches on a subject I've been thinking about a lot lately......namely, I have a house I was thinking of selling, and it's main claim to fame is.......it was my old house. For this read single garage on the side of the house, and a 12m x 8m insulated, painted workshop, with FF mezzanine over half of it (**** and parts collection area..........), fully wired, benched, shelved...etc etc.

Would this be considered an asset, sales-wise, in a market such as it is ?

superfly35

I would say yes it is a asset, for people looking at buying place with a garage it is definitely a good one.

That might not increase too much the value of the property, but it will increase the potential of buyer.

It is definitely worth advertising it.

mk1esc

my opinion is buy a detached gaff ....when i was looking for a house i needed to have a garage so i could park my mk2 escort mexico in it.....before that it sat outside my dads on part of the drive under a cover which was not very good at all.....
now it lives in a double garage 19x29....also in there is my mk1 escort van which im attempting to restore (if anybody knows of a scrap one around please pm me )
the mexico sits in a carcoon alright now....i used the car capsule first which is the same thing as the carcoon but i found it a pain in the ass having to pull it over the car every time i was putting the car away and was fearful of scratching the paint work.....i want and bought a framed tent instead which is great but they both take up alot of room in the garage.....the only downfall is ive to be very very careful when using the grinder etc
also both are very cheap to run which is from a 13amp socket the initial outlay for buying one maybe expensive but well worth it in the long run

bijapos

mk1esc wrote: »

in there is my mk1 escort van which im attempting to restore (if anybody knows of a scrap one around please pm me )

Pm sent on this.