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Original poster

As a home buyer which would you prefer?

46 replies

Threebecomesfour · 02/01/2022 11:57

Hi all, just canvassing opinion really. We bought a 4 double bedroom, detached house (including detail so you can imagine the space better!)
The one remaining question mark is what we do about the detached garage. Currently the garage i set back in the garden making the garden quite small for the sized house. The garage is about 10ft wide by 20ft long. And there is about 6ft of dead space between the garage and the fence. As I can see it we have 2 options..
A/ leave the garage where it is and either leave it as is or convert it into a store plus home office down the line. Or...
B/ demolish the garage, increasing the garden size. Down the line build a store on the side of the house.
Which would you prefer? There is no dedicated office in the house (we use the spare room)
Thanks you!

OP posts:
JaninaDuszejko · 02/01/2022 17:11

If the OP is thinking of moving the garage to a better location so that it can be integrated into the house I think that can only add value. Our house has had the connected garage converted so there is a utility room and downstairs bathroom as part of the house but half the garage is still a storage space. Best of both worlds but doesn't work if the garage is a separate building in the garden.

Twillow · 02/01/2022 17:11

If you're only staying 5 years leave as is - let the next buyer decide. They may want to restore old cars in the garage. They may want a bigger/smaller garden. They may want a 2 storey extension. Whatever you do is going to be hassle and money so don't do anything!

viques · 02/01/2022 17:16

@Twillow

If you're only staying 5 years leave as is - let the next buyer decide. They may want to restore old cars in the garage. They may want a bigger/smaller garden. They may want a 2 storey extension. Whatever you do is going to be hassle and money so don't do anything!
This. Whatever you spend dealing with the garage will be equity you are losing to spend on your next house, and as others have said could lose you potential vendors when you come to sell.
LakeShoreD · 02/01/2022 17:20

Leave it and when you do come to sell your future buyers can always demolish it themselves if they want to.

Cuck00soup · 02/01/2022 17:27

We are currently looking to downsize from a largish 4 bed with a big garden to a smaller 3/4 bed low maintenance home. As such we have been trailing round new home developers.

With brand new, there seems to be very little parking especially if you go for a house with no garage. We are therefore having to look for a garage. Partly for storage but mainly so that we ourselves and any visitors can park easily.

From your description, you are not affecting parking, just improving the garden and so as long as there was enough storage I wouldn't be at all put off.

PickAChew · 02/01/2022 17:30

If you're only staying a few years, leave it as it is. Changing it is an expensive job for little gain.

SwedishEdith · 02/01/2022 17:39

If it's a garage you can't actually put a car in then B. As long as there is other storage, I don't see what difference it makes if it's a decent shed rather than "a garage". But also agree that if you're not staying long, it may not be worth the disruption.

Christmas1988 · 02/01/2022 17:51

Most people with small children need a garage space, in the winter our garage is full with the slide, trampoline pieces, bikes, sand and water tables etc. If you demolish the big garage and build a small one make sure it’s still fit for purpose.

FindingMeno · 02/01/2022 17:53

A

MerryChristmas21 · 02/01/2022 17:55

If you're only planning to stay that short a time, you'd be MAD to spend money on removing a garage that future buyers might have wanted.

It's much easier to contemplate removing a garage than allowing for the cost & hassle of building it (people underestimate the hassle & cost of removing one!!)

Only do it up/put in an office etc, if YOU will get the use out if it)

codexa · 02/01/2022 18:40

I would leave it as it is. Make the space work for you or leave it as storage etc.

The one thing I might consider (if it not a feature already), is somehow connecting the garage to the main property by attaching a corridor from one to the other. You might get more use from it that way.

I would not demolish it.

postivity · 02/01/2022 18:41

Absolutely keep the garage on one form or another. It's our non negotiable when we move.

postivity · 02/01/2022 18:42

@MerryChristmas21

If you're only planning to stay that short a time, you'd be MAD to spend money on removing a garage that future buyers might have wanted.

It's much easier to contemplate removing a garage than allowing for the cost & hassle of building it (people underestimate the hassle & cost of removing one!!)

Only do it up/put in an office etc, if YOU will get the use out if it)

This

Thepineapplemystery · 02/01/2022 22:27

It's 50/50. So do either the one you'll use most or the cheapest one.

Africa2go · 02/01/2022 23:28

I think the vast majority of people who demolish a garage do so because they're extending and value internal space over a garage. You don't have that, so its not as straightforward.

Its a difficult question - I would value a bigger garden over a garage (and would put a shed / storage down the side of the house maybe so it didn't compromise the garden).

Sounds as though there is definitely a compromise for future buyers - some would be put off by a small garden if its a 4 bed detached, others would be put off by the lack of garage if you demolished it. I think 5 years is quite a long time in a house - I would do whatever works for your family now and not worry about future buyers. Your circumstances might chance.

RidingMyBike · 03/01/2022 09:19

We're currently looking for a 4 bed detached house and have rejected ones without a garage as need somewhere to park the car and store stuff!

Avarua · 03/01/2022 09:24

A.

Chumleymouse · 03/01/2022 09:46

Garage for me , wouldn’t consider a house without one.

Pinkdelight3 · 03/01/2022 09:59

B. Or the conversion. Am very much in the 'cars don't need little houses to sleep in' category.

stingofthebutterfly · 03/01/2022 11:07

If the garage is set back from the house then presumably you have a drive to get to it. Could you rebuild the garage further forward? I'd take garden space over garage, personally, as long as there was outside storage space such as a shed.

TrashyPanda · 03/01/2022 11:35

B

None of the people I know with garages actually use them for parking cars in. Mostly they are storage for crap that doesn’t actually get used.

I’d much rather have more garden and if I saw a property I liked with a garage, I’d figure in the cost of demolishing it.

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