Townhouse parking at rear

[notbeenagreatday]

I'm hopefully viewing a house this weekend - it ticks a LOT boxes in terms of size (probably bigger than I need) and bedroom numbers and location BUT and there is always a but isn't there ....it's a townhouse style so fronts the pavement no front garden. And parking whilst it states in the particulars the house comes with a garage and driveway looking at google images it looks like this is at the back of the house - you can't drive down next to the house (there is a little footpath) so access is around the corner quite some way and you sort of come back on yourself to end up at the house (if that makes any sense)

Would that put most people off do you think?
Means your car isn't visible from the house I would guess?

Yes would absolutely put me off. No way I want to walk around the corner to my house or up the garden (if access from the back) to get to the house.

Most townhouses the garage is incorporated into the ground floor, then you access the rest of the house from the garage, are you sure it's as you describe it @notbeenagreatday ?

Want to put the link see if people can work it out?

Doubling back on yourself like that is no different to living a few houses further down the street and always having to drive that little bit further. A non-issue.
I'm not sure I see what the issue is with the parking being at the back either. Several houses near us have that set up and they always seem to sell quite quickly.

Personally it wouldn't bother me as long as it's easy to get through the gate and through the garden to the house.

Our drive is at the back of our house and we go through the garden and into the kitchen- it's never a problem.

Only issue is that the kitchen becomes the 'hall' so becomes the dumping ground for shoes/bags etc.

This may help - don't want to post a link as would be a bit outing probably 😂

Red box is the house - it's a semi detached.
There is the link footpath to the right of the house
I "think" because it's not clear from the estate agent details the parking is where I've put the green arrow - I really can't see where else the garage would be!

I think you park at the back and then use the footpath to get to the front door?
I can't see that there is a gate from the rear of the garden into where the parking may be

Image doesn’t help at all! Would need google earth or a link to answer I think but as long as I could access the house easily from the parking (ie through a gate to the garden etc) then it wouldn’t bother me. If not, then it wouldn’t work for me, think of carrying the shopping etc.

I think parking is incredibly important because people can loose their minds about it.

I'd want to know much more about both of the roads. Especially the one that you think the parking is on. Is it narrow, is it a private road.

This could obviously be the reason this house is even in my affordability bracket as I would usually expect to see a house of this size on at least £50-£100k more so was surprised (over excited!)

It was built in the early 2000s

Good tip - I'll ask the Agent about that - I just can't see where else the promised garage would be 🙈

Our parking is at the back of the house. To get to the front you'd have to go out and round but there is a gate that takes us straight through the back. Fingers crossed you have that!

You need to check where the parking is.

I live in a townhouse in similar style and my parking is at the side of my house.

It's fine - I can access through the back or front.

Ok maybe this is better without being too outing - thought it would be odd to post a link to someone else's home on rightmove 😂

This is NOT the property but very very similar set up

Red arrow is the house and green is where I think the parking may be

My house is like that. I've lived there for 18 years and haven't found it to be a problem.

Why don’t you stop trying to guess where the parking is and go and have a look? It doesn’t need to be an official viewing booked with the estate agent. Just go and have a wander around the area and the situation will become clear.

My house is like that. There's a gate to access the garden from the drive and garage. I've never once considered it a problem.

If you don’t want to wait until the viewing to find out then ask the agent if there’s a gate at the end of the back garden providing direct access to the parking.

I imagine it’s only a problem if you have CF neighbour with too many cars who tries to use your space. But ordinarily it sounds fine and pretty normal for a new build development.

As I said above, I have lived in a house like that for 18 years and this has never happened to me or anyone else. We have a gate at the back leading to the garage and parking space but I usually walk round the side. Ours was a new build but a lot of older houses also have a similar arrangement where there is no room for parking at the side or front.

We grew up with remote parking and garage and it was never a problem

My first house was like this -- never had a problem with it. However I was single and don't know how I would have liked it with children. If I had a lot of bags to bring in, I parked on the front, unloaded the car then parked it around the back

Our first house was like this-it was fine to begin with-a bit of a pain carrying shopping in-but manageable. Then someone moved in nearby with a van as well as a car (and loads of visitors) and people used to leave their vehicles parked in the private alley bit in a really inconsiderate way so you’d be blocked in until you could go and find them to move it. Then we had a baby and trying to get the baby and shopping in from the car when it was parked round the corner and you’d have to leave the baby on its own was a nightmare, so we moved.

I grew up in a house where the garage was a separate building at the back of the garden. The front of the house had a front garden and this opened onto a path and green area. If the garage had had an address, it would have been Lobster Way not Salmon Way, where the house was.

It was fine.

We have the same set up but a gate and just walk through the back.

We very rarely use the front door!

It probably makes new builds look nicer with old fashioned walkways to their homes.

However....

I suspect people still park outside and it ends up being a nightmare to navigate the less wide roads.

We once had our garage en bloc, that.was a 1970s terraced build with the garages at the bottom, and it tended to create a "meeting place" for youngsters to hang out although the particular kids we saw there were never a problem beyond leaving behind their rubbish! Also we had to involve others when it came to garage roof repair as the garages were in a terrcaed line of 10.

Townhouses themselves are tall and thin so actually living in them might seem weird too and hoovering stairs a nightmare. But whoever is in the top bedroom, it'll be good for your daily steps!

I'd always consider the cost of scaffolding if I needed to maintain the house. I'd be more likely to buy a brick one than a render, as the renders often look unsightly and need painting earlier than a brick one needs repointing. But any future wall or roof work is going to be expensive!