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[tunnie]

Without doubt, losing the garage will affect resale, so if this is a house to want to move from in the foreseeable future, you'll have to remember that additional financial burden.

Sorry. Have to disagree, it's not selling now, with a complete garage.

People now, look for open plan areas, it's what we want with new house, a kitchen large enough that it becomes a dining room.

Most people who came to view the house, common theme on not offering is the small kitchen.

[tunnie]

I'll also add that houses with better downstairs layout than us, in the local area, without a garage, sold quicker for similar price to ours.

The garage is a rare thing now, because people don't want them. We went to look at lots of new housing builds, vast amount of them only came with 'car ports' no garage.

[TheBoy]

Cobblers. It is desirable.  And it will impact value/saleability.  Though sounds like the house potentially does have other issues, that is impacting its saleability.

Its not selling because its too expensive, and we are in (non technical) recession.  Houses generally aren't selling, but that doesn't stop poorer estate agents from trying to keep the prices up.

[tunnie]

Garages only used for storage now, all ones I’ve viewed just used them as storage.

Anyway, if we did extend we would stay about 5+ years. 

[Doctor Gollum]

You would be forced to in order to recoup the cost in real terms, the actual growth is probably the same if you extend or not, the only difference being not paying for the extension... Which would go along way to getting the kids through university debt free. 

[Viral_Jim]

Pretty much every estate agent we spoke to when we were looking told us that converting your garage into "usable living space" nets you more money than the cost of the conversion and double garages tend to be pretty rare now as a result. 

I suspect we were looking at similar type houses to tunnie's, although as we're aroubd Birmingham or "the grim north" as it's known  we were looking in the £400-550k bracket.

Fundamentally, people don't work on cars anymore and at that price point the weekend toys also get fairly modern and don't need as much fettling. I reckon that as long as you retain some storage - for BBQ, kiddies bikes and other random cr@p, you'll make on the extension and make the place more saleable not less.

Thankfully we're building our own, so I can have all the garage space I like 

[tunnie]

Thanks Jimmy, voice of reason 

Around 30% of the garage would remain, for storage and tools. 

We have very similar budgets, but you get way more up norf for that, compared to Surrey.

[Viral_Jim]

Indeed. In our case it buys you a disused garage in a field 

[TheBoy]

Thanks Jimmy, voice of reason 

Around 30% of the garage would remain, for storage and tools. 

We have very similar budgets, but you get way more up norf for that, compared to Surrey.

That will help.  People are looking for (more secure than a wooden shed) storage for things like lawnmowers and expensive bicycles, and expensive kids garden tools.  Not many people actually garage their cars nowadays - every house in my street has a garage, but the only ones who put a car in are the ones with doubles (3 out of 22).


Although we're quite lucky on crime rates around here (although the chavs, probably from the new estate, have vandalised the fuel pumps at Tesco, which is causing chaos  ) just about everywhere crime is rising, and will get worse with the Police publically stating that they wont really spend much time investigating simple burgulary, and the recession coming.

Mum now has to keep certain garden equipment in her garage for insurance reasons - her brick built sheds/outhouses cannot get cover any more for things like lawnmowers, strimmers, hedgetrimmers and so on.   

[Kevin Wood]

Most of my neighbours have double garages and they use them to collect shite that belongs at the tip, and gym equipment they bought when they were kidding themselves that they were going to get fit.

I wouldn't even consider a house without one, but then I'm probably not typical.

[TheBoy]

I wouldn't even consider a house without one, but then I'm probably not typical.

Nor would they - where else would they put their twice used rowing machines?

[TheBoy]

Most of my neighbours have double garages and they use them to collect shite that belongs at the tip

I know of an excellent technique of reducing clutter, without a trip to the tip...

[Kevin Wood]

Most of my neighbours have double garages and they use them to collect shite that belongs at the tip

I know of an excellent technique of reducing clutter, without a trip to the tip...

I'll ask my neighbour to give me a heads-up when he's going to take up your advice, I think. 

[tunnie]

I would look to change garage door to a roll-up type, to maximise space.

Think it could work well, I can foresee mounting big lights inside to shine onto driveway for when I’m doing service work. I plan to have enough space for all my tools while dumping a load of crap I don’t need.

Additionally considering a lean-to at one side and extending fence boundary, as it’s my land as per deeds. Towards the road, so I get additional storage as well for garden stuff. Neighbor has done similar, but against his house and works well.

This of course is all plan B, currently dropping the price and switching agents.

[redelitev6]

Garages might be an age thing ? young types who don't tinker with cars might not be interested in having a "dead" space in the house , for me on the other hand it would be the first thing I looked at , sod the kitchen !