Home Addition - Extra Garage Space
 

OK - This is more of a post to get your input on if what I'm thinking about is stupid or not.

Background:

1. The wife and I built our current house in 2010. We love it, and the neighborhood. In building it we figured its where we will stay for a long long time. Its not a dream home but we are not the type to try to climb the property later.

2. So its a 2000 square foot ranch with a three car garage. Basement is mostly finished. No finished ceiling or flooring, but there are walls and doors.

What's missing:

Storage mainly. My wife is a pack rat and thats not going to change, she's also picked up a hobby (guns) that is requiring more and more space. What the house really lacks is a place to put vacuums, brooms, and that crap. We also don't have a good area for the dog. And the biggest problem is the laundry, right now its in the entry off the garage, great when it was just the two of use, not so great now that we have a little dude.

Another consideration: I have 3/4 of an acre lot, so I have a big lawn mower that I also use for snow removal, and when my Dad passes on I'm going to end up with one or two of his WWII jeeps. I'm also in the process of building a off road trailer with a roof top tent for some off road camping.

My plan:

I'm thinking about adding a two car attached garage, a laundry room, and a side entrance to the house. Laundry room would be off the kitchen, and be large enough to have big island with cabinets under it. Closet for cleaning supplies, and ample storage, and a dedicated dog kennel area. Since I probably don't need a full two car garage I'd steel a little spack out of that for the laundy room.

The current garage set up is a little different. I have a single stall that loads straight off the street, the two car you turn into. New garage and common area would sit behind current two car garage. I'd add a new drive way to the new garage and add a drive in between the two, essentially giving me a circle drive off the side of my house, which would be nice for guest as currently if anyone comes over they block my drive.

Thoughts? Is this something that would add value to the home (not that I really care but it is an investment). And Idea what something like this would cost?

Thanks - Rip away!

Call the show Hoarders and get an intervention. There are absolutely ZERO reasons that two people should be able to/need to have that much crap.

This. A 2000 sq. ft. home with a finished basement should be more than ample for 2 people and provide plenty of storage space.

If you build it-she will fill it.

You'd be better off with a pedicure.

I do agree that there should be ample space in withine the existing footprint of our home. She is just like her parents - buy shit you don't need. Buy shit you use once. I hate it. I'm just trying to tame the beast. That said, I still have the problem of being a future owner of a couple old jeeps.

I'ld be interested to see the sitemap or floor plan for the current house and the addition.

Eventually you'll be parking them on the side of the garage and covering them with a tarp if you can't reign her in

Useful space is a good thing. A functional laundry room is a necessity.

Beyond that, a five-car garage is three garage spots too many. Think about what it'll cost you to house a couple of jeeps that you're probably never going to drive. Unless there's massive sentimental value, sell them. Plus, it sounds like you're at risk of your wife riding them through town shooting her guns, which isn't advisable.

Having said that, I want to see a floor plan. I love being an amateur architect.

My father has a pickup truck that he bought brand new in 1966. He's very attached to it and it's been sitting in his driveway, usually uncovered, for the past 30+ years. He's told me that he's giving it to me if I outlive him, and I've told him several times that it's going to be sold within a week of that happening. I have no desire to own more vehicles than I need.

It’s crazy. I’m completely comfortable in 540 sq. ft. It’s been an adjustment from the previous 1300, but a needed adjustment. I had way too much crap.

If you would ever decide to sell you might be limiting the buyer pool with a five car garage, although to some car crazy folks it would be a dream house that they would be willing to pay the extra value that you will be adding.

You or someone can rent out the space if needed. Make sure everyone's insurance is good.

Just look at codes and make sure you do not piss off your neighbors in the process.

this

So the Jeeps are great, and both were in the bottom of the neighbors barn for years. I always played on them. My Dad bought them got them running, we basically go bar hopping with them.

kinda funny, we sound like the same people. 2000 sq ft house, 2 car garage, 1 acre lot wife started collecting guns along with every other hobby shes laid down !!!
got willed a 38 Studebaker from gpa and dad has another old car probably coming here whenever hes passed. I already have too many tools and need more room, so im already in the process of building a 30 x 40 shop, (dirtworks done) looks like its gonna cost 30k for building 8k for dirtwork, elec will run at least 3k, so theres an idea of costs. hope this helps

I guess I could build a detatched shop but in my neighborhood it has to look like my house so I was just going to attach the thing.

I was just about to suggest this. You've got enough garage facing the street already, and any other location is going to cost you sunlight inside the house. Convert the one-car garage into a combination laundry room/supply closet/hoarder's den, and then build a 2 or 3 car shop at the far end of your property. It sounds like you'll just be storing stuff in there anyway, so you don't need access.

Nice cove ceilings in the master bedroom, by the way.

Sell the Jeeps. Use the money for your wife’s therapy to address her hoarding issues. Remove clutter from house and have a giant garage sale. Use proceeds from garage sale to buy Patrick Mahomes jersey and Super Bowl tickets. #Winning.

I have a friend who's the sales manager of a large automobile dealership. He's convinced me that in a very few years, urban folks won't own cars. We'll all subscribe to services that will deliver cars on demand to us only when we need/want them. At first, this might be accomplished by having a person deliver the car. Soon after, a self-driving car will just arrive on its own. Only collectors will own cars. The vast majority of sales will be fleet sales. People will be converting hundreds of square feet of unused garage into usable living area. Or, I suppose, storage space.

I've heard about this, too. I'm planning to turn my garage into an apartment and pick up some rent money.

No...not even. I have a two car garage and it's nowhere near enough space. The Mrs insists on one stall for her car and there is very little flexibility with that. My prized Grand Cherokee stays in the other stall. I really need a 3rd stall for my truck and at least another 1/2 stall just for work space would be nice. Plus I'd like to buy an old project car to tinker with someday so that's 4 1/2 stalls...might as well round it out to an even 5.

What's really frustrating is we have waaaay more house space than we need. There are several rooms we really never use. I wish there was a way I could convert my entire basement into one big garage but with the way the house is laid out it isn't feasible. What we need is a 2br house with a 5 car garage, so if you see one of those for sale anywhere let me know. I haven't had any luck finding one yet.

So maybe do the laundry room and scratch the garage space.

I will always own, and drive, my own vehicles. People keep talking about self driving cars and I don't see it happening anytime soon. Too many liability issues. And I don't want one anyway.

Laundry room is on the main floor. What’s the problem?

Go to garagejournal.com You will find an entire forum of people doing what you are talking about. On that forum, there is no such thing as a garage that is too big. Lots of great ideas and build threads.

you guys don't even wanna know about the shit I got...

rain man would have a heart attack.

What about a shed? :hmmm: Sounds so much easier and less expensive.....

http://postwoodworking.com/wp-conten...4_DSC00296.jpg

https://secure.img1-fg.wfcdn.com/im/...orage-shed.jpg

http://d3ttzgxdkr6vyl.cloudfront.net...Decks-Plus.jpg

https://www.kloterfarms.com/uploaded/Buildings/shed.jpg

https://www.ulrichbarns.com/wp-conte...ted_main_2.jpg

Interesting concept, but the thing I’ve not figured out yet is how families with kids will get around. You need car seats, and different sized kids need different sized seats. With so many drivers toting kids around, it’s hard to believe that this is close to reality.

I think what happens is that you end up having one car for personal use, then you contract out for other travel.

Good question. I wonder if X percent of cars would have car seats in them for particular ages. When you call a car, you let it know if you need to seat a particular number of adults or children, and it sends the appropriate vehicle. The only challenge will be the secondhand grape jelly coating the child seats.

What does Sammy Watkins think?

Screw Watkins, the guy I want an opinion from is Bashaud Breeland

Its like using Uber XL - if you need a child seat its going to be part of the request. And I doubt I'm going to give them 5 mins notice that we are going somewhere. I think whats going to happen is that the size of the fleet will be reduced. People will go from having multiple cars to one.

Perhaps you could leave some space for "lawn chairs"?

I assume that's the whole design purpose of having that third garage spot that faces the street.

Son of a bitch. Make that a 6 car garage.

Make sure you leave enough space in the garage for a 60in TV and a couch. Because that will not make you look like you are from Arkansas.

Do what you want to do. Make Hoover's America Great again.

Have you considered a separate "shop" structure like a morton building? Space for the inferior to the international scout, Jeeps......place to putter as well as unlimited storage options? It also might have less tax impact than addition to your home footprint. I added a walk in pantry into our existing garage that gives me lots of space for end of the world bulk supplies and storage on top. In my shop, i'm going to add a loft for additional storage soon.

A man will use the space he has and then some.

Ooh, just like a loft. I like it, edave.

Different thread, but I can tell you exactly why I have serious reservations about the self driving cars. It's not about how good their technology is, it's about the accuracy of our map data infrastructure.

I should probably just go ahead with this design. Hopefull 10 stalls is enough.

http://oi65.tinypic.com/1oaqh0.jpg

Perhaps you could retrofit a 360° wraparound garage surrounding the house.

Get a divorce, give up half of everything or more to keep the house (most of it is stuff you probably don't want anyway) and she will move out taking her stuff with. Problem solved.

The design of your house doesnt lend itself to an attached garage addition. You would have to lose you dining window for your side entrance. I'd recommend expandimg your existing laundry and adding the wife a gun room in the rest of that garage bay. Add a detached shop out back.

I'll give you the number for a good divorce attorney

Okay, we have a plan. Now it's up to Hoover to implement it.