1 car vs 2 car garage

[tjwarzel]

We are having a tough time making a decesion about a 1 or 2 car garage. We will only have 1 car plus a golf cart. Is the extra space worth the initial investment or does it just get used for extra stuff? Any advice is appreciated. We will be coming down in August for the third time to hopefully make a purchase decesion. Thanks in advance

[memason]

OK....from my perspective, it's not possible to have a garage that's too big! We just bought a home with a 2 car garage and a golf cart garage. I still think it's a bit too small. In fact, we just closed yesterday, but I'm still in Germany...BOO HOO!

Just remember, you will not have a basement to store anything, so you might end up storing some things in your garage, like Christmas decorations, bicycles, mower, gardening tools, ladders, etc...

Just my thoughts..... Good luck on your next visit and happy hunting!

[eweissenbach]

:agree: IMO a two car garage is the minimum I would want in TV. No basement or storage space makes it a necessity, besides not wanting to leave a car or cart outside. Besides, if you are like most on here you may well eventually want two carts.

[l2ridehd]

There is no house in TV with a big enough garage. If I was buying or building again, extra garage space would be a must have. More the better.

[swrinfla]

I strongly concur that a two-car is better. It's true that if you only have one car and one golf car, then you may have a very little extra space in the garage. But, that extra space makes it a h*** of a lot easier to get in and out of whichever vehicle you've used!

I try not to use my extra space for storage, rather for personal comfort!

Whichever you decide on, look forward to the best time in your lives!

SWR
:beer3:

[The Great Fumar]

When I first moved to tv I bought a courtyard villa and loved it except !! the 1/1/2 car garage just wasn't big enough........I moved to another house that has a two stall garage with a 4x17 extension on the side...I still wish I had a golf cart garage .....We love ouir home and I'll learn to live with it but every once in a while I think WHAT IF ???
My point is , everyone is right ....you can't get enough garage....

good luck ,,,,,fumar

[aljetmet]

When I first moved to tv I bought a courtyard villa and loved it except !! the 1/1/2 car garage just wasn't big enough........I moved to another house that has a two stall garage with a 4x17 extension on the side...I still wish I had a golf cart garage .....We love ouir home and I'll learn to live with it but every once in a while I think WHAT IF ???
My point is , everyone is right ....you can't get enough garage....

good luck ,,,,,fumar
How many vehicles do you have? 2 cars and a cart?
Do you need it for storage or just to have room getting in and out of your transportation. Reason I'm asking is we want to buy a Gardenia with a 2 ft side expansion + the golf cart garage. However finding lots to fit the house is difficult.
We have plenty of time but we may have to pony up the $ to get the lot we need. I thought a compromise would be to get something you have.
We currently do not have a basement but have a very large walk in attic over our garage and a 7 x 12 room all we use for storage...
thanks.

[NJblue]

Every person and every situation is different. I pass some garages with the door open and they are stuffed from floor to ceiling with "stuff". I'm sure these people wish they had an even bigger garage to store more stuff. On the other hand I have a neighbor who expressly bought a two-stall plus golf cart garage because he thought he would need the space for storage since he would no longer have a basement. However, once he put stuff up in the attic he realized that he had more space in his garage than what he needed.

A 2-car plus golf cart garage will require a wider lot and hence will cost you for the lot as well as for the additional building costs. However, the upside (besides the additional garage space) is that your wider lot will give you more distance from your neighbor.

[The Great Fumar]

How many vehicles do you have? 2 cars and a cart?
Do you need it for storage or just to have room getting in and out of your transportation. Reason I'm asking is we want to buy a Gardenia with a 2 ft side expansion + the golf cart garage. However finding lots to fit the house is difficult.
We have plenty of time but we may have to pony up the $ to get the lot we need. I thought a compromise would be to get something you have.
We currently do not have a basement but have a very large walk in attic over our garage and a 7 x 12 room all we use for storage...
thanks.

I have one large car, two golf carts motor scooter and two bicycles....The 4x17 expansion on the side holds extra refrigerator storage cabinets and workbench....also I have a storage attic over the garage......My garage is neat and tidy but if I had a golf cart garage I would have a lot of elbow room. My point is you can't have to much room for the long run..

good luck ... fumar

[pooh]

I have a large two car garage and it holds our SUV, hubby's small convertible and our golf cart. The cart is parked behind the little car perpendicular to it. Wish we had a golf cart garage, but we are doing well without it. Hubby has work benches, we have shelving units and two storage lockers that hold plant foods, lawn care items, etc. also in the garage. Think about gardening tools you might need and have to store. Will there be enough room for them? Even if you have someone who cares for your lawn and shrubs, you might want to plant annuals in pots for your lanai and you'll have to have some storage room for tools and supplies.

I guess you'll just have to try and figure out how and what you want to do with your property and what you'll be driving around TV. Also, think about how long you'll want to be storing anything in your attic....as we get older, getting things up there becomes more annoying as well as difficult. You might need some storage space at ground level.

One additional thing to think about with a smaller garage is what if you decide to buy a different auto or want to buy two golf carts. There could be less space than you need for your "vehicles."

[Ohiogirl]

Our CYV in TV is my 15th house as an adult. Not counting apartments prior to buying the first one. I've lived north and south, and west, not really east, unless you count Florida (Homestead back in the 70s).

My point is - you expand to fill your space. Currently live in an 1150 sf ranch, with a basement that we just cleaned out on Saturday.

How many cars do you really need in TV and how much extra "stuff"? Granted, I'm not yet living there (but soon), but we sincerely think our 1-1/2 car CYV garage will be enough for 1 small car (Honda Fit) and 2 golf carts. We have Rubbermaid storage strips on the walls for garden tools, bikes, ladder, etc. We'll be adding a couple of garage storage cabinets and that's it for the garage.

In the villa, we have pull down stairs and some storage over the garage (difficult to get stuff up and down the stairs so won't have much up there except Christmas stuff, a tricycle for the grandkids, some foam padding for extra sleeping), space for an extra fridge in the laundry room, and just installed laundry room cabinets and a shelf for more storage, and customized all 3 bedroom closets.

I think we just all have too much "stuff." Time to simplify our lives and downsize!

Those of you with overstuffed garages and closets should maybe take a look around and see what you really use and need. I've downsized about 5 times in the last 10 years, going from 3300 sf downward. It's kind of liberating, although I still have too many clothes! I do think it's easier for some than others, and maybe it helps that I've moved so much and maybe not as attached to my stuff. Time to give more to the kids or ditch it!

[Russ_Boston]

A 2-car plus golf cart garage will require a wider lot and hence will cost you for the lot as well as for the additional building costs. However, the upside (besides the additional garage space) is that your wider lot will give you more distance from your neighbor.

Another thought:

A Begonia or Iris has one of those built in golf cart garages on the inside and therefore can fit on a standard lot.

Note: They just started to market a frame version of the Begonia and Iris as well. Not sure of the names but my agent told me about them coming out in June.

[k2at]

Just to throw in my two cents, don't go for anything but a 2 car garage.

[redwitch]

It really is difficult to fit a golf cart and car, let alone a truck or SUV, in a one-car garage unless you put nothing in the garage but the vehicles. Doable, yes, but not a lot of fun. Passengers usually have to get out before the car is put into the garage. Explain to your wife why she has to get wet after getting her hair done because you opted for the smaller garage (and then duck).

[brostholder]

We just moved in to a courtyard villa that has a 1.5 car garage. Because of the curved entrances to the garage that the cv's have, it is difficult getting the car out of the garage when the golf cart is also in there. I agree with everyone else, in this case bigger is better.

[getdul981]

Sooooo...... I guess size DOES matter!!!!

We're going to have the 2 car + golf cart garage. We'll only have 1 car, but I'm planning on using half of the garage area for my lampworking hobby.

[tjwarzel]

Thanks everyone for your comments. We will take all your advice into consideration when making our decesion

[bluedog103]

[QUOTE=brostholder;272455]We just moved in to a courtyard villa that has a 1.5 car garage. Because of the curved entrances to the garage that the cv's have, it is difficult getting the car out of the garage when the golf cart is also in there. I agree with everyone else, in this case bigger is better.[/QUOTE

We opted for a designer with a golf cart garage for just this reason. Being dog owners, we really wanted a CYV. On our second LSV we stayed in a CYV which we really liked but realized that the garage just wouldn't work for us. It's supposed to be 1.5 cars wide but with the curved driveway I knew we'd be leaving either the car or the cart in the driveway much of the time.