Is a 2-car garage enough for you?
 

When we look at re-sale houses in The Villages, we see that most of them have two car garages. How does this work out for you?

If you own two cars and a golf cart, which one do you park in the driveway?

Do you wish you had a 2-car garage and an additional garage for a golf cart?

We only have a one car carport in our present house. It is not ideal, especially when it snows, but we have adapted to it. We are just wondering how important it would be, in your opinion, to have a 2-car garage plus a golf cart garage when we start house hunting in The Villages.

I moved to The Villages and wisely purchased a resale home with a golf cart garage. Other friends bought new homes with two car garages but no golf cart garage. Two of those friends park one car and the cart in the garage and leave a car in the driveway. The Florida sun fades a car much faster than in Virginia!

The other couple parks their two cars in the garage and then manipulates the cart sideways so all fit. Not very convenient, though.

If you talk with most two car families, most will probably tell you that the golf cart garage is the one big thing they wish had been included on their list.

Lots of resale homes have them. Look in the Caroline, Mallory Hill, or Virginia Trace areas for some very nice resales. Great communities! Polo Ridge and Glenbrook are also excellent choices. Very low bonds and those homes have natural gas.

No basement and limited storage in the attic means garage space is very valuable. A two car garage fills up fast.

We have a one and half car garage. Moved from 5000 sq ft home with full basement. We have one car and one cart. It's all we really need and we aren't storing a bunch of stuff we don't use and don't need. It has been very liberating and we don't miss it at all. When we moved and had a sale we found stuff we didn't know we had and duplicates of some things.

It Just Depends....
 

It depends on how you use your garage.

We have a golf cart garage and it was on our must have list when we were looking to buy. That said, six months after we moved in, we found we weren't using one of the cars and sold it. (We took about the same amount of time picking out and buying a golf cart (gas vs. electric decision). Now we coordinate our electronic calendars to make sure that when one of has to use the car, (mostly for shopping, doctor appts. on the other side of TV and off premises), that the appt. appears on both calendars.)

We also moved a lot of our "stuff" to TV and use the garage for storage of all our boxes. Many couples that move here have wisely gotten rid of all their "stuff" before moving and have pristine garage space.

We find that most people try to park all their vehicles inside. It is also difficult to find a lot that has room to expand to add a golf cart garage after the fact, plus some of the CDDs (Community Development Districts) decline to add additional garage space and/or the concrete driveway extension for an addition to the home. In our neighborhood, one of the owners has a corner lot and has added a second golf cart garage. (It sits further to the back of the property and has been beautifully landscaped to lessen the extra concrete driveway.)

You may also be aware of the statistic that the average Villager moves three times in the course of living in The Villages. Extra garage space is one of those reasons cited for moving.

So, the best advice we can offer is...if you think you are going to use or need the extra space, put the golf cart garage on your "must have" list.

I agree with most everyone and have to add, for some reason here, parking a car in the driveway isn't .......umm nice? Also the sun is harsh on cars and make them very hot to get into when they are parked outside, during most of the year. I had never run into that before but when in Rome, don'tcha know?


You really will be glad for too much garage space, as Bausgen says, it is your basement too. We have art supplies and Christmas ornaments and golf shoes and extra clubs and Sweeties gardening tools and sprays and powders and car fixer tools stored in ours in nice cupboards. AND STUFF. Neatly stacked on nice shelves, but can't do without it STUFF.

Many of the homes sold in TV are Patio Villas which only have 1 1/2 garages. I needed a home and garage that I could house a truck, golf cart, AND a big Goldwing Trike. Only a true two car garage would work for me. I'm so pleased I did. The extra space it great. I did not want to park anything outside in Summer or Winter. I think it may helpf me come resale time.

When the realtor was showing me around TV last week he showed me a few homes that had 3 car plus golf cart garage. At one house, the double door was extra wide too. That will be a must me for as you can never have too much garage (IMO). As another poster said, it depends on the lot size. TV has some very strict rules on setbacks.

At this point I’m only looking at building new. If the lot is large enough, getting 3 car plus GC is just a matter of checking that box, and writing a check of course.

Get the space if the price is right and some attic storage area. Garages here are known as Florida basements.

The decision also includes if you believe you will continue with two cars. Lots of our neighbors (us included) are down to one car and one or two carts. Even with the reduction I don't know that a two car garage only really works. Even if you get rid of all your stuff before you get here at some point you will start to accumulate again. Of course the defining factor is how much you can afford but if you are not really limited, go for the golf cart garage addition, at a minimum.

Went from 1.5, then 2, then 2 plus golf cart

We have 2 car garage
 

When we moved here we brought LOTS of STUFF, should have weeded thru
STUFF, now someone else owns that STUFF, and I don't miss any of it!...Two car
garage is perfect for us, if one is in the car, other is in golf cart. I love the golf cart and btw LOVE the Villages.

I have to compartmentalize. I am a neatnik. It took some convincing but my "we might need that later" wife is finally coming to the reality that we need to liquidate as much as we can rather than leave the task to the kids (I instilled that guilt ridden thought to this catholic bred girl). Well I was desperate she is an acute saver :cold::cold:

We have a two car garage and a golf cart garage. I installed cabinets all around the perimeter to store stuff so that it is neat and tidy to the naked eye.

We have stuff stored in the attic and recently had a garage sale and rid ourselves of much. we will make a second pass after the holiday and have nothing but christmas stuff up in the attic.

It was a real adjustment to move from a 5000 sf home with a three garage garage to half the size but even half the size is getting to be more than I want to clean and maintain.

I wonder if I can pique my wife interests in being cave dwellers...no painting no cleaning no................................................ .....:D

Two cars , no golf cart --plenty of room for both cars--the Fl sun destroys cars, headliners, windshield wipers, etc.- the garage is a 2 car + a golf cart garage

No golf cart? I am surprised.

We chose the 2 car garage. This was done on purpose. More space more stuff. We know our personalities, if we had more space it would be filled. Very personal decision. Think real hard on what you need and want. Much luck and happiness to you.

Space becomes a problem so if your budget can afford it I would go with the 2 car garage and golf cart. Do you want a shop in the garage? Also note the space left over to get in and out of the car. This can be tight in some homes. Do you want to put shelving in the garage for storage?

It has been our experence that most Retirees in The Villages that had two cars previously go to one car and at least one golf cart and many times two golf carts after moving to TV. A two car garage is perfect. Since we moved to TV, we had one and half car garage, a two car garage plus a golf cart garage and a two car garage. The two car garage is perfect for our car and two golf carts.

Good luck on your home search.

I do not want a golf cart--we don't play golf- we have 2 mercedes benz's--I consider golf carts death traps--& we're not on a fixed income-- the reason for the mercedes is safety not prestige- with the amount of boron steel in their construction & the innovative safety technology- it prevents me from making mistakes-we can drive coast to coast without touching the gas or brake pedals

o.i.c. ;)

Never have enough garage space, even if some do? they still can't get there cars in them do to all the junk stored in the garage

Before we moved here, we rented for a couple years. At lunch one day we met a couple that looked really depressed but they started to talk. They moved here with the understanding that the husband would sell his Corvette when they moved and a two car garage, 1 can and 1 golf cart would be plenty. They were here less than 2 years and he announced the Corvette was staying. They were having lunch while the realtor was showing their home. They bought a home 3 blocks from their existing home, exactly the same house and same size so that all the furniture would fit exactly as it was in their old home. Only difference....a golf cart garage. There are a couple morals there.....so plan accordingly. :)

Just another perspective to consider. We actually up sized when we moved to The Villages. Our patio villa is bigger than the home we own in Wisconsin. We have a one car garage in Wisconsin and our patio villa garage is plenty big for us. We live very simply and don't have many material things. We do own a golf cart in The Villages and we do drive our car down for the 6 months we are in Florida. We have more bathrooms in our patio villa than we are used to and we feel we live like royalty in The Villages! We live this way because we like it and it fits us! Whatever you choose when you move to TV it will fit you, too. There is something for everyone!

I golf all the time and no golf cart. I have a Smart car and a 2 car garage. I think a Smart car is a smart choice if you have a golf cart. They are both the same size and you can put one behind the other. This leaves room for another full size car.

I have a two car stretched 4 feet garage that I hope will be a good fit for us. My 4 passenger Par golf cart is too long to fit into my brother’s golf cart garage down the street.

Thanks for all of your responses. The opinions you have expressed have been very helpful.

Whether you have a 1.5, 2.0, or 2.5 car garage, it is nice that all of you have found a lifestyle that suits you. I guess that is what The Villages is all about.

We went from a 2 car plus golf cart garage, now have a 3 car garage (that is stretched), Love it!! was the biggest selling point as to why we bought the home we are in now. We have 2 cars and a golf cart, then we added cabinets to the back side of the garage, storage was essential for us, like the other posters have mentioned- no basement. Finished it off with an epoxy coating on the floor, it's the nicest garage I have ever owned.

Agree. Our golf cart garage is now my husband's model train workshop. The train layout is in our den, but the dirty work gets done in the garage. We have two cars, a sedan and a station wagon, and it is a tight fit getting in and out of either car without dinging the other car.

I am glad we got the golf cart garage. Now that I'm taking up golf, my only problem is kicking hubby out of the golf cart area so I can get a golf cart:evil6:

Check the width and the depth
 

Many of the garages in TV are just a bit longer than a car. We were lucky enough to find a home we like with a stretch garage. We have about six feet in front of our car for bicycles and miscellaneous storage. I wish we had a 2 1/2 car garage, but just having a stretch garage has been very helpful. We could easily store one car and two golf carts.

Actually a stretch garage is more useful than the golf car garage, this way you don't have to worry about getting a car or pickup truck that will fit.

As a guy there is never enough garage space!

I love my house but the one thing I would change would be the garage I wish we had a two car and a Golf cart garage!

We thought we couldn't add a golf-cart garage because the width of our lot doesn't permit it.
Then an innovative builder showed us a unique idea for our jasmine.
He has done it before and obtained the necessary building permits.

I have no doubt that CFrance will soon be serving an eviction notice on her husband to vacate the golf-cart garage. :evil6:

If your looking for resale value, a golf cart garage is a must. You won't need a second car. If there is a rare situation where two cars are needed at the same time, you can always rent a car. We have a car, a LSV (low speed vehicle) for getting around TV and a cart for golf. We do have a two car, one cart garage.

OhioBuckeye
 

Personally I think the Morse's did a very good job of thinking out how much to sell a home when they started out. We've got certain models we've got to pick from, as is & no moving walls around to your liking. We got a very good price on our 2nd home here but after living in it for 4 yrs. I'm starting to see that the appliances are very basic & not what most people would normally buy. Also I can't believe that even pre-owned homes don't sell any cheaper than a new home, sometimes more. Not complaining but just can't believe how different parts of the country vary. We have a Lilac (model) & we would like to go back to a Courtyard Villa only if it had an extended 2 car garage, but I don't think thereis one with an extended garage. Just wish The Villages businesses would ease up on some of their prices on some things, just seems like a lot of things are little steep, unless you're from the N.Y. area. Anyway just thought I woould put my 2 cents worth in.

Do you have the name of the builder who extended the garage? If so please PM me, thank you

Golf Cart Garage is it needed
 

We have 2 cars (one a tow car behind motorhome) and a golf cart - we wish we had a golf cart garage however we adjusted well - keep one car outside with a nice looking cover and it's not a problem. In an emergency we can fit both cars and golf cart (sideways) in the garage. We have several neighbors that have 2 car garage and golf cart garage and only one car but still park their car outside? I also have huge storage space above our garage with many shelves - my area is unique so we don't have items taking up our garage space. Also have cabinets along side and front with hides any items we have stored in our garage. Bottom line, it's what you make of what you have. I did whine for a year but am now over it. If you have a choice, get the golf cart garage.

We have two cars, and we need two cars, definitely. My husband volunteers for the SBA and has meetings all over the place. I would not drive a golf cart in the 97-degree heat all the way from Tamarind Grove to 466A for grocery shopping. Or to Atlas dog park. And cannot go to Doggie Doo Run Run in a golf cart. It would take us 45 minute to get to our pickle ball group by golf cart.

It would be inconvenient for us to keep a car in the driveway with a cover on it, since we use both cars so much.

I know people do well with two carts and one car, but think carefully about what you may be doing after you get down here.

Stretch where you can
 

I've just ordered a new home, and asked the agent what's the one thing people later say they'd do differently. Answer: a bigger garage. I was able to make the golf cart garage two feet longer for just $400. That alone allows for a nice storage area along the back wall.