One car garage?
 

Hello - My wife & I will be heading down for a Lifestyle visit in less than 2 weeks. Looking forward to checking out some houses - mostly CYV since we want a fence for the dog.

We've seen a few that look great but have only a one car garage. Even with only one car, is a one car garage enough? Can you fit a golf cart in there? I figure storage would be minimal.

Any tips or tricks?

Thanks

Find a real estate agent both villages and mls to take you around and show you what is available.

Before we bought our home, we rented for several years. We had 2 Patio Villas and 2 Courtyard Villas. And although we really liked those houses, the one thing that I didn't care for was the garage in all of them. While I could fit a golf cart and my SUV in the Patio Villa, but it was really tight. But when we rented the 2 Courtyard Villas, I had to leave the car in the driveway because when I tried to pull the SUV around the partially curved driveway, the swinging room of the front fender never would clear the golf cart parked by the door. So, with those experiences, when it came time for me to look for a house that we would purchase one of the "must have" criteria was a 2 car garage. Now, I want to say that my experience must not be shared with everybody because there are a heck of a lot people in The Villages who are living in and enjoying their Patio and Courtyard Villas. So there are a LOT of people who have found a way to use the 1 car garage for both a car and a cart. But, for me, a 2 garage in either a designer or ranch was the only way to go.

My CYV has a 1 1/2 car garage. I can easily fit my mid size SUV and golf cart in the garage. Yes, the curved driveway takes some getting used to. I installed shelving on one wall and have adequate storage. Since there is only one person in my household, I probably don't have as much "stuff" as a couple would accumulate.

In the olden days, only courtyard villas had walls around them. Now that designer homes have gotten so expensive, they have a much greater variety of smaller homes, many with fences or walls to keep your dog from getting out.

Look at thevillages(dot)com to see info on the many new models.

[QUOTE=VApeople;2220930]In the olden days, only courtyard villas had walls around them. Now that designer homes have gotten so expensive, they have a much greater variety of smaller homes, many with fences or walls to keep your dog from getting out.

Look at thevillages(dot)com to see info on the many new models.[/QUOTE

We have been. And I've been dismissing the houses with one car garages. But I've seen a few that were perfect for us - location, etc - except for the garage. Just wondering if it's something we could adapt to or would it get too annoying after a while and prompt us to move to a different house (something we're trying to avoid)

1.5 car garage will fit a small to mid range car, and a 2 seat golf cart. That’s where we started, as a vaca home, then moved to a 2 car garage, then a 2 car plus golf cart garage. If I could have build a 3 car at the new house I would have.

Unless you rent storage, your garage, closets are your only storage. People will tell you to come with only some clothes, get rid of everything. Well that’s not what we choose to do. Get as big of a garage as possible, you will never be unhappy if it’s too big

I would suggest you not pick the house style based on your dog. When we were looking, we had 2. We thought the same thing, something with a fence.

After we rented, then looked with realtors, etc - we felt the fence requirement was too restrictive - and we would not be happy long run.

We are down to one dog - we found it’s too hot for him to be outside too long most of the year. We do a few walks during the day.

Regarding garage - we have a 2 car, no golf cart garage - that’s our biggest regret, not having the extra space in the garage. We have 2 golf carts, they fit in, but when we need to put the car in, it is TIGHT in the garage. And we dont have much yard equipment.

Get as big of a garage as you can find ...No one has ever bought a house and then said "I wish I had a SMALLER garage"!

Fences and walls are no barrier to the wild animals and hawks around here that want a tasty dog.

I don't think a one or one and a half garage is workable for most. I rented a CYV with a one and a half garage and could get the car and cart in but not open the car door to get out. Curved drive is a nightmare.

Also remember very limited storage in most Villages houses so need garage space for extra supplies. And if you are doing your own lawn care, you'll need space for mower/trimmer/edger/leaf blower. Yikes! I am single with a 2 and a half garage and a midsize sedan and golf cart and love that I don't have to negotiate for space every time I bring home a case of water or sports equipment. Get the biggest garage you can find/afford.

Wise words...

Very good that you are asking the question as the garage is also a storage area. Consider storage needs. You can use ceiling racks, say for Xmass decorations, but you may want to use wall cabinets for other items. Be sure you have enough room to open the doors to the car and get in and out of the car if you have some walking limitations. Remember the garage might be your "most" used room.

If you look hard enough, there are cyv properties with a full 2 car garage. They are located on corner lots or at dead end street. Good luck.

We find that garages here run rather small. It is tight to park two camrys in our two car garage.

Always worry my wife will remove our side view mirror backing out.

Some cottage villas have fences around to if you don't like the elongated floor plan of CY villa

My garage fits both my golf cart and Accord. But it's longer rather than wide and I have to back the car out to take the golf cart out. That was known I would need to do before moving in. Not a really big deal, would be nice if I could just jump in the cart and go, but I get a lot of practice backing it out and using the mirrors between car in driveway and garage wall. It's been working fine for a year, though I always have an option to sell and go bigger garage later. If you don't want to go through that each time, go bigger.

You may want to check out the Verandas style of homes. They have two car garages and some have 2+ golf car garage. They are designer homes with fences or walls and have more square footage of living space.

While many of the older courtyard villas had what they called a 1 1/2 car garage, they also had a curved driveway that made things a little more difficult to get a small suv and a golf car in. A lot of those same units had the laundry facilities in the garage so you had to do a lot of walking around things in the garage. The newer courtyard villas have either a 2 car or a 2 car plus a golf cart garage so it gives you a lot more room and with the straight driveways it’s also easier to navigate.

Verandas and courtyard villas are the only homes with an enclosed backyard for your dog, although you can find a few patio villas that have a white picket fenced in backyard in the southern areas. Hope that helps.

I’m wondering, how did you find the rentals you used? Thank you!

Depends a lot on your budget , we have a older CYV ,a little tight in the garage but is easily workable. The bigger CYV’s come with a substantial price increase.

Please excuse the dark photos—it’s still dark out, and I need more lights in my garage. A few months ago I downsized from a two car garage to a ten year old Courtyard Villa with a 1.5 car garage. I drive a Prius and don’t need a calf cart, but there isn’t much storage space inside Courtyard Villas, so I found room for a lot more in the garage. There’s room for a lot more in your 1.5 car garage than you might think. I’ve learned just when to start swinging the wheel to make a smooth 3/4 circle out of the garage and onto the street. With just one small car, there is plenty of room. If I didn’t have a refrigerator in the garage and I pulled the car in a few more feet, I’d have enough room to park a cart at an angle right next to the HVAC.

Storage: I have a work bench at the back four feet long and two feet deep. It has two full shelves under it that hold some toolboxes. I installed three ten foot long shelves on the back wall that hold laundry products, glue, lubes, screws and nails and drill bit sets, gloves, and that sort of thing. To the left of those, above the workbench, are magnetic holders for tools. (Another area for screwdrivers and scrap wood is near the garage door.)

Most of the left wall is storage cabinets. (Rubbermaid cabinets about 2’ wide each and mostly 6’ high, 16” deep, with all the flimsy shelves replaced with sturdy plywood shelves screwed into place.) These hold things like battery-operated power tools, sand papers, tapes, tools, extra canned foods, extra toilet paper and paper towels and Kleenex, extra silverware and a few vases for flowers, kitchen appliances I rarely use, and several cabinets are empty. The Christmas tree in its box slides in on top of those cabinets. There are two waist high cabinets. On one is a small drill press. On the other is a disc and belt sander for woodworking.

On the right hand wall I screwed several strips of 1x2” pine into the steel studs, and to those strips I attached various brackets and pegs. I have four lawn chairs hanging up, and a full 8’ step ladder (with one inch to spare). Also, two sawhorse type gadgets. If I need to cut lumber, I either make the cuts on a saw horse in the driveway or move the car to the driveway and make the cuts in the garage, then blow out the sawdust. I also have a sturdy cart that holds another belt sander and a grinder. I can move them wherever I need for working.

In short, there is room for quite a bit of storage in a 1.5 car garage. Installing that storage can be a lot of work. I’ve done similar things in the closets in my house. A Courtyard Villa is a bit like living on a boat: it’s nice to have only what you really need and get rid of extras. I don’t feel cramped, but then I live alone and don’t entertain, and I don’t cook much.

CYV have 1 and 1/2 car garages for the majority. There are 2 car garages available on some CYV. There are NO 1 car garages as far as I can tell

With us it was also all about the dogs and we got a veranda that has the fenced in backyard we have a 2 car and a golf cart garage and it is barely enough room we are wanting a second golf cart but I like tools so there's not enough room I wish we had two 2 car garages because I will not park on the driveway I like the clean look of nothing on driveway parked

Check out the CYVs south of 44. They are newer with 2 car garages that you drive into straight, not curved like most of the earlier models. We are in our second CYV and moved primarily because the 1 1/2 car garage wasn’t large enough for our car and two golf carts. Also some of the two car garages have two single garage doors which makes the garage a little extra wide so there’s plenty of room to walk around the car and carts and store some things. VLS number 239471 in the Village of Hawkins is an example of this.
Good luck on your search!

If your mind is made up and you absolutely want a fenced-in yard, then patio villas are not an option for you. However, if you decide to go the “patio villa route”, you can choose one close to a dog park (I’m just a few blocks away from one here in Richmond). Also, I went with the Topaz model, and very glad I did, as it is one of the few patio villas that has a full two-car garage - plenty of room for my mid-size car, golf cart, and soon to be built garage storage cabinets. I have lawn service, so no need to store lawnmowers, edgers, etc. Most of my neighbors have either one or one-and-a half car garages, which are very limited in space, or a one-and-a-half car garage with a separate golf cart garage, which is better, but still not as much overall-garage space as having a two-car garage. There is one patio villa floor plan (Moonstone), that has a two-car garage AND a golf cart garage - that would probably be the best option for those looking to maximize their garage space.

Hum, you are going to be embarrassed if someday you come walking in the house with the car side mirror in hand!!

As all the responders have indicated, it's a very personal situation. That said, you asked. In our case, we have a 2 car plus golf cart garage. A larger garage is the one thing that would motivate us to move. We did a pretty good job of downsizing and don't have anything stored in our attic nor do we pay for any additional storage. But you can simply never have too large a garage ... imho.

[QUOTE=CharlieK;2220878]Hello - My wife & I will be heading down for a Lifestyle visit in less than 2 weeks. Looking forward to checking out some houses - mostly CYV since we want a fence for the dog.

We've seen a few that look great but have only a one car garage. Even with only one car, is a one car garage enough? Can you fit a golf cart in there? I figure storage would be minimal.

Any tips or tricks?

South of 44 there are 2 cr garage Courtyard villas and some of them even have two car garage plus golf cart.

We have the one and a half garage. The only difference between ours and those with 2 car garages is that we don’t have a lot of junk we don’t need :a040:

Yes these are ideal as the lots are a little larger also so there is good room for the dogs to run around. The pavement is way too hot in the summer to walk the dogs on except very early and very late.

The fact that you’re even asking about this leads me to believe that you are concerned about it .

Do yourself a favor and get AT LEAST a 2 car garage. You won’t regret it .

We sold our first home and bought our second home primarily for the additional golf cart garage.

Good luck !

[QUOTE=CharlieK;2220950]I wanted a courtyard villa for the walls and privacy in the lanai. My husband wasn’t sure the 1 1/2 car garage would be big enough. But it is. We park a Buick Lacrosse in the left (inner side of the curb on our driveway) which is by the windows. The golf cart goes on the right pulled in past the door to the house. Our laundry is in the garage between the door to the house and the garage door. We have storage all along the front wall of the garage and over the laundry. My husband does lots of gardening and maintains our irrigation system; so we have a fair amount of stuff to store. And having owned for two years, and continuing to look around as we drive around; we would NOT swap our walls (and the added privacy) for a larger garage. That said, if we wanted to nearly double the cost of our CYV and move south (we are one mile from Lake Sumter Landing), the Veranda homes are really appealing. But we also love our location. And with the right built in storage, my husband admits the garage is just fine and even has space to spare.

One criteria in our search was a 2 car garage and we are so glad we did. It is great for extra storage. We have cabinets and shelves and lots of room. You WILL accumulate a few larger items. We are not collectors. We moved from CT with only what fit in our car and on top. There were plenty of pre-owned homes to choose from.

There are houses with two car garages that have fenced yards for dogs. Personally I would not buy a house where the dog can't go outside without a leash.I've read that the Veranda Designer Homes being built south of 44 have large fenced in yards which are great for dogs. Also, I have a friend in Pine Ridge with a 2 car garage and fenced yard.

I came from the north east where we had both a basement and an attic, plus a garage for car and storage. I purged a large amount of stuff before I moved down here. Without a basement and a minimal attic here, the garage is your storage space. You will need more storage than you think you do. I recommend that you carefully assess how much space you will need for storage.

Get a two car plus a golf cart . You will need it

Most CYV owners just leave the car in the driveway.
Also I hope your dog is not a barker, that's the biggest caveat with CYV is a neighbor who leaves their dog out all day barking.
The privacy of the walls are nice
I don't know how folks in Patio Villas deal with being so close to their neighbor.
Good luck.

Need a realtor to show if a single garage can fit a cart?

Drive by, looking at garage door... an least 6 "pane" across door will take a med (Honda CRV) to small sized car with a golf cart positioned at a diagnal next to a sink (in a villa). A four paned garage door, will not fit a cart.

Some patio villas in Marsh Bend have fences and two-car garages. Many to choose from. Verandas also have fences.
We have a two-car garage and it fits our car, golf cart, shelves and a bike. I don't think we'd be very happy with less space.
Best of luck, and enjoy your visit.