[xmeister]

I am looking to buy a home or CYV in TV's. My concern with buying a CYV is whether or not I would be happy with the smallish size of the garage. I have an SUV and of course will need a golf cart. I like to putter in the garage and would need a workbench. Would a CYV garage serve as adequate or could I be disappointed over time. Would I have to move the car to get the golf cart in or out or vice versa?

Would like to hear from folks who had the same question and now live in a CYV as well others? Note I realize the choice is a personal preference so responses focusing on your experience rather than just saying personal choice will be most appreciated.

[Love2cruise]

No, it won't be big enough, IMO. We rented a CYV before buying our designer home, & wanted to buy a CYV but we knew we couldn't deal with the small garage (for the same reasons you stated). Some CYV also have the laundry in the garage & I wasn't about to do that!

[57ChevyFI]

This seems to be the biggest drawback with most of the floor plans in the The Villages. There is a resident in our neighborhood who bought an Lilly and has to park his pickup truck diagonally in the garage. Look at the floor plan to get the measurements of the garage then look at the length of you vehicle and see how much room you have left over. With an SUV I would guess less than a foot front and back once inside. We bought a Lantana mostly because it has the biggest garage we could find without going to a premier. We are really happy we did had seeing friends garages and the lack of room once you park a vehicle inside

[lovinganimals]

We have a CYV and the garage is NOT big enough. We don't even park our car in it. There will be absolutely no room to putter around in if you park your car in it, especially with a golf cart. If the garage is a concern for you, get a house with a 2 car garage because we are tight in ours.

[Ohiogirl]

If you are a garage putterer, you won't be happy in a CYV garage. But - remember it is too hot here for about 5-6 mos of the year to putter in the garage anyway. If it's woodworking you like to putter with, consider joining the Woodshop instead.

Some of the CYV floor plans have larger garages than others, but because of the curved driveways in most (not all) CYVs, it is hard to park larger cars or SUVs along with a golf cart. Many of our neighbors park their car in their driveway. You might consider a smaller car if you really want a CYV, or find one with a 2 car garage (there are some, just have to grab them really quickly when they come on the market).

We are able to fit 2 golf carts (one a 4-seater) and our Honda Fit, and 3 bikes, workbench (rarely used, but holds one of the chargers and other stuff) in ours, but the small car is the key. Our garage (Bonita/Foxglove) is deeper than some.

[festusrules]

We bought a patio villa because it has a straight entry into the garage. The CYV has small garage and curved driveway. Appears that many owners of CYV's do not park their cars in the garage.

[George Bieniaszek]

We have a 2BR/2BA CYV in Pennecamp with the 1.5 car garage. For us the garage does duty as a storage area We once parked our small SUV (Ford Escape) next to our golf cart to see how much extra room we had and it is very tight in there. The car stays on the driveway now. We also rented a second golf cart for family that visited and it was quite snug in there as well.

We love the CYV for our lifestyle and the privacy of the backyard. We always said that it would be perfect if it had a 2 car garage. If you are in the market for a new or pre-owned, there are CYV's with 2 car garages out there, not many, but they do come up for sale.

[Gat0r]

There are CYV's with 2 car garages and the 3 bedrooms have laundry inside.

[thelegges]

have a patio villa and love the straight in drive garage, but its not big enough for other than a car, cart and a storage unit

[Villageswimmer]

We rented a CYV and the next year a patio villa. Both garages are too small IMHO. We finally bought a Patio Villa because the straight access to the garage made it a tiny bit more bearable. In honesty, still too small, though.

We're snowflakes, love our little villa, have no regrets,and don't fret too much about the garage. We just don't buy a lot of extra junk since storage is so very limited. Our (standard size) car and golf cart fit fine, no room for extras. It's perfect for us, but I don't think we'd buy a villa with this 1.5 garage if we were frogs. Just happy to be in TV when we're here!

[ilovetv]

The single disadvantage of a smaller garage is outweighed by the advantages of a CYV. (The garage is the only complaint we hear, but people don't often move because of it....most of us adapt by accumulating less "stuff".)

Many of our neighbors just use the garage how they want to, for hobbies and/or screened lounge area, and keep the car outside. "Hot car" doesn't matter because most of the time we use our golf carts (kept in the garage).

Most people (I think) get a pull-down attic stairs for storage of little-used "stuff".

It's liberating to be rid of all that "stuff" we accumulated in the garages and basements up north. We spent a lot of time serving it (cleaning and organizing unneeded clutter) instead of "it" serving some useful purpose for us.

The privacy of the walled in back yard and side courtyard is priceless. If you've ever had weird neighbors with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) living behind you (which is quite common), a CYV is the answer! And there's little or no yard work and if there is work, hiring people costs very little.

[JC and John]

We rented a CYV for 3 months in Hadley while our house was being built. The garage had a workbench along part of the back and along the short side and 2 shelving units on the other side wall toward the rear. It was a snug fit with our SUV, an older Toyota Highlander which is not as big a the new 7 passenger one. There would have been no room for a golf cart.

[jhrc4]

Hi,

This is a very good question and some of the replies have been very good. I have a Court Yard Villa 1602 sq. ft. with laundry in the garage, south of CR 466.
Here is my opinion:

The garage is tight and the type of car that you have will be a big factor on whether or not you will be able to keep your car in the garage or leave it in the driveway. A smaller SUV will work I am considering buying a Toyota Venza or one of similar size,as an example of what will work for you.

1) Now as I mentioned this type of vehicle will work and you will be able to get two carts in as well...tight yes but it will work. My garage has cabinets on one complete side of the wall as well as the rear, along with a two floor cabinets in the rear with a work surface. I also have just a sink near the washer and dryer. Again it is tight but it works and my garage is neat.

2) I have a semi corner CYV ( two ) entrances so on one side ( Grass ) area I am going to put a decent storage shed on pavers to put odd garden supplies such as tools, sprayers, clippers, etc. , 6x7 c Cedar Shed, although I could put a slightly larger one there but this size will serve my purposes.

3) A corner CYV does have the advantage of this particular option. Simply because that grassed area is practically useless.

4) A big (very) big consideration is privacy, CYV have this over the considerations that you are thinking of. Many, many houses back onto the neighbors Lani, where as the CYV have the back and side walls/fences. Every now and then I will see a house " For Sale" and a additional comment will say " House Backs To A CYV Wall " obviously a consideration others have made when selling/buying.

5) The garage is certainly a factor and you are absolutely right in your concerns, I do hope that my comments are of some help to you. Just keep in mind a smaller SUV will work, two carts will fit, it just a question on really what you are prepared to do.

6) It is also my understanding that a golf cart garage can be added to the CYV, " But " you will lose the kitchen window.

[Barefoot]

We loved our Courtyard Villa, especially for our two dogs. But my husband is a Garage Guy With Hobbies. Now we have a house with a large garage, and it's extended about four feet in the rear which provides room for a small workshop. Our garage is now awash with E-Flyer planes. Fireboy is a happy camper.

For the dogs, we have invisible fencing from Dogwatch in Ocala, plus we take our dogs daily to Doggie Doo Run Run for exercise.

[Patty55]

I have a full size SUV and a golf cart, the laundry facilities all in a cyv garage. It fits fine, I'd say I have about four inches between the two vehicles. My driveway is curved so to get the car in and out I have to run over my neighbors lawn a bit. You learn to adapt, it's all good.