[army one]

Originally Posted by 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.

I didn't think any storage sheds are allowed here? Better make sure before you spend money on one.

[NIPAS K-9]

Originally Posted by army one

I didn't think any storage sheds are allowed here? Better make sure before you spend money on one.

I have seen some for sale with plastic storage sheds attached to house, certain ones they dooooooooo allow.....

[perrjojo]

I once heard George Carlin say, "Only in American do we build $30,000 garages to store $300 worth of junk and park a $40,000 car in the drive way". We love our CYV and downsized to one car and one cart. We got rid of stuff we didn't use, didn't need and some we didn't even know we had. It's a personal decision. While it seemed like a big change, I wouldn't have it any other way. We keep car and cart in the garage with some shelving for storage bins and tool boxes. Our model is a Charlotte and it has less room than some garages.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by 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.

If you spend a lot of time in the garage and have a SUV, you might find the garage of a CYV a little too cosy.

[mherzberg]

We have a Monticello CYV and are very pleased with the garage. I keep both my Honda CRV and my cart in the garage. We also have 4 five shelf storage units. I do not have a workbench but there would be plenty of room for one at least half the width of the garage in front of the golf cart - leaving plenty of room (about 6') between the front of the cart and where the workbench would be. I can easily walk around and between the cart and the CRV.

[Steve & Deanna]

Originally Posted by naneiben

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!

We too are seasonal and have a patio villa. It is a tight squeeze for laundry, a Sienna van, some shelving and our golf cart. If we become full-time in the near future, it'll be a Designer with a two car and golf cart garage.

[mickey100]

We started off in a patio villa, and that is the main reason we changed to a designer - a bigger garage!

[travelguy]

most cyv's and patio villas have 1.5 car garages. some of the cyv's in mission hills have 2 car garages, but those homes seem to be very expensive for what you are getting. most of the cottages have 2.0 garages, and i believe those will suit your needs much better. wish that we had purchased one with a golf car garage also; our lot is too small to add one on, so we have to live with the 2 car garage. i do not like to park any vehicle permanently in the driveway.

[twinklesweep]

Originally Posted by 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.

I could not agree more!!! Weird as it sounds, I "downsized" from a Designer to a CYV, which also meant from a larger lot to a smaller one, and I ended up with a bigger home, a fully usable lot, no kissing lanais, much less (and less costly) yard work, and complete privacy!

The only drawback about my home, IMHO, is the size of the garage. With one car (sedan), one golf cart, two huge storage units, several units of shelves, two clothes racks (for clothing used only occasionally), an upright freezer, a water softener system, a bicycle, and the laundry, it is tight. (I could take lessons from those who say they've been able to get rid of a ton of stuff that would otherwise be stored in a garage....)

The attic over the garage is smaller than that above a two-car garage, but it's still ideal for storage of rarely used items and certainly easy to get to.

And now that I have the laundry in the garage and out of the living part of the house, I would not have it any other way. Previously I had the laundry inside, taking up a chunk of living space (and not especially attractive). Now, with it in the garage, to whatever extent heat escapes from the dryer, I'm not paying to air condition it. And I certainly don't stand in front of the washer or dryer watching them do their thing; I get it going and leave.

The previous owner of my CYV had a fair-sized workshop in the garage, but I have no idea how he kept his car, whether inside or outside. He also had one of those four-part screens, from which I concluded that he did spend considerable time at his workshop, but the garage really is pretty warm much of the year. I could not wait to get rid of that screen, which I found one of the most inconvenient things anyone dreamt up....

I could not be more pleased with my move and I wouldn't have it any other way, but I'd have to answer yes, the garage is tight.