We can't all have a garage-mahal, how do you deal with your suburban two car garage?

[Rivguy]

I was admiring the fantastic buildings that some of our members are building on their acreage. I always had the same dream, but it doesn't seem that it will ever come true. I'm in the city with a three bedroom, two bath rancher, with an attached two car garage. The laundry and the HVAC, are located in there also. Today I finally got my garage cleaned out enough to park my old Mustang in there next to the XJS, It's pretty tight, but I'm keeping my Daily Drivers in the driveway. I've also got to use the garage for general storage, like Christmas stuff, an extra pandemic fridge, my two roll away tool boxes, a compressor, and several metal industrial type shelves. I'm really not complaining, it's a nice little house in a nice neighborhood. 

 

I haven't had two cars in this garage for years and it is a constant struggle to keep it clear enough to do this. I've kept cars as big as a '71 Riviera and a '56 Cadillac in there, but not at the same time!   As long as both cars are driveable I can always pull one out and work on the other. I had two 10 x12 sheds built in the backyard, and this where my Wife and Daughter keep their stuff. I've got plans to make the space more usable and flexible. When I get it a bit more presentable, I'll post some pictures. 

[61polara]

There are three things we never have enough of in this hobby: Time, Money and Space.

[Terry Bond]

Understand the problem well.  For years we moved around and lived in apartments, government provided housing, and finally, bought in the country with some ground to build on.  Don't let go of your dream!  Meantime, if there is any way to put on a small addition or add a storage shed it would really free up some space for you.  Whatever you do though, it'll never be big enough.  Stuff always expands to fill the available space.  Sometimes the best you can do is rearrange it.

Terry

[Joe Cocuzza]

I have a 2-car attached garage with 2 cars in it and a Harley and a ton of tools/shelves, tire machine...

I have a 12X24 detached garage with another car in it and tons of tools/mower/snowblower, parts, etc....

I have a 12X22 shed with a car in it and tools/stuff in it.

I have 2 Rhino Shelters - one at my house and one at my friends place. One, for now, has our pickup in it and the other one (at my friends) is empty (for future use)

I have a full basement and attic "full" of parts.

Do I need to start clearing some stuff out? Yes. Hopefully I can get to that in the coming years because when I "go" my family is just going to throw 90% of it in the trash.

[f.f.jones]

2 hours ago, Rivguy said:

I was admiring the fantastic buildings that some of our members are building on their acreage. I always had the same dream, but it doesn't seem that it will ever come true. I'm in the city with a three bedroom, two bath rancher, with an attached two car garage. The laundry and the HVAC, are located in there also.

Rivguy: Unless you have "insurmountable" family, health, or business obligations where you are now living, maybe you (and others in your situation) could consider relocating to an area outside of the bay area, or even out of California. As a Calif. homeowner in the 1970's I could see the handwriting on the wall: escalating taxes and property values, increasing crime and drug use, population growth, & increasing commute times and expenses, to say nothing of smog and other pollution. With all of the development even then, the quality of life in my native state was deteriorating.

My wife and I spent many an evening considering our situation: good job, local family, friends and church, a  growing toddler (with plans for more) vs. the above negatives (and concerns about our suburban home size - my garage and driveway were packed full, too. We took our time and researched many areas of the country comparing job availability, the cost of living, the climate, educational rankings, from grade school through the availability of universities, political trends, health care availability, recreation and entertainment, and whatever else we could think of. We spent extended weekends and vacation time in the communities we thought were a good match to our requirements and tried to absorb the feeling each expressed. Some locales were just a few hours drive away from home, some a short flight. (This was long before the convenience of the internet.)

What we ultimately found was that the accumulated equity in our Bay Area tract home covered a very good percentage of the purchase price of a much bigger home on acreage, still near schools, shopping, and medical facilities, and in an area with employment opportunities comparable to my existing job, and reasonable taxes. We rented an apartment for a few months till we were sure about our decision.(We now have a 5 bedroom, 3 bath, 3000+ sq. ft. home with an attached 24' x 36' 3-car garage, a 30' x 40' barn, and my 30' x 60' shop on 10 acres, with access to more local amenities than we will ever use. Still plenty of room to raise chickens, a beef steer, a hog or two, and the wife's horse). Did you know deer will eat thorny roses - and about everything else! 

Tentative plans call for an additional 30' x 60' building (the Good Lord and my wife willing).

 

To make this long story shorter, if you are sitting in an average $1,000,000. Bay area suburban home with a few years equity and price escalation, there's no reason you couldn't be the owner of at least a few acres in a more undeveloped (yet civilized) locale, that includes all your personal requirements, and stretch out and have plenty of room to expand. 

 

P.S. Old cars and old car guys are everywhere! ...2-lane country roads, too.

 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by f.f.jones (see edit history)

[hidden_hunter]

2 hours ago, f.f.jones said:

To make this long story shorter, if you are sitting in an average $1,000,000. Bay area suburban home with a few years equity and price escalation, there's no reason you couldn't be the owner of at least a few acres in a more undeveloped (yet civilized) locale, that includes all your personal requirements, and stretch out and have plenty of room to expand. 

 

If only that was the case here, even our regional cities are hitting those prices now - or you can get it cheaper and then live even further away from services

 

Will be very interesting to see how many companies stick with remote working

[alsancle]

I park my truck outside.

[edinmass]

Just now, alsancle said:

I park my truck outside.

 

Yup, but the goats are warm and toasty! 😛

[8E45E]

3 hours ago, hidden_hunter said:

If only that was the case here, even our regional cities are hitting those prices now - or you can get it cheaper and then live even further away from services.

I am hoping that trend happens here where the 'average' home hits $1M, though some of them have come close.

 

Craig

[Guest]

 My daily drivers (all 13 of them) have never seen the inside of my garage in 67 tears.

 

 Garages are for toy boxes, PERIOD

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Our hobby cars are pretty modest but they get the garage space along with Mrs. Mack's Grand Cherokee.  We added a prefab shad/garage 10x20 with more than enough space for a smaller car like the Model A.  

 

The one thing that could be better is despite a 24x24 main garage, it has a single door, the ones with two doors and a foot or so in between give you more space in between.  I think I am going to buy a set of those dollies to roll the SL over a bit, especially in winter when it sees little use.

 

 

[SC38dls]

We downsized from our 15 acres where I had a  three and a half extra deep garage to a two car. All the Xmas stuff and tools I seldom used but didn’t sell before the move  took up any room I had. So I went up!  Being an old man I can’t carry stuff up and down the folding ladder so I put in a lift. It holds 650 lbs. The floor above the garage is plywood. I got the hoist from HF put rails on the walls and got the rollers on line. I made the frame from angle iron. The whole thing cost about $200 and now I have room to work. 

dave s 
 

Edited January 25, 2022 by SC38dls (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

I have posted in the other thread my shop/garage. Honestly if I could afford I would be living in Fla in a one bedroom 800sf home. Give me a 2 car garage and I could be  happy. I will be the first to say I have way too much crap and my dream would be to downsize. My first house had a 2 car garage, like wise for the second and the house Im in now has a 4 bay though one is closed and was my shop. My cars have never sat outside. I think thats because growing up dad used our 2 bay as his 'shop' and our cars were never inside. Ironically when he moved to FLA his garage had carpet on the floor and the ONLY thing in it was his minivan. I think I am becoming my father!! 

I restored my 77 T/A in one bay of the 3 car garage. I would move the other cars out when working but they almost always came in for the night. That was my key to keeping the wife happy. Things were tight and organized. Its so much nicer to have room to move around in a big shop though.

[31nash880]

Start of a barn find 

[Mark Shaw]

9 hours ago, f.f.jones said:

What we ultimately found was that the accumulated equity in our Bay Area tract home covered a very good percentage of the purchase price of a much bigger home on acreage, still near schools, shopping, and medical facilities, and in an area with employment opportunities comparable to my existing job, and reasonable taxes.

We did the same analysis and moved over 20 years ago from CA to SW WA.  I am retired now and pay no state income tax and live just 12 miles from OR where there is no sales tax.  Need I say more?  

[alsancle]

3 hours ago, edinmass said:

 

Yup, but the goats are warm and toasty! 😛

 

Listen nit wit,  I thought making the goat shed bigger so it could be a workshop too,  but once I got past the the size that required a permit it would of ended up being 36x48.

[JCHansen1]

How we used our 2 car garage in our little neighborhood has changed over the 15 years we've been here. We had several motorcycles when we moved in, so they took up half the garage while my wife's car stayed on the other side and my daily stayed out. When we moved in I brought along a totally disassembled CB400F that I'd started a restoration on in the single stall garage rented with our first apartment. I finished that bike in our garage. I restored an old Rupp Dart go-kart one winter too, but that didn't take up much space. Also restored a '74 Triumph TR6 in there, that was tough. Part of our basement became parts storage, my wife's car stayed in, and my daily stayed out. Kids came, and motorcycles and the TR went (except the 400, which I still have) and now our summer cars (my NA Miata and my wife's 4th gen Camaro) stay in the garage in the summer months when we use them, and then they go to off-site storage in the winter when our daily drivers come in out of the cold. I have my sights on acquiring a T series MG in the next few years but one big question is where I'll store it. We have space to easily add a third bay and if we plan to stay here we'll probably wind up doing that, which will be a great spot for an MG.   

[Steve_Mack_CT]

@JCHansen1, if you can fit a 10x12 shed like we did you would be surprised at what you can tackle.  The A is roughly the same footprint as a TD (another car I would like). 

Admittedly I had to turn it around so each end worked on faced out, but I did get a lot of chassis, drivetrain work done without moving it to the main garage. 

The tool walks, not so much space was the challenge.

Edited January 25, 2022 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[Pilgrim65]

I live in Uk and park daily drivers on drive , no storage , so park my classic cars in Cyprus !!😁

[avgwarhawk]

I have a 2 car garage.  To make mine fit and still have room to get into the house I use wheel dollies.  The 54 Special I nose in as close to the wall as possible.  I then jack up the rear axle and lower onto wheel dollies.  I then push the rear as close to the wall as possible.  The 60 then is driven in as close to the 54 has possible.  No dollies under the 60.  I then exit the 60 via the passenger side door.  This leaves about 4 feet between my 60 and the garage wall so we may get into and out of the house.  It is a bit of a pain in the butt to get the 54 out.  I find I spend more time driving the 60 than the 54 as a result of this set up. 

 

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by avgwarhawk (see edit history)

[Paul Dobbin]

2 hours ago, TAKerry said:

I have posted in the other thread my shop/garage. Honestly if I could afford I would be living in Fla in a one bedroom 800sf home. Give me a 2 car garage and I could be  happy. I will be the first to say I have way too much crap and my dream would be to downsize. My first house had a 2 car garage, like wise for the second and the house Im in now has a 4 bay though one is closed and was my shop. My cars have never sat outside. I think thats because growing up dad used our 2 bay as his 'shop' and our cars were never inside. Ironically when he moved to FLA his garage had carpet on the floor and the ONLY thing in it was his minivan. I think I am becoming my father!! 

I restored my 77 T/A in one bay of the 3 car garage. I would move the other cars out when working but they almost always came in for the night. That was my key to keeping the wife happy. Things were tight and organized. Its so much nicer to have room to move around in a big shop though.

   

50 years ago, when I bought  our first 34 Ford, we had a one car garage.  We also had a 65 Mustang Deluxe Conv, in that garage.   I worked in the yard for awhile and  we found a house with a 2 car garage.  My brand new company car lived in the driveway.   As soon as the 34 was finished , I bought a Model A basket case.  By that time I had obtained a variance needed to build a pool closer to the rear lot line.  Another variance was obtained for another garage beside the pool.   A two car garage was allowed, and I built a 27' wide X 20' deep with a  18' door to accommodate the 34 and the Model A and a work space too.   A rubberized car cover took care of the 34 in that garage while I restored the Model A next to it..  When the Model A was done, I bought a 15 Model T basket case  and the 34 Ford had to go to the house garage with the Mustang.   When the Model T was done, the A, the T and the V8 all drove in and out the 18' door..  Great building for 34 years. 

Later when I bought a Subaru 360 and a 15 Grant, the new garage got to crowded and I had to add a lean-to on one end of the  barn.

Traffic and to many people caused us to move to the Smoky Mountains and build a bigger Barn/Shop.

[JCHansen1]

38 minutes ago, Steve_Mack_CT said:

@JCHansen1, if you can fit a 10x12 shed like we did you would be surprised at what you can tackle.  The A is roughly the same footprint as a TD (another car I would like). 

Admittedly I had to turn it around so each end worked on faced out, but I did get a lot of chassis, drivetrain work done without moving it to the main garage. 

The tool walks, not so much space was the challenge.

The shed workshop almost happened about 10 years ago. I had wanted a place to work on and store motorcycles which were crowding the Triumph at the time, but then we got out of them, and they took up residence in my parent's garage temporarily while I liquidated them. I love the idea though for a Model A or an MG or the like, as it seems like a wonderfully minimalist space for minimalist types of vehicles. We have plenty of space for something even a little larger than a 10x12 in our backyard, and our fairly lax township only requires permits, permission and such for structures over 200 sq ft, so it would be easy to do...

 

[1912Staver]

A lot depends on what you are doing with your cars. If you have one or two cars that are good condition drivers, and you just need to do routine maintenance with a more involved repair being a rare thing you can probably get by with a 2 car garage.

 But undertaking more involved work will become a challenge. 

And of course the size of the cars themselves can be a big factor. Some people love Bug Eye Sprites or Crosley's . Some people like 59 Cadillacs. 

The space required will vary considerably.

[1912Staver]

4 hours ago, 8E45E said:

I am hoping that trend happens here where the 'average' home hits $1M, though some of them have come close.

 

Craig

Well beyond that point in the Vancouver area. It's a big mess for almost everyone. Even Doctors are starting to leave. Who want's a demanding career that pays for a lower middle class home at best.

[JACK M]

I might be a bit more anal than the next guy.

But when people come to my house it looks like nobody is home.

Everything is stored inside.

Even my trailers are kept out of the weather for the most part.

I have my shop on a different lot and there are a couple of 'projects in waiting' outside over there but I don't like the place looking junky.

Obviously heavily guarded by my best friend.

 

 

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

15 hours ago, Rivguy said:

I was admiring the fantastic buildings that some of our members are building on their acreage....I'm in the city...

While you're in the built-up area, consider

renting some space in less developed areas.

You could use it for your shop, or for a few

extra cars, or even for household storage.

It would give you the "breathing room" that

might be helpful.

 

It's always handy to have what you love

close to you.  Consider renting one bay of

a widow's 2-car garage, near you, for 

extra car space.  One friend did just that.

 

And I agree that moving to a less expensive

locality will improve your life.  Small towns are

friendly and safe and can be much less expensive.

Sell your small $1,000,000 house and get another

one for $100,000 or $200,000, and invest the

remaining $800,000.  Here's a representative

small house currently for sale in Indiana for $72,000:

 

 

Or if you want something larger, with 5 acres, here is

one for $285,000.  Don't get used to exorbitant prices!

 

[John Byrd]

I was pretty lucky when we bought this place. It had a huge, empty space underneath, and a bit of sawing, screwing on some hinges, painting, and some cheap and free shelving and lumber gave me a lot of "new" space !  The 1st two pics are how it was, the next two are the upstairs garage before and after moving the Studebaker and Mini down  underneath, and the last one is just some of the new "garages" and storage space. It isn't finished yet, still lots I want to do, but so much better than we had in our previous two places over here.  I was pretty spoiled in Alabama, we had a huge house with a huge garage and finished basement, a large shop with garages built on, a 4 car separate garage, and a barn. Yep, too much stuff as always, but.... as most car guys, we just can't help it. Karen is very proud of her mustang and our scooters being inside and just being able to press a button to get in or out, ha !

 

Lots of interesting stories, opinions, and photos on this thread, thanks folks !

[edinmass]

3 hours ago, alsancle said:

 

Listen nit wit,  I thought making the goat shed bigger so it could be a workshop too,  but once I got past the the size that required a permit it would of ended up being 36x48.

 

I'm a nit wit? At least I don't have a goat shed that is heated and air conditioned. City Farmer! 😂

Edited January 25, 2022 by edinmass (see edit history)

[intimeold]

This is Not me but a family about 15 miles away.  

 

At one time they kept a 1956 Ford Crown Vic; in what should have been their living room.  And NO garage door to get it out.  As time has passed; I believe that couple has also passed away; and a cousin or brother ( also a car guy) removed that car from the house. 

 

Of course, the members here, that know me and I also have motorcycles. So I know of several motorcycles in the living rooms, so to speak.  They will fit through a regular door way; sometimes the handle-bars have to be removed though, to get them out.

 

intimeold

[1912Staver]

I used to have a BSA in my living room. A 49 rigid competition with an early Gold Star engine. But a fresh assembly that had not been run so no oil leaks or smell. I , and all my friends thought it was great. 

My wife tried to move it a bit when I was not home. It fell over and bumped against her leg on the way down.

I now have a BSA out in the shed.

[8E45E]

18 minutes ago, 1912Staver said:

My wife tried to move it a bit when I was not home. It fell over and bumped against her leg on the way down.

I hope the motorcycle is okay.

[CHuDWah]

We've never had anything more than attached two-car garages.  Our modern daily drivers sat out because my junk was in the garage.  The wife was a good sport about it although before we moved to "paradise" from the frozen north, she did grumble about having to scrape her windshield.  I was never into motorcycles but I expect she would have drawn the line at one in the living room!  🤣

[Steve_Mack_CT]

As a teen I helped a bunch of local AACA members dig the foudation for a HS pal whose dad  punched a detached 2 car out the back to make it 24 x 48 or 50 I believe.  My pal never moved and bought the house in the mid 80s.  He usually jams 6 or 7 cars in there...

 

A neighbor used to keep his 65 Vette in a shed smaller than mine.  He punched the back out 18 inches x 4 feet high x 8 feet wide to fit the nose of the car. 

[TAKerry]

At one time I considered a raised platform in my office to place my triumph 3T. Being a home office not sure my wife would agree. I know a fellow that has a beautiful collection of road racing bikes. He has a really nice set up in his walk out basement, when you walk in his front door there are 2 on display stands that greet you. They are presented very professionally, looks like a museum display. Again, his wife is more lenient than mine!

[TAKerry]

One thing I considered before I built my new shop was a 4 post lift. Like I have said before, I have a 3 car where my wifes 2 cars park beside my T/A. I was planning on building a detached 2 car garage for some extra space but realized for a measly couple of grand I could accomplish the same with a four post lift. So happens I had a fire, shop burnt down, insurance was good and the rest is history.

[zepher]

My first house had a single car garage so that meant my former '64 Malibu convertible had to sit outside as the garage had my tools, a street bike and a dirt bike in it.

All houses after that have been a 3 car garage and I still need to keep one of my antiques stored at another location.

[39BuickEight]

When I picked the lot for my house with a standard 20x20 “2 car” garage, I picked the one with enough space to add my 24x40 detached garage later.  I keep the tiny Solstice Coupe and the wife’s daily in the house garage.  The rest of the fun stuff in my detached garage.  I had it built a few years after the house.  My company car and the teenage son’s Corolla park outside.

 

I have seen people with standard residential 2 car garages actually take out the rear wall and make the garage then extend deeper into the back yard.  Of course not every locale allows that, but it keeps the front of the home looking exactly the same.

[Avanti Bill]

I have plenty of land and would love to build a nice toy shed.  The problem is that when I go to my engineer and talk about a permit he hits me with the reality that it will cost me nearly $100,000 to see if I can get a permit.  Then I can expect about $100,000 to $200,000 in stormwater management before I pour one footer for the building.  I really only wanted to have $150,000 in the whole thing as opposed to the $400,00.  I have a three car in house for our daily drivers and then a two car detached for my shop and one bay for a fun driver.  I rent a heated 40X60 industrial building from a friend for $3000 per month everything included which under my current building restrictions and excessive building cost may be cheap.  At least I can get my truck and trailer in it and 6 other cars although that makes it tight.

[8E45E]

11 minutes ago, Avanti Bill said:

I have plenty of land and would love to build a nice toy shed.  The problem is that when I go to my engineer and talk about a permit he hits me with the reality that it will cost me nearly $100,000 to see if I can get a permit.  Then I can expect about $100,000 to $200,000 in stormwater management before I pour one footer for the building.  I really only wanted to have $150,000 in the whole thing as opposed to the $400,00.  I have a three car in house for our daily drivers and then a two car detached for my shop and one bay for a fun driver.  I rent a heated 40X60 industrial building from a friend for $3000 per month everything included which under my current building restrictions and excessive building cost may be cheap.  At least I can get my truck and trailer in it and 6 other cars although that makes it tight.

Can you BUY a similar building in an industrial area which is already zoned for it, and lease out the office part?

 

Craig

[Avanti Bill]

1 hour ago, 8E45E said:

Can you BUY a similar building in an industrial area which is already zoned for it, and lease out the office part?

 

Craig

I have been looking to buy an existing building but the minimum price for something usable is about $1,000,000.  The best deal would be to buy a farm with buildings or without as you can build farm buildings cheaply but to get enough land to qualify and make sense you are looking at $2,000,000 so the $3000 per month is cheap.  I am looking to find a farm where I can move and sell my existing house which makes it more palatable but most everything worth having is in the $3,000,000 range and honestly I haven't found anything my wife and I can agree on.