TR8owner
TR8owner Reader
3/2/11 1:47 p.m.

LOL.!! A good friend of mine is moving back into our area after being away for 15 yrs. He emailed and wants me to help him find "a garage with a house attached". I'm going to have a lot of fun doing the preliminary work for him with the real estate agents. He has three classics to worry about.

Years ago a friend of mine got divorced. He had five or six Triumphs in various states of repair from show cars to parts cars. His wife kept everything except his Triumphs. He found an old service garage shop that had a small eating area that looked out at the shop through a large glass pane window. He bought the place and converted the eating area into a small bachelor's apartment. Every night when he went to bed he could look at at his cars in the garage through the glass pane window. The perfect set up for a newly single auto enthusiast. :-)

John Brown
John Brown GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/2/11 1:53 p.m.
TR8owner wrote: I need a garage with a house attached.

You and me both brother...

monsterbronco
monsterbronco New Reader
3/2/11 1:55 p.m.

last April i closed on a 1050sq ft cape cod, with a 1200sqft detached garage :-) all my friends are still jealous

tr8todd
tr8todd Reader
3/2/11 2:09 p.m.

When I was looking for my house I had the same criteria. Found it easier to buy a house and then build the garage. Buddy of mine just put up a 32X48 pole barn for under 30K. He still needs to run electric, but at least he has lots of space.

nocones
nocones GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
3/2/11 2:11 p.m.

Where? I got one for sale in Appleton Wi...

fasted58
fasted58 New Reader
3/2/11 2:52 p.m.

An old fire station w/ living quarters on the second floor would be great. Also, an old warehouse or hangar where you could build a loft... or just throw a cot in the corner. Old filling/ service stations can be a little risky as the tanks and soil contamination become your re$pon$ibility. I've seen quite a few of these buildings but never had the money as I was just into a fresh mortgage.

spitfirebill
spitfirebill SuperDork
3/2/11 3:09 p.m.
fasted58 wrote: Old filling/ service stations can be a little risky as the tanks and soil contamination become your re$pon$ibility.

Not necessarily. Many states have trust funds that cover the cost of assessment and remediation up to a max. But, you could be sued by an off-site landowner whose property has been impacted by a release from the property, even though you never had anything to do with operating a gas station. You could also screw the pooch if you buy a old, old station that never had the tanks registered. We do environmental assessments of property and see a lot of old gas stations. I still want one too, but would be sure I was covered.

iceracer
iceracer Dork
3/2/11 5:13 p.m.

My garage is too small, sorry.

Fletch1
Fletch1 Reader
3/2/11 6:18 p.m.

Me and my dad are working on "attaching" a new house with a 36X60 Morton,all dri-walled and tile floors. Legal stuff is no fun. That would give me 2160 sqft of awesomeness and 1145 sqft of new home to the wife. I'll be too tight by then to buy something to put in it though.

BoxheadTim
BoxheadTim GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/2/11 6:24 p.m.

There's a place for sale just down the road from where I live, 2000 sq ft house with a 10k sq ft workshop and a couple more garages. Lucky for me I'm lacking the necessary funds, otherwise I'd be talking to mortgage brokers right now.

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/2/11 6:27 p.m.

When I was building my house, I found my father out in my garage with a tape measure. He told me that my new garage was going to be bigger than the house that I grew up in.

It's still too small.

fasted58
fasted58 New Reader
3/2/11 6:30 p.m.

Some things will always be too small. Your shop, your engine, your bank account and your...well, uh... you know.

Ian F
Ian F SuperDork
3/2/11 7:46 p.m.
BoxheadTim wrote: There's a place for sale just down the road from where I live, 2000 sq ft house with a 10k sq ft workshop and a couple more garages. Lucky for me I'm lacking the necessary funds, otherwise I'd be talking to mortgage brokers right now.

I hear ya... there's a house a few miles from my g/f (who has a decent size garage herself) that is an old farm house.. probably about 1200 sq ft... but behind it is a huge barn/shop with room at least 8 cars (plus second floor storage).

Unfortunately, even if we could afford the $450K asking price, the taxes in this area would be murder..

aussiesmg
aussiesmg SuperDork
3/2/11 8:10 p.m.

I have a house with multiple garages. I currently have 8 cars inside and 6 outside.

peter
peter Reader
3/2/11 8:17 p.m.

I need an apartment with a garage attached. In Manhattan. Highly unlikely, so I'll just be jealous of y'all.

Conquest351
Conquest351 Reader
3/3/11 10:37 a.m.

I drew up a floor plan for a friend who wanted a steel building of 80x100. He wanted half as the garage and half as the house. I need to find that file and upload it for ya. It can be scaled down because the furniture and stuff I used was the largest I could find in the program. LOL

wvumtnbkr
wvumtnbkr GRM+ Memberand Reader
3/3/11 11:36 a.m.

My fiance and I just bought a house that is 2600 sq ft. The HEATED detached garage/ workshop is about 1700 sq ft. AND the garage has stairs to an upstairs attic type room that I can walk in standing upright.

I cant wait to move in and start working in a larger space. Right now my garage is so small that I have to move the car to the right side of the garage to work on teh left side, then move it back to the left to work on teh right side!

There are plenty of these types houses int eh Latrobe PA area. If anybody needs some info on them, shoot me a note.

Rob

4cylndrfury
4cylndrfury SuperDork
3/3/11 12:11 p.m.
Woody wrote: When I was building my house, I found my father out in my garage with a tape measure. He told me that my new garage was going to be bigger than the house that I grew up in. It's *still* too small.

garages always will be too small

ZOO
ZOO GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/3/11 12:20 p.m.

I've doubled the size of my garage with my new house. I know it's too small, still. But I think if I am creative I can get two Miatas and an Elise in it :)

Raze
Raze Dork
3/3/11 12:45 p.m.

go to garage journal, but brace yourself, if you garage doesn't have a bunker underneath, a room overhead, a kitchen, bathroom, heated floors, walls, ceiling, 3 15' garage doors and is made of brick, tiled floor with custom cabinetry, has a bar, game room, and seats 12, all while parking your 6 cars, 2 on lifts, and a boat, then it's not big enough...

Conquest351
Conquest351 Reader
3/3/11 1:38 p.m.
Raze wrote: go to garage journal, but brace yourself, if you garage doesn't have a bunker underneath, a room overhead, a kitchen, bathroom, heated floors, walls, ceiling, 3 15' garage doors and is made of brick, tiled floor with custom cabinetry, has a bar, game room, and seats 12, all while parking your 6 cars, 2 on lifts, and a boat, then it's not big enough...

+1

That forum is friggin AMAZING!!!!

92CelicaHalfTrac
92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork
3/3/11 1:44 p.m.

I'm mad i didn't get this.... The garage was bigger than the house, and could have EASILY swallowed 7-8 cars, and was tall enough to put a full on loft up top.

Teh E36 M3
Teh E36 M3 HalfDork
3/3/11 7:10 p.m.

I just built a 16x20 with a loft overhead- walk up stairs and should be good for a game room. I wanted bigger, but then thought- heating/cooling a larger garage? Cleaning it? Filling it with E36 M3? No thanks. 16x20 keeps one car project in there. I don't need more than that. I've got the upstairs for playing cards and drinking beer with buddies. It's gotten over the top (a/c, heat, water, possible toilet, vct floor, etc), but half of the fun I'm finding is building it. Garage forums is a dangerous place to go and get ideas!

My brother just bought a house with a 5 car garage. That would only mean trouble for me.

Ian F
Ian F SuperDork
3/3/11 8:28 p.m.
Teh E36 M3 wrote: I wanted bigger, but then thought- heating/cooling a larger garage? Cleaning it? Filling it with E36 M3? No thanks. 16x20 keeps one car project in there.

I have similar plans, although I'm hoping for a little bigger than that. Partly because I'm hoping to dedicate one side to a project car (my crusty ES) and the other side to a wood shop, figuring that work in both areas will be rather dusty. General repair work (that I'd want to keep away from excessive dust) would be done in the attached garage.

Indoor storage, however, is still a bit of a problem..

stan_d
stan_d Dork
3/4/11 8:56 p.m.

i lost my shop 35X54X14 barn just finished floor then wife wants divorce and wants the house and barn in spite. the judge is on her side even without kids.

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