Parking at the rear

oldskoo1

As has been our luck, our sale fell through and we are back to square 1 which got us thinking a bit more about the house we want to buy.

The house is almost perfect. Plenty of space, right location, bang on south facing, not overlooked, nice area, park for the kids visible and accessed by a private walk way but the house isn't actually on the park. It's far enough away to not hear any noise and certain no balls in the garden, that sort of thing. Garden is also quite big for the estate.

There is just 1 compromise and thats the parking and double garage is at the rear of the property. It's a private courtyard style parking area shared, with your own garage and spaces with 3 other similar properties. It's nicely arranged, in keeping with the estate. There is a gate in the back fence, pathway and automatic lighting. You can of course park on the road outside your house too, all the way down the road so no issue for family and friends visiting.

Obvious issues are, shopping, either parking at the front, unloading the shopping and moving the car or just parking at the back and going in through the double doors onto the kitchen.

I just wondered what people thought of this as it will give me an idea of how the property is viewed when we come to sell. Bearing in mind that this isn't a 1 off, many similar properties on the estate also have this.


Thank you,

pimento

Personally, I like to use the front door and I'm not keen on properties that are laid out so that the back door is the most convenient.

In saying that, I'd have to see it because it might not be a dealbreaker.

elvis86

oldskoo1 wrote: »

There is just 1 compromise and thats the parking and double garage is at the rear of the property. It's a private courtyard style parking area shared, with your own garage and spaces with 3 other similar properties. It's nicely arranged, in keeping with the estate. There is a gate in the back fence, pathway and automatic lighting. You can of course park on the road outside your house too, all the way down the road so no issue for family and friends visiting.

Obvious issues are, shopping, either parking at the front, unloading the shopping and moving the car or just parking at the back and going in through the double doors onto the kitchen.

Surely parking at the rear is more convenient for shopping, if the kitchen is easily accessed from the back of the house? Assuming that the back garden isn't 100 feet long, I'd rather park out the back and carry groceries straight into the kitchen, than park out the front, carry groceries through the house to the kitchen, and then move the car.

Perhaps I'm naive, but I can't imagine this being a problem? So long as the back gate is secure, I think I'd rather have my own parking at the end of my garden than another neighbour's garden. Sounds like quite a nice setup privacy-wise?

I would also think it was a bonus to have such easy access to the back garden, so future DIY projects won't necessitate you having to carry materials through the house?

sirmosh

My brother-in-law had parking to the rear, much, much better in my opinion. People don't easy know if you're in or out, a bit more privacy and once you start using the back door you'll probably realise it's much easier most of the time. They only use their front door when someone rings the bell.

sharpee

We're in the process of buying a house with the same setup, although we have a door into the kitchen and wouldn't need to use the patio doors.

It didn't out us off at all. I think I prefer the fact that our parking and garage are at the back of the house via a service road for our row of houses. Plus it means we have a lvoely front garden and no cars parked outside of living room window.

Though I may change my mind once I move in but cant say it was a deal breaker for us.

puddy

well i too, do not like the idea of the drive or garage being too far away from the front door, however, its something that i have considered would be a compromise if everything else about the house and location was perfect

if its on level ground, i would plan to get myself a wheelbarrow and wheel the shopping down the garden into the house

the only problem would be nipping out to get something ive forgotton in the car or when i leave and always realise that ive left something at home, i need to go back into the house. plus washing the car

fannyanna

I wouldn't see it as a problem - especially if the kitchen is at the rear of the property.

Taadaa

Our house is like this. Houses with garages attached weren't in our price range. It doesn't bother us at all. I usually park out front and dh parks on garage drive. It's quite common in late sixties and seventies houses, don't know if this is the case here.

Alizarin

Sounds like a similar setup to my house and parking - we only ever open the front door if someone knocks on it, and use the back door as the main entrance into the house. It's never been an issue for me, and I know the previous occupiers simliarly used the back door as the main entrance.

elvis86

puddy wrote: »

well i too, do not like the idea of the drive or garage being too far away from the front door, however, its something that i have considered would be a compromise if everything else about the house and location was perfect

if its on level ground, i would plan to get myself a wheelbarrow and wheel the shopping down the garden into the house

the only problem would be nipping out to get something ive forgotton in the car or when i leave and always realise that ive left something at home, i need to go back into the house. plus washing the car

Perhaps it's because my last 2 properties were apartments and I currently park on the street outside my house, but I can't see that carrying shopping from the end of the back garden to the kitchen (at the back of the house) is much harder work than carrying it from the front of the house, through the house to the kitchen at the rear (unless, as I said, we're talking about a 100ft garden)..?

Ditto popping out to the car. Ditto washing the car (aren't most people's garden taps at the rear of the house anyway).

I guess different people have different thoughts and ideas. Whilst I don't object to parking at the rear and can see several benefits; I actually agree with the poster who said that they've never liked houses where the front door is never used.

An aunt of mine used to live in a house which was accessed from the rear as the front faced into a pedestrianised street. It was probably some new-age 60s effort to create a safer community environment out front, but in reality she had curtains permanently drawn across the front doors and even furniture in front of it, and the "street" was always empty. I hated it, didn't feel like a "real" house, IYKWIM?

And I would never want visitors to arrive via the back door! Maybe I'm fickle.:D

puddy

yes, my last property was a 2nd floor flat so i got used to parking on the street, sometimes not near the flat and dragging it all upstairs.

now, my car is parked on the front drive, the luxury of taking the bags out of the boot and plonking them straight into the house is great and something that i bear in mind when im looking at other houses. i cant stand the thought of lugging the shopping down the garden, especially at night, need to make sure that proper lighting is installed etc etc,, but as i say, it wouldnt be a deal breaker i would consider it if everything else was right