How much value does a garage add?

firsttimebuyer2013

I've bought my first house and at the rear there is parking for two cars. I'm very tempted to explore the possibility of building a garage there with side access to the garden. This will remove the need for me having a shed, making the garden 'bigger', as well as having a secure place to store stuff.

I'd also love to know whether this would add any value to the house too. I'd undertake a lot of the work myself, and get mates rates for brickies etc.

I appreciate that there is no hard and fast rule for this, but is there a ballpark figure, or percentage?

Thanks

hazyjo

So long as it's big enough for most modern day cars, and a solid brick garage, not some wooden construction, then I would say it would probably add value - so long as it's not at the expense of the two off street parking spaces!

Guessing you would need permission/building regs/whatever. Check with council.

No ballpark figure/percentage. Depends on available parking in your street and location (London for example would probably add more). If you're losing both off street parking spaces, it might make it less desirable as most people don't actually use garages for parking!

Jx

ACG

I made a post similar to this although it was based on peoples preferences rather than adding and value to the house.

The general consesus seemed to be nobody uses a garage for its intended use and would prefer parking space. People did like the idea of outdoor storage though.

My intention is knock down my garage (its getting on for 50 years old!) Flag/concrete it and build a small brick shed sized building. I then have parking out outdoor storage, it will cost less and is unlikely to decrease the value of my house.

firsttimebuyer2013

hazyjo wrote: »

So long as it's big enough for most modern day cars, and a solid brick garage, not some wooden construction, then I would say it would probably add value - so long as it's not at the expense of the two off street parking spaces!

Guessing you would need permission/building regs/whatever. Check with council.

No ballpark figure/percentage. Depends on available parking in your street and location (London for example would probably add more). If you're losing both off street parking spaces, it might make it less desirable as most people don't actually use garages for parking!

Jx

Thanks for this.

I currently have one space at the front of the house, with the potential of a second by removing some stones/plants etc so parking would never be an issue, not that it is anyway as it's a quiet close with plenty of road space for visitors.

I guess there's always potential for a brick built 'shed' leaving a space in front of it still. The space at the moment is one car in and then one behind that.

Food for thought.

princeofpounds

The general consesus seemed to be nobody uses a garage for its intended use

Most garages built in the UK (and even some of those built recently by newbuild developers) aren't even big enough to get a car in even if you wanted to. At best a 1960s mini would get in there, and with today's safety requirements it is impossible.

TBagpuss

I'd go for a smaller, solidly built shed or summer house looking onto the garden - gives you the storage to get rid of the existing shed and leave you with garden space, leaves you with the fexibility of extra space.
I think most people use garages for storage these days and that would mean that you were in effect down to one parking space.

The only people I know who use their garages for keeping a car in are people who are building kit-cars or who have a vintage car. (and a couple of farmers where it is less a garage than a spare barn..)

I personally would quite like a garage but I wouldn't pay extra for one and it wouldn't be a deal breaker. And I'd pick extra garden over a garage any day.

Mattygroves2

I'd prefer the garage (and in fact paid £20k over valuation for our house because it had a good double one) but I'm in the classic car owning category so we have always had a garage that will fit a car and also a workbench in it. We had our first house together built and insisted on a garage long enough for an E Type Jag and a workbench behind it - I hate to think what subsequent owners have thought about it !

nannyboo1

TBagpuss wrote: »

The only people I know who use their garages for keeping a car in are people who are building kit-cars or who have a vintage car. (and a couple of farmers where it is less a garage than a spare barn..)

Or in our case we built a garage as it brought down our car insurance (we live in a bad post code area) and made it less nickable. I would say if you building one make it brick not sectional lie ours as waste of space not being able to use anything on the walls.

Somebody wise once said to me never add something just because you think it MIGHT add value if you sell. As it all depends on who is looking and in our case where you live.

We have added a conservatory and garage but have got nowhere near the value of them as we live in the wrong area of town anywhere else it would be £15K more than what we can sell it for.