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How do you cope with a tandem driveway?

Does anybody here with 2 cars have a house with a tandem driveway without any alternative off-road parking? If so, does it drive you mad? Either defaulting to the car in front or asking other half to move theirs?
The thought of such a hassle fills me with dread but maybe it isn’t THAT big? The thing is, we are looking at loads of new builds over the last few months and to get a double width driveway is either pot luck based on plot or extortionate to buy the largest property on the site.

it just think how can all these people be “ok” with new build houses only having single width driveways 95% of the time??

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Comments

  • UnderOffer
    UnderOffer Posts: 790
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    Had this type of driveway for 10 years and it never caused us any issues. My husband left for work before me and arrived home after me so his vehicle was always parked on end and ready to leave first. For the odd occasion I needed to leave first I’d remind him and try to park in the correct order, we were able to bump up on kerb and temporarily park outside the house on road but would always then move the car into drive as soon as the other person home. If you’ve got good organisation skills it will work fine.  :)
  • KcEliMa
    KcEliMa Posts: 105
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    edited 3 June 2020 at 8:37PM
    I would take a tandem, single width driveway over our current situation anyday!
    We only have on road parking, no allocated spaces, no alternative. Our road is treated like the whole towns free car park, it’s absolutely ridiculous the amount of cars that park up and the owners leave them for days at a time. I can’t even go into it as it drives us insane so much!

    I think you’d just come to a routine. Whoever’s out first is in last etc. It’s really not that big a deal :smile:
    FTB-
    Offer Accepted May 2020 | Mortgage Offer June 2020 | 
  • Doozergirl
    Doozergirl Posts: 33,780
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    edited 4 June 2020 at 6:34AM
    They let anything through planning these days. 
    It's simply not reasonable!  

    Yes, it's 'okay' if you both have set routines but it isn't if you don't.  I do remember having tandem parking in a rented house years ago, and one of the overriding memories is moving the cars around - and we were able to park on the pavement in a very quiet cul de sac if we were being lazy.  That was our first house after moving from London, where everyone knows parking is at a premium, so I was probably even quite grateful. 

    It might be tolerable if it's a small house where the equivalent older houses have no off road parking at all, but I wouldn't scold someone for thinking it's annoying.  It is, especially combined with all the other ways that new builds are annoying.  

    Everything that is supposed to be in heaven is already here on earth.
  • MoneySeeker1
    MoneySeeker1 Posts: 1,229
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    edited 4 June 2020 at 6:44AM
    As we all become more environmentally responsible over time, two car families will cease to be the norm.
    I have a 2nd hand bike for sale if you're interested.....?
    LOL - and admits I clicked on the thread thinking "What on earth is a tandem driveway? - is it some new concept I've never heard of before"....

    Wishes that were the only "problem" my house had - and I'll be far from the only one thinking that...as we all think ours is:
    - not detached (if applicable)
    - too small a garden
    - overlooked
    - wrong location
    - needs lots of work
    - bad neighbours
    etc etc

    As a previous poster said - just use each others cars instead if need be and why not have identical cars in the first place if that feels like a problem for some reason. First one out the door gets nearest the exit car (or buys a bike/uses public transport/etc).
  • RelievedSheff
    RelievedSheff Posts: 11,226
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    We have three cars, one in the garage and two on the tandem driveway. Can't say we have found it a problem. We just shuffle them around as needs be. The car that gets most use is put at the front of the drive.
  • mr_stripey
    mr_stripey Posts: 654
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    We used to have this. Most of the time not a big problem but occasionally a bit of a pain. My wife works shifts and has to leave early for work. Sometimes when the cars were parked in the wrong order it can be a pain especially if you have to defrost both cars in order to drive the "right" car!

    Otherwise just a case of me reversing off the drive she she can leave and then parking back on the drive (admittedly a pain if you have to get out of bed to this of course!) :D


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