Parking, only 1 space?

Section62

lookstraightahead said:

I find houses with lots of cars in the driveways messy 😂.

Buying matching and colour-coordinated cars should be a priority in that situation.

ProDave

I would not want that personally.  If you need to park on the street, that will be some way away as immediately next to your drive is your neighbours.  I bet there is probably only 1 on street space between driveways in that street and they probably fill up quickly.

And I share the concerns about proximity of the corner windows.

NQManchester

Horses for courses really and depends on the bigger picture. Plenty of people buy terraced houses with no parking so would be grateful for any drive. Myself and the majority of my friends only have one car so again wouldn’t mind. I do live in a city suburb with trams and buses tho. 

I think it depends on how many street spaces there are for visitors and local transport links.
If you and everyone on the street has 2-3 cars then obviously it becomes more of an issue. 

[Deleted User]

delete 123

arrows123

I wouldn't be keen because of the layout of your drive and your neighbours. The neighbours car is a small car and only just fits on their drive, wouldn't take much for them to decide to get a bigger car and chance it overhanging which would potentially make it awkward for you getting out your drive. Even if the current neighbours are fine and ensure they only park in their drive with no overhang, any future ones may not be so "reasonable". Although I may be swayed from past experience of having neighbours and a section of shared driveway where one neighbour thought they had the right to block us in and that we were the unreasonable ones when we asked them to stop.

Slithery

[DELETED USER] said:

Sales of fossil fuel vehicles are due to end in 2030

No, sales of new fossil fuel vehicles are set to end. The second hand market will carry on for decades and the vast majority of people never own a new car during their driving life.

lookstraightahead

[DELETED USER] said:

I'd steer clear. You may end up needing two spaces if you meet someone, and the garage is probably too small to put an actual car in.

Also consider resale value. Sales of fossil fuel vehicles are due to end in 2030 and everyone will want easy off-road parking so they can charge at home for a fraction of what it costs to use public chargers. Even today I would not buy a house with inadequate parking as I only drive electrics.

I think about a third of U.K. homes have no off street parking - off street parking takes up a lot of space/brickwork from an environmental perspective, so I'm sure there will be a solution for charging electric cars (I think there's already research being done on it). 

Drawingaline

Having lived in a house for 11yrs with only on street parking, when we were looking for a new house parking was absolutely top of my list. With our old house there were neighbouring houses with four or five cars all fighting over the limited on street parking. It had reached ridiculous levels by the time we moved. We are a one car family, but I wouldn't have looked at a house without room for two cars, for visitors, or for my teens if they get cars in the future.

However this was my priority. Yours may be very different. 

lookstraightahead

Drawingaline said:

Having lived in a house for 11yrs with only on street parking, when we were looking for a new house parking was absolutely top of my list. With our old house there were neighbouring houses with four or five cars all fighting over the limited on street parking. It had reached ridiculous levels by the time we moved. We are a one car family, but I wouldn't have looked at a house without room for two cars, for visitors, or for my teens if they get cars in the future.

However this was my priority. Yours may be very different. 

I agree it's experience of things isn't it.

I've lived on a main road and I could never do so again, my parents would never buy an old house as they grew up in one, and I couldn't live in a new build.

We struggle with parking but even if we have to park a little down the road we are in the middle of the countryside and it's blissfully quiet. Just not hearing traffic is enough for me.

BarleyGB

Thanks for all the replies, lots of good comments for consideration, I really do appreciate all the views, great to understand how others feel.

Overlooked at front, I’m not so concerned about the closeness to the neighbour, the nearest rooms are curtesy glazed bathrooms, yes one bedroom is near but would use blinds/curtains for privacy, two other bedrooms are rear facing to fields / woodland.

The immediate rear is a floodlit private football pitch (to which the house has access), it’s used 2 nights a week (lights must be out by 9pm) and at weekends, I’m not concerned about this personally 

Parking, is the one doubt I have which ultimately I’ll have to decide on but I’m inclined to balance vs the positives below, also that I’m moving from a 2 bed with just one parking space.

- Faces the right direction (west) for sun on the garden all day, garden not to small/to big, nice lawn, not over fussy design

- Not overlooked, football field unlikely to be developed

- 3 good size double bedrooms back one with corner windows perfect for office/sofa bed storage (other back bedroom for guests)

- good size kitchen (dishwasher, modern appliances, room for American style fridge freezer) lovely flow with family room gabled ceiling, ceiling windows

- perfect (lovely) fit and finish, inc all fooring/carpets, wouldn’t need to lift a finger, bathroom and kitchen just my taste, nice fire place.  Good spec, newish double glazed windows and doors

- nice location, quiet safe culdesac, no neighbour issues I’m aware of, know the area

- great entertaining space downstairs

- garage for bikes / storage, 1 parking space (same as current 2 bed)

- access to football field when not in use, glubhouse does the best breakfast in local area (7 days a week), also bar open to public

- know the seller/builder and all renovations great workmanship

- Great views from upstairs beyond football pitch, allotments to woods

- downstairs toilet/utility

- small nature pond (no fish) could develop into nice nature zone

- good internal storage, loft/ladder & electrics installed