Next dumb question: How key is having a garage? (Boston: houses, neighborhoods)

[Patapsco]

Yup, I'm back with another silly question!

I know it gets wicked cold up there in Boston. I've got 2 toddlers to get in/out of the car. For those of you who've had this lovely experience, you know this is hardly a 27 second thing...

In my perusing realtor.com so far, it seems a lot of the older (and some of them expensive!!) neighborhoods don't have attached garages.

Am I just being a big weenie for thinking I should hold out for this? If my kids are cold enough, will it cause them to hurry up?

Or should I live further out where we can have the garage?

I feel like a total idiot for asking, but thanks for humoring me.

[surfingatwork]

I don't have children but I LOVE my attached garage in the winter. I grew up without a garage and i do remember moving faster to get into the house and out of the cold in the winter unless of course there was snow on the ground then i didn't care if it was 30 below outside.

[scarletfire]

Not having a garage can be such a hassle, more because you have to deal with shoveling your car out on freezing cold mornings and walking along an icy driveway with groceries, kids, etc. But that's my two cents. I'm a wimp and can't stand the cold. :->

[FoRuMRideR420]

if u have to wake up early and go brush the snow off your car it kinda sucks......if you dont have a garage start the car 20 mins before you leave so its all warmed up....i used to hate waking up late for work 6am running outside brushing snow off the car and driving straight to work i would freeze my ass off the whole way there but if you get it started early or have a car starter it helps!

[CaseyB]

Having a separate detached garage is much better than no garage at all. In addition to the car, where are you going to put your lawnmower, tools, shovels, etc. You'd have to buy a shed. An attached garage is so much easier, especially one that opens onto the kitchen. Our house has a garage under and I curse when I have to carry the groceries up the stairs, and when the kids were little, I'd have to carry them and then go back to the car.

[ogre]

I may not have seen all of your threads or posts, Patapsco, so I haven't picked up the info about where you're moving from. With your concerns about cold and snow "up there in Boston," it sounds as if you're moving from a place with kind of mild winters. One thing I can reassure you about is that Boston's winters are not as bad as you may be picturing. If you are moving from some place warm, the winters here will seem pretty substantial by contrast, and it does get cold and snowy here, but be reassured that you are not moving to an Arctic wasteland. Boston is not situated deep in the Yukon.

Keeping this in mind, I think I can sum up the opinions that have been expressed here (including my own thoughts above) as follows: It's a pain to shovel snow first thing in the morning to be able to get your car out of the driveway. In a typical winter, it's not really all that often that it snows so much that you'd have to do this, maybe a few times each winter, nothing like several times a week, if that's what you're picturing. It's a pain to have to go and brush the snow off your car when there's a lighter snowfall. On a SUBSTANTIAL majority of days, it won't snow. A fair number of those days it will be frosty out, and your car's windows will be icy, and it's a pain to scrape them.

But, none of this is a major, major problem. There's also no need to be concerned about your children's safety if they're exposed to the cold walking between the house and the car. It's not that cold here. Even during the occasional (usually brief) spell of frigid weather, if they're bundled up in standard winter clothes, they (and you) might get a little nip on the nose, and might shudder briefly until the car warms up, but again, you're not moving to the Arctic. You are not taking your life or there's into your hands by stepping outside into the elements.

Bottom line: A garage is nice, but, unless it turned out to be a tiebreaker between two otherwise equally desirable houses, I would not turn down a house that suited your needs well just for the lack of a garage.

Hope this helps, and by the way, welcome to Beantown!

[Valerie C]

Hi Patapsco,
A garage is certainly a nice benefit, especially attached. However, there really is no need to worry about the kids. Being toddlers, they'll get used to the cold, probably quicker than you will Actually Ogre is correct, especially if you settle anywhere nearby to the coast, the vast majority of days will not be snowy, and truly it doesn't get all that cold *most of the time*. There are periods, however, that it's just WICKED COLD here. You might consider having an automatic starter installed... I have been thoroughly spoiled with being able to start my car on hot days and have it nicely cooled when I get in--can't wait to try the opposite this winter and jump into a nice WARM car!!

[Parsec]

I only have street parking and it didn't seem like a biggie for my infant last winter. I always felt her body tremble once as soon as we got out the door and she'd bury her face in my jacket, but she'd get adjusted pretty quick. The fact that my car warms up in about 20 seconds is pretty nice too. You have a fairly large budget (probably 50% higher than the median house here), so I'm sure you could splurge for the garage if you really want it. I wouldn't care for one though if I had a smaller budget of around $400k.

[puffle]

Originally Posted by Parsec

I only have street parking and it didn't seem like a biggie for my infant last winter. I always felt her body tremble once as soon as we got out the door and she'd bury her face in my jacket, but she'd get adjusted pretty quick. The fact that my car warms up in about 20 seconds is pretty nice too. You have a fairly large budget (probably 50% higher than the median house here), so I'm sure you could splurge for the garage if you really want it. I wouldn't care for one though if I had a smaller budget of around $400k.

Speaking of moving, are you and your wife going to stay in Newton or move closer to her school?

[smarty]

It is a need vs want thing again... In this case... I think it is mostly want!! nice to have..

Good luck....