Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A lot of it comes down to once you have it you hate to give it up. Our garage door opener wasn't working. I REALLY missed that little luxury, especially in the cold and snow last week. It's now fixed and I am happy. Our first 3 houses did not have attached garages nor did they have automatic door openers. Do I NEED them, no, are they a must in my next house, YOU BET. Same thing with the master bathroom. We had one, then didn't have one and boy did I MISS that. We have one again and again, do I need it, no, will I have one in my next house, YES.
I would give up some space/functionality for an older home again but that only goes so far too. I will not deal with old, drafty windows, high heat bills, etc. again so it would have to be the "right" older home to go back to that (older meaning 100+ years old with the nice woodwork, etc.).
I think it is neat that people have such different concepts of what is desireable. I dislike attached garages and woudl not have one. But then I do nto usualy park any cars in the garage anyway. It is too hard to get out of the car once it is in the garage. (unless you park one car in a two car garage). You will not get an attached garage in an older home.
I think it is neat that people have such different concepts of what is desireable. I dislike attached garages and woudl not have one. But then I do nto usualy park any cars in the garage anyway. It is too hard to get out of the car once it is in the garage. (unless you park one car in a two car garage). You will not get an attached garage in an older home.
Or your garage is big enough to get in and out of your car. We have no issues with that, but our old, TINY detached garage in our first house it certainly was an issue. Like I said, when we had detached garages we dealt with them, now that we have an attached garage, wouldn't want one ever again. There are plenty of older homes where the owners have attached garages to the houses. One of the oldest houses in MN (in Stillwater) just completed an attached garage addition to the house-did an amazing job matching the architecture of the house too.
I think it is neat that people have such different concepts of what is desireable. I dislike attached garages and woudl not have one. But then I do nto usualy park any cars in the garage anyway. It is too hard to get out of the car once it is in the garage. (unless you park one car in a two car garage). You will not get an attached garage in an older home.
That is truethat people have different desires. I can't imagine having a house without an attached garage. I have a three car garage, one bay is separate but I park two cars in the main (2-car) side and can fully open the doors on each car.
I love attached garages for safety reasons, you can pull inside and shut the door behind you, rather than walking to your door. It is very nice too that my cars stay clean and protected from the weather, and I don't have to scrape my windshield from snow and ice.
Here where I live a home without an attached garage would be seriously downgraded in price on the real estate market.
^^^
I'm with Coldjensens mainly for aesthetic reasons, I just don't find hulking garages attached to houses attractive at all- it's like they are a goiter sucking the life out of an otherwise potentially attractive and sweet home. But then I don't live in an area that ever gets that cold and certainly doesn't snow or ice so I might feel differently if I did.
In a small lot like mine a big garage and driveway would just overwhelm my garden area. We like to say we are garage/driveway poor but very garden rich and wouldn't have it any other way, our garage is actually very rare to be attached to a house as old as ours, 85 years. Some large Million dollar historic homes around here have detached one car garages the same size as mine, while some folks wouldn't consider them there are plenty who's most important qualities in a home don't include a big garage.
We thought we'd be in our house forever, even after kids came along.
First kid came and we immediately realized the house was no longer ideal.
So time to move on.
It seems most of my coworkers and associates are always looking to upgrade their homes. They buy a home, and immediately begin talking about the features they would like in their next home.
And the main theme is bigger, more bedrooms, more baths.
Is anyone ever satisfied with the home they live in?
I am happy with the size of my home: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3 car garage. If I would change anything about it, I would like a 4 car garage. But it isn't a big enough concern that I would consider looking for a new home, or building on to the home I have now.
Our house is small - under 800 square feet. We have two bedrooms (and one bathroom) and the "guest room" is very tiny and not really usable for anything except a "junk" room. When my dh's family comes to visit from Canada, we end up having to sleep on the pull out sofa in the living room and it's not comfortable *at all*.
I am hoping that, at sometime in the near future, we can build a small house on our property that is farther away from the road. That way we will have a little more room, and more privacy. It's still going to be two bedroom but we're putting in an additional 1/2 bath.
I never wanted a big house. Too much to try to keep clean. When you are busy all the time, it's really difficult to keep a house clean with three cats. LOL
^^^
I'm with Coldjensens mainly for aesthetic reasons, I just don't find hulking garages attached to houses attractive at all- it's like they are a goiter sucking the life out of an otherwise potentially attractive and sweet home. But then I don't live in an area that ever gets that cold and certainly doesn't snow or ice so I might feel differently if I did.
In a small lot like mine a big garage and driveway would just overwhelm my garden area. We like to say we are garage/driveway poor but very garden rich and wouldn't have it any other way, ours is actually very rare to be attached to a house as old as ours, 85 years. Some large Million dollar historic homes around here have detached one car garages the same size as mine, while some folks wouldn't consider them there are plenty who's most important qualities in a home don't include a big garage.
I totally agree, I hate the look of garages, it's just my opinion, but I prefer them behind the house out of sight, and it does get cold and snow here. Mine actually is next to my house, but still set behind so the house really stands out first and foremost. There is something strange about having a garage be front and center, I wouldn't even look at houses like that, it's like the car is more important than the people. I live in an older neighborhood so attached garages are rare, and generally disliked for aesthetic reasons, they don't fit in with all the character heavy homes, and that goes especially for the million dollar houses in the neighborhood because they tend to be even older than mine. People who choose to live in my area are looking for something different than a typical suburban lifestyle, we live in older homes with character close to city amenities and culture, that generally means smaller homes, no attached garages, but you get lots of character, great neighbors and the ability to walk to activities.
I can't imagine living somewhere where I was worried about the safety of my driveway, and needing to pull into the garage. I rarely park in my garage I like waving to my neighbors as I get in and out of the car, I live in a very close knit neighborhood where people know, and look out for each other. It's funny, I was actually out last night around midnight looking for a lost earring, I stepped on this ice melting stuff, and it made a crunching noise, I saw my next door neighbor look out to see who was there, I gave him a little wave that everything was fine, to me people who care are the best safety. That's probably the best thing about my house, I'd hate to live in one those suburbs with giant houses where no one knows their neighbors, they just drive everywhere, some don't even have sidewalks so neighbors can walk for exercise, or walk the dog, my dog and I know all the neighborhood dogs. I guess I'm old fashioned.
^^^
I'm with Coldjensens mainly for aesthetic reasons, I just don't find hulking garages attached to houses attractive at all- it's like they are a goiter sucking the life out of an otherwise potentially attractive and sweet home. But then I don't live in an area that ever gets that cold and certainly doesn't snow or ice so I might feel differently if I did.
In a small lot like mine a big garage and driveway would just overwhelm my garden area. We like to say we are garage/driveway poor but very garden rich and wouldn't have it any other way, our garage is actually very rare to be attached to a house as old as ours, 85 years. Some large Million dollar historic homes around here have detached one car garages the same size as mine, while some folks wouldn't consider them there are plenty who's most important qualities in a home don't include a big garage.
We had 84" of snow here last year....while I don't like the look of them, they sure are nice to have...
I've lived in my house for 24 years. It has served its purpose (acceptable square footage and good location), but there are two aspects of it I don't like: it's a townhouse and my bedroom faces the east so the morning sun wakes me up, especially in the summer. Those features don't warrant moving, IMO. Large homes are too hard to clean, heat, cool, and furnish, so I have no desire for one.
It seems most of my coworkers and associates are always looking to upgrade their homes. They buy a home, and immediately begin talking about the features they would like in their next home.
And the main theme is bigger, more bedrooms, more baths.
Is anyone ever satisfied with the home they live in?
I am happy with the size of my home: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3 car garage. If I would change anything about it, I would like a 4 car garage. But it isn't a big enough concern that I would consider looking for a new home, or building on to the home I have now.
Just to say...
Not "everyone" wants that bigger house in production...
Some just likes that bigger land no longer in production.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
