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Same here. All the new homes are in the 4,000 sf range with 3 car garages, but the width of those garages is still the standard 16' width, and sometimes with a post between the two doors.
The usual new home with a three car garage here has a two car garage and then a 1 car opening beside it. Many of these homes are in the 3000 square foot range, some even smaller.
I have a two car garage in my house that is 20 years old. And I admit, it's a tight fit to put my husband's HUGE truck and my mid size SUV in there but it can be done - we found out how it can be done when large hail was predicted.
Like someone else said, if you live in an area that has hail storms, you learn you better actually use the garage for PARKING. LOL!
True, though one would think a 3000 sq ft floor plan house has plenty of space to install a properly wide side by side three car garage with additional space for bikes and other items.
I totally agree with the mini copper joke statement. As builders have no trouble doing the same with 2000 sq ft floor plans not so long ago.
One would also think think that ample spacious parking in addition to walking space and yard is why people pay a premium to live a stand-alone single family house and not buy a more affordable townhome or condo.
Though I notice that there was short a time when 3 or even 4 garages are in, but the fad for interestingly for some reason is fading in recent years even though houses are still getting bigger. I be curious why market research don’t seem to reflect the demand of consumer for wider parking as I mentioned people and what they drive are getting bigger. But driveways and garages are getting narrower if there is any driveway space at all. I know in townhomes there are often almost no driveway space.
Apartments and condos are often built with very tight parking for residents and guests alike while most of the property seem like wasted space.
Not every family wants so much garage space. However, my property boasts a giant three bay contractor's style garage (converted from an old barn) and we love it!!! And feel very lucky to have found and been able to buy this place.
However, this property was on the market for a long time, before we found it. And another thought, we have been told that there is about $65K worth of concrete slab underneath this garage... so building houses with large garages would cost more and perhaps, potential buyers wouldn't want to pay that additional cost. Our garage was build several decades ago, and no way could we afford to build a new garage like it.
Not every family wants so much garage space. However, my property boasts a giant three bay contractor's style garage (converted from an old barn) and we love it!!! And feel very lucky to have found and been able to buy this place.
However, this property was on the market for a long time, before we found it. And another thought, we have been told that there is about $65K worth of concrete slab underneath this garage... so building houses with large garages would cost more and perhaps, potential buyers wouldn't want to pay that additional cost. Our garage was build several decades ago, and no way could we afford to build a new garage like it.
Wow I guess thats a more plausible explanation why garages did not grow much if not shrunk over the years, though hard to understand when the entire house these days practically sits on a concrete slab. It appears Builders would do whatever to make buyers pay more yet not necessary get more. I serious doubt people don't want more garage and storage space particularly with outside appearances being paramount(this I mentioned in another post that some people would refuse window a/cs and rather sacrifice a good nights sleep) and communities getting pickier on cluttered driveways, garages, and even backyards. And that families generally own multiple cars that are getting bigger with each redesign.
I don't understand is why do you make so much wasted space when making the housing stock take up more real estate but not much of it is practical?
There is no denying that people are getting bigger over the years and so has the average production car, SUV, van, or truck. Thus it makes perfect sense for homebuyers' demand that larger homes to be built. But despite builders making houses bigger and bigger over the years the size of a home garage or space allowed for each car has hardly grown at all. Many people frown upon parking in their garages as its hard to open the door to get in and out without banging into another car, bike, wall, or items in the garage and the hassle having to back the car out to let guests in so they don't have to squeeze in. So unless a community's HOA is super strict on enforcing garage parking residents more often than not, avoid parking in their tight garages despite the much higher risk of a car break in which happens even in the nicest of neighborhoods.
The best garages I see have three separate doors guaranteeing a descent amount of door space between cars. and have a separate storage area for your bikes and other excess. But these are very rare even in 3000+ sqft homes. Even if the house does have a 3 car garage its not practical sometimes to even to park two cars inside due to the way the inside space and doors are configured.
I be curious why? It appears floorplans are getting larger but not more practical in modern homes.
And these are big single family homes, don't even get me started on how tight the parking provisions are in most multi family communities such as apartments, townhomes, and Condos.
What about the driveway leading up to this garage being so short, that you can't park a single car outside, as its butt end sticks out into the road?
In the large scale developments of cookie-cutter homes, its all about the biggest amount of (usable) square footage thats possible on a small lot. The garages are then fit in, often on the street side of the house giving the house no curb appeal and a really short driveway where everyone parks on the street.
In the larger and more expensive homes you tend to see larger attached garages.
Then there is these "Monster" garages going up around me where there has been a lot of tear-down activity.
They are building massive 2.5 car garages with a 2nd floor. In many cases these garages are larger than the house they tore down.
What about the driveway leading up to this garage being so short, that you can't park a single car outside, as its butt end sticks out into the road?
True I mentioned that, driveways are very narrow as well and sometimes getting narrower than before, for each car are as tight or tighter than the average shopping center parking stall when another car is parked beside it. Plants or mud often line the sides. Which is interesting when you have otherwise generous space in your home lot. Which makes it difficult when two cars parked side to side or when a car try to back out of a garage when another car is parked on the other side of the driveway particularly if they are both SUVs.
On townhomes or townhome like single family home community driveways of many homes are often like this.
There are also neighborhoods like my own in which there is an official rule in which garage must be used to park first and not blocked with storage and driveways only used for overflow or visitor parking. Other parts of the community are for visitor/guest parking only. But enforcement is not uniformal at all. All based on who, how, and what the management/board allows to get away with or not. I.e they may only enforce it on cars that look junked in their eyes, people who try to squeeze a third car on the expanded concreted side(for appearance reasons) of a driveway they consider is designed for only two, vehicle that they consider extend too far back, and vehicles with advertisement onside or look like a commercial or recreational van. Some neighbors often move their cars to guest parking in front of neighbors house as they are tired of shuffling cars on their narrow driveways. Though since its a rule there is no telling how the new board will interpret it. If one is dinged by the neighborhood and could not use garage for any reason, i.e already occupied by cars or blocked by storage they cannot move cars would have to be parked a 1/2 mile away on public streets.
Having said all that won’t it make better sense if builders build open car ports instead which means much more room than enclosed garages and is much cheaper to build as well?
Last edited by citizensadvocate; 07-11-2019 at 02:20 PM..
True I mentioned that, driveways are very narrow as well and sometimes getting narrower than before, for each car are as tight or tighter than the average shopping center parking stall when another car is parked beside it. Plants or mud often line the sides. Which is interesting when you have otherwise generous space in your home lot. Which makes it difficult when two cars parked side to side or when a car try to back out of a garage when another car is parked on the other side of the driveway particularly if they are both SUVs.
On townhomes or townhome like single family home community driveways of many homes are often like this.
There are also neighborhoods like my own in which there is an official rule in which garage must be used to park first and not blocked with storage and driveways only used for overflow or visitor parking. Other parts of the community are for visitor/guest parking only. But enforcement is not uniformal at all. All based on who, how, and what the management/board allows to get away with or not. I.e they may only enforce it on cars that look junked in their eyes, people who try to squeeze a third car on the expanded concreted side(for appearance reasons) of a driveway they consider is designed for only two, vehicle that they consider extend too far back, and vehicles with advertisement onside or look like a commercial or recreational van. Some neighbors often move their cars to guest parking in front of neighbors house as they are tired of shuffling cars on their narrow driveways. Though since its a rule there is no telling what the new board will interpret it. If one is dinged by the neighborhood and could not use garage for any reason, i.e already occupied by cars or blocked by storage they cannot move cars would have to be parked a 1/2 mile away on public streets.
Having said all that won’t it make better sense if builders build open car ports instead which means much more room than enclosed garages and is much cheaper to build as well?
Once you give them the security of a garage, and it is come to be expected with every successive home, it's hard to talk people out of it. Here's a great example of a neighborhood I considered when traveling to Atlanta. Driveways are wide enough (with two singles) but are so short!
There are driveways in one community where you have to use your garage or park across the front of the garage because there is no real driveway it’s like 3 feet long it’s ridiculous.
My vacation house has a 3 car garage. It's 1250 square feet. Just about right.
My primary house has a 4 car garage. It's about 1100 square feet. I wish it were a bit wider.
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