Why so many homes have garages in basement in Westchester
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The pie shaped lot is the problem in their flexibility of design. The rules in Bedford, for example, require the house to sit inside a rectangle on the property, all of which must be inside the lot by some measure (I can’t remember the number of feet.) because of this, the builder of this house would have about as much flexibility as a house on a 0.5 acre lot (even though the lot is >1 acre). There is room in the back, but there are also limitations on the driveway as well. That is why I think the only other option in this case would be to have a detached garage in the back. Those are slightly less popular that basement garages.
Thanks, makes more sense now. It appears the builders are simply working within the constraints of the local regulations. I'm getting too old and don't really like the idea of transporting groceries, Costco items and everything else from the garage up a bunch of steps. But I guess this is life in Westchester.
Thanks, it makes more sense now. I didn't realize there were lot size limits. But I still do see this phenomenon on larger lots. Even in northern Westchester. Here is an example of a home in Bedford with a 1.24 acre lot. Its a relatively flat lot. but the garage was built into the basement. It appears that they dug the driveway out to make this happen. With this size lot it would have been easier to place the garage on grade.
I guess what I'm saying is that even on lots where a first level garage is possible, many choose to put their garages in the basement, regardless of lot size. It seems like there is a preference for this style.
The heck with the garage. I would avoid this property because of the gray/gray/gray all imported from HCTV.
Also, if you are not used to a room over a garage, be aware that it will suffer from weather temperature fluctuations unless the (generally) un-air-conditioned/heated garage has superior insulation in the ceiling to protect the room above.
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