Hot Rods So normal people don't care about garages?

After reading all the replies, I still think it's funny that you asked the HAMB about normal people. If the HAMB had many normal people, I wouldn't be on here every day. Newer houses aren't, I think, built for us at all. My son bought a very nice expensive house in a hot neighborhood, and his wife's Explorer barely fits depth wise, and his F150 will never fit. The new stuff must be built for Prius and Leaf sized shit. My 48x22 tied to an 82 year old house isn't big enough for me, but the city won't let me add to it. Should have bought in the country back in the 80s.

 

If you've got the money for it, you might consider buying a second property, like an old commercial building. Around here, there are very few actual single family homes for sale of any size or price range, most sell immediately at prices above asking. But there are a fair number of business buildings for sale that sometimes can be very reasonable. Seems like there's more small businesses packing it in and selling out than there are people giving up 3% mortgages and selling their homes.

Not a cheap option, but sometimes cheaper than buying a big acreage and building a new house and a big shop, or adding a big shop to an existing property.

 

Find a realtor who is a car guy. They know where the houses with decent garages are located.

 

My wife usually has the garage opened up before I get home from work. She has a spot she sits near one of the bay doors. I can't imagine this NOT being normal.

 

..Great advice. I often look at real estate listings and marvel at how most agents have no clue that we want to know everything about any garage space associated with the house for sale. Often, they don't even include a picture!

 

all the homes I built in havasu all had rv garages.. and some double rv garages

 

Is this news? I thought everyone's known this since, like forever.

 

I had a nice house in a nice neighborhood in suburban Chicago on a double lot... with TWO garages... a 2 car and a 2.5 car garage, plus a 2 car parking pad... and I had a hard time selling it (ca. 2016). I thought the garages were a huge selling point. Nope. Most houses where I live now do not have a garage at all... or a place to build one.

Your best bet is to expand your search to include houses with space to build a garage.

 

If you think Mechanicvelle is mall Google my home town Grand Gorge NY total population of 800!

It was not until started Kindergarten that I discovered not everyone went to the stock car races every Saturday night. I thought everyone either owned, drove, worked on, or build race cars and if they did not they sat in the grandstands and watched.

From the mid 1980s to the early 2000s Grand Gorge had a crew of racers and race cars known as The Grand Gorge Gang who raced Fonda speedway!

During this time the lowest number of car and drivers was 5 to the largest number being 14!

 

I’ve only bought 2 houses in the 50 years my wife and I have been married. The first has a carport, so I turned that into a 2 car garage. The second had a nice, finished, 2 car garage, but no shop, so I had a 30x36 shop built. Been here almost 32 years, have no intention of ever leaving, except maybe in the hearse. Used to spend a lot more time in the shop than I do now, but couldn’t imagine being without it. My sanctuary, quiet place, (sometimes), place to be alone with my thoughts, and I think that we all need that, not being normal and all. Keeps me somewhat sane anyway.
My next money making venture is writing a book called, “How to turn your garage into a family room.”

 

Sounds like me for sure...
Chris Farley use to live in a van down by the river...per that song by Adam Sandler
I remember years ago now...my dad had a shop fire...his was 28x40 nice too...lost everything in it...he told my mother after it happened he wished it was the house that burned and not the garage...
I will never own a house without a place to go bang on old rusty metal...
"normal" people don't have a clue...

thanks for all the replies...I feel better...

MikeC

 

When we moved to Oregon from St. Louis, I told the realator that I wanted a large lot, a 3-5 car garage, and a 1 or 2 room house because my wife has to live somewhere. The first house she showed us was on a lot just shy of 1/2 acre, a 30 X 40 shop insulated and drywalled, with a nice ranch house. She listened well.

 

With the rain in Oregon, my buddy always said, "Land in Oregon isn't worth crap without a roof". I thought I had enough roof. Being up here for 36 years I filled up all available space and didn't save a work bay. I'm changing the oil in my pickup in the driveway.

 

Now we know why they have all these storage lots around.

 

I guess you need a better realtor? The one who helped us buy our current house (that has a 2 car attached garage and 1500 sq ft building out back) has 3 garages at her house, so she understands those of us who have our priorities straight



and pick a better neighborhood. I can see half a dozen big garages in back yards, from my back yard.

 

Ummmmmm. I live in mine, so don’t ask me.

 

Having to work in converted pigsty with a sloping floor is a right PITA but where I am (Austria) if you want a proper garage you need to move to the sticks and buy an old farmhouse which includes some kind of a garage. Problem is, most of these properties need total renovation because old and there's no telling what you'd find once you start. Newer properties usually have low roof garages meaning no lift so you end up crawling on the floor again. Best option would be to buy empty land and build to my needs but that won't be cheap... Decisions, decisions.

And yes, none of us is normal. Normal people buy a late model and don't ever touch it

 

Any pictures of your house garage??

 

X2!!

 

This should be ba t shirt.....

 

I am a mortgage professional and have been for 34 years. Part of my job is managing my referral sources which often usually includes coffee dates, lunches and happy hours to brain-storm marketing ideas. I have suggested to a couple of Realtors to specialize in "car properties". 4 car garages, shops, out buildings, garage mahals and even homes that have space and zoning (CCRs can be a pain) to allow for some renovation lending to build a shop. Advertise that online or perhaps at the roadster show or cruise ins, cars n coffee events, @Moriarity 's diner...wherever car guys gather.

They do it with horse properties and fly in/fly out homes for aviators, why not car properties. Most collectors have money, the purchases wouldn't be cheap homes. So far no one has followed my advice, and I don't get it. If I was interested in moving, I would stop and check out the board at the car show and see what properties are available.

We aren't the normal home consumers, but we all leave a wake of car properties in our path. We should be catered to. There is a market niche here that is being overlooked.

 

Normal people have garages and old cars, or want garages and old cars. Everyone who doesn't is abnormal.

 

I know a guy who lives in Arizona in a gated community that's only for car people. If you don't own a collectible car, or hotrod you can't buy a house inside the community. They don't want any riff raff that might complain about cars in there. They do have rules about not working on cars outside your garage, or having projects left on the streets, but it's still a neat idea to have all car owners.

 

Living in suburban Orange County every one has at least a 2 car garage and many have 3. Back in the 70-80’s when many were built near me a normal lot size was 7000 sf. Ours was 6000 because we had a park included. No HOA. I bought one the smaller homes new offset on the property enough for 11’ on the wide side. Back then at least 2 cars were in the garage including mine. As time went on my side of the garage was for our race car and the 11’ side transitioned into a nice covered area concreted in to the back of the house so I had 2 spots. Homes were all kept up, lawn mowed, and few parking on the street. Kids had bikes, street hockey and playing catch normal and half had basketball hoops on garage fronts including ours. Only my pickup is outside and it sometimes parks infront of my 11’ gate.
Today 1 major change happened; new Asians… no cars park in any garage, no one own lawn mower, and very few have gardeners.
They spend $1.25M to $2M+ to buy and very few don’t seem to care how it looks. They drive MB’s, BMW’s and Tesla’s are everywhere 5 on my block alone. I haven’t seen a ridden bicycle in 10 years but there are a few electrics hauling ass.
We are both 81 and not moving, I’m too old to start over.

 

there will never be another neighborhood built where I live with single family homes and a yard. everything is stacked up 4 stories or more tall. there are some nice ones with garages to park a car but I'm sure you can't to any real work there. I'd guess most of the S.F. Bay area is the same.

 

Quit talking about Havasu, yes we most all have big garages (mine's a 5 car) and this is very much a car town. (last count 52 deuces alone). 8,000 people when I moved here and it's now up to 60,000.

 

Most late models there's nothing to touch

 

Obviously, it hasn't been explained clearly to your wife what a "normal" specification you are using to choose the next house. Since you are not getting rid of any of your car stuff, normally, the new house would have to contain ALL of it. But you are willing to bend over backwards to have as much of it as possible out of the house and in a nearby garage/car shop. You're always thinking of the wife and going the extra mile to provide a pleasant lifestyle for her.
You're like a mighty hero. ........*.......**........ Yeah, that'll work if you explain it right.

 

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