Browse Forums Increasing Home Value 1 Jun 15, 2009 1:06 pm Looking at the pros and cons of spending ~$25K on an attached double garage for the house. The DA has been approved but the construction estimates have blown out big time.
House is a 2 bedroom place on a 250 square metre block. Currently has off street parking for 2 cars which is open to the weather. Only storage I have outside is a Statco lawn locker. Will we be in this house for another 5 years max, before upgrading to something bigger. Should I spend the money for the double garage, or is this a classic case of over capitalizing? Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 2Jun 15, 2009 1:11 pm I think a double garage is a must for a 3 bedroom house or bigger.
On the other had if your house is a inner city 2 bedroom unit a single garage will be fine. Generally though I dont know who will complain if they had a bigger garage. Even if it does cost a bit more. Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 3Jun 15, 2009 1:11 pm With what you have described, there's no way I would be putting a double garage on your house, also very surprised it would even fit on such a small block. Building Thread viewtopic.php?f=31&t=13002 Site start: 8th July 2009 Handover: 11/12/2009! 5 months total build time. 40 sqs of luxuary...Bliss! Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 5Jun 15, 2009 3:55 pm My first instinct would be that you are overcapitalising for a 2 bed house on a small block, however it depends on your location. Do most other houses in your area have a double garage? If yes, then maybe it will be fine, if no, probably a waste of money. Also, consider the overall value of your house if you were to sell now? If you build the garage - will you be able to sell for an extra $25k? I'd be surprised! Good luck with the decision. Renovating a post-war house in Brisbane | On the first rung of the property ladder Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 9Jun 19, 2009 3:08 pm Would $10K on a new kitchen be money better spent? The dated kitchen and the lack of garage are the glaring deficiencies with this property, but there is no way Im going to fix both. Keeping in mind we will only be in this house for another 5 years tops. See below for current kitchen. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Area at the side of the house where double garage would go. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 10Jun 19, 2009 3:27 pm Blak, you have undercover carport for car, perhaps extend or upgrade that, say by putting a roller door at the front of the carport, that's always a plus compared to an open carport. Also I think your kitchen is in basically good nick and neutral colours so I would be inclined to leave it as is, not sure you will get back what you spend on it if you move on in 5 years, its not as if it is in awful condition - looks small (but I assume the size cannot be easily changed anyway and is probably reasonable for a small house) but in good general condition to me, especially for an older established house. Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 11Jun 19, 2009 3:56 pm Helyn Blak, you have undercover carport for car, perhaps extend or upgrade that, say by putting a roller door at the front of the carport, that's always a plus compared to an open carport. If I do drop the garage project, I will definitely pursue putting a double roller door across that space between the house and the side fence. It still wont give me the security of a garage, but its an improvement over what I have now I guess. Thanks for the feedback on the kitchen. At minimum I think new bench-tops and floor would freshen it right up. The current slate tile floor is quite foul. Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 12Jun 19, 2009 11:32 pm I personally think that the carport looks fantastic! I really love the look of it. I think it suits the house ? I wouldn't be spending 25k on a double garage if there were other things that the money could be spent on and the house only has 2 bedrooms. Our house thread: https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=18335 Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 13Jun 20, 2009 7:59 pm House prices are expected to drop a bit over the next few years - So I'd be suggesting to not spend anything you do not need to. $25k on a double garage wouldbe overkill IMO. Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 14Jul 26, 2009 7:57 pm If I would be a buyer of your house, I would actually prefer the carport as it is. The land is small and I would like to have a bit of a garden. I would not like the look of a garage door because it simply would not look good, the carport really suits the house. the kitchen looks very good for me. Maybe both expenses are over capitalizing? If you really want to spend money, maybe you look for other things to improve, like a solar hot water, polishing floors or the like. Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 15Aug 04, 2009 2:11 pm I have seen lots of people use their garages as extra rooms, not to sleep in, but for a party or playroom, study etc. I was wondering if the prospective buyer would see that as extra usable space? www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 16Aug 04, 2009 3:12 pm An outdoor entertainment area would be a good option. When indoors is tight for space it's nice to have somewhere outside to go when there are people over. Lifting and extending the roof on the carport so that space can be multipurpose - carport/entertainment area - would be more attractive to me than an upgraded kitchen. Honestly - that kitchen is not dated! Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 17Aug 04, 2009 3:27 pm I can't see how you would ever lose money on the sale of a property by adding a garage. Secure off street parking is a big advantage in any home. I would not even consider looking at a property without it. If comparing a similar sized property in the same area, I could only assume your place would be worth more than $25k more due to the garage. If you want it, even if only for 5 years, then I would say go for it. You have a sinlge carport there now, so you are not going to take up any more space in the depth of the land, only the width, which is currently not being used and wouldn't be used anyway if the carport remained. The backyard won't change. The only thing I would look for is to make sure asthetically the garage still looked nice alongside the house. Maybe even a single garage, with the possibilty of a future carport attached for a 2nd car. Maybe go down and talk to a local agent about their opinion on re-sale with and without a garage. Obviously they won't be able to predict the future, as prices may go up or down, but will be able to give you an idea based on today's market. Blog is now up - http://www.jbdave.blogspot.com/ Re: Double Garage = Over Capitalizing? 18Aug 04, 2009 4:41 pm I agree with jbdave, and also agree that the kitchen is just fine as it is. www.themaxbuild.blogspot.com forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20717&start=300 www.leahspaperpassion.blogspot.com Hi everyone, Looking for some advise. We are about to build an above ground pool in our backyard. There is a private sewer line running under the pool at 1.6m… 0 11762 Much a do about nothing. You can see the fall heading to the actual drains. 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