Making the most of a single-garage situation

When we were shopping for a bigger house, a double garage was on the "must have" list. So naturally, we bought a home with a single garage. What can I say, the rest of the house was exactly what we wanted for a good price, so I caved.

The upside: this is the biggest single garage I've ever seen. A full-size 1968 Buick slides in with room to spare (and work).

So in an effort to make the most of a less than ideal situation, I gave it a makeover. I still need to do the floor but that will have to wait until spring.

Me = Jealous . . .

Park the less important ones outside. What you have is freakin gorgeous. I got a lousy car port.

A double garage was on our "must have" list too. We bought a house without a garage at all. Next summer will solve that though.

Nice garage!

I miss my 2 1/2 car garage. Apartment living sucks

I have no garage at all, but my dad's place about 40 minutes drive away has a two car garage, as well as a 5 car two story barn.

My dad has a garage that could hold 40 Miatas (seriously-and it's a heated, drywalled garage, not a barn or commercial building). Unless I move back in with him (not gonna happen), I'll be happy with my 24x24 2-car garage. Good job working with whatever you have.

Wow, that is an incredibly pretty Buick.

looks great. Although I have a double garage, I know how you feel since I am only allowed to use 1/2 of it (wife's 4Runner parks on the other side). Luckily my GT6 is a bit smaller than a Buick :)

That's amazing. Puts my off-site single car garage to shame.

Really nice work space! But a single stall? Where will SHE park?? Is that her Buick? LOL!

My next garage requirement (from my current two stall attached) is a 3-stall with one or two bays that is two stalls deep.

More details & pics. on the land yacht please!

Any room for expansion? Out the front, side, back?

It doesn't matter how many garages you buy, you're always one short. Our house had two, added a third, and now has a 20 foot enclosed hauler parked next to the driveway. Every bay is full, the tow vehicle sits outside, and only two people live in the house. You are always one bay behind the curve

car39 wrote: It doesn't matter how many garages you buy, you're always one short.

True dat! Our 3 car garage is oversized at just a hair under 1000 SF. I can park the missus' Mazda3, my S10 blazer, the Fiero and the Puma and still have tons of room around all three. I can still get to the back wall of the garage where my workbench, tools, spare parts all sit. The shop is 24 x 42 and is roomy enough for the TVR buildup.

I'm thinking of adding to the fleet -- thinking of keeping the blazer which has no resale value but is in excellent shape for 125k and getting an FJ cruiser (they tow 5k which is good enough for the tiny cars I have!). The missus says trade in the blazer to get rid of it.....I think that if I just move a few things around in the shop, I can get another car in there........or just get a large garden shed for the lawn tractor and the yard implements of destruction............

At this point, I'd settle for a concrete pad to work on. I have a shed, and an attached over hang, that I can fit the entire mini under, but not myself. Or I can nose in a car, and work with a roof over my head. It's a non conforming structure zoning wise, so I can't do much, but I think I'll "repair" it this summer and make it big enough to make it a car port, with a concrete pad.

Thanks guys.

Expansion is out of the question. Making it deeper would anger my wife, since it would mean parking in what was her kitchen. Going wider would involve knocking down my neighbor's west wall, something I'm reluctant to suggest.

i wanted a double garage as well, and ended up in the same situation...perfect house otherwise, so now i have a single. but mine is a small one...relatively deep, but very narrow w/ a low ceiling. makes it difficult to work on the car, but also keeps the wife's SUV from parking in there.

then again, it is a HUGE step up from working on the car in a parking lot or on the street, so i can't complain too much.

As for the Buick, it's a 1968 LeSabre with a the original 350 ci / Turbo 400 combo. It's bone stock but thanks to 10.25:1 compression and a 4-barrel Q-jet, the motor makes 280 hp and 375 ft-lbs.

I dropped it 3 inches and proceeded to beat on it for 7 years as a daily driver (except for winters). The past few years it's just been a toy.

I love it to death but with a second kid on the way and the desire to go autocrossing, I'm strongly considering selling.

If this guy can attack cones, so can the Buick.

That's awesome

Oh . . .And nice Buick . . .

I have a one car garage as well. I love my house and my neighborhood, its just one of those sacrifices. when I bought the house I was car poor. Now I'm back in the enthusiast world, but I have an MGB GT so plenty of room in the one car. I don't like to work with the door closed, though, it feels closterphobic.

My other cras can brave the elements. My next ride will either be a galvanized Porsche 944 or a GMC/Chevy step side truck from the 80's. I can't decide. Either way, I'm comfortable with outside parking.

Nice set up to the OP.

Im very jealous. Every time I clean my 2 car garage or instal new organizational hoozywhatzits, I tell myself "ok now this garage is going to stay pretty and look like it belongs in a mag for good...no more messes!". That lasts about 8 minutes.

At least the mess tells me its used and worth the extra cost over a house with a smaller space.

thats not as comforting as I thought it would be

My stepdad bought a 3 car garage with a detached house. His words. He couldnt even tell anyone what the house looked like.

Not too many years ago I built a grassroots style* pole barn in my backyard. I designed it to contain storage, work space, and room for 3 cars. Now it's entirely storage; there's enough room left over for a bicycle.

*18' X 45', 9 posts, joined entirely by mortise/tendon and dovetail. No screws or nails (except for the tin roof).