Advice needed: DC home value: single garage vs 2 parking spaces

[Anonymous]

We bought a NW DC rowhouse this year with an "as-is" single car detached garage. The beams are rotting, the door stopped working, it's not watertight, and there are holes in the walls. Also, it's not wide enough to fully open the doors on our compact car. We've had a few contractors look at it, and only one thought it it could be repaired, probably for 10-15k. I'm skeptical that the total wouldn't be more.

We're expecting a baby and need a parking situation that will allow us to get the baby in and out of the car easily (and we will probably get a bigger car within a couple of years). We looked into replacing the garage with a 2-car garage, but the quotes were 60-90k, and we don't have that much money for this project.

My question is: how much could our home value decrease if we replace the (crappy) single car garage with two parking spaces + a shed?

I assume parking for 2 cars would appeal to some buyers vs. our current one-car parking. The shed would provide a place for a stroller, bikes, etc. because we have stairs between the house and alley. The project would cost at least 10k, probably more (take down garage, replace single car pad with permeable pavers for 2 cars, install shed, and install new back fence to close off yard).

Other context: we live within short walking distance of 2 metro stops and a few bus routes. On our block, ~2/3 of the houses have parking spaces in the alley, and ~1/3 have garages (none built recently). Our plat shows the garage structure. Our house was listed with a 1-car garage when we bought it, so the garage is in the MRIS records.

What do you think?

[Anonymous]

What about rebuilding it as a carport?

[Anonymous]

I'd rather have 2 parking spaces. There are people who will post that a garage is a requirement for them but I assume for people looking in the city they are generally more flexible as long as there is a parking space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about rebuilding it as a carport?

This. Keeps it shielded from snow and morning frost.

[Anonymous]

Only one home in the alley has a carport, which is a simple metal one that looks really cheap. I assume a more expensive one would cost more than the 2 spaces + shed option I'm considering.

In any event, I'm interested in the question about home value and taking down the garage (vs. 2 spaces, uncovered), so if anyone has advice on that, please let me know!

[Anonymous]

I also would prefer a carport, but lacking that, I'd prefer the 2 spots and a shed. At least I could add a carport later if I wanted, where it sounds like a garage closes off that option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd rather have 2 parking spaces. There are people who will post that a garage is a requirement for them but I assume for people looking in the city they are generally more flexible as long as there is a parking space.

This. Most people in the city don’t necessarily expect a garage.

[Anonymous]

I'd rather have 2 parking spaces but I think many many buyers would prefer a garage, so I'd be hesitant to tear it down. You could get a small minivan with sliding doors to get the baby out. There have a really small one - called Mazda 5.

[Anonymous]

As far as real estate values, have you compared sales of similar houses with two parking spaces versus a garage? I would start there.

[Anonymous]

We recently sold our row house in NW with a one car garage. It was a huge plus for buyers. We maxed out the height to get plenty of storage and put a deck on the roof to reclaim lost yard space. It's not a common thing to have so people won't require it, but everyone who looked at it exclaimed over it, and the people who bought it said the garage/deck was what sold them.

Not sure how wide your lot is, but a 2 car on our 18-foot wide lot would have only fit smart cars. WE did have room to park two cars before we built but it was tight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We bought a NW DC rowhouse this year with an "as-is" single car detached garage. The beams are rotting, the door stopped working, it's not watertight, and there are holes in the walls. Also, it's not wide enough to fully open the doors on our compact car. We've had a few contractors look at it, and only one thought it it could be repaired, probably for 10-15k. I'm skeptical that the total wouldn't be more.

We're expecting a baby and need a parking situation that will allow us to get the baby in and out of the car easily (and we will probably get a bigger car within a couple of years). We looked into replacing the garage with a 2-car garage, but the quotes were 60-90k, and we don't have that much money for this project.

My question is: how much could our home value decrease if we replace the (crappy) single car garage with two parking spaces + a shed?

I assume parking for 2 cars would appeal to some buyers vs. our current one-car parking. The shed would provide a place for a stroller, bikes, etc. because we have stairs between the house and alley. The project would cost at least 10k, probably more (take down garage, replace single car pad with permeable pavers for 2 cars, install shed, and install new back fence to close off yard).

Other context: we live within short walking distance of 2 metro stops and a few bus routes. On our block, ~2/3 of the houses have parking spaces in the alley, and ~1/3 have garages (none built recently). Our plat shows the garage structure. Our house was listed with a 1-car garage when we bought it, so the garage is in the MRIS records.

What do you think?

Maybe ask your realtor? They would probably know the value of a garage.

[Anonymous]

I think our lot is 22 ft wide, but we may only be able to build to 20 ft. I'd love to ask a realtor, but we are going not going to use our buyer's agent to sell in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think our lot is 22 ft wide, but we may only be able to build to 20 ft. I'd love to ask a realtor, but we are going not going to use our buyer's agent to sell in the future.

It seems like money is the primary thing you are asking about so...

Drop 120k for the 2 car garage plus a studio apt above, deck the top of that to reclaim yard space. Air bnb for 20k-25k per year and by the time you move it'll have paid for itself before appreciation

Dc just made it way easier to build alley apartments and even the strictest proposed airbnb regulations allow owners to rent assessory units

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think our lot is 22 ft wide, but we may only be able to build to 20 ft. I'd love to ask a realtor, but we are going not going to use our buyer's agent to sell in the future.

It seems like money is the primary thing you are asking about so...

Drop 120k for the 2 car garage plus a studio apt above, deck the top of that to reclaim yard space. Air bnb for 20k-25k per year and by the time you move it'll have paid for itself before appreciation

Dc just made it way easier to build alley apartments and even the strictest proposed airbnb regulations allow owners to rent assessory units

Though it will really be a 1 car plus stroller garage

[Anonymous]

It may depend on whether you have some petty/nuisance crime on your street- a garage will keep you from broken car windows, etc.