We had covered (but open-walled) carport as a kid in the south. We enclosed it and turned it in a LR below the primary BR when I was 12. Haven't had one since.

I don't really miss it. Well, most of the time, anyway. I think about having one when we get snow (rare here, and not as much an issue with remote start and blasting the car's heater). I miss it more during tulip poplar aphid season and all the sticky honeydew when it doesn't rain.

Personally I couldn't buy a house with a garage because my husband is obsessed with tools and we need a place to store things I don't want in my house

+1 with a garage in the city. DH's flat had one in SF. It was so easy to visit him. Bonus: you don't ever have to worry about your car getting broken into. We live in a nice neighborhood in the DC area, and a lot of cars are getting broken into. Easy pickings and nice cars = attractive to thieves. We always park our cars in our garage.

Here’s what I would do:

Instead of a garage, build a carport with an integrated shed so you have storage. Except instead of a regular roof make the carport structure be a second story deck.

That way you maximize use of the space even when the car is parked there. It will be like a kid’s clubhouse. A covered cement slab is also great for playing in the summer. Kids can use sidewalk chalk and you can set up a water tables and store bikes/wagons/scooters and all the kids stuff.

I grew up in a climate where a garage or at least a carport is a necessity -- we got a lot of snow. But here? Don't care. We have three kids and a dog, and I want all the fenced yard I can get.

Clearly a lot of our neighbors do care, though. I seem them adding enormous garages despite our tiny lots.

Do what's going to make living in the house better for you, OP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hugely important for people who have ever had one. It’s one of those things people won’t go back from.

+1 This is my take and I’ve never had one. I don’t care but the people who do really love them. OP, I would start with a parking pad off the alley since it’s so much cheaper to do.

+2 when we were looking to buy, DH felt garage was mandatory. I didn’t care at the time, but now won’t go back.

Anonymous wrote:Once you have one, hard to see ever going back. I’ll never buy a house without a garage again. So yes, I think it increases your pool of buyers.

+1

I love having my garage and would never buy a house without one.

But, it's what you are used to. My family has lived in the city with street parking and coming home at night in the rain or snow and looking for a spot close to your home can be a nightmare. It's late, you are tired and just want to get inside.

Anonymous wrote:I looooooovvvveeee my garbage, esp. after not having one when my kids were little. But mine is attached and goes right into the kitchen, which makes a huge difference.

A detached one isn’t as appealing, but yes, no snow to remove, keeps it cool in the summer and free of pollen.

Interesting, I like a detached garage, but I would not buy a house with an attached garage. Too many stories about CO poisoning.

Eh. We're in a rowhouse in Petworth that came with a nice roofed-in parking pad. We almost never use it since we have easy street parking out front. I'd have strongly preferred a larger yard. I do like the automatic garage door opener for getting my bike in and out, lol.

Anonymous wrote:We wouldn’t buy a house without a garage. For us, and many of our neighbors, a garage is essential.

+1. My DH refuses to buy a house without a garage, or at least a large outdoor shed. FWIW, we’ve lived in very urban areas, where a garage is harder to find, but it was always a requirement.

It sounds like you don’t particularly want to park in a garage, so you probably wouldn’t get much pleasure out of having one. Maybe a good compromise is to put a sport court/parking pad in the corner of your back yard with a power overhead door replacing part of the fence. Good safety/security and easy to park in. As a buyer, I would probably pay up for this similar to a one-car garage, but it must cost far less to put it in. And it makes your yard look bigger than a garage would. If the next owner wants covered parking, they could put an elevated deck over the pad (or a garage).

I wish I had a garage. Sigh.

Anybody with a car is aware that outside parking increases wear and tear so it has value beyond the garage itself—having one also prolongs the life and value of your vehicle(s).

Anonymous wrote:Hugely important for people who have ever had one. It’s one of those things people won’t go back from.

+1 This is my take and I’ve never had one. I don’t care but the people who do really love them. OP, I would start with a parking pad off the alley since it’s so much cheaper to do.

Once you have one, hard to see ever going back. I’ll never buy a house without a garage again. So yes, I think it increases your pool of buyers.