DC recently loosened the regulations on so-called "granny flats," making it a lot easier to rent out separate units on your property. If you put the money into expanding this space a little, as well as plumbing & electrical - it could pay for itself in time as a fully separate apartment.

Better yet - make it a 2 car carport + shed.

If you're going the shed route, maybe you could get an Amish shed guy to build a carport for you too?

Have you looked at some of the prefabricated garages? you order and they come install on a preexisting concert slab.. you may have to widen your current slab but with just concrete, I can't imagine that to be too expensive.

I haven't used this company but was looking into adding a garage to a house we were considering.
https://shedsunlimited.net/garages

Taking advantage of the fact that it's already zoned, you'll get the best value rebuilding it as living space - mancave/ playroom. That'll trump the value of a parking pad by far.

Anonymous wrote:

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

Waiting for Virginia to catch up to D.C. on this.

And I am hoping it doesn't -- so tired of gigantic, lot-filling houses that the owners can only afford if they have have an ADU.

How much to fix up garage to use as a shed and add also parking spots? If there's space for all of that.

Having parking at all would be a value to me whether it was a garage, a parking pad, a carport etc.

It's your house. You just bought it. What works for you? Worrying about what the next owner thinks is useless at this point, do what works for your lifestyle.

In the city I vote for 2 spots over a garage.

I would ask a realtor. if you don't trust the realtor who sold you your house, try the buyers agent or another realtor in the neighborhood. They would probably be happy to give you some free advice in exchange for building up good will.

I just bought in DC (mt pleasant) and to me a one car detached garage or two parking spots plus a big shed would be about the same value to me. For context, one of the reasons we bought our house was a one car attached garage.

I do agree with considering a carport later for snow, etc - but that seems like something you could add later.

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

Waiting for Virginia to catch up to D.C. on this.