Anonymous wrote:I've never lived in a house with a garage so I don't see it as a necessity worth spending money on. Plus I'd be worried about fumes. Can't they get into your house?

What's a carport, a little shelter thing?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A neighbor mentioned wanting to convert their carport to a garage, but deciding against it.

Their decision had something to do with the cost of converting. If I recall correctly, they mentioned that the foundation of the carport was not the same as what was required by code for a garage, so they would have to tear the carport slab out and put a new one in before they could convert to a garage. That was more money than it was worth to them.

Yes, this is true.

OP - It is VERY expensive to convert a carport to garage. It's not like you slap up a few sheets of drywall and call Sears to install the garage door, it's much much much more than that. The carport concrete needs to rip out and a new thicker foundation laid (that is a big job in itself). The sides (studs, drywall) need to go up. Electrical needs to get done. Roofing. Attaching it to the house. Everything needs to be level, waterproofed. Garage door installed and aligned.
And inspected and to code.

So, yes, OP, it sorta is a big deal to convert. And probably why the home builder opts for carports as the "cheap" alternative to a garage and why those with carports have to think seriously if they want to put their money to a new kitchen or a garage.

Whoa, who said anything about permits? There's probably already an electrical outlet in the carport that we can tap into for the garage door opener and the existing slab already is strong enough for the car - adding the walls shouldn't be too much more. Come on, we can knock this job out before the Redskins game kicks off.

Anonymous wrote:We LOVE our carport. Every time we see our poor neighbors who park in the rain bc their garages are full of junk, we are so glad to have our carport. We park, keep the kids dry, car is protected. We have a shed out back for bikes, etc.

OP - It is VERY expensive to convert a carport to garage. It's not like you slap up a few sheets of drywall and call Sears to install the garage door, it's much much much more than that. The carport concrete needs to rip out and a new thicker foundation laid (that is a big job in itself). The sides (studs, drywall) need to go up. Electrical needs to get done. Roofing. Attaching it to the house. Everything needs to be level, waterproofed. Garage door installed and aligned.
And inspected and to code.

So, yes, OP, it sorta is a big deal to convert. And probably why the home builder opts for carports as the "cheap" alternative to a garage and why those with carports have to think seriously if they want to put their money to a new kitchen or a garage.



Whoa, who said anything about permits? There's probably already an electrical outlet in the carport that we can tap into for the garage door opener and the existing slab already is strong enough for the car - adding the walls shouldn't be too much more. Come on, we can knock this job out before the Redskins game kicks off.



Let us know how your "plan" goes once the first wall tips over.

Anonymous wrote:We LOVE our carport. Every time we see our poor neighbors who park in the rain bc their garages are full of junk, we are so glad to have our carport. We park, keep the kids dry, car is protected. We have a shed out back for bikes, etc.

Anonymous wrote:How many bikes can one guy possibly own?

Anonymous wrote:I also believe that there are regulations about how close the structure can be to the property line. I recall looking at a house that had a carport and asking about conversion, but being told that the county wouldn't allow it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are from the northeast and I agree that it's a little odd that so many expensive homes don't have garages (let alone 2 car garages). We ended up in a newer townhome, and this was one of the reasons.

Ha! You got me. I can't believe there are so many people in the Washington suburbs who live in townhouses. I can understand if you're living in a desirable, inside the beltway home but a townhouse outside the beltway? Blows my mind. Detached house with a carport everytime for this guy.

I'm sorry Mr Moneybags. I would LOVE to afford a desirable inside the beltway detached house...

Hey, I'm the townhouse PP and have no regrets. For the money, I have newer construction, open floor plan, a 2 car garage, a great location, and pool and tennis included. No way could I have afforded that in an attached home unless I'd have been willing to move way outside the beltway, which would be impractical given I work downtown.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are from the northeast and I agree that it's a little odd that so many expensive homes don't have garages (let alone 2 car garages). We ended up in a newer townhome, and this was one of the reasons.

Ha! You got me. I can't believe there are so many people in the Washington suburbs who live in townhouses. I can understand if you're living in a desirable, inside the beltway home but a townhouse outside the beltway? Blows my mind. Detached house with a carport everytime for this guy.

I'm sorry Mr Moneybags. I would LOVE to afford a desirable inside the beltway detached house...

Anonymous wrote:OP here- I'm surprised by these responses. Really no garages? It's actually our #1 criteria. My husband is a bicyclist and we have lots of bicycles. A garage would be a heaven send. We also have a convertible.

I'm from an area without basements and most homes had 3 garages and cars never sat out.