Help - awkward garage!

4 years ago

Team,

Was hoping for some counsel. We purchased a corner property earlier this year that has an awkwardly shaped garage. One entrance is off the street. The second entrance is off a narrow rear lane. From the overhead image, you can see that the second garage door is set back and at an angle to (theoretically) ease access. It gets better:

- Garage is a "contributing" structure within a historic district and can't easily be replaced;

- Between the two doors is a city electrical pole that (may) not be able to be moved (precluding a three car access from the rear).

The easier option would be to make it function better as a two car garage. I expect it would help to expand the size of the second diagonal opening? Could expand it from ~9.6' to ~13.7' i.e. make the from the corner labeled "1.53" directly across to the NW corner (red line in image)?

There is an (expensive) world where I relocate the city pole, expand the depth of the garage to be > 20.8' across and add a three car garage door off the rear lane. Cost wouldn't be insignificant. The Q I have is re: return on investment - in a inner city neighborhood, is a 3 car garage a strong selling point? I could certainly make use of the space but it's only "nice to have" for me.

Cheers,

Tom

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Comments (4)

mtvhike
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Are you doing this for yourself or for a potential future purchaser? And, where on your diagram is the power pole?
Tom Nolasco
Original Author
4 years ago
This is for myself, but I do have an eye on the next owner (and their needs). I only have need for two vehicles but the house is large enough to warrant three. I don't mind leaving the third car renovation for the next owner however.

In the image above, the pole would be above the label "17.22" by about two / three feet.

Cheers,

Tom
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3onthetree
4 years ago
Keeping as is: Recessing the angled wall further inward to make the door wider seems moot and a waste. It wouldn't make anything easier considering you'd be reducing depth to about 16', and the door still only allows 1 subcompact car, which already has a tight turning radius to make it into the garage, so you gain little for the money/trouble spent.

Teardown: From what I've seen any secure and enclosed storage in the city is a bonus and contributes to value. Many people rent out parking spaces in their garage. However, I can't imagine the dough and politics required to move that pole, with what looks like the transformer for a few houses and a streetlight. You may be lucky if it falls between a 16'+8' door though. Add on top getting through historical commission on a teardown. If for some reason your house value supports it and you have gobs of equity in it, then I'd try to maximize starting from scratch with other functions, like a rooftop deck, high attic storage, outdoor fireplace, something additional than just a single-purpose garage.
Tom Nolasco
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you very much for the thoughtful response. It would be a bureaucratic nightmare to tear down and excessively expensive as landmark would insist on masonry and custom mill work finishes (and fair enough I suppose). I am already into kitchens and bathrooms but there's a livable attic space which wouldn't take much to make appealing as a rumpus room for children plus a landscaped garden to tackle (it has a 65' rear yard which is very unusual for Chicago) etc.

I will leave it for the next person. Always nice to leave an obvious place to add value. I now need to work out how to make it serviceable in it's current form!

Cheers,

Tom