Retain garage set in rear of garden or remove and have nice garden?

8 years ago

Apologies for the long post but..

My wife and I have bought a Victorian end-terrace in a semi-rural village (with plenty of free, on-street parking). It has a decent-sized garden, especially for a terrace, though currently it is concreted and gravelled over and has an old garage set in one of the rear corners. The two terraces adjoining our block also have mature gardens with no garage. Our garage is accessed via an extremely tight driveway/passageway along the side of the house - so tight you really cannot reverse down it.

We bought it with a view to turning the garden back to lawn (perhaps with a small patio area too) and make it a proper family garden to be enjoyed again though to do so would really necessitate removing the garage as if we left it one would need three-point-turn onto any lawn to get the car back out the garage/garden again. It would also take-up a large portion of the garden if it were left.

My concern now is whether this is likely to be of more value when we sell in a few years or whether the garage with concrete garden is better? As we see it, we viewed and bought on the basis that we thought we'll turn it back to lawn and gardens of this size are quite rare for such terraces in the area. You can also back the car onto the start of the driveway at the front of the house if you really didn't want to park on the road and we have two sizeable sheds for storing anything that may go in the garage.

Would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this.

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Taylor Made Gardening

8 years ago

My opinion would be that firstly in regards to resale, if you're saying the gap is very tight and three point turn would be needed then future buyers would be of the same view. From a family perspective a larger, usable garden would definitely be the way to go. If you provide some images we're always willing to suggest some ideas.

Hope this helps if a decision hasn't been made already.

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Comments (11)

seniordiva
8 years ago
Seems more trouble than it's worth what with the access problems.......get rid of and have a lovely garden to enjoy.
minnie101
8 years ago
Garages do add more value especially in large towns but I'm not sure the value would be so high in a rural village with street parking. You could check with the estate agent as you've just bought it. If you bought it in order to enjoy a nice garden I would say go ahead and do that as the likelihood is a nice garden where you are will command as much money (I'm just guessing by the way!)
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I’m in a semi detached but might as well be classed as a terraced as there’s no direct access straight through to the garden. The access is difficult as everything would need to taken down a very narrow path (access for small cars to be parked in rear garages) I’ve been told there‘s a lot of manual work which is why the cost altogether is quite high. I’ve been quoted £300 per day for labour and it will take 7days for everything to be taken out completely from the garden. On top of this a minimum of 3 skips costing around £700. The garage is also quite high up and I would need a retaining wall once taken out and landscaping starts. Our budget was around £7k for completing everything but we getting quotes around £9500. 😩
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PRO
Mark Lane Designs
8 years ago
This is a difficult one. Many people see garages as a selling factor, but many are not wide or long enough for modern cars. Also, modern cars are now built to withstand all of the elements, and with anti-corrosive paint etc they can more than happily survive outside. If you do not use the garage as a place to 'store' the car then it will inevitably become a place to store everything else. From a garden design point of view think about the direction of the sun. If the garage gets most of the sun during the day then perhaps it would be better to remove it. If the area gets sun later in the evening then again, perhaps take it down. By the sounds of it you have plenty of options for parking elsewhere so in my opinion I would take it down. If the base of the garage is in good condition, you could re-purpose the area for a summerhouse or garden office or patio. With regards to the concrete and gravel garden make sure there is enough drainage and that any excess water runs away from the house, otherwise you could end up with rising damp issues. I fully understand why some people prefer a 'maintenance-free' garden with the use of concrete and gravel, but I would always favour soft planting. Yes, it would cost to remove the garage and the concrete but if you and your family get more pleasure from a family garden, then surely this is money well-spent. You should also remember that outside space in the form of a garden is a big selling point - perhaps more than an awkward garage. If you live in a family catchment area, then future buyers will be looking for a family garden. You can still include a patio and storage sheds to replace the garage, but these can be more easily disguised in to a well-designed garden.

So, as I say this is a difficult question, but in my opinion I would remove the garage and create a wonderful garden that you can enjoy.
PRO
User
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Just noticed so adding this line as an edit - the original post was made several months ago. Any progress to date Bing?

Much of the perceived value of a garage is in storage and, in some areas, security against car theft and vandalism. You tell us you have two good sheds for storage and your description as being in a semi-rural setting conveys an impression of low or very low levels of theft or vandalism. The point has already been well made by Mark Lane Designs that modern vehicles hardly need the shelter and you have said yourself that the garage in question could hardly offer that shelter anyway.

As minnie101 suggests, check with a local estate agent first. It would seem, however, that getting rid of the garage, the concrete and the gravel will offer more than its cost in increased financial value terms as well as, more importantly in my own view, giving you a much nicer place to live in.

Design the replacement to suit your own family lifestyle. If you would like help with that, I suggest starting a new thread with a description of what you would like to achieve - the lifestyle bit - with the space available and either some pictures or a plan showing what is there now.
PRO
Mark Payne Landscape Design
8 years ago
I would say if you have plenty of storage and there is no problem with parking, give yourself some more space, remove the garage and expand your garden.

Get the potential from the space, you are not going to loose value in your property by removing it as you will be investing in the landscape of your garden. What are you going to get more enjoyment and joy from, life is about living and appreciating what is around you. You want to enjoy the space you have just bought, so allow it to reach its potential!

We hope you reach a resolution to your problem and have a beautiful space regardless of your choice.

Mark Payne Landscape Design
Bing
Original Author
8 years ago
Hi all and thanks for your input over the past few months. Apologies for the belated response but I've been busy bringing a now-nine month old into the world since I posted!

That said, he was the reason behind getting on with the work in the past few weeks and we eventually decided to retain the garage on the basis that many people will value it (either for car or junk) and that we will still have a decent sized garden.

I've attached a few photos of the work which is not complete but getting there. The first is a 'before' shot, taken diagonal from the driveway part of the side of the garden showing some of the completely gravelled and concreted garden.

Then we have the 'after' featuring some of the patio and the newly-laid turf. I've also included a top-down view from the loft room to give a better idea of the layout.

Needs a bit of tidying-up still, some plants to go in, some trees trimming etc but you get the idea, hopefully.

So far very pleased with the results and just hope the grass takes root!
PRO
Lavin Landscape & Ground Maintenance
8 years ago
Just an idea, why not turn the garage into a garden room? you could split the garage in two. That is: leave the front where the garage door as a shed and rear as a garden room?
anneroche
7 years ago
Could the garage be moved forward to beside the house. Think a summer house or play house could be lovely in the garden
HU-718514735
2 years ago
Hello, do we need to speak to planning before lifting the drive and replacing with turf and plants? same problem; can not get any car bigger than a Fiat 500 into the garage and then the doors of the car will not open as too liitle room. (Who built them this way?).
Bing
Original Author
2 years ago
Hi there, as far as I know, no, you shouldn't need obtain any permission to turn a drive into turf/plants; if anything it's probably the opposite that is more the issue these days where countless front gardens are paved-over thus removing natural rainwater drainage into the soil and instead sending it into the street, gutter and storm drains!

As for removing the garage due to its ineffectiveness, we did retain ours at that house (no longer there) in the end as viewed the storage benefit in keeping it over actually putting a car in it and figured buyers would think the same, so potentially did add value keeping it. But each to your own; if this is your long-term home then it's better to do what suits you and if not and you can still have a decent garden with it there, then maybe keep it as we did.

Retain garage set in rear of garden or remove and have nice garden?

Taylor Made Gardening

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Retain garage set in rear of garden or remove and have nice garden?

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