House hunting. Would I regret a one-car garage? (Denver: houses, cost)

[Tallish]

Just moved here from Dallas where I had a two-car garage. I'm house shopping right now and seeing a lot of houses with a one-car garage. I keep thinking that I want a two-car garage for me and my future girlfriend/wife. I don't want to park my Tahoe outside and I don't want to argue with my spouse about who gets to park in the garage. That said, would I regret having a one-car garage here in the Denver area due to the weather, for example?

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by Tallish

Just moved here from Dallas where I had a two-car garage. I'm house shopping right now and seeing a lot of houses with a one-car garage. I keep thinking that I want a two-car garage for me and my future girlfriend/wife. I don't want to park my Tahoe outside and I don't want to argue with my spouse about who gets to park in the garage. That said, would I regret having a one-car garage here in the Denver area due to the weather, for example?

Welcome! Left DFW in 2011, and I haven't missed it at all since. There are two kinds of cars here - those that already have hail damage, and those that will. Keep that in mind.

[RationalExpectations]

Hold out for a 2 car garage; 3 car garage would be better still.

"I wish my garage were smaller" --- said no one ever.

[Therblig]

IME, once all or half of a garage becomes a storage unit, it never goes back to being a garage. Furthermore, I have seen very few two-car garages that actually contain two cars.

If you really intend to park your car there, then I would not rule out a house that meets all your other needs but only has one space.

Perhaps the biggest reason for indoor or covered parking here is hail. Having to clear a little snow after storms is... just not that big a hassle. But you and your future other may think differently.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, I have a lot of neighbors with extra vehicles, and garages that don't quite fit two cars (one large car plus workspace or storage space). Driveways tend to be cluttered with cars, but most of the cars have covers on them. These really don't protect the cars from the more serious forms of hail, but they must help to some extent, or they wouldn't be so ubiquitous.

I just moved here from northern NM (2200+ ft. higher than Denver), where some families also had an overabundance of cars, but none of those parked outside had covers, because NM doesn't get killer hail, except extremely rarely. I've seen advice on these Denver threads, FYI, to enhance your car cover by attaching old quilting to the underside.

[Therblig]

Originally Posted by RationalExpectations

Hold out for a 2 car garage; 3 car garage would be better still.

"I wish my garage were smaller" --- said no one ever.

Very few older houses have truly 1+ garages, though. So the Levittown ideal of garages for everything tends to reduce the pool to newer-ish, suburban homes, largely in outlying areas. Not entirely, but a house in a desirable part of the metro with two car parking is going to be on the pricier end of things.

[Mike from back east]

Get a 2-car garage for hail, snow, and to prevent the scourge of theft of your vehicle and/or its contents if left in a driveway overnight.

[pikabike]

Yes, you would.

No such thing as too much garage. It can always be used for other purposes, with some small, even temporary, modifications inside.

[kj1065]

Originally Posted by Therblig

IME, once all or half of a garage becomes a storage unit, it never goes back to being a garage. Furthermore, I have seen very few two-car garages that actually contain two cars.

If you really intend to park your car there, then I would not rule out a house that meets all your other needs but only has one space.

Perhaps the biggest reason for indoor or covered parking here is hail. Having to clear a little snow after storms is... just not that big a hassle. But you and your future other may think differently.

My two-car garage contains just one car, but that's because my spouse and I own only one car. The other bay is empty. Our kids use it when they come to visit.

Given the OP's future plans for a partner, though, I would definitely hold out for a two-car garage.

[COcheesehead]

When we looking in the city, houses with one car garages were about all that was available and as others said with hail, snow, crime, stupid drivers, vandalism, etc, you don’t want to park on the street. We ended up building on the opposite side of the small backyard another one car garage, both loading off an alley and then tied the two garages together with a pergola in between which made for a nice shaded patio area. We had a architect draw it for us so the aesthetic worked with the older house and garage. All in it cost us about $15,000. Today it would likely be double that, but still it added to the value of the house. So think creatively.