2-car tandem garage

[David Mescon]

As a general rule, historically, tandem garages are generally expected to have at least twenty feet per space. Thirty or so feet just doesn't rise to the level of a two car, as a general rule. If THE MAJORITY of buyers and sellers in your market would consider the subject to have a two car garage, then you should consider it to be so. If not, then it is a one car plus. It's pretty cut-and-dried, conceptually. In my area, the number of parking spaces is secondary - garages and carports are valued by area, not parking space count.

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

Place I looked at today had a 26' wide by 46' deep garage. All drywalled and finished floor. Plenty of room to admire the red Ducati.

 

[David Mescon]

Place I looked at today had a 26' wide by 46' deep garage. All drywalled and finished floor. Plenty of room to admire the red Ducati.

They drywalled the floor??? That must be one fancy place! :laugh:

 

[Smokey Bear]

Tandem garages are a joke anyway. One door, two cars. Not your optimal situation.

Says the guy in BFE, Texas. A tandem garage in San Francisco, and parts of Berkeley would be HEAVEN to most buyers. It's a real hassle having to deal with street cleaning/no parking days etc. It all depends on the area.

BTW, most places in SF have tandem or 1 car garages, if they have any garage. Very rare to have a side by side garage.

 

[Eddie Davis]

This is quite common in my area especially in new attached unit developments.
It is not new as many older homes have exactly what you describe. In older homes they are typically marketed as a 1 car garage and the remainder is considered storage. In the newer developments developers typically market them as a 2 car tandem garage but when resold they are typically listed as either 2 car tandem or 1 car.
When I was trained my mentor instructed me to treat them as a 1 car because functionally the lead car could not be used without first moving the car behind it which is not the case in a two car garage. FHA uses this rule and thus if it is for an
FHA loan they will consider it a 1 car garage.
See if you can find a similar side by side and still be able to get out. If the county records show a garage size and it is over 200 square feet and less than 320 it is probably similar to what you have.
In grid I put 2 car tandem (unless FHA where I put 1 car) and make an adjustment for the difference in functionality of a 2 car side by side versus a 2 car tandem.
Hope this helps.

 

[Doug DeMars]

When I was trained my mentor instructed me to treat them as a 1 car because functionally the lead car could not be used without first moving the car behind it which is not the case in a two car garage. FHA uses this rule and thus if it is for an
FHA loan they will consider it a 1 car garage.

1. Can somebody site the source for this?

2. FHA aside...calling a 2 car tandem only a 1 car because you have to move one out before moving the other is a bit myopic. Sure, it may be a small hassle but considering that well over 50% of the 2 car garages I see only have "room" for 1 car with too much "junk" in the way to park a 2nd car...it's a rare hassle. The last modern 2 car tandem I saw had a very nice Corvette parked first...and I don't think it was taken out too much.

Maybe 1 in 10 "side by side" garages have both spots filled with 2 cars. The rest (including my garage) haven't had a car parked in it for several years.

 

[Doug DeMars]

Any comments for this? It's for a yet to be completed FHA assignment.

 

[AnonApprsr]

It's a 1 car garage with storage. Just like a driveway 300 miles long, but one car width wide, is a 1 car driveway.

 

[Doug DeMars]

Yep...1 car, IMO, with lots o' storage. However, I'm not going to make an adjustment when juxtaposed with a standard 2 car. Really...that's the least of my concerns for this recent hairball.

Here's the kicker...this pix is what's found above the garage/storage space. Yikes...3" of dirt. A true terra terrace.

m2:

 

[CANative]

View attachment 21350

Yep...1 car, IMO, with lots o' storage. However, I'm not going to make an adjustment when juxtaposed with a standard 2 car.

Exactly. That's why I don't see the OPs problem. Same contributory value.