finding a stand alone garage on a lot?

[lookingforgarage]

does anybody have any experience with finding a garage on land? nothing commercial.

ive been wanting a garage on land to store/work on cars and get away from the mrs. and its proving to be very tough to find.

ive found a couple over the course of 6-12 months but all were junky. i usually search real estate on craigslist, search garage, and sort by cheapest to most expensive which is how ive found the couple places i have. ive also driven around looking which seems like finding a needle in a haystack.

i accept i may not be able to find anything within a reasonable distance ever already built but does anybody have any ideas of any other ways to find a place like this? thank you

 

[reader2580]

I don't personally know of any plots of land near me that have just a garage on the lot I would try asking a realtor for advice here.

Where I live I don't know of a single city in the metro area that allows construction of just a garage with no residence on a residential lot. Any standalone garage that do exist were probably built a long time ago.

 

[fteufert]

Its not easy to find, and many places frown on land with only a garage.

And so what if the garage isn't perfect. Sometimes it is easier to improve an existing structure due to zoning law changes.

 

[ratdoggy]

And may we ask you to update your location?
I saw something by me like what you are looking for

 

[NUTTSGT]

Adding a location to your profile might help for starters. Members here have been known to help each other out from time to time.

I'd put word out to friends and family. Sometimes word of mouth works alot better than any real estate search or the internet.


Do you not have enough land to build on your current location ? Have you considered actually selling the home you have and purchasing a different place with a garage or shop already built ?

 

[finn]

I bought the garage, and house, next door from the bank at a foreclosure auction a few years ago. I added trusses and a roof to replace the flat roof and I have a nice 24x32' deep garage.

I should finish up rehabbing the house this fall.

In the meantime, I found another shop through a Realtor. I think it was originally on Zillow.

There's another nice shop with a well and septic and a few acres on Zillow now.

I live in a rural area with weak zoning, however.

 

[kbs2244]

Even outside of a town it is often against zoning to have a non-dwelling building by itself unless it is commercial zoning.

 

[My Old Tools]

If you want to come to east Texas I have 11 acres with a 30'x80' metal building. Half of it is a small 2 bedroom apartment mostly finished. It's going on the market soon.

 

[lilredex]

Back in the early eighties, I ran across eight brick garages on their separate lot just north of the downtown area. The garages were small, they appeared to have been severed from a larger property some time earlier. The access was through a very narrow laneway, limiting their appeal. They were on the market for quite a while as nobody seemed to want them. The asking price was around $13,000.....a real bargain even then. I did not move on them, probably a big mistake on my part.

I returned to that site a few years later, and the new owner had fenced them (security) and extended the fronts to make them a bit deeper (more use able).
It looked as though they were set up as a rental property, the new owner likely got his money back in a year or two.

Finding separate garages like that is a once in a lifetime opportunity, especially around here.

 

[rsanter]

When I was house shopping for a place with a shop I found a couple that the shop was decent but the house was junk.
That's what you may want to start targeting

Bob

 

[a52-830]

while zoning can be an issue, sometimes it can be a help.

finding "unbuildable" lots can be some work. sometimes they are unperkable, if they need a septic, or there is not enough room for a well, or sometimes they are too small (sometimes just the "buildable area", because of wetlands).

but if you can find one, often the town will loosen up on you to get something there that they can tax. they will potentially require restrictions on the deed, like no storage of anything outside the building, or the requirement for a "chemical toilet", or "bottled water", and potentially approval of the outside design. but often those are just initial issues. if you are a good neighbor, no one complains, and as long as the taxes get paid, they leave you alone.

AT&T used to design small remote offices that looked like houses for special situations. paid someone to mow the grass and plow the driveway. put in windows with curtains, and a wall behind that for security. occasionally the local installer would need access for switching something over, but they were usually just full of switching equipment, and a big *** air conditioner.

 

[tinmanwpk]

I'm looking in a "clean, safe ghetto" (oxymoron?) and will probably spend $5000 on a teardown and then build a garage. There are neighborhoods that are relatively safe where you can do this.

 

[Strouty]

I have a garage on land with no house, it is in a residential area, but it was built in the 70s before they had the zoning regulations. It has always been taxed commercial and hopefully that will help me in the long run. The City hates it, I can't wait for when I want to build a bigger one, going to have to learn acrobatics so I can jump through all the hoops.

 

[theoldwizard1]

All of the suburbs around me do not allow you to build just a garage on a lot. The only ones you can find are ones where the house burned down.

 

[a52-830]

The City hates it, I can't wait for when I want to build a bigger one, going to have to learn acrobatics so I can jump through all the hoops.

ahh, there is a secret to this. around here, when people want o rip down an old house, and run into problems, they files plans to "renovate and expand" the old structure. you keep one wall, and squick the rest. since this wall is still there, the old building "still exists".

actually saw someone do this, and soon after they were finished, filed another plan that involved adding a bedroom or something, and removing that old wall to make way for it.

where there is a will, there is a lawyer, er, i mean way . . . .

 

[pmiranda]

So you want a unicorn...
In my city anything unzoned is either unbuildable floodplain or insanely expensive because it's basically valued higher than anything else.
Having said that I found an empty lot in the next county and plan to build just a garage, leaving room for somebody to build a house someday. So if you look far enough out, you can find something.

 

[930dreamer]

What about a lease in a business park area? If your looking for a garage in the sticks it might be just that, a garage. Power, bathroom etc are nice to have.

 

[ratdoggy]

How about buying a small house with a big garage? Then rent out the house keeping the garage for yourself

 

[lookingforgarage]

i live in greensboro, nc.

i have been browsing for other options like junk/cheap houses. i could make use one way or another.

 

[ScottsGT]

Common around here. But not in residential neighborhoods. Got a friend with a "farm" of 140 acres with a couple of barns. Several hunt clubs have land with pole buildings on them. They keep their ATV's locked up when not in use.
Years ago when I was a teenager I met a retired gentleman that rented an old bodyshop out since the owner built a new location. The owner refused to rent it out for a business since it would be competetion for his business, so this guy got it cheap just to keep the area maintained. But same story, wanted to get far away from the wife during the day.

 

[jb3]

ahh, there is a secret to this. around here, when people want o rip down an old house, and run into problems, they files plans to "renovate and expand" the old structure. you keep one wall, and squick the rest. since this wall is still there, the old building "still exists".

actually saw someone do this, and soon after they were finished, filed another plan that involved adding a bedroom or something, and removing that old wall to make way for it.

where there is a will, there is a lawyer, er, i mean way . . . .

This is happening down the street from me currently as well. Old house caught fire, all of it was knocked down except about 20 feet of the front wall and porch, then a much larger house was built using the same wall. Setbacks had changed, so this move kept the house in the same postion from the road

Fun to watch the process though.

 

[lookingforgarage]

ive also thought about getting a lot and putting a metal building there. ive heard they can be trap humidity though.. not good for me

the reason im looking for something easy is i already have some car projects i want to do once i get the extra space. i would be okay with a structure thats hideous or required minor things but i want a garage i can use fairly soon.

i dont expect to find one right inside greensboro nc i expect it in a surrounding smaller town

 

[Bigbandguy]

ahh, there is a secret to this. around here, when people want o rip down an old house, and run into problems, they files plans to "renovate and expand" the old structure. you keep one wall, and squick the rest. since this wall is still there, the old building "still exists".

actually saw someone do this, and soon after they were finished, filed another plan that involved adding a bedroom or something, and removing that old wall to make way for it.

where there is a will, there is a lawyer, er, i mean way . . . .

Very well said... a friend of mine in a city in VA ran into this when he wanted to raze his garage and build a new one. His current garage extends almost to the street and of course the city wanted any new one set way back to current code. He wisely decided to "renovate" the existing structure which he did, one wall at a time. Somehow the "improved" walls tended to get a bit longer during the course of repair. Also I am not sure but I think they grew farther apart as well. The garage more or less looks the same but it now has HVAC and most of the other conveniences.

 

[ambenz]

I have had luck with renting a garage from a widow who didn't use the garage. Churches are a great place to find ladies willing to rent out a garage. I would mow their lawn, move a box or 2 for her and it was a wonderful low cost option to keep a roof over your car and a place to keep your toolbox.