Is garage lust dead?

[Patrobot]

Having built a totally awesome heated/ cooled workshop in the backyard we were confident when it came time to sell our home we would have a leg up on the competition.Long story short, not the case. There was absolutely no interest in the brand new, discreet workshop in the back with the lift. In the end a 40 something couple bought the house and the shop sits rotting away in the back, an over glorified shed filled with ****. It's beautiful epoxy floors no doubt all scuffed up, **** draped over the Challenger lift (we still chat with the new owners from time to time). In hindsight I should have known the declining interest in wrenching and the macho arts in general would have taken us here.

 

[XJSuperman]

Yeah, Id say its dead. The majority of younger millennials (I am one unfortunately) have 0 interest in working with their hands or getting their hands dirty. But even more so, they do not want the responsibility of owning a home, maintaining an acreage, or having any hobbies utilizing a shop.

There are exceptions of course, mainly those from rural areas where shop classes are still offered and wrenches are still being turned on the daily at home. And the racing communities.

I think what you experienced is maybe more prominent in higher population areas. In my case, Iowa isn't a good example as lots of people here are still looking for shop space.

 

[cowboy73]

Yep. It's dead. People want open concept houses and rainfall showers big enough to wash a buffalo. I work with several younger people and they don't have the desire to work on anything or create something. They consider planting a bush and spreading mulch around a major home improvement project.

 

[b-boy]

I built mine for myself. I'm not moving, so I don't really care what happens to it after I'm gone.

Hopefully, one of my Sons will take it over, but at this point, neither of them are really into tools and/or building stuff.

It does have a nice gym. That might be a selling point.

 

[scottm]

It's like a house with a pool. To the right person it's very important, and to the rest it's something they don't care about or even something they see as an added expense. A couple years ago I sold my parents old place, and found that people who were interested in several acres of land also were excited about the horse barn and large workshop garage.

 

[dr_clyde]

It's either a must have or just another thing at the house, I think.

I need a workshop in my life, so if I didn't have my shop for my business you bet your boots I'd have a nice shop at home.

I still plan to replace the wreckage that was my barn with a nice home shop. Its for me, not the next guy. I'm not looking for an ROI on a home shop.

 

[BonzoHansen]

It's like a house with a pool. To the right person it's very important, and to the rest it's something they don't care about or even something they see as an added expense. A couple years ago I sold my parents old place, and found that people who were interested in several acres of land also were excited about the horse barn and large workshop garage.

i think this is correct.

 

[yeldogt]

It's like a house with a pool. To the right person it's very important, and to the rest it's something they don't care about or even something they see as an added expense. A couple years ago I sold my parents old place, and found that people who were interested in several acres of land also were excited about the horse barn and large workshop garage.

This is regional as well. In FL most people at a given price point want a pool. In my area in the mid-atlantic the price point is much higher -- but, when you hit it .. people want a pool.

 

[gerryw]

It's like a house with a pool. To the right person it's very important, and to the rest it's something they don't care about or even something they see as an added expense. A couple years ago I sold my parents old place, and found that people who were interested in several acres of land also were excited about the horse barn and large workshop garage.

Hit the nail on the head!

Gerry

 

[Stuart in MN]

Saying it's dead assumes it was alive at some point. Big dream garages have always been a niche market.

 

[gerryw]

I built mine for myself. I'm not moving, so I don't really care what happens to it after I'm gone.

Hopefully, one of my Sons will take it over, but at this point, neither of them are really into tools and/or building stuff.

It does have a nice gym. That might be a selling point.

This is also my line of thinking, my last house, just the way i want it.

Gerry

 

[yeldogt]

Living in NYC .. if you got lucky and made enough money -- a place outside the city was the norm. If not the beach -- a place in a more rural area. Most people wanted something old on 5 acres .. also, not understanding what that required .... but, that is another story.

People wanted an old barn -- a workshop was a nice addition. It was green acres .... buy a new John Deer.

Today -- it's all different. Those with money in that age group that would be buying a second home (late 30's early 40's) .. don't want those properties. They actually look for what a lot of the older people bought after .. smaller and closer to the small towns that dot the region.

No one does any work -- my nephews can't even paint. Cars sit outside even when they could go in the garage. What do you need a shop for ?

Out buildings are looked at as maintenance cost.

Years ago even people in the trades had "shops" -- it's just not the same.

 

[DFB]

Workshop with a lift WOW I know few guys would die for that

Cripes my motorcycle shop bud he's almost 70 still crawling around on the ground to service his 4 wheeled vehicles. No room in the bike shop for them

Otherwise no I don't know many more that would ever use it.

Sad in a way...

Here horse barns even empty ones are definitely more popular with people. I guess more people wannabe hobby farmers than hobby mechanics these days

 

[turbowoodworker]

Time to make an offer on a lift.

 

[58Yeoman]

The problem is "who can work on todays cars?" Most people just take them to a repair shop/dealer. And, to buy old cars today...who has the money?

I've got my 24x40 shop; what the next guy does with it is his business.

 

[turbowoodworker]

An observation on pools that may be appropriate. Having lived in PHX with all that heat, every house had a pool. Every buyer expected the pool. So in practice, the pool did not add value in terms of dollars to sale price; but without the pool, the house set on the market longer, often then resulting in a price drop. If the neighborhood was a planned community with 3-4 models essentially each one the same, the pool-less home was the last to sell.

 

[redidbull]

We are thinking of moving in the next few years and one of the things I look for is a garage and the bigger the better. I would love to have on that had and upstairs. But I agree they kids don't do much work on their own and if their parents didn't do stuff around the house it is even worse. My Son lives at the house I grew up in and he tries to do almost everything now and is doing well. If he can't figure it out he goes to youtube. Jim

 

[Charlie51]

Ask yourself why Mechanix Illustrated magazine went away.

 

[CJ7VFR]

The problem is "who can work on todays cars?" Most people just take them to a repair shop/dealer....

I agree with this.

Most younger people have no desire to work on a car. Not even things most of us consider simple, like changing the oil, or rotating the tires.

With newer, computer controlled everything vehicles, there is really not as many things you can do to "fix" anything. Anymore, you need diagnostic equipment just to tell you that the air in the tires is low, or that the computer thinks it is time to replace the air cleaner.

With most new vehicles coming with 10 year warranties, younger buyers feel that all they have to do is take the vehicle into the dealership and they will fix it under warranty. Why bother trying to find out what is wrong with it yourself when you can take it to someone to do it for you, and while you wait you can use their WIFI to post up pictures to social media about it.

Jim

 

[JunkYardDawg]

If you got the fever, you got it, and nothing else will suffice. if you don't then you don't. I think DIY and wrenching your own vehicles is as strong as ever. I just think the OP just sold his house to people who do not appreciate his work and what the shop with the lift would facilitate. I think the OP is somewhat sad that his nice shop wasn't revered as much as he did.

I collect and restore old bicycles. I am also in the higher-risk category if I contract the COVID-19 virus. A couple weeks ago, there was a brief flash of panic when I realized that if I die, there will be no one in my family that will appreciate nor understand the thousands of dollars I have invested in bikes, parts, tools, etc. It will just be a burden for them.

Someone once said something like, "I hope that when I die, my wife won't sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them."

 

[zmotorsports]

I don't know about it being dead but definitely not what I thought it would be either.

When we put our previous house on the market in late 2016 the house, shop and yard were all in pristine condition but the house being built in 1990 was an older style of home. Even though I had upgraded windows, carpet, painted, new roof (both house and shop), new furnace and A/C system the house wasn't what people wanted now days. It was the traditional rambler style from that era and although a nice home it carried that compartmentalized feel that they all had back then.

The shop was over the top on electrical, air lines, lighting and all built with the purpose of a working shop, not a "storage shed".

When the house went on the market we had an overwhelming amount of interest but what I found out was that it was the guys coming to look at it because of the shop but the wives were wanting something more modern with the "great room" feel and vaulted ceilings, etc.

When it came down to closing the deal we have three bids, two of them wanted it because of the shop. One couple was young and just starting out but he wanted to work on cars, the other was a middle aged family looking to downsize their huge house and he wanted a shop to be able to work on cars with his two sons who were getting interested in go-kart racing. The third was a couple who had just gone through a bankruptcy two years prior and he couldn't care less about the shop, he just wanted to park his 3 old boats in it.

When it came down to a bidding process the guy who didn't care about the shop offered full asking price as well as closing costs whereas the middle aged family who wanted it because of the shop offered $5k less. I wanted to sell it to them just because they seemed like they would take care of it and appreciate all of the work that went into it. When I was showing him around the shop with the air lines, the power outlets, new furnace, etc. he was very excited.

However, my realtor thought I was leaving $5k on the table and said what does it matter what they do with it once you leave. In the end I sold it to dipshit # 3 who not only didn't care about the shop, he obviously doesn't care about any of it because the house, yard and shop are all deteriorating and falling apart. They now look just like the rest of the white trash in the neighborhood. I kick myself for selling to him but it's out of my control.

I don't know about where you're located but around here detached shop/garages only bring pennies on the dollar in resale. A larger attached garage will bring more in return than a detached, regardless of how nice they are.

I think when it comes right down to it, people like the "idea" of a garage or work shop but won't put in the work to obtain it and even when one is available won't take the plunge financially.

 

[bdbecker]

It's like a house with a pool. To the right person it's very important, and to the rest it's something they don't care about or even something they see as an added expense...

Exactly. One person's dream shop in the backyard is a waste of yard space to another.

Yeah, Id say its dead. The majority of younger millennials (I am one unfortunately) have 0 interest in working with their hands or getting their hands dirty...

I don't know that its necessarily a generational thing. The neighborhood I live in has a pretty decent mix of generations and blue/white collar people. Other than the retired guy a few houses down who has a small, basic woodworking setup, I'm the only "garage guy" on my block. There is a guy a few blocks away who is into old motorcycles and another in the other direction who tinkers on his Miata quite a bit, but other than that, garages are used for storing cars, junk, and garden tools around here.

The other thing I'd point out is that GJ guys are not exactly normal and its really easy to get jaded as to what "getting your hands dirty" really means. Being able to wrench, weld, woodwork, and do DIY home projects decently well is pretty much standard for GJ members. In the "normal" world, being able to do just one of those things reasonably well is as far as most people ever get.

 

[yeldogt]

If you got the fever, you got it, and nothing else will suffice. if you don't then you don't. I think DIY and wrenching your own vehicles is as strong as ever. I just think the OP just sold his house to people who do not appreciate his work and what the shop with the lift would facilitate. I think the OP is somewhat sad that his nice shop wasn't revered as much as he did.

I collect and restore old bicycles. I am also in the higher-risk category if I contract the COVID-19 virus. A couple weeks ago, there was a brief flash of panic when I realized that if I die, there will be no one in my family that will appreciate nor understand the thousands of dollars I have invested in bikes, parts, tools, etc. It will just be a burden for them.

Someone once said something like, "I hope that when I die, my wife won't sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them."

The fever has passed

 

[Jagmandave]

I'm of the "older" generation, who grew up in the 50's and had parents who had suffered thru the depression.....we learned to make do and use everything over and over. It was a different economy then, throwing something away was sacrilege.

The whole economy today is based on consumerism, and you can't have that if stuff lasts forever....no one would buy a new one!

At any rate, I would love to have a decent shop, and I tried to add one onto my house and the wife made those comments about it killing resale, my reply was "so what"? We're going to be here till we die anyway!

Still, I would really like to buy something with an out building, but they just don't seem to be around here at all - I would have thought I could easily find one but there hasn't been anything we could afford in decades - and believe me I've looked!

But like zmotorsports posted, if we do find one the house is too dated for the bride, or needs a ton of renovating, and we aren't up for that.

I remember a time when every guy wanted a shop he could tinker in, I guess we've moved on from those times.

Given the current environment, I wonder if they will come back once this is done?

 

[slow]

a garage/shop like that is often a nice to have, but not worth much if any. A friend purchased a place with a 40x60 shop, bank didn't appraise it worth much.

Locally a nice $900K-1Million 5K sq ft house had an additional 5K sqft air conditioned shop and an RV garage , house and shop sold for 1.1 million, the house alone would have sold for 900-1Million without the shop.

 

[yeldogt]

What's a workshop .. cars or wood .... both?

I grew up in the clothing business. In a world of lululemon what's alpaca and cashmere?

I built a wall to match my house -- chestnut hill pa. Wissahickon schist -- guy drove by and asked what style of EP henry was it.

It flows with my McMansion thread a while back .... it's a sea of fake mediocracy out there. How excited can you get over vinyl siding and PVC trim?

Getting some wood and being a craftsman -- that was the thing. Same with cars -- who wants a noisy mid 90's 911 with poor AC (when new) -- when a Honda Civic can outrun-it and is more comfortable?

 

[yeldogt]

a garage/shop like that is often a nice to have, but not worth much if any. A friend purchased a place with a 40x60 shop, bank didn't appraise it worth much.

Locally a nice $900K-1Million 5K sq ft house had an additional 5K sqft air conditioned shop and an RV garage , house and shop sold for 1.1 million, the house alone would have sold for 900-1Million without the shop.

An RV garage s hard to build around me now and they kill resale

 

[240sxguy]

After years of lusting over a large shop, Garage Journal has provided a dose of reality after seeing what it really costs or the effort involved to construct something. I am coming to terms with the fact that a large shop is a bad investment, and fixing up/rehabbing the shed type structure that is already here makes more sense. I bought my 2nd house about 5 months ago and after dealing with the sale of my prior, it's clear that a large (even attached) garage that's in nice shape doesn't add much value to the average buyer.

 

[didit]

I'm sure that anyone in the real estate or insurance business would have access to demographic trend data and always know what attributes add or subtract sale ability in any given area. Most people I know personally are more willing to put their money into their primary residence, seeing it as a live in investment. Doing the math they realize that a large garage or shop space can be an additional monthly expense that could have been better directed towards their home instead. Everyone wants a return on their investment and do the best they can with what they have. Today's young folk are just as savvy as any I've ever seen. After coming into a better financial footing with more disposable income in later years a "dream garage" is more likely to be sought after but peoples dreams and priorities change.

 

[Free Willie]

I hope you are wrong, I plan to sell in 7 years and retire in TN. The shop should be a big selling point and the location being very rural.(for CT). I am more concerned that no one will be purchasing by then because of the **** hole this state has become with high taxes and people leaving. I don't see it improving in the next 7 yrs. I do have several younger friends who love the place and would use it, jokingly trying to sell it to them now and rent to me till I leave. You know lock in the price and avoid inflation.

 

[GRivera]

A couple weeks ago, there was a brief flash of panic when I realized that if I die, there will be no one in my family that will appreciate nor understand the thousands of dollars I have invested in bikes, parts, tools, etc. It will just be a burden for them.

"

This is a post everyone should read. It's important to put those items in your living will or at a minimum have serious conversation(s) with wife, children, etc. to make sure they don't put any of the valued belongings in a yard sale or estate sale.

 

[ddawg16]

It goes in phases.......

I have the biggest garage in the neighborhood. I didn't do it for re-sale....I did it for me....good chance one of our kids will take over the house....they are not into wood working yet....but cars have potential....

If I ever do sale the house....I have no doubt it will be a very short list of truly interested buyers.

 

[didit]

This is a post everyone should read. It's important to put those items in your living will or at a minimum have serious conversation(s) with wife, children, etc. to make sure they don't put any of the valued belongings in a yard sale or estate sale.

Agreed, but even knowing the values they just want to unload and quickly. That's why I started downsizing 20 years ago. It's not easy to part with the things we see value in even if it's just sentimental though.

If I was to parse and pick my favorite quote from this thread, it comes from bdbecker:
"The other thing I'd point out is that GJ guys are not exactly normal..."

 

[ScaldedDog]

A lot of selling a house with a shop is about marketing. We just sold our home that I thought we'd never leave, and into which I'd poured money into building a nice attached garage .(Here's my for sale thread on GJ.)

When we talked to my realtor, who's the best in the business, IMHO, he understood what we had and how to market it. (Here's his video of the house.)

The net is that it sold for nearly a third more than any other home in the neighborhood, and everyone who looked at it was there because of the garage.

That experience is how I'm justifying putting another in-ground lift in our new (to us) place, as I'm certain I made money on the last one.

Mark

 

[ericm]

The other day I taught my wife to drive the diesel tractor (and the lawn tractor while we were at it). Just so she could get them out of the barn and demo them for a buyer in case she has to. She took notes. We'd been in the middle of wills etc and she realized she didn't know how to get the tractor out of the barn.

We're on acreage in the mountains. Anyone seriously looking at buying our place is already somewhat unusual. The kind of people who want to live up here tend to be more into working with their hands, at least as a hobby. Most of my neighbors are car people with shops or extra large attached garages. Most of the rest want a shop or large garage but haven't built theirs yet.

 

[PugetDude]

We bought our current house in large part because of the oversized 5-car attached garage.
It didn’t add that much to the appraised value, but was very attractive to us. House was really nice; wife loved it and she said she wouldn’t have to listen to me ***** about the lack of garage /shop space any longer...

 

[niget2002]

Ask yourself why Mechanix Illustrated magazine went away.

Ugly centerfolds?

I can see where a shop is a niche market much like a pool. In Dallas, you don't get money for a pool. Either people want one or they don't. If they want one, then your house appeals to them. If they don't then your house doesn't. Shops are the same way. When we shopped for our house, we were looking for a house with a shop. We found one. We bought it. It just so happened to have a pool too. Win Win for us as the last house had a pool and we pretty much live in it during the summer.

 

[DFB]

If you got the fever, you got it, and nothing else will suffice. if you don't then you don't. I think DIY and wrenching your own vehicles is as strong as ever. I just think the OP just sold his house to people who do not appreciate his work and what the shop with the lift would facilitate. I think the OP is somewhat sad that his nice shop wasn't revered as much as he did.

I collect and restore old bicycles. I am also in the higher-risk category if I contract the COVID-19 virus. A couple weeks ago, there was a brief flash of panic when I realized that if I die, there will be no one in my family that will appreciate nor understand the thousands of dollars I have invested in bikes, parts, tools, etc. It will just be a burden for them.

Someone once said something like, "I hope that when I die, my wife won't sell my guns for what I told her I paid for them."

You know I have had similar thoughts reaching retirement age and because I live alone started thinking I'd tag things like the american vises and the craftsman hand tools and storage boxes in my collection with what like maybe I paid and like current almost obscene going rates seen on some of the "collectors boards" and fleecebay recently for vises and certain tools



You know just in case

 

[Showkey]

This is a post everyone should read. It's important to put those items in your living will or at a minimum have serious conversation(s) with wife, children, etc. to make sure they don't put any of the valued belongings in a yard sale or estate sale.

Ok......living will is:

a written statement detailing a person's desires regarding their medical treatment in circumstances in which they are no longer able to express informed consent, especially an advance directive.


Your “garage stuff” has nothing to do with your living will. It more about “pulling your plug” not the shop equipment plug

This shop, parts, junk and equipment can be a tremendous burden to your survivors.

Two sayings come to mind:

“Value is in the eye of the beholder” and “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Unfortunately it comes up in real life and tv life like hoarders and pickers

 

[yeldogt]

A lot of selling a house with a shop is about marketing. We just sold our home that I thought we'd never leave, and into which I'd poured money into building a nice attached garage .(Here's my for sale thread on GJ.)

When we talked to my realtor, who's the best in the business, IMHO, he understood what we had and how to market it. (Here's his video of the house.)

The net is that it sold for nearly a third more than any other home in the neighborhood, and everyone who looked at it was there because of the garage.

That experience is how I'm justifying putting another in-ground lift in our new (to us) place, as I'm certain I made money on the last one.

Mark

Much does have to do with location ... that brings in a demographic who is willing to buy. The only real question is maybe the house would have sold for more anyway ...