And where will the new garage go?

Does your zoning require covered parking on your property? If so where will it go?

Find a good local architect to help you design the addition if you don't have one already.

How can you even apply for a variance without architectural plans? Because your neighbors have the right to input as to whether they think the plans fit into the neighborhood or not. Your city isn’t going to approve a blank check.

Hi again everyone!

a.) No garage, that's something we'll sacrifice, but no big sacrifice for us because it's mostly a junk collector right now, and we have driveway and ample street parking

b.) Never even knew zoning boards could require covered parking; doubt that's the case for us, no one (including architect and contractor, yes I have both and they've both worked extensively in this area) have mentioned it and most of the houses around us have converted their garages to living space

c.) Yes, I have an architect and we are submitting the plans with the variance, but haven't put much detail into the plans yet beyond the increased footprint of the addition/setbacks/coverages etc. until we find out whether it's go or no go based on the zoning board. We do have an exterior mockup, which the architect said the zoning board won't care much about but neighbors might be interested in, if any attend

If you can post a floor plan of the ground floor and new space with measurements you should get some responses.

Sorry, if there's a way to reply directly or quote someone I haven't figured it out yet. Yes, dan1888 I will definitely do that...if the zoning board approves the variance. No point going down a long road if it dead ends. This was just an intro post. :-)

Cute house! I hope all works out for you.

I'm assuming you're in an area where you don't get snow, sleet or hail? Otherwise removing a garage would be a big turnoff for any resale.

We get some snow. If we do this, it is with the intention of aging in this home, and we are not worried about resale.

The older you get, the more valuable that garage will become. No one who is older wants to risk a fall on snow/ice. Could a MBR/laundry be added on top of family room and a small elevator be installed? There are new ones that only take up 30" and work like the pneumatic tubes at the drive-in bank.

Cute house! I live in neighborhood where many of the houses have converted their garages into a living space and now don't have a garage. Even the ones that do have a garage, usually park in their driveway because their garage is full of stuff (raises hand sheepishly.....).

However, what others have said above is true.....the houses with a garage are more desirable and get more money on resale (all other things being equal). So think long and hard if the trade-off is worth it. If there is an opportunity to go up over the garage for your master bedroom and still keep the garage, it's worth investigating. You'd save on demo costs and new foundation costs (assuming the existing portion can support a 2nd story).

Good luck!

We get some snow. If we do this, it is with the intention of aging in this home, and we are not worried about resale.

If you truly plan to age in the house, then losing the garage is probably one of the worst ideas in an area that gets snow. Especially if the area gets ice. Ice and snow are the enemy of the elderly.

I would think long and hard about removing a garage. Additionally while you plan to age in the house, life has a tendency to happen which means moving.

When my ex (note the word ex) and I moved into our forever house, his comment to me was "the only way I'm leaving is if they carry me out". Well he's very much alive still and the house was sold years ago.

Aging in place - always a grand idea and most people want that. The reality is that depends on you essentially not ending up in circumstances where your health or circumstances makes that impossible or highly unsafe. People always seem to think of “wheelchair accessibility” when they think of aging in place, but few people just get older, need a wheelchair or walker, and die peacefully in their sleep without ever having any illness, serious slip and fall, and/or dementia. Many will need to sell homes they planned to stay in forever to move into and pay for assisted care, often one spouse will outlive the other by a lot and find being on their own is no longer practical or safe. They can’t remember to take medications, can’t drive or walk to medical care or grocery store, are starting to wander, are at high risk of falling - even where no stairs - and need someone to check on them regularly and need to move for that. So do not rule out importance of resale even if you plan to stay forever. I plan to remain in our new house until I am carried out but none of us can predict every eventuality.

I live somewhere we get winter, and ice and snow. Not only would I not give up a garage for a place I planned to age in, which our new house is, I won’t give up on an attached garage. At ~40 ish my husband and I are both still very physically active, healthy, and with great balance. But I have seen how quickly things can change. My mum got her first cancer diagnosis at 48, metatasis diagnosis at 57....an attached garage in winters as she had to go to and from chemo, radiation, as her balance faltered later on as she became more ill and she had tumours in hip & spine; and it got harder for her to be able to move from home to vehicle safely was no small thing. I mean she suffered two pelvis fractures without even falling, I can’t imagine what a slip and fall on ice as she got out of car or walking up fresh snow or ice on a driveway would have done.

Dire maybe, but please give some consideration to how you may be able to keep a garage space not only for resale but to keep entering and exiting car safer and easier down the road. Even if you aren’t driving anymore, a caregiver may appreciate the benefits of helping move you to and from a vehicle in a garage versus exposed to elements.

Interestingly, in New England the natives don't think garages are essential. Many older houses don't have them, even less expensive new houses are built without them. For my California-raised DW it was about the only completely non-negotiable demand.

You guys are a little fixated on the garage. I don't think I need to walk you through our thinking; I don't accept homework assignments from internet strangers. ;-)

Suffice it to say that we have considered this issue at length for over a year, and are willing to sacrifice the garage for ground-floor living, which will be beneficial to us both now and in the future. The front door will be about five level paces from the driveway, we will manage regardless of the weather conditions. We have no interest in adding living space that is above ground level, with or without an elevator.

If the zoning variance is denied, we will wait until our child is in middle school and look for a house with a ground floor master bedroom suite and laundry in that larger cachement area, although this is pretty uncommon in our area.

As I have said many times, if we do this we are suiting ourselves, and are not worried about resale. The house will be fully paid for within the next five years and we can pay cash for this addition, so we can afford to put more into it than we might eventually sell it for. And yes, anything can happen to anyone at any time, but there's no reason to believe we will not be in this house long term.