One or Two Car Garage

[Nigel Mountbatten]

I usually never worry, but I have an assignment with an attached garage that is 19.5 feet wide and 27 feet deep. It's been years since I've seen a clear definition, I think the minimum is 21 feet wide to be considered a 2 car garage. Naturally many of the cookie cutter neighborhoods have 20 x 25 attached and the agents call them all 2 car which is no issue with me if I'm using similar sales, but this assignment is not a cookie cutter. I suppose could take the easy way out and call this a 1.5 car garage, but I've always thought that was BS, how does one park half of a car? What do the resident experts call a 19.5 ' wide x 27' deep garage.

[Steve Smith]

Just completed an assignment with a 16x16 garage and witnissed a Range Rover Sport and a Toyota Prius parked in the garage. I called it a 2 car garage and made appropriate adjustments in the grid. Did I make a mistake?

[Cynthia]

Interesting, in California where I live many of the older neighborhoods have 18 wide garages which are 2 car garages. I have never seen "minimum requirement" . If it has a 2 car garage door it is a 2 car garage (unless it is double deep and becomes tandem in some or all parts, ie. then 3 or 4). That was the standard at Bank of America while I was on their staff. Even if a garage was 24 wide, if it had a one car garage door and was not double deep it would be a one car garage with shop. The underlying reasoning was how would a "typical" buyer use it.

[Nigel Mountbatten]

I have to conclude that it’s subjective since it all depends on the vehicles; a Ford Excursion and a Smart Car certainly have a different width. I searched and was unable to find any national standard for a definition, I even ventured over to the lunatic appraisal forum and did a search, and I found several hostile arguments, :-) but no clear definition for garage sizes. If one tosses tandem garages into the question, it gets even cloudier.

[Cynthia]

And that Nigel is our world!

[Rick Daniel]

Look up Harrison's book, "Houses", first published in 1973 but has been updated over the years. He uses FHA's MPS as a guide. It says the two car minimum size is 18' 4' wide and 20' in depth. The minimum for the 1 car is 10' x 20'. I agree about your half car comment unless a mini-cooper or a smart car is considered half a car! Maybe the smart car is 1/4 of a car!