ᐅ Garage or Workshop for 5 Cars – How Should I Approach This?
Created on: 6 Jan 2016 07:31
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MaxPower90
Hello house building community,
I currently rent an apartment but am a big car enthusiast and therefore own two small classic cars. I don’t have a proper place to store them, and I might be adding a third one soon.
I have decided to either build or buy a storage space for my vehicles. It should be something of my own, so renting is not an option since I plan to keep the cars for many years, and I think buying will be more economical in the long run. Ideally, the space should fit five vehicles.
I’m hoping you can give me some good advice on how to approach this. Should I buy five individual garages, for example in a garage complex? I guess it might be cheaper to buy a small garage building instead. Electric power is generally not a must.
I can also imagine building something myself. Is there any reason not to buy a small, inexpensive plot of land in a less desirable location and build something on it? For example, you can get used prefabricated garages quite cheaply on classified ads like Ebay Kleinanzeigen. If I want to place them on a plot, does the land have to be officially designated as building land / a building plot? Would I need to have a foundation poured first?
As you can tell, I have no experience here. I appreciate any kind of input!
Christian
I currently rent an apartment but am a big car enthusiast and therefore own two small classic cars. I don’t have a proper place to store them, and I might be adding a third one soon.
I have decided to either build or buy a storage space for my vehicles. It should be something of my own, so renting is not an option since I plan to keep the cars for many years, and I think buying will be more economical in the long run. Ideally, the space should fit five vehicles.
I’m hoping you can give me some good advice on how to approach this. Should I buy five individual garages, for example in a garage complex? I guess it might be cheaper to buy a small garage building instead. Electric power is generally not a must.
I can also imagine building something myself. Is there any reason not to buy a small, inexpensive plot of land in a less desirable location and build something on it? For example, you can get used prefabricated garages quite cheaply on classified ads like Ebay Kleinanzeigen. If I want to place them on a plot, does the land have to be officially designated as building land / a building plot? Would I need to have a foundation poured first?
As you can tell, I have no experience here. I appreciate any kind of input!
Christian
I think you are imagining this whole process much too simply.
For one, you first need to find a plot of land where your planned use with 5 garages is permitted. Water from around 100m² (1,076 sq ft) of roof area does not just infiltrate easily, especially if you want the lawn to remain driveable, and so on.
For one, you first need to find a plot of land where your planned use with 5 garages is permitted. Water from around 100m² (1,076 sq ft) of roof area does not just infiltrate easily, especially if you want the lawn to remain driveable, and so on.
Hello @MaxPower90,
Your idea is unfortunately unrealistic, unless your classic cars are worth more than €100,000 (about $110,000) each and are expected to increase significantly in value.
In your case, renting is always cheaper, or you would need to find an old barn with around 20 parking spaces, buy it, and then rent or manage the remaining spaces yourself. But even then, be careful—if you buy poorly and underestimate the effort or miscalculate, you will lose money.
It also depends on whether your two models actually appreciate in value or are expected to do so, and by how much annually. Many classic cars maintain their value but do not appreciate, so owning a private garage would not be worthwhile at all.
Best regards,
Dirk Grafe
Your idea is unfortunately unrealistic, unless your classic cars are worth more than €100,000 (about $110,000) each and are expected to increase significantly in value.
In your case, renting is always cheaper, or you would need to find an old barn with around 20 parking spaces, buy it, and then rent or manage the remaining spaces yourself. But even then, be careful—if you buy poorly and underestimate the effort or miscalculate, you will lose money.
It also depends on whether your two models actually appreciate in value or are expected to do so, and by how much annually. Many classic cars maintain their value but do not appreciate, so owning a private garage would not be worthwhile at all.
Best regards,
Dirk Grafe
MaxPower902 Mar 2016 08:59First of all, thanks again for your replies!
@toxicmolotow The idea is to store my vehicles safely and as cheaply as possible, with a long-term perspective of 10 or 20 years. I don’t care what the garage walls are made of because I don’t live in a tornado-prone area.
@Musketier What designation does the land I might buy need to have? Does it have to be building land / planning land to allow me to put garages on it?
@Dirk Grafe It would be nice if my cars were worth that much; then I’d probably rent space for them at the Classic Remise in Düsseldorf and definitely wouldn’t put them in a remote garage. However, I don’t understand why my decision to rent or buy should depend on the expected appreciation of my cars. Suppose I get two good storage options for 15,000, for example, a double garage including the land. After 15 years, it would still belong to me, even if it might only be worth 13,000 by then. If I paid rent for 15 years, that 15,000 would be gone, and I’d own nothing. I’d also have to worry about being evicted – completely independent of what my cars are worth now or in 15 years.
@toxicmolotow The idea is to store my vehicles safely and as cheaply as possible, with a long-term perspective of 10 or 20 years. I don’t care what the garage walls are made of because I don’t live in a tornado-prone area.
@Musketier What designation does the land I might buy need to have? Does it have to be building land / planning land to allow me to put garages on it?
@Dirk Grafe It would be nice if my cars were worth that much; then I’d probably rent space for them at the Classic Remise in Düsseldorf and definitely wouldn’t put them in a remote garage. However, I don’t understand why my decision to rent or buy should depend on the expected appreciation of my cars. Suppose I get two good storage options for 15,000, for example, a double garage including the land. After 15 years, it would still belong to me, even if it might only be worth 13,000 by then. If I paid rent for 15 years, that 15,000 would be gone, and I’d own nothing. I’d also have to worry about being evicted – completely independent of what my cars are worth now or in 15 years.
The problem is that you can’t simply get by with 15k. With the land, additional costs, 5 used garages, plus wastewater connection or infiltration system, you’re easily looking at around 50,000€ (approximately $54,000). This probably doesn’t make sense compared to the value of the car or rent costs.
Let’s assume you acquire a plot of land. You’re allowed to build right up to the boundary on one side, so you need at least 18m (60 feet) in width (5 x 3m (10 feet) plus 3m (10 feet) spacing) and 14m (46 feet) in depth (3m (10 feet) boundary setback + 6m (20 feet) garage + 5m (16 feet) driveway), which equals about 250 m² (2,690 ft²). The price for a poor but buildable plot probably won’t be much below 50€ (about $54) per m². That puts you at around 12,500€ (about $13,500) plus acquisition-related fees. The total purchase price is therefore roughly 15,000€ (about $16,000).
Then come the foundations, for which you might even get a volume discount, and the wastewater connection. Roughly 5,000€ to 7,500€ (about $5,400 to $8,000). Now add the used garages, which must be in good enough condition to be transported. I have no idea what that costs, but including transport you’re probably looking at at least 2,000€ to 3,000€ (about $2,200 to $3,200) each.
So, you’re already at 35,000€ (about $38,000), and everything would have to go perfectly.
But you probably won’t find a plot exactly matching those dimensions and where it’s also permitted to build 5 garages. That will make it even more expensive.
Let’s assume you acquire a plot of land. You’re allowed to build right up to the boundary on one side, so you need at least 18m (60 feet) in width (5 x 3m (10 feet) plus 3m (10 feet) spacing) and 14m (46 feet) in depth (3m (10 feet) boundary setback + 6m (20 feet) garage + 5m (16 feet) driveway), which equals about 250 m² (2,690 ft²). The price for a poor but buildable plot probably won’t be much below 50€ (about $54) per m². That puts you at around 12,500€ (about $13,500) plus acquisition-related fees. The total purchase price is therefore roughly 15,000€ (about $16,000).
Then come the foundations, for which you might even get a volume discount, and the wastewater connection. Roughly 5,000€ to 7,500€ (about $5,400 to $8,000). Now add the used garages, which must be in good enough condition to be transported. I have no idea what that costs, but including transport you’re probably looking at at least 2,000€ to 3,000€ (about $2,200 to $3,200) each.
So, you’re already at 35,000€ (about $38,000), and everything would have to go perfectly.
But you probably won’t find a plot exactly matching those dimensions and where it’s also permitted to build 5 garages. That will make it even more expensive.
MaxPower90 schrieb:
Suppose I get two good parking spaces for 15K, for example a double garage including the land. The question is where you want to find this barn (it won’t be more than that at this price, you should be clear about that), meaning how far from Dortmund? The follow-up question is what these vehicles mean to you: a pure investment or old/youngtimers you use yourself?
In central locations, a minimum 200m² (2,150 sq ft) plot alone can quickly cost 20,000–60,000 euros, plus notary fees, property transfer tax, and annual property tax. In village locations, about 5,000 euros for land plus garage(s).
At that price, the only option is a barn or shelter, which usually has to be shared (or often includes more space), which leads to additional costs. Therefore, I would recommend leasing or renting such a facility; otherwise, in my opinion, it won’t work out.
Best regards,
Dirk Grafe
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toxicmolotof2 Mar 2016 17:34I give up; reason does not help here.
Where is a rental garage unsafe?
What happens to a car in a metal box? It rusts.
Where is a rental garage unsafe?
What happens to a car in a metal box? It rusts.
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