Garage problem - help needed! (pics)

[Photo pro]

I have a lower level garage. Until I got the Viper, I used it for lawn mowers and stuff. Now I use it for storing the Viper during the winter. I would like to permanently use the garage for the Viper year-round.

The problem: It takes me about 30 minutes to get the Viper in the door. I have to be VERY careful while doing it or the door can scratch the car easily. I use two car dolly's to move the rear of the car around. It works but the whole process is impractical if I want to just go for a drive.

I want to pave a new driveway in a couple of months so that I can use the garage more often. My neighbors property line comes to the edge of the concrete pad so I can't pave any more room to turn the car.

Possible solutions:
* Make the door bigger - that will require cutting into the brick/block work. I really don't want to do that.
* Someone suggested a Batman style turn table. Any thoughts on that?
* Moving to a new home - well, I operate my business out of this home. I really don't want to move in order to find a place to put my car.
* A garage lift in the regular garage won't work because my ceiling height is too low.

I really would appreciate your input. I have noticed that you guys have some very creative solutions to problems.

Notice the Red property line on the left

This rough drawing shows my plans for the new driveway

 

[Qualitywires.com]

Buy a new house! LOL!

Just kidding..I get one of those lifts that Backyard buddy makes. You just drive up on it and as you drive on it, it tilts forward to pick up your car. You could also use it in your drive way. It won't pick up your car real high, but enough where you can do some work on it plus be safer than jack stands.

The drive way thing there is real tight...Maybe your neighbor will let you buy some more of his land up to change the property line to give you more room?

 

[Photo pro]

Maybe your neighbor will let you buy some more of his land up to change the property line to give you more room?

I already tried that...no chance of that happening. I asked for an extra 4 feet by the pad for turnaround. The husband said yes - the wife said no.

 

[99 R/T 10]

Buy the wife some flowers and ask again while on your knees

 

[94RT10Ohio]

They sell "rollers" to set your tires onto and roll the car around, but that would take 30 minutes to get the car onto.

 

[Qualitywires.com]

I wonder why the wife said no? Is she going to plant flowers there?

I looks like you are stuck, unless you can open up the garage door opeing...and it you are going to go through that trouble, you might as well do it from the otherside of the house facing the driveway.

 

[Steve 00RT/10]

Drive the car into the garage parallel to your outside wall and call that your parking spot. From the picture, it looks like the garage extends to the window I can see. If it's too tight to drive in this way without jockeying around--put a bigger door in.

Steve

 

[Photo pro]

A wider door may be the solution. If it were about 2 more feet wide I could manuver the front end in easier without worry.

Thanks for the flower suggestion. I really don't know why she said no. The area I was asking to use is a water run off area approximately 12 feet wide. 4 feet of it would have never been noticed.

 

[hemibeep]

turn table would be interesting..
I have seen a picture of these in Ultimate garage book. A similar problem as the actual garage is long and narrow.
Could be a challenge to open the door wider.(load bearing wall issue.

On the other main garage, could you rework the trusses above to create a "hole" for the viper roof on a lift? ?

 

[plumcrazy]

Make the door bigger - that will require cutting into the brick/block work reqally isnt a big deal. find a GOOD mason and talk to him about it...you'd be suprised how easy it is.

the most expensive part is the NEW garage door

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Maybe propose instead of concrete pad extension that they let you add a little gravel in that area at the end of the pad to raise it up just a little so you can get the extra 2 feet or so. Tell them you will take it back out if they don't like it.

 

[malcoll]

Sometimes it's just easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.....



....too late for that now though.

 

[snakebitdave]

It looks like it is the back yard you are showing. Perhaps you could build a new garage attached to your home and put the door 90 degrees to the existing allowing you to drive straight into the garage. It depends on your zoning set back limitations and your budget of course. If you intend to stay there it wouldn't be a bad investment.

 

[Casey]

Set up your new driveway with a 50* embankment, and you can just follow it right in!

Have you considered making a new garage entrance from the side of the house. Heck, you could brick the exsisting opening with the brick from the new door.

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

run the wife over with the lawn mower and take the husband out for beer and strippers

 

[Mark Red GTS Cooper]

I knew someone in So CA, who had a turntable, very nice alternative,

Drive on, let the brake off, turn, lock and you are there, no more than 3 minutes!

Mark

 

[FLOORIN04]

I already tried that...no chance of that happening. I asked for an extra 4 feet by the pad for turnaround. The husband said yes - the wife said no.

Take the husband for a ride!!
Send his wife shopping !!


love the back up plan
run the wife over with the lawn mower and take the husband out for beer and strippers

Just get a GOOD mason in you will need a new support and garage door go 12 ft or 16ft and just pull in on angle.

Take this cost vs busting up car or turntable


another option is try to get neighbors to sign veriance and do a addition to house bottom garage next two stories for work or larger master ect depends on what is on that side of house.Every where has set backs and codes.I t is how you approach them that helps you.

just my .02

 

[got one]

just add on a pull in garage where the pad is...

 

[TCKTPLZ]

Yes, just extend out the garage to the property line and drive right in. Of course you will need another door facing the street, but I don't see how it is physically possible to maneuver the car in now without hitting something.

 

[LynnRI]

tell neighbors you are building an exceedingly unattractive car-port-like-trailer-park-ish structure to enclose the cement pad.

May motivate the wife....

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Concrete further past the door and back the car in.

Or buy a ********** for the husband.

 

[SNKEBIT]

buy strippers and a ********** for the neighbors wife.....


in like flynn

 

[FrankBarba]

Maybe more $$$ than you want to spend. Brick up the current garage door opening. On the side that your grass is on make a door opening there. Unless your structure can not handle it.

 

[ViperRay]

Increase your offer (or make a high one) for the extra property...the wife will relent.

 

[THOR]

What about extending the pad deeper towards your backyard, following the property line. This will give you a little more driveway width to work with. Then you would drive just past your garage, and back the Viper in. You will have a lot better turning radius backing up. You may also have to get the car out by pulling the Viper out towards your backyard, and then backing out of the driveway. (mytwocents)

 

[98MODMTR]

Build an enclosed area just outside the garage where atop of the concrete slab is. That becomes your new "garage" and you can still store whatever within the actual/orginal garage.

 

[Photo pro]

Wow,
I expected creativity but this has been great.

btw- This photo shows the side of my home. My camera angle is from the road -looking towards the back yard. (See updated drawing)I know it looks wierd because you can see the back of the other homes. My house sits in the middle of a fork in the road so mine has more of an angle to it than the other homes.

I really don't know why the builder chose to build so close to the property line. I have PLENTY of room on the other side of the house. It didn't bother me 10 years ago when I bought it. I never thought I would have a VIPER down there.

I will talk to a mason this week. Thanks for the suggestion.

I never thought of backing it in because putting it in forward is enough of a challange. I'll give that some thought.

Thanks

 

[snakebitdave]

Widening the door opening in terms of masonry isn't a big deal. However, the header above your door is load bearing due to the structure above it. To widen the door would require extending the width of the header and increasing its cross section to gain strength to support the load above the door. To be safe you would want to contact a structural engineer as well as a mason.

 

[Photo pro]

The flowers and strippers idea is starting to sound better and better!

 

[PSilverGTS]

Have your property surveyed to be sure that your property line ends there. If that doesn't work, when you see the "wife" always be cleaning your Viper in front of her, so she will see how much it means to you. Then ask her if she would like a ride. Also, bring bake goods over to them and invite them to dinner or have a barbecue.