I've been thinking about purchasing or building my first home for a while now, and while I'm not quite ready to pull the trigger on anything yet, this popped up on Zillow not far from where I currently rent and I couldn't help but notice. The house is a pretty rough WWII-era home, but what's behind it is what really matters. The shop is almost 3,000 square feet (more than twice the size of the house). By all accounts, it's a terrible idea, yet I can't help but wonder...
Do you spend more time in the shop or the house?
There's your answer.
My first house in the US had a really big garage, and that was a significant factor in my purchase. We used to joke that it was bigger than the house. When I went to sell it, we found out that was actually true :)
3000 square feet is one big shop.
our current home had the size of the garage in the requirements when we where looking.
In today's construction market it wouldn't cost you too much less to renovate the insides of that small house than it would to build that 3000 sq. ft shop. Additionally the ROI on interior improvements is much higher than big shop in the back.
All that being said, the single most important thing in buying a house is location, you can change almost anything about a house except where it's located....
Fixing up the little house on the property would be a lot easier than building a shop. My neighbor is building a shop. It is a lot more expensive and takes way longer than you think. I always recommend buying a house with an existing shop if you want one.
I just toured my cousin's new place, and it is very similar. The PO never took the time to add a shower head to the only bathtub, but did add a wood shop that is larger than the whole original house. You really can't see it from the front, its only when you go into the basement and walk through a nondescript door that you realize that baby got back!
He said that due to zoning, it can never be used for living space. But I am a big believer in storage space and space to work on projects, so I would LOVE having this much extra room.
In reply to AMiataCalledSteve :
Is the area really that bad though?
Everything I've learned about contractors is to avoid them and do as much as possible yourself, regardless of the job.
The big garage was one of the main reasons my ex- bought her house.
Not a bad idea at all.
kb58 said:Everything I've learned about contractors is to avoid them and do as much as possible yourself, regardless of the job.
It would never get done if I dont pay someone to do it lol
Do the lifts stay with it? I would do that in a heartbeat - if the price is right and the structure of the house is solid.
How old is the shop? Looks like it was built in stages?
If the area is decent, I say go for it. It's easy enough to renovate/update the house in stages as long as it's livable now.
Can you rent the house and just use the garage civered by rent payments? Our next place will be half the house and double the garage we have now. Preferrably on 10acres which is almost completely wooded. Preferrably tucked away near civilization but far enough off the beaten path.
Go for it.
Even if the lifts don't stay DO IT!!!....the building is all the battle.......enjoy you dawg 
I did it. My first house was a 800 Sq ft house severely outdated and in need of repairs. The shop is like 750 Sq ft and has two electric garage doors.
My requirements were access to really good internet, big nice yard, and shop.
It took me 6 months of working every day to finish the renovation. I put off the bathroom for a few years and just did it a year or two ago.
I love the house and shop, and was super happy with my purchase. I still have it, I just rent it out now.
I see nothing at all wrong with that. If the house will take car of your needs go for it.
If you are just after enabling, you came to the right place :-) Or are you looking for a serious financial answer? This combination, small older house, with a big shop that looks more commercial than residential is going to appeal to a VERY tiny slice of the market. Sure there are examples of really big garages that are artfully blended in with the main house, I get it. The average GRM reader is not your average mass market house buyer that drives the market. If you get it cheap enough than it may not matter to you, or if you plan to live in it forever, again, it probably doesn't matter. I would be very cautious about over improving the house though, as the standard metrics probably won't apply here. Probably not the right application for a $50k kitchen remodel for instance. Buy it cheap, do some fairly inexpensive sweat equity upgrades on the main house would be my advice if you are heart set on it. BTW, I'd love a shop that size, but the practical ROI side of me would struggle with it.
In reply to wake74 :
As wake said, the market for resale is smaller... but I would not count it as small as implied. By actual volume of lookers, absolutely. But the minority interested in that combo speaks much louder than the numbers would imply!
He is 100% right in not out spending the market in improving the house! If ya spend money on the house - remember it's for YOU. 'Cause ya prolly wouldn't get a good return on those dollars.
Id look at neighborhood, and if the shop is laid out well enough to suit you. 3000 ft2, in one big open shop is a lot, but if it's a few smaller areas layed out poorly...
Garages should be bigger than houses. Cars are bigger than people.
We did. Modest house and the separate garage is only about 900 square feet, not counting the two lean-to sheds on the back, but we didn't have much of a budget.
I'm all for giant garages as long as they fit the 'hood. This one near me is too big in my opinion.
This word you used..... I do not think it means what you think it means.
I do make exceptions- if you live near Chris Karamesines in a small south side Chicago area you can have a big garage.
Points if you're revving open header engines at 11pm.
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