Attached garage vs. No garage

[Jordan Regier]

Question?

Hi there, I am building a 3 bed 2 bath vacation rental in Sauble Beach, Ontario. I am a crossroads and could use some advice on whether or not to build a attached garage on the cottage?

The pros would be:

- higher resale and more equity

- storage for bikes, canoes, kayaks etc.

- keeps garbage out of house and I could put a ping pong table for guests

The cons would be:

- higher cost to build

- less cash flow

Looking forward to any advice! Thanks, Jordan.

[Kenneth Garrett]

@Jordan Regier

A garage is definitely a benefit for storage, recreation area, etc.  The cost is not very much considering the benefits.  A two car garage depending on your market is probably 15K-20K.  Not much of a difference when it comes to a mortgage payment probably under $100 a month.  I use mine for storage of beach toys, drying rack for swim suits, storage of extra supplies and on occasion it’s an extra parking space.  It’s not used for parking very often.  Maybe once a year.  I’ve thought about making a recreation area, but my property seems to book quite easily without it.