How wide is an average suv of today vs. an average suv in 1992? My HOA wants us to put both of our cars in our garage but they won’t fit! We have to pull on in and then get out and pull the other one in. I’m hoping that the suv’s of 1992 when my house was built were much slimmer.
I imagine that the garage was built for cars, not trucks. Even if the average SUV was slimmer in 1992, what difference would it make?
An alternative might be to back one in and front the other one in. If you park so that the passenger side is close to the wall, both drivers can get in and out more easily. But this also depends on how you enter the house through the garage.
My garage is very small. Just big enough for two suv’s if you don’t plan on getting out! My Homeowner’s association wants both cars in the garage. I just wanted to see if the specs for garages are too small for average vehicles of today versus when the house was built in 1992. However, your suggestion for backing one in could work. I’ll give it a shot. Thank you.
There was the Ford Bronco and Chevy Blazer back then. They were as wide as ones today.
How wide is a pick up truck. Most of the truck based SUVs were based upon the trucks that we were always familiar with. There is really nothing special about the traditional SUVs. They are just trucks with cabs that extend into the beds. If a Ford F150 was the basis for an SUV in 1992…that’s how wide it would be…still pretty big. The early 4Runners based upon the compact Toyota PU were quite narrow. The new ones, much less so.
You have a very finicky HOA, perhaps you should get out and move to a more friendly neighborhood.
Otherwise, keep one SUV that you like and sell the other and buy a mid sized or compact sedan. A modern car with new safety features is better in a crash than a '92 era SUV. You get equal or better safety, more garage space, and better gas mileage.
I Believe The 2 SUVs Are Not From 92 Era. The Owners Want To Drive SUVs And That’s their right and choice.
I certainly wouldn’t want to buy a mid-size or compact car if I wanted an SUV.
I think Christi is trying to shut down the SOBs at the HOA, not go car or house shopping.
CSA
Many HOAs have rules requiring unit owners to park their vehicles in their garage, if they have one. The reason, of course, is to free-up outside parking for visitors, vendors, and the like, as well as to make the complex look less cluttered. If that proviso does indeed exist in the agreements that the OP signed when he/she bought the condo, then it does not matter how wide vehicles were in 1992, or in 2009, or whenever.
If that rule exists for members of the community, then until such time as the regulation is lifted or altered, community members have to abide by it, or submit to the penalty (Normally, these are fines that are levied and that do not have to be paid until the unit is sold. The HOA has a lien against the property in the amount of those fines). In other words, if the OP chose to purchase vehicles that do not fit into the existing garage, that is not the problem of the HOA.
While I empathize, and while it is true that some HOAs come across as Nazi-like in their enforcement of regulations, the fact remains that whatever rules and regulations the OP agreed to in writing are binding until such time as the rules or regulations are changed.
If the OP’s intention is to fight that rule and to try to have it altered, then perhaps this is a worthwhile effort. However, right now, he/she does not have a leg to stand on, legally speaking.
If you said 1912, you might have something. SUVs are not bigger today than '92. What do you have? We could be more helpful if you told us what 2 SUVs you’re dealing with. And VDC’s right, you signed your HOA’s list of requirements when you bought your house/condo.
How wide is the average garage door ?
Depending on how the house was built, I think the average two car / single door should be 16 feet wide. Is yours 16’ ?
Some manufacturers sell 18s and still others will custom build the width.
However , I’ve seen some sneaky sales pitches touting a ‘two car garage’ but have only a 14’ door. The term ‘two car garage’ sells the house but they’ve saved space and materials by building it smaller.
Do you own or rent ?
Depending on available side space and other structural considerations, A garage door opening could be re-built wider. It’s a big job, for very skilled d.i.y.( with a building permit) or contractor.
I feel your pain. I cannot fit my '79 chevy pickup in my one car garage ( mirrors aren’t swing-lock ) so it sits outside with the sun destroying it’s custom paint job and eating the tires. I finaly bought r.v. tire covers after one blew flat with only 100 miles. The re-re-paint will only come after building a car port or such.
“A garage door opening could be re-built wider”
Not in a condo development, unless permission has been granted in writing!
The OP’s reference to a “HOA” tells me that this is a condo development. That type of ownership means that the community association OWNS the outside of the building as well as its underlying structural components.
The unit owner owns the interior walls and everything encompassed by those interior walls. Any attempt to alter the garage opening is a clear violation of the ownership agreement, and is likely to result in some severe legal consequences for the unit owner. This is actually not very different from the owner of a single family home deciding to alter the structure of his neighbor’s home. This is something that you just cannot do.
What you suggest is NOT possible with condominium ownership, unless the Homeowners’ Association specifically permits it to take place.
Wow, what a trap. I’ve never really wondered about all that stuff as I’m a home owner in a small town without all that HOA crap.
But I won’t try to re-build my single door garage either because of the lack of available side clearance. We’d get the truck in but couldn’t even hang the weed eater on the wall.
So the garage is relegated to work shop/storage duty and we park three trucks outside in the back.
Is it a condo? I’m not sure what a homeowners association is?? Is it strata title??
They passed a bylaw once like that in montreal something to the effect of keep vehicles either on the streets or in the driveway. Going around 4 city blocks once they counted 148 illegally parked vehicles and thus kind of gave up on the bylaw.
I agree in that especially when purchasing a house, one should know the bylaws or whatever, this just seems ridiculous. I will never ever ever ever buy a condo as long as I live because of strata council Nazis like that.
Perhaps you could park one vehicle on one street outside the complex, I realise that that has vehicle security implications but oftentimes, condo owners do that. I can think of two that I know that do that.