Tell me about your garage/carriage house, please

Bump

qrysdonnell is right. They keep it this way by forbidding plumbing to your garage.

qrysdonnell said:

I have a car in it.  I know that's kind of weird around here.
I seem to recall hearing that zoning regulations make it next to impossible to have a detached building zoned for people to reside in, so unless you're grandfathered in (i.e. it's already built) you'll probably have an impossible time converting a garage into a residential building.

When we replaced our detached garage, we inquired about plumbing (in order to have a hand-washing station) and were told that it was forbidden.   

We keep our cars in our garage - so nice not to have to clear snow off them in the winter or have them baking in the sun in the summer!

I have a differently zoned piece of property than most. Have talked to township about it already and have good reason to believe we can do plumbing, the whole nine. I just want to, honestly, see some carriage house/garage apartments beyond just driving around and peeking at them from the street.

We just explained why you won't see them, even if you are allowed to have one.

In 20 years in real estate I have seen 3 "legal" carriage houses in all of Maplewood and South Orange that had heat and hot water and were habitable.    The carriage houses could be used or lived in only by family members or paid staff.   It was not legal to rent them out.   

If you are  trying to get design ideas, go on Pinterest and search "garage living space ideas" or carraige house design plans, etc.  You will get to see many things.  Not the same as in real life - but good for inspiration

A carriage house traditionally served as a building to house horse-drawn carriages and related equipment. Nowadays, they're often converted into charming living spaces or guest houses, blending historical charm with modern functionality. What is a carriage house? My garage, or carriage house, includes a 600-square-foot apartment with plumbing and gas lines. It's versatile, serving as a studio, workspace, guest apartment, or rental unit. This space is both functional and aesthetically pleasing, offering comfort and utility for various needs.

Maplewood now has an ADU (Accessible Dwelling Unit) ordinance which makes it possible to create a separate dwelling unit on your property that can be used as a living space by family member(s) or rented.  Neighboring towns may have this too. 

Kiana81 said:

A carriage house traditionally served as a building to house horse-drawn carriages and related equipment. Nowadays, they're often converted into charming living spaces or guest houses, blending historical charm with modern functionality. What is a carriage house? My garage, or carriage house, includes a 600-square-foot apartment with plumbing and gas lines. It's versatile, serving as a studio, workspace, guest apartment, or rental unit. This space is both functional and aesthetically pleasing, offering comfort and utility for various needs.

Are you a real person?

jimmurphy said:

Are you a real person?

Good question! In fact, Kiana81 seems to be promoting a real-estate agency or something, using AI-generated text. I guess the future has arrived. 

Artificial intelligence now on MOL.. ? I always thought we had some characters who were robots in disguise.