EDMONTON – There are many things to consider when designing and building a new home: everything from square footage and the number of bedrooms to the finishings in the kitchen. But an Edmonton family is warning others to also double check the size of the garage, after learning the hard way the standard-sized garage is not deep enough to fit both of their vehicles.
Tao Wang’s daughter and son-in-law recently took possession of their brand new home in southwest Edmonton. When discussing the building plans, Wang says the couple took the size of the garage into consideration.
“We talked about the garage,” Wang said. “And I thought… maybe it’s too narrow, so we added two feet width to the garage.”
However, Wang didn’t consider the depth of the garage, thinking the standard 20-foot length would be enough space to park the couple’s car and SUV.
“These cars are very standard cars. This SUV is very, very standard; it’s much shorter than a standard minivan. The minivan is much longer than this. And this car, the sedan, is very standard.
“When we found this problem we talked to the builder and the builder said ‘oh, it’s too late.'”
“I feel bad for our customer, I do, but there’s nothing we can do,” said Mac & Mitch Homes President, Mike Webb.
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“Given how far we built, plus also the regulations, we can’t just all of a sudden pull a garage out,” Webb explained. “There was nothing we could do to make the car fit in the garage… They had signed off on what they wanted.”
Webb says changes to things like the size of the garage need to be made before the foundation is poured. The Wang family didn’t notice the garage was too small until one month prior to taking possession of the home, after the landing and stairway was built from the garage into the home.
“They don’t mention about the stairs. The stairway takes over three feet,” Wang said, adding the automatic door also makes them about six to 10 inches of space in the garage.
“Both cars, standard cars, can’t be parked… I’m afraid it will hit my bumper.”
In order to meet code, homebuilders are required to construct a three-foot landing and staircase in the garage.
Webb says with vehicles getting larger and longer, a garage size is something all homeowners should discuss with their agents prior to purchasing a new home.
“I don’t think they’re really thinking about their cars until after the fact. I mean, I certainly didn’t, and I think a lot of people are finding that cars are getting bigger,” he said. “Width is discussed a lot. People like to have the storage space on the side. The depth is rarely ever spoken about.”
Meanwhile, Wang is urging others to read the blueprints very carefully, before signing off on anything.
“It’s something you need to think about,” he said. “But for the first time buyer, sometimes it may be difficult. We don’t know the blueprints, they’re so complex.”
With files from Julie Matthews, Global News.
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