The Garage Mahalic
Posted 03-31-2011 at 05:08 PM by Roy Sanborn
Spring is coming. Nascar has fired up its engines, the sweet smell of racing fuel and burning rubber is in the air, and as the frost heaves recede gear heads begin to think about getting their prized street rod or motorcycle on the road. It’s a time when many men dream about a Garage Mahal.
The fact is, put simply, men like (1) garages and (2) basements. You can’t generally reverse that order of preference unless there is a full blown man cave in the basement that includes a well stocked bar, a large flat-screen, and a leather couch. Men don’t care about closet space, the size of the bedrooms, or how fancy the kitchen is. But the bigger and fancier the garage is, the better. Real men care about things like where to store their stuff and where they can go to work on “a project.” Even if it’s not really fancy that’s OK too, the male species likes to mark his own territory and make it his very own. Real men are true Garage Mahalics.
Now before the female readers snub their noses at all of this, it should be noted that most of the world’s greatest inventions were created in a garage including the Wright Brother’s airplane, Apple and Hewlett Packard computers, the automobile, and Flubber. The invention of Flubber certainly explains man’s infatuation with this most basic structure. Let’s also not forget that countless rock bands got their start in this architectural icon. Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse when he was working one night in his garage and saw mice playing cards. Garages helped mold this nation.
What do Garage Mahalics look for? A truly great garage that has at least five bays with finished interior walls and a floor with that fancy epoxy coating or black and white alternating linoleum tiles giving it that vintage 50’s look. Heat and hot and cold running water are a must. The ceilings should be high enough to allow a car to be put on a lift without crushing the roof when it is raised. A grease pit would be a bonus. The Garage Mahal should also have a compressor and a MIG welder. There must be plenty of storage cabinets (faced with shiny diamond plate), peg boards on the walls, and lots of lighting so you can see how great things look. Last, but not least, a big honking stereo.
Part of my job, as a REALTOR®, is to provide the male members of the buying public with invaluable assistance in finding their dream Garage Mahal. This service is intended to lessen the stress involved for couples looking for the perfect home and ensuring harmonious marital bliss. With that in mind, here are properties currently on the market in our area that have achieved Garage Mahal Gold Status:
At the least expensive end of the spectrum, there is a six car garage located at 393 Durrell Mountain Road in Belmont with plenty of height and depth for all your toys. Sitting conveniently next to the garage is an 1,800 square foot two bedroom, two bath ranch with a great open floor plan, cathedral wood ceilings in the great room, stone hearth, two wood stoves, and some closets. This home is offered at $207,000 which is well below the current assessed value of $239,000. Good garage, good deal.
Down in Gilmanton at 271 NH Route 140, there is another six car garage with high ceilings and one bay with doors at either end so you can drive your snow machines in one side and out the other. This garage comes equipped with a like-new 2,593 square foot, three bedroom, three bath cape. The home features hardwood floors, cherry cabinetry and granite counter tops in the kitchen, a first floor master suite, a fully finished basement, and closets. A great garage and a very nice house priced at $278,500.
A car collectors dream garage can be found at 89 Daniel Webster Highway in Center Harbor. There you’ll find space for 16 cars in a 48’ x 80’ heated garage with three 12’ doors, a ¾ bath, and an office. Nice! After a hard day polishing your antique cars you can stroll back to the 1790’s vintage, 2,946 square foot, three bedroom, two bath, renovated farmhouse with closets. The home has a new heating system, 200 amp electric service, windows, roof, and insulation. This property is offered at $459,000 which just a shade over the current assessment of $435,000.
Over at 75 Water Street in Meredith there is an 8,000 square foot toy garage with 12 foot doors on each end. You can surely fit at least eight cars in there, the biggest motor home you can find, boats, or the excavator you have always wanted plus some. The house that comes with this gem is a wonderful lake home that overlooks Lake Waukewan and 180’ of shorefront across the street. It has a great cottage feel with an open floor plan, a country kitchen that opens into the great room featuring cathedral ceilings, exposed beams, and a large stone see-through fireplace that is also visible from the wonderful wrap-around porch. The home has walls of windows on three sides to bring in the sun and lake views and some closets. This property is offered at $879,000 and is sure to excite the most serious of Mahalics.
A very upscale, brick carriage house complete with a clock and bell tower can be found at 224 Dane Road in Center Harbor. This one of a kind garage can hold twelve vintage iron horses in grand style. I don’t think this setting would quite work for old street rods. But it certainly would work for a Ferrari or Porsche collection and given the $3.5 million price tag for this garage a new buyer could probably afford them. The classic Royal Barry Willis brick colonial that comes with the garage was constructed in 1930 and sits on a private 44 acres lot with views of Squam Lake. It has 7,500 square feet of living space, eighteen rooms, six bedrooms, seven baths, seven fireplaces, a bunch of closets, a cozy master suite with a private den, a music room, and a private office. Now all I need is $3.5 million…
Please note all of the above homes have really, really great garages and some closets. It’s a win, win.
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