Anyone here live in a condo/apartment with either no garage or a shared garage?
My girl and I are looking to buy a place, and it seems that's the best deal out there, as we can be right close to downtown Denver and still get over 1000 SF in a historic building. Pretty cool.
My only reservation is, what do I do without my own garage? I have my Duc, a KTM, and a ton of camping stuff, including a pop-up which would have to go. The camping stuff and tools can go in a secured basement storage, but the bikes are up in the air. We'd get one parking spot in a twelve spot garage, but I couldn't fit my truck in it, so my girlfriend would park there and maybe we could squeeze a bike behind her car. I'd be left to street parking in my F150, which I think sounds like a pregnant dog.
So anyhow, I'm not asking you guys to solve my too much crap problem, but how do you guys that live in these kind of places survive? Does it totally suck to not have your own private garage? Bonus is plenty of [drink] within steps of the front door.
Quote from: NvrSummer on July 24, 2008, 08:02:27 AM
Anyone here live in a condo/apartment with either no garage or a shared garage?
My girl and I are looking to buy a place, and it seems that's the best deal out there, as we can be right close to downtown Denver and still get over 1000 SF in a historic building. Pretty cool.
My only reservation is, what do I do without my own garage? I have my Duc, a KTM, and a ton of camping stuff, including a pop-up which would have to go. The camping stuff and tools can go in a secured basement storage, but the bikes are up in the air. We'd get one parking spot in a twelve spot garage, but I couldn't fit my truck in it, so my girlfriend would park there and maybe we could squeeze a bike behind her car. I'd be left to street parking in my F150, which I think sounds like a pregnant dog.
So anyhow, I'm not asking you guys to solve my too much crap problem, but how do you guys that live in these kind of places survive? Does it totally suck to not have your own private garage? Bonus is plenty of [drink] within steps of the front door.
More important question: Are you married? If not, have you had a lawyer draw up a contract stipulating what happens to the condo (and any profit, and who has right of occupancy, etc.) should the relationship dissolve?
If you are married, try to determine if the change in lifestyle is worth the having your home. If this is a "starter home" and you will be looking to trade up in a few years I say get rid of a few of the toys, get into the housing market (now is a good time) and start saving some money so you are ready to buy a place with a
toy chest garage.
Cheers.
sac
One bike sharing the parking space is not a big deal. At least it is convenient.
For the rest of the stuff that you do not use every day like your camping gear, get a self storage unit close by. Denver has a ton of them, almost as easy to find as a Starbucks.
I lived in a high rise on the Wilshire Corridor in LA for about four years which I did not have a garage. It was a pain in the ass. For a year I had to park one car on the street (which was not too bad) and I never had a place to wash a car or work on a car/moto. Getting groceries in to the place is a pain not to mention loading up the car to go camping. That being said, I loved living in that environment. I probably wont have that sort of living experience again. It was a lot of fun, but I'm very happy to have a garage now. Also, you might be able to "rent" a parking spot from one of your neighbors if they don't use it or would be willing to park on the street in exchange for $.
Good advice...
No, not married, but will be engaged soon. We've been together for a very long time, so I'm not too worried about the relationship ending. That said, I do think it would be a good idea to have a contingency plan in case that happens.
The particular one I'm looking at is a low rise. 12 units, and ours would be ground floor with a back door right out in to a nice courtyard. Also about 5 blocks from a large park. Which brings up another point. I have a 100 lb lab. I don't mind walking him a few times a day, but how cruel is it to take away his yard?
This is about the only time in life I could like in a place like this, which pushes me to do it. I figure I can have the suburban life with a big garage anytime.
Fox, I lived off Wilshire and 26th in Santa Monica for a few months. That was a blast!
We just moved from an apartment with no garage (carport spot) to a different apartment with a one-car garage.
I either did a car + bike in the spot, or else 2 bikes.
It was ok for doing small amounts of work, like chain care, washing the bike (out of a bucket), changing the exhaust. Nobody complained.
It was a pain not having a place to keep tools handy, or not feeling I could leave something as a work in progress, and not having any outlets available.
One of the major reasons for the move was for the garage.
As far as dogs, my two whippets have been totally fine with apartment living, but they are definitely much more couch potatoes than a lab.
Do you have a dog park or somewhere else you can let your lab run around a few times a week?
Quote from: NvrSummer on July 24, 2008, 08:52:18 AM
Good advice...
No, not married, but will be engaged soon. We've been together for a very long time, so I'm not too worried about the relationship ending. That said, I do think it would be a good idea to have a contingency plan in case that happens.
Cool. Congrats. I think moving + engagement/wedding planning + home ownership + dog + motorcycles will be the perfect test for determining whether or not your marriage will last. Perhaps you could both make career changes, have her mother live with you and buy a cat just to be sure. [cheeky]
My vote is: buy the place but make sure you have long discussions about what will be changing when you do. Good luck, mang.
sac
Just to throw my $.02 out there...I bought a house with my boyfriend a little over a year ago. We had been dating for about two years and already living together before we bought the house. Whenever I talked to people about us buying a place together, all I heard was, "that's not smart", "what if you split up?", "I wouldn't do that"... etc...It drove me crazy!! Now we are engaged and everything is fine and I'm so happy we bought when we did.
My point is, do whatever you want to and don't let anyone freak you out with thoughts about all the bad shit that could potentially happen. If you buy the place and end up breaking up, deal with it then. It's not the end of the world and it will all work out eventually.
And each and every one of the 2,648 members of the DMF are here to pitch in $10 each for the engagement ring. [laugh]
Here's my experience:
I went from a 1300 sq ft house/half acre with 2-1/2 stall garage (I totally miss that garage!!!). In other words: lots of stuff. I'm now in a high rise in Denver. Super cool and fun and convenient but I gave up A LOT. Which was also kind of cleansing. I kept my huge Toro snow blower, all my camping stuff - you get the idea. Things I didn't want to buy again. Garden hoses? Gone. Dozens of sets of bed sheets for the guest beds? Gone. I have two end-to-end parking spaces that came with my unit and one storage unit about 2' x 6' That sucker is piled high with the remaining stuff. About 10' feet high. I got really creative with that storage unit and lock my roadie to the door of it. Mtn. bike is now on my balcony. In another life, I'm going to be a packaging engineer.
I've never had a problem with my monster or anything in storage getting tampered with (yet). There are many other people who have motorcycles and big dogs at this place. No problem. You adapt. The biggest pain is realizing you've forgotten something by the time you get to your car and you have to go back upstairs and they've shut down one of the two elevators for whatever reason and have to wait.
You're more then welcome to stop by any time to see what I've done (in the condo as well as in "my" garage & storage areas) if that would help. Just send me a PM. I've had some of the other local crazy duc people over once in a while too. My avatar is a picture taken from my balcony with my iPhone. Great views!
Quote from: Bick on July 24, 2008, 10:28:05 AM
And each and every one of the 2,648 members of the DMF are here to pitch in $10 each for the engagement ring. [laugh]
[laugh]
Oh and Bicks? He's been over - 4th of July fireworks - but FELL ASLEEP on the sofa ! His poor, poor girlfriend.... [cheeky]
Hey now, I was awake for the fireworks!
It had been a very long and busy day. And it is a VERY, VERY COMFY couch.
Anyone passing through town, I highly recommend staying at Casa de Stella. [thumbsup] [thumbsup]
Quote from: Bick on July 24, 2008, 11:00:14 AM
Hey now, I was awake for the fireworks!
It had been a very long and busy day. And it is a VERY, VERY COMFY couch.
Anyone passing through town, I highly recommend staying at Casa de Stella. [thumbsup] [thumbsup]
Awake maybe for the fireworks at your place with the Judster! But you were clearly asleep. Just glad you didn't fall into the abyss of the couch. My poor dad could hardly get out of it....
Sorry NvrSummer. Done w/the threadjack ! (Aren't we Bicks?)
Wait...I had to stay at Randy's dump when Casa De Stella was available??!!
Just kidding, I really dig Randy's pad. [beer]
To the OP, go for it. You will be ground level and into the courtyard so ifthere is ever any doubt, then you can roll your bikes inside and park em in the dining room. Who actually uses their dining room anyway.
I am in the process of trying to find a loft condo downtown here and parking is the least of my worries. My primary is finding a shiny new pad that I am not embarassed to show my friends. Well that and great spot to display my Duc as a showcase piece. ;) The rest of the stuff will all fall into place if this is the right pad for you guys.
And remind me to buy you guys a round the next time I am in Denver!
That's great Stella, thanks! Is your place west of town? Kind of looks that way from the pic, but it's hard to tell. The place we're looking at is at 11th and Emerson, so I'd finally be able to make some Gov's nights! And Bick, I assume you'll be pitchin the first 10 in?? :) I accept beer payment as well.
Seriously, I'm not asking for advice on whether it's a good idea or not (edit: it meaning moving w/ the girl), I'm passed that. Now I just need to figure out what to do with all my shit!! I'd really love to get the whole urban thing out of the way, it's something I've always wanted to do. Unfortunatly, my truck, my bikes, my camping gear, blah blah blah, are making it tough. I don't want to get three weeks in and be miserable. I've always said I would never live anywhere without a garage, and here I am thinking about it!
I lived in an apt. for a while. It wasn't too bad.
the storage unit is your friend. For 50 bucks a month I had a garage to work on my bikes, a place to keep all my crap, and...even though they said I wasn't supposed to....secure parking for my car when I didn't need it for a couple weeks at a time. And it was all within walking distance (or pedaling...whatever)
I'm sure in Denver it might be a little bit more expensive than 50 a month, but well worth it...you'd be able to keep your one of your bikes (I'd assume the other would split the parking space with the car) and your pop-up...and have a place where your tools can stay that is safe and secure.
It can be done.
I did it back in my urban days:
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1411/548703754_daa3a92183.jpg?v=0)
(http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1089/548703778_98ec007680.jpg?v=0)
Even had room for guests bikes.
Here's a thought - share a self-stoarge unit with Stella.
More improtant than how you are going to store your bikes, when are you going to RIDE with us?!!!
I say look at the parking conditions very closely. Maybe even ride a bike to the place and have the lady drive her can and see how well the 2 fit together. I recently moved into an apartment with a single car garage thinking that I might be able to fit by truck and bike in it. It's not happening. I can barely fit the bike and a car in there together. Even then I had to remove the safety sensor on the door. [roll] Also don't forget to ask the manager/owner if they're OK with you putting the bikes and a car in there together. Just because you can doesn't mean they want you to.
I live in an apartment. We get fined for working on bikes/ cars. Look before you leap.
Hell yeah Bick, that's the most encouraging thing I've seen! My spot wouldn't be that long, but I think it could be done. Plus there were some pretty nice cars in the 'barn', so I'm not worried about theft etc... Ride?? with you guys?? I though you'd never ask! Seriously, it's been on my to do list for about 2 years now, can't believe it hasn't happened. Even worse is I have 0 riding buddies, so I need to make some.
I'm definintely going to check into the HOA rules before jumping, but with only 12 units, I can't imagine they are too stiff. Though maybe 12 units makes it worse. We'll see.
The storage unit is an option, but kind of a last resort. Between the in building storage and the garage spot, I sure hope to be able to keep it all onsite if we pull the trigger on this. I think it all can be done, minus the dirt bike. I'm positive the parking spot isn't big enough for the Duc and the KTM.
QuoteCool. Congrats. I think moving + engagement/wedding planning + home ownership + dog + motorcycles will be the perfect test for determining whether or not your marriage will last. Perhaps you could both make career changes, have her mother live with you and buy a cat just to be sure.
Ha ha, just caught this... Sounds like a f'in nightmare when I read through it! Got it under control though.
Quote from: NvrSummer on July 24, 2008, 11:53:25 AM
That's great Stella, thanks! Is your place west of town? Kind of looks that way from the pic, but it's hard to tell. The place we're looking at is at 11th and Emerson, so I'd finally be able to make some Gov's nights! And Bick, I assume you'll be pitchin the first 10 in?? :) I accept beer payment as well.
She's an Uptown Girl. ;D
Quote from: NvrSummer on July 24, 2008, 03:14:57 PM
I'm definintely going to check into the HOA rules before jumping, but with only 12 units, I can't imagine they are too stiff. Though maybe 12 units makes it worse. We'll see.
I also lived in a condo with 12 units. HOA meetings were a living Hell. Just do your homework.
I live in a loft in downtown Chicago. Things like forgetting something in the car or carrying up groceries get a little annoying at first, but you eventually manage. I'm more careful when getting out the car, and bought a small cart to carry all the groceries up at once... now I just need to solve the problem of actually having to go up to my unit and get it. I have a single space, but I used to fit two bikes in there, now I'm just down to the Monster. If you work constantly on your bike, it could be a problem. I still have my parents house close by, and I keep all my tools there and it's a nice place where I can work on the bike, not that I work on it very often. But yea, I think as long as you can solve the working on the bike issue, you'll be set. A storage unit could be a good solution.
Good luck
Quote from: NvrSummer on July 24, 2008, 08:02:27 AM
Anyone here live in a condo/apartment with either no garage or a shared garage?
My girl and I are looking to buy a place, and it seems that's the best deal out there, as we can be right close to downtown Denver and still get over 1000 SF in a historic building. Pretty cool.
My only reservation is, what do I do without my own garage? I have my Duc, a KTM, and a ton of camping stuff, including a pop-up which would have to go. The camping stuff and tools can go in a secured basement storage, but the bikes are up in the air. We'd get one parking spot in a twelve spot garage, but I couldn't fit my truck in it, so my girlfriend would park there and maybe we could squeeze a bike behind her car. I'd be left to street parking in my F150, which I think sounds like a pregnant dog.
So anyhow, I'm not asking you guys to solve my too much crap problem, but how do you guys that live in these kind of places survive? Does it totally suck to not have your own private garage? Bonus is plenty of [drink] within steps of the front door.
i would never street park if you have the option of sharing the space with your own vehicle.
i lived in an apartment with dual garages [space pillar space WALL space pillar space WALL] and parked my bike at the head of my space or between my nose and in pillar gap (more on my side than neighbors). worked for 8 months but ONE time they tapped my bike and knocked it onto my car. hello minor tank dent, christened with the ducati dent yey.
currently we have a condo with downstairs garage and the duc either occupies the space entirely or lives at the head with the saturn "pinning" it in.
even though it's secure parking i use the screaming Xena disc lock. no problems, fingers crossed. it has not sucked at all. in a condo setting, at least you know that your neighbors have as much invested in a nice place and safe parking structure as you do.
above all, though i am an anti-social, slightly paranoid, fearfully independent goob - if you buy a condo, DO make an effort to meet your neighbors. smile a little, wave, shake a few hands. introduce yourself. learn a few names. say good morning and mug for other people's kids. not only do you gain the benefit of humanizing yourself and earning allies in protecting your stuff... it.. it actually.. it feels kinda good. hell if i know why. it does.
not one problem with the bike in a kid heavy complex near a school in two years.
the damn CAR has been broken into twice.. but no one has messed with my bike or three others parked here. yet.
and the car break-in's were part of a "bad year" that seems to have been cleared up- many break-in's, several cars here vandalized, everyone more vigilant and talking to each other and the police. it wasn't "one of us", was a local high-school letting out and.. yeah, anyway.
humanize yourself. ambassador motorcycle. like it or not - that's YOU. [thumbsup]
Get a ground floor apartment.
Roll bike inside ;)
Quote from: jorgemiranda on July 24, 2008, 10:27:39 PM
I live in a loft in downtown Chicago. Things like forgetting something in the car or carrying up groceries get a little annoying at first, but you eventually manage. I'm more careful when getting out the car, and bought a small cart to carry all the groceries up at once... now I just need to solve the problem of actually having to go up to my unit and get it. I have a single space, but I used to fit two bikes in there, now I'm just down to the Monster. If you work constantly on your bike, it could be a problem. I still have my parents house close by, and I keep all my tools there and it's a nice place where I can work on the bike, not that I work on it very often. But yea, I think as long as you can solve the working on the bike issue, you'll be set. A storage unit could be a good solution.
Good luck
2nd this. our complex has large storage closets and until i started parking in the space right by his storage, Mark piked his honda in the closet. he's out now. ;)
here's mike's bike in front of the storage door. it's something like 6' x 10' inside and it was his personal high-security garage for a couple years.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2122/2539302391_8431c174c9_m.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/photos/27242186@N04/2598563829/)
OH, also.. he put up a security light, motion sensor security light up high in the corner. got permission from the condo agency because the lighting was bad in this corner. he bought the unit after presenting it to them as a win-win and they let him do the installation, cost him something like $140 @ home depot and they let him tap into the power. surprised me, but i think it's proof that if you present them with a low/no cost solution that benefits all residents (security plus) your condo hoa might work with you on some minor things you might want.
Quote from: m0t0g0th on July 24, 2008, 10:46:30 PM
i would never street park if you have the option of sharing the space with your own vehicle.
i lived in an apartment with dual garages [space pillar space WALL space pillar space WALL] and parked my bike at the head of my space or between my nose and in pillar gap (more on my side than neighbors). worked for 8 months but ONE time they tapped my bike and knocked it onto my car. hello minor tank dent, christened with the ducati dent yey.
currently we have a condo with downstairs garage and the duc either occupies the space entirely or lives at the head with the saturn "pinning" it in.
even though it's secure parking i use the screaming Xena disc lock. no problems, fingers crossed. it has not sucked at all. in a condo setting, at least you know that your neighbors have as much invested in a nice place and safe parking structure as you do.
above all, though i am an anti-social, slightly paranoid, fearfully independent goob - if you buy a condo, DO make an effort to meet your neighbors. smile a little, wave, shake a few hands. introduce yourself. learn a few names. say good morning and mug for other people's kids. not only do you gain the benefit of humanizing yourself and earning allies in protecting your stuff... it.. it actually.. it feels kinda good. hell if i know why. it does.
not one problem with the bike in a kid heavy complex near a school in two years.
the damn CAR has been broken into twice.. but no one has messed with my bike or three others parked here. yet.
and the car break-in's were part of a "bad year" that seems to have been cleared up- many break-in's, several cars here vandalized, everyone more vigilant and talking to each other and the police. it wasn't "one of us", was a local high-school letting out and.. yeah, anyway.
humanize yourself. ambassador motorcycle. like it or not - that's YOU. [thumbsup]
The duc would definitely not be street parked, it would share a space with my girlfriend's car. My truck would be on the street, which I also forsee as a problem. It's just not fun to parallel park it, and honestly most of the spots people leave on the street would be too small. The last thing I want to do after working 10 hours and driving home in traffic is circle the block looking for parking. I think I'll swing by the place a few nights around 6 or so and see what it's like.
For sure will be making friends with the neighbors. That's half the reason for the thought of apartment living. All my boys are either moving out of town or getting married (never to be seen again!) My real motivation for the apartment life is to live in a fun area and meet some new people.
[beer]