Quote:
Originally Posted by timun
The Land Use Bylaw only allows attached garages to be accessed from the front of a parcel, does not allow detached garages (or any other "accessory residential building") to be built between the main dwelling and the front property line, and to build a breezeway between a garage and a main dwelling is to, by definition, attach it to the main dwelling. In effect the only built form where you'd be allowed to have a breezeway is if the garage is built between the house and a side property line, and most parcels in Calgary simply aren't wide enough to reasonably accommodate this.
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We looked at buying a house in Highwood many years ago that had a rear attached garage (with vehicle access from the alley). Presumably it was grandfathered in at some point -- unfortunately we didn't have the cash to make a competitive offer at the time.
As for your situation, if you don't think you'll want to move (or more importantly, will ever
need to move due to work, kids, other family responsibilities, etc) then I'd say go for the garage. If you're going to live there for the next 20+ years then you might as well make it work for you versus depriving yourself solely on account of resale value.
That said, you might also want to plan for an eventual house replacement (sounds like you're on a big lot so building footprint is likely not an issue); I had a neighbor in a small bungalow build a double garage first while he saved up to demo and rebuild the house itself a few years later. So in the event you do want to sell, a developer can still buy the lot, demo the house, and keep the garage.