View Full Version : Garage or Games Room?
alanandjude
29-08-2005, 00:23
Further to my previous thread, we are thinking of converting our garage into a games room as a lot of guests have asked for one.
As guests, which would you rather have?
We always park on the drive anyway, but many people do seem to use the garage.
I'd like to find out what percentage would rather have a games room.
Thanks
Alan
LiesaAnna
29-08-2005, 00:47
its never bothered me, but if we arrived and found a games room rather then a garage we would be very happy about it, (well the kids would be) and me i spose i would get peace and quiet!!
wouldnt or rather have never parked the car in it anyway just hung the washing over the indoor lines!!:)
dolphinv
29-08-2005, 13:54
Well looks like games room are winning, but remember you can't do a full conversion as you must have garage room for at least one car! and a lot of HOA won't allow a full conversion anyway!
I said games room.
Although it is very hot in there.
CarolAnn
29-08-2005, 15:26
As a guest i think if you have children, a games room has to be a plus:) I don't think in todays market you will go wrong adding one.
For the record, both at home and at our own villa, we always use the garage, so wouldn't especially be bothered if a villa we wanted to rent had a games room. In fact, would prefer not I think.
Ray&Sarah
29-08-2005, 18:02
We voted garage, too hot in there in the summer to play games unless you go the whole hog and have air-con installed.
chrizzy100
29-08-2005, 20:16
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Ray&Sarah
We voted garage, too hot in there in the summer to play games unless you go the whole hog and have air-con installed.
[/quote]
Hot and with the odd nasty spider......I'm always looking around in the garage as it is.....I don't think I could stay out there and use it as a room.......
Paula D-S
31-08-2005, 00:38
We had the garage converted and put in a ceiling fan and it's been ok. Mainly used at night time by the males in the tribe.
Paula
E. Cosgrove
31-08-2005, 00:46
We recently rented a home with a games room. The pool cues and balls where in exactly the same place when we left [msnoo]and the ping pong balls stayed under the bats......the table was great though, we put the washing on it when it came out of the dryer:D
Andy and Wendy
31-08-2005, 01:02
This is an intriguing thread and have to say I'm surprised it is split so evenly.
We have not done a full conversion but do have a games room in the garage - similar to Caitlin. Feedback from guests has been overwhelmingly positive and we are pleased with the reaction.
We don't use the garage at home in UK (in fact it is half converted to an office now, but didn't use it as a garage before anyway) and would not be fussed about using a garage while on hol's.
We are fortunate enhough to have a "courtyard driveway" so could easily accomodate at least 3 cars without issues.
Just our opinion of course.[msnsmile2]
andrewandcarole
31-08-2005, 01:14
Interestingly we never use our garage at home - but always use it in Florida. Even though our drive is north facing the car is unbearably hot if not put in the garage.
Carole
chrizzy100
31-08-2005, 01:16
My 2 cents........if your family wants a games room...put one in.......if they don't.......leave it....If I were renting my place I would not put one in the garage ...because I'd not use it.......maybe I would if my kids were younger...!....a half and half garage seems the best of both worlds......and you can buy a car curtain to protect the cars of Americans who drive to FL in their own car... from damage while in the garage if their kids play pool before the parents get up and put a nice big scratch along the side.........its not cheap at $349.00 but in the days of suing everyone for every little thing.....it could save a payout on your Ins.......
Improvements.com
andrewandcarole
31-08-2005, 03:01
Just another thought - we were out in Florida during hurricane Jeanne. We were glad to have the garage for the car as it saved it from potential damage.
Hopefully we won't have too many hurricanes - but it may be a consideration if you are wavering.
Carole
I am a little suprised on the figures above.
I would have thought most renters would want this facility, instead of an empty garage.
I am not a bit surprised at the poll at all. Like everything in life different people want different things, thats why people pick the different villas, like Crizzy says, we would not use or want one, so we haven't got one. Our guests last year that were there during " Charlie " said they were glad to have had the garage too. I can't think of anything I would least want to do while in a beautiful sunny place like Florida than spend any time in a hot garage with the dustbin !
pieman790
31-08-2005, 12:42
We have converted the garage into a games area. We can still move the table to one side and get the patio furniture in as well as a car it need arises. We were there in May and it was 90+ through the day and mid 70's at night and we could still use the garage as we have fans installed. Our kids spent ages in there but it goes down to personal preferances
We have made a Games Room as we have 4 boys who NEED(?!) this. We have just spent August there - ours gets warm during the day but not too hot as it faces North, and it's fine on a night when it's really needed. Ours was used a lot by our boys so I feel it was money well spent.
LiesaAnna
31-08-2005, 15:26
i must add my bit again, if i had my kids a lot younger for a holiday in florida i am sure a games room would have been great for them, i'm sure if your looking at a younger family with 8,9,10's and upwards a games room would be cool, also for a group of young teenagers its a cool place to "hang out" away from mum and dad all the time!
wouldnt use a garage anyway, to much hassle to be doing with[msnwink]
dolphinv
31-08-2005, 15:30
We had repeat guests who relived their teens and spent every evening playing table tennis![msnwink]no need for kids there!
Jean - the dustbin is outide for a lot of owners. We built a bin store round the side of the villa:D
We all spend quite a lot of time in our games area because we don't do many parks and have 3 teenagers. A lot of our US guests vacation to chill also and not necessarily spend much time in the parks so find that if their children are happy and relaxed then they are. By simply moving a couple of the games a car will fit in also so having the best of both worlds:D IMHO of course;)
As they say "each to his own" and thankfully there is a market for both garage and games room:)
We always use the garage and would always make sure the villa had one before booking, we staying in a villa once where they had put a computer table and a snooker table in the 2nd living area, that was very nice.
orlandodaze
30-12-2005, 05:38
A garage for us we dont have time to use a games room .
Yes Garage for me too. I always hire a nice car and I'm a car geek, It has always got to be clean. If It stays outside it gets covered in dew and I have to Chamois it. Sad, I know.
So they stay in the garage.[msneek]
We have just bought an air hockey table, football table and darts board but I have insisted that they are put on one half of the garage as I also hate leaving cars outside. At home our cars are the only cars in our street that are garaged when not in use.
The kids prefer a games room.
We don't have a game 'room' - or should we say 'area'- and have no plans to install one. As one of our recent guests put it so succinctly - 'We didn't fly across the Atlantic to somewhere as fantastic as Orlando to spend time in a hot garage!'
As others have said, it is personal choice, and many guests would not set foot in a 'games' area.
We know there are plenty of people out there who don't want a games area, but like a huge pool. After all you can play table tennis or whatever at home, but how many of us have fantastic pools at home?
But luckily we can all choose what we want, there is no right or wrong answer. :) And there are enough villas to choose from so that we can find our perfect home from home.
Games rooms are ok for those who feel the need to put one in, but please remember and respect the people who do not have a games room and come back to their own villa and find their drive way blocked by cars that should be on the drive or in the garage but cant due to a games room.:(
Cruella DeVilla
12-01-2006, 13:29
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robby
Games rooms are ok for those who feel the need to put one in, but please remember and respect the people who do not have a games room and come back to their own villa and find their drive way blocked by cars that should be on the drive or in the garage but cant due to a games room.:(
[/quote]
Absolutely[clap]
I couldn't agree more Robby, also during the time when we had the hurricans our guests were please to put their car in the garage. Like Ellie I can't think of anything I would less like to do while in Florida than spend time in a garage !!!!
Would not be without my garage for the car especially in the heat.
Sandra
chrizzy100
12-01-2006, 20:10
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robby
Games rooms are ok for those who feel the need to put one in, but please remember and respect the people who do not have a games room and come back to their own villa and find their drive way blocked by cars that should be on the drive or in the garage but cant due to a games room.:(
[/quote]
Some HOA's will put up with street parking if nothing is said about it..if cars are blocking your driveway I would tell them .....it is against most HOA rules..and can lead to a large fine for villa owners if not stopped...
floridadreamvilla.co.uk
02-08-2006, 19:08
Can I just remind owners that this is the guests area and we don't want to unduly frighten guests with talk of snakes etc etc. We all know Florida is a tropical climate and does have snakes etc etc but the chances of them straying into a games room is very remote.
I was out walking trails in the Florida countryside yesterday (well recommended - there are some stunning places out there that most tourists do not know about) and saw tons of snakes, lizards and even a few gators. As long as you approach slowly and make enough noise for them to know you are on the way they will move out of your way very quickly. It's not a problem as long as you are careful and aware of your environment [msnsmile]
cardinal
02-08-2006, 19:25
John is right approach them in the right way and they are fine.
jackie greaves
02-08-2006, 20:38
Would much rather have a games room than a garage. The wildlife is fine as long as you stay out of its way, it's all part of Florida.
solanasunshine
02-08-2006, 21:27
The majority of our guests always remark how much fun they have had in our games room, and all the kids seem to love it.
Obviously it is each to his own.[msnsmile]
chrizzy100
02-08-2006, 21:51
I had mice in my garage...never bring home chippings for the garden and place them in the garage...[msnwink]
I agree with John that you are unlikely to get any wildlife in the garage...but I was told that I would never come across a black widow...and because of that I was inches away from a bad bite...spider bites make me very ill..I have a common house spider bite now and it looked nasty for a while...I was not very happy with the info given..and I've done all research myself since then...
The Simpsons
03-08-2006, 02:07
A games room is a must for us our two boys love it, and guest's are always asking for a gamesroom.[msnsmile2]
farawayfan
03-08-2006, 10:10
Having just come back from a villa with a games room, I have to say that we would go for a villa with a games room every time!
We made good use of it. It was air conditioned and was carpeted like the rest of the house. It was fully converted and I presume that they had built a wall behind the actual garage door.
Yes the car was hot when we first got in it every time we went out but the air conditioning comes through really really quickly (and this was the first 3 weeks of July).
I never thought of the hurricane situation though and that would certainly be a consideration but personally if I had a villa of my own I'd definitely have a games room.
Just a thought though - what's the policy if your car is damaged by a hurricane. Does the insurance pay out?
Glad you had such a great time, Jackie.
However, owners are not allowed to build a wall across a garage door as it is a fire exit and must remain clear at all times. Any such conversion would be in breach of regulations and would be a concern. There are also strict rules about air con, too, and in most cases it is against regulations to add the garage onto the original system - which is why many game areas simply have a fan.
It is also a requirement that a car should be able to be parked in the garage, so all equipment needs to be movable. Most Homeowners associations also do not permit parking on the roadway, so this can be a problem if guests have more than one car and they do not fit on the driveway.
Of course some owners choose to ignore these regulations but they could risk losing their licence if found out.
chrizzy100
04-08-2006, 22:11
We asked if the show homes could stay like they were to make an office and games room...but we were told that could not be done...
caroline
04-08-2006, 23:57
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ellie
Glad you had such a great time, Jackie.
However, owners are not allowed to build a wall across a garage door as it is a fire exit and must remain clear at all times. Any such conversion would be in breach of regulations and would be a concern. There are also strict rules about air con, too, and in most cases it is against regulations to add the garage onto the original system - which is why many game areas simply have a fan.
It is also a requirement that a car should be able to be parked in the garage, so all equipment needs to be movable. Most Homeowners associations also do not permit parking on the roadway, so this can be a problem if guests have more than one car and they do not fit on the driveway.
Of course some owners choose to ignore these regulations but they could risk losing their licence if found out.
[/quote]
This is not strictly true, every HOA will have slightly different rules - however you have to apply to the county if you want to make a permanent conversion. Most communities insist that you park cars off the road, bt I don't know of any that insist that cars must be able to be parked in the garage.
If you have a window and another exterior door in your garage there is no problem with the fire regs - however many HOA's insist the garage door must remain operational.
When we bought our home the builder offered us the option of having the garage as part of the house, fully lined and with A/C - they just have to get the appropriate permits.
I voted 'Games Room' only because we usually have a bus and can't get it in the garage! Also having 3 children (albeit a bit young at the moment) I can see the future potential of having a games room. Although I do agree with other comments about it gets too hot in the garage so would need some kind of air/con. Not sure at the moment I would be willing to pay extra for a games room but if it was a toss up between like for like villas, the games room would be the deciding factor and that's the one we would book!
orlandochris
26-01-2007, 12:45
As a 24 year old bloke, I've voted games room. but I'm sure my dad would disagree and would vote garage!!
I think games room items in a separate room are great, but a garage is required. Ours is remote controlled or I probably wouldn't use it. but from a HOA point of view, you are not allowed to park on the road, and they casue problems.
ccarcher
27-02-2007, 19:50
when we were looking to book those with a games room definately scored a plus point for us, along with ADSL (High Speed Internet) lets start a new poll
strange really as it never bothered me in the past and woul dof parked the car in the garage
but would be happy letting the kids run round the garage converted to a games room, and somewhere else for them to play in the house
as opposed to letting them run round a garage with a car in it !![msnoo]
gail and david roberts
27-02-2007, 20:54
we change our garage into a games room 2 years ago ,
best thing we have done so far , Great place for the Kids and dads to chill out
our Guest love it ,
We were over just after hurricane Charlie ripped through Florida and got caught there and had to endure the slow moving hurricane Francis ... all the pool furniture and hire car and everything else we could lift from outside went in the garage and we survived with almost no damage ... give me the garage anytime.
Allan Smith
02-03-2007, 20:59
we converted the garage, into a games room/gym still leaving the garage doors so that it could be used as a garage if required, but it does have nice tiles on the floor so I am hoping no one places the car in there!
The kids/grandchildren love it and we get peace
We converted our garage to a games room because thats what we wanted as a family our kids our 21 and 17 and they bring friends out with them and realy have some fun especialy if we have a tournament night.
Wendy
Lady Tass
06-04-2008, 18:25
This is my very first post. I have been reading for days and have already booked my villa, after spending 5 months reviewing what seems like thousands. I "wanted" a real game room, which meant a room that was part of the house not a converted garage. I accepted the converted garages at first into the spreadsheet i had created, and then threw them out as i found many homes that had the real game rooms. In the end, the home we will be in has the converted game room, because it offered all my picky list of wants, so that is where I compromised.
we have a fuzzball table in the house [and PS2 and Pc etc] and an indoor/outdoor Table tennis table which is stored in the garage, but can be taken onto the pool deck etc if required. Our garage is used because it is a remote entry one - great if you get a sudden downpour :)so I like to offer the best of both- I think the biggest [most welcome improvement] was our upgrade to luxury cable -as it has all the main US channels, but also Sky sports news and fox soccer channel - my teenage son loves it!
we voted games room as we have many children and spend quite a few days relaxing at the villa, we hardly see the kids between the pool, ps2 and foosball etc, hence we get more relaxing done too [msncool]
We definitely opt for a villa with a games room. Like TrishT we spend days at the villa chilling out and this just gives us all (parents and 19, 18 & 8 siblings) something to alternate between the pool and PS games. Makes that villa a bit more special than they already are:D:D
Jo
tony2000
04-06-2010, 11:45
My kids prefer a games room
Tracy
Howdo you keep a games room cool in the hot weather, there is no air con in th garage?
caroline
05-06-2010, 01:18
Some owners do have A/C in the garage, I'm guessing others will have fans.
We have stayed at villas that had a garage and the ones that had it converted to a game room. I can now appreciate the garage idea more since we would park our car there and it would stay much cooler than on the driveway. The novelty of the game room quickly wore off with our kids and ourselves because of the heat.
Did consider a games room, but even with two children who are now 15 and 11 and would possibly use it. I like the outside life when we are in Florida.
Don't have a swimming pool at home and have a great view in Florida from the pool, so why anyone would want to spend hours in a sauna playing games is a mystery[msneek], but each to their own.
The garages I have been in in Florida are far too hot, even ours which is North facing garage. I know on a persoanl note I wouldn't use it, but for guests probably a USP, but not one I have decided to follow.
I have probably 'lost' an unknown number of guests who for them it is a 'want', but hey, there are plenty of guests who also like to use the garage for cars, as I do.
As posted earlier, it also came in handy for Hurricane Charlie, but we don't want to go there again do we?
Good poll and worthwhile consideration for attracting more guests if you are maybe short of USP's for me I prefer to be outside enjoying the weather, not in a steamy garage.
Graham, it is interesting to see how many comments are actually from villa owners on the benefits of games rooms - but having changed their garages into games 'rooms' they are hardly likely to say they are not good, I suppose! [msnwink]:D A surprising nimber of guests don't think they are important, so that is also interesting.
As you say, there are plenty of guests who don't want to spend time in a games 'room' (can a garage be called a room or is it more of an area?) so it is good to hear that you have many satisfied customers too. Each to their own.
The wonderful thing about choosing a house in Orlando is that there is something for everyone. If you want a games 'room' you can find it, and I have certainly seen some lovely games rooms - particularly those which are actually part of the house not a converted garage, but if you are not bothered then you have that option too.