Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am considering purchasing a house in Oyester Bay. It is perfect for me however it does not have a garage.
It is a corner lot house. There is a driveway from one street. However the other street does not have a driveway. I am considering constructing a driveway and garage on this street. One issue is that there is a fire hydrant on that block and i understand that there needs to be distance between the driveway/garage and the fire hydrant. However I need more information.
Can you please advise me on what needs to be done in terms of permits and how much I should anticipate to spend.
You need to go to the Town of Oyster Bay building department and get all the necessary information and requirements from them. Make sure you have the information about the house (section/block/lot numbers) so they can pull the info up for that specific parcel.
However... you need to be aware that a corner lot always has certain restrictions that a mid-block house does not, when it comes to what you can do. That's because a corner lot has TWO "front setbacks" instead of just one. The setbacks dictate where you are allowed to put things like a fence, garage, or any kind of outbuilding such as a shed, etc.
Unless the lot is fairly large you may discover that you cannot construct a garage where you are thinking of doing it. Or you may be able to do it only if you can manage to get a variance. Getting a variance will depend on several things, including whether any of the neighbors object to it after you file paperwork applying for a variance. And you can't do that unless you're the owner.
Corner lots have unique challenges because of the dual front setbacks. If I were you I would keep looking. Or buy the house knowing that you can't or may not be able to have a garage.
I do feel your pain on this, btw. My current (mid-block) house has a partial 1-car garage because former owners cannibalized the original 2-car. The side-yard setback prohibits making the garage any wider. I thought I could take some space from the interior to at least get it back to a 1-car, but later discovered that the cost would be prohibitive and would make several things less convenient. So I ended up with a very nice sized "workshop" but the car has to live in the driveway.
Last edited by BBCjunkie; 01-12-2019 at 06:42 PM..
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
