In America, there are some states where having shared driveways and garages is common. As the name implies, a shared driveway or garage is when there is more than one home using the same driveway or garage. A shared driveway usually happens when the space is limited between houses for another driveway so the two houses agree that they share one and they just access their garages or parking through the backyard. There are times that half of the driveway will fall in one property and another half in the other property. Sometimes, it just falls in one property but again, a mutual understanding between two homes or more has been arranged that they share the same driveway.When this happens, the responsibility to maintain the driveway is for all the homeowners who are part of the deal. For example, the driveway has some concerns and needs to be repaired as soon as possible. The homeowners who share the driveway will be responsible to split the bill and pay for their share. If for example, one owner does not have the budget at the moment, then it’s still recommended to proceed with the repair job. In the future, your property value goes up so you’ll be able to sell your house at a higher value. If you need to be paid for the repair job in the future, then talk it out with your neighbor and give them some payment terms they would be able to afford.Sometimes, there are arguments that arise from property lines and deeds. Back your claim up with papers and documents. There you would find the right of usage and ownership. If it’s confusing, then you could have a survey done so that you’ll have a more specific ownership claim and clear delineation in property lines. You could always talk to a lawyer and consult about your rights and maintenance agreements as well as the cost of repairs, extension, etc especially if you are caught in a brawl with your neighbor who you share a driveway with.Then, there are instances when the garage is shared. It’s basically the same structure with the same roof. Inside, you would see how it is divided because there is a wall in between the two areas of the same garage. This means you won’t be able to access your neighbor’s garage without their permission and vice versa. You will also have separate doors so when you open yours, you won’t end up opening your neighbor’s as well. There are times when maintenance of the garage will be done simultaneously. It still doesn’t change the deal that you have complete autonomy over your garage and it could look like whatever you want it to look like. Of course, there would be small or big problems that will come up when you share a garage with one or more neighbors. All you have to do is to maintain a close relationship and have open communication lines among everyone concerned. If the dispute remains to be unsolved, then you could always bring in a mediator or an unbiased third party to help you resolve the conflict.Since you share a garage, you might encounter some problems with power. You must check whether one household is just receiving the part of the bill. What you should do is to make sure to rewire and get your own circuit. In this way, you both could freely use your garage without minding if the other party would get annoyed with a hefty electricity bill.
How to Maximize Your Shared Garage
It’s understandable that your garage might be small because it was already cut in half. You might want to use your garage for storage of your other belongings but you still have your car to fit into it. Well, make sure the car fits first and then maximize the small space by installing smart storage solutions. There are many in the market that doesn’t take any floor space at all. How? They are installed in walls and ceilings. For items that you use more regularly, use wall shelves so that you can access them anytime with ease. For seasonal items such as winter athletic gear, store them in overhead storage racks because they are relatively harder to reach; in some cases, people use ladders. There are some FlexiMounts overhead racks that are height adjustable, meaning you could customize it in a way that will allow you to reach your items with ease and not have to use a ladder. Some wall shelving and overhead storage rack options from FlexiMounts can be used to hang hooks on. These provide additional storage capacity for FlexiMounts’ items. When storing your things, you must label them first before returning them to storage. It will be much easier to reach out for these items when you have something that you are looking for and all you have to do now is to read your labels. Don’t break the cleanliness of your garage so make it a point to return anything and everything to their right places as soon as you finish using them. Again, it’s easier to clean and to look for missing items when you have an organized and neat space. It was never about how big your house is anymore; it’s how you make use of the space to make it look bigger than what the naked eye can see.After installing smart storage solutions and labeling everything you will store in your garage, ensure your garage’s security. If you must install CCTV cameras, then feel free to do so. You could also have bells, alarms, and sensors to detect any movement in the garage at nighttime. Make sure that the division between your area and your neighbor is secured. You don’t want a burglar to have entered their victim’s front gate from the garage and then go next to you through your shared garage. Avoid these cases from happening by being prepared and always being vigilant.Having to share a garage has a lot of disadvantages but you can definitely work with what you have as long as you keep an alert mind.