Dec 6, 2021 - News

Carriage houses are D.C.'s old new real estate

A D.C. alley lined with garages and carriage houses.

A recently sold carriage house on T Street NW. Photo courtesy of Coalition Properties Group

Carriage houses, in D.C. and other historic cities, are gaining popularity again thanks to a variety of viral video tours and TikTok content.

Why it matters: As D.C.’s real estate market continues to be hotter than ever, emphasis on carriage houses highlights how valuable even small spaces are thanks to continued low inventory.

“We have a very finite amount of space for anything in the city so I think that they’re getting more conversation now because people are just looking for options,” Harrison Beacher, president-elect of the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors tells Axios. 

  • He says homeowners with carriage houses are using the extra space for their families to stretch out, or to lease for additional income. 
The interior of a recently sold carriage house on T Street NW.
Photo: A recently sold carriage house on T Street NW. Courtesy of Coalition Properties Group

Details: Historic carriage houses were most often used in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Beacher says. They were used to park horses, for storage, and to operate businesses. 

  • Carriage houses can be found in the oldest parts of D.C. such as Georgetown and Capitol Hill.

They’ve become so popular that some new construction has been built to mimic old carriage houses.

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