Probably because of the misleading title on VRBO, I expected to see a touch of Gaines' magic. Sorry, only the big house was redone years ago. It is now, from the outside, in need of painting and maintenance. But back to the garage apt. Our welcome was tempered by the difficulty of squeezing past parked cars on the gravel driveway in order to reach our entrance door. The driveway has such an angled access from 20th St. we were afraid of scraping the underside of our car. We ended up parking in front of a neighbor's house.
The garage apt. is very small. A downstairs kitchen is fully equipped but narrow, with stool seating for 3 at a hightop. A steep stairway has a handrail on the lower section and a wobbly railing above, leading up to a common area (w/the unit's only tv), a bathroom, and two bedrooms. The beds are comfortable but very tall, and the smaller bedroom has scarcely enough room to maneuver between the bed and the wall.
The location, not too far from downtown, is fine. The street is a little sketchy in parts, but the block we were in felt safe and quiet.
Upon leaving, be aware that you are expected to:
1) carry all trash outside, separating recyclables; 2) strip the linens off the beds;
3) begin laundry of towels in an unlit garage annex where detergent is not readily apparent;
4) tidy the kitchen/bathroom/closets so you are not charged an additional fee for owner-determined incidentals like stolen hangers.
Next time? A hotel.