One of the reasons I have not moved is because I love my neighborhood. However my neighbor across the street has a very large basement and if she ends up moving I am probably going to snap that house.

The garage/shop attached to our current house was a major selling point for me. However I got lucky, and my wife liked the rest of the house as well.

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Thanks for the shout out! I couldn’t move, terrible housing market... so I’m building 1500 sq ft of gameroom space

Pinballs are both the #1 reason to move (space) and the #1 reason I don't want to move (moving all the damn things...)

Of course I did but I was going to upgrade anyway... But they were related.

If the house didn't have a nice basement it wasn't an option

Didn't move. Just put on an addition on the back. My wife wanted a bigger kitchen and craftroom and I got a bigger basement with a walkout basement door and a concrete ramp up to the driveway.

I plan on building a house around a games room

I'd like to build a large game room and workshop at some point. I've completely outgrown the space I currently have. But, the housing market is terrible here--crazy prices for tiny houses. And it's not even a big city!

Yes, but based on mutliple requirements such as family, not exclusively pinball. Eventually, the entire process does reverse itself and a collection gets smaller, not larger. My history and stories can be found in articles I have written over the years, many outside PinSide.

If a person wants a very large collection build an insulated, climate controlled machine shop.

I've moved for more pinball space not once, but twice!

I wouldn’t say it was the only reason but it was definitely high on the list of reasons we moved to a bigger house

Bought my house for my collection (2000 sq ft ranch with a full 2k basement). Bought my car only because it fits pins

I would love to.... But, the pinball hobby has taken all of my money. I can barely buy groceries with the prices of games and mods now days... Somebody once told me my priorities are screwed up... Nah..

Guilty.

When we were looking for a new home, the arcade was a vital component and we absolutely vetoed some homes we looked at because they would not accommodate a large arcade.

We were looking for a new house mostly because we outgrew the old one (1,200 sq ft). This was about the time I put a Bad Cats in our Dining Room.

The machines weren't the only reason for moving, but they definitely contributed to the fact that we realized that we needed more space. I wanted a basement and got lucky that we liked a Cape Cod style house where the basement footprint is the same as the first floor. Now I have a 2,900 sq ft basement. All I have to do now is finish it (I'm about 75% done).

Waiting for my daughter to move out so I can take over her room..........

We moved last year and now have a seperate building for my games and workshop. I didn't move because of pinball, but it was something that we had to make sure we had enough space for. It worked out well.

We actually moved to a bigger house for our (then) 4 machines... and got on tv because of it hahaha

You can read my story here: https://pinside.com/pinball/community/pinsiders/robdutch/stories/how-pinball-got-me-on-tv

I was going to move anyway, mostly out of boredom and I wanted a place closer to the heart of the city. I rejected several of the houses I looked at solely because I couldn't imagine where the gameroom would go. Eventually I bought a ranch style house build at ground level and had my man ready at closing to remodeled for a game room and two bathrooms.
No basement, no stairs, not even any exterior steps. My Escalera is for extractions only these days.

I am currently moving because my old house didn't have a basement and could only fit 12 machines on the main floor.
New house has a 1200 sq ft basement all for pinball.

Moving machines does suck. I have them all stored at my mom's currently

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I'm over 22 years in our "starter" home and can't wait to move to a bigger basement. One day I'll get the pool table back!

I haven't moved for pinball, but I've thought a lot about building gameroom in the future.

My wife and I bought 40 acres several years ago that I plan on building a wedding/event venue on it in the 5 years. If that's successful, I'll build an arcade as well. If the business isn't successful, I'll have a new building for an arcade.

Terry has 2 large gamerooms!!

We want to move, but I have a fantastic deal on our current mortgage and don't have that much left to pay off the house (400k remaining), so I want to do that in a few years. We looked at moving but it would double the mortgage, and that's a bridge
Too far. Higher mortgage means we are locked into our jobs, and I like being able to get away when we feel like it, and quit if I need to (haven't needed to,
My job is great, but knowing I can keeps me content)

So I looked into doing an addition - we can add a 24x12 2 level addition to the house but I have to get approval
From the county. Not sure if we are moving forward or not.

Well I hope no one starts a nasty rumor that the venue is haunted. Very bad for business. I can help with the rumor.

Another option should be on the poll,... didn't move into a new house but added on to the existing one for a larger game room.

you new place is a dream come true!

such a perfect setup!!!

I often worry about weight restrictions per level as i have 10 games plus a lot of parts on the main floor. Probably nothing to worry about. Anyone know this?

your ease of access was immediately noted and coveted!

I love living where I do and moving to a more pinball-friendly house would mean losing the amenities and lifestyle in walking distance. Will just have to manage on 4 machines that I have space for (plus a pachinko, MAME, and one day a 1930s bagatelle). This has helped foster a sense of community amongst other collectors in similar states, and we all invite each other over to each other's houses for variety.

We've definitely thought about moving to a bigger space because of pinball, but whether it's going to happen or not is not even a real discussion at this point. We're definitely happy with what we have and it is a good limiting factor to keep from spending way too much money on this hobby. I think an expansion to the house is more likely than moving. We love our neighborhood and our house too much right now.

Next house will have an easy access basement for pinball or it's a no go...

I have the opposite problem. Homes is California are typically small and my house is well setup for pinball. We would have a hard time finding one with a space to fit 7 games like we do now that is isolated from the rest of the house so I can play at night while people sleep.

I have a 1500 square foot basement,960 square foot attached garage and a wife that will let me keep machines in the living room and spare bedroom so I should be good.

My house is currently for sale commercially. It could be another few years before the surrounding area develops, I hope not, but it could. The next house is going to have a few musts: 3 car garage or at least a 2 car with room to put up another garage or outbuilding, a nice big basement that I can finish or is finished. I really want a finished basement, my current house has a basement, but it's unfinished and I don't want to finish it since the house will ultimately be demolished and whoever buys it won't give me anything extra for a finished basement. I have a few machines down there, but most of my collection is on the main floor; I have 2 spare bedrooms full, one in the living room, one in the dining room and am getting ready to buy another one; will probably have to move one downstairs to make room.

So not necessarily moving because of pinball, but it will be a big determining factor in what house I get next.

Currently looking to add-on to my existing home. Not going to lie, more Pin room may be a partial factor.

My wife loves where we live so I wound up putting an addition on, adding to the basement and first floor. I got the basement she got the first floor win win.

What is the process like for expanding a basement?

I just took over more space in my basement for pins. The kid's hang out room turned into an arcade room. Wife was onboard with it and says I still have room for a couple more so ... I guess that means its a "go" for a few more. Maybe 2 more and then the weak get kicked out for stronger pins. That's my long term plan - maybe 1 per year for now. I'm working on a remodel project in my basement and have plenty more room should I have the funds to keeping adding pins beyond that.

You can rent a basement stretcher but theyre really noisy.

I'll just wait for Tesla to make a quiet one

I got divorced a couple years ago. When I looked for my own house, the number two requirement (after proximity to work) was a first floor game room close to a garage walk-in that could fit 6-10 machines. Found one and jumped on it.