Americans and their garages.....

[KCJeep]

I live in a decent suburban neighborhood in the midwest, median home price around me is about 350k. Most of the houses near me have 3 car garages. I counted this morning and fully 50% of my closest neighbors have all of their cars sitting out covered with snow and ice because they have too much junk to get their cars in.

My wife and I are determined our cars will be in the garage and they are. I can't imagine living here and going outside to scrape and sweep like I was living in an apartment complex. Is this a regional thing or is all of America buried in junk?

 

[RhondaHonda]

My old neighborhood had a mix of 2 and 3 car garages. Same thing, $100,000+ in vehicles sitting outside while $500 worth of junk that they never use sits in the garage.

My current neighborhood is a mix of oversized 3-7 car garages and everything is parked inside. Being from the Midwest you likely have a basement too as we do here. Put the Xmas tree and boxes of junk in the basement, not the garage! I can see it being tighter where people don’t have basements for storage but I’d still manage to keep the cars in the garage there too!

 

[Leo99]

It's over 50% for my neighbors. My next door neighbors have empty garages but still park their cars in the driveway. As far as my snooping goes, it seems I'm the only with stuff in the garage around the perimeter and the cars in also. Everyone else either has a garage full of stuff (90%) or really empty garages (10%).

 

[JohnnyG]

That's actually a good thing for the cars body. Storing a car with a wet, salty liquid on it at higher temperature will accelerate rust.

 

[AZjeff]

Garage-O-Junk is very common here. One reason is no basements to hold junk, nearly 100% slab on grade construction. This morning it's 16 degrees and there's left over snow in the shadow areas and the sun is always baking paint and plastic so it's always better to have your cars inside. If the cars won't fit you have too much stuff.

 

[64bawagon]

On top of the garages there are storage facilities everywhere that have $500 worth of stuff being stored at $100 per month.

 

[2010Civic]

That's actually a good thing for the cars body. Storing a car with a wet, salty liquid on it at higher temperature will accelerate rust.

I'm sure that's why they do it! Haha

Probably 1/3 of the houses on my street have cars outside. It was -21F here in MN this morning and about 35F in my garage. I wonder who's engine is going to be happier starting??

 

[BAJA_05]

My area is 180K and up. I only have a small one car garage. So yes my vehicles sit outside & my garage collects stuff -- besides my oil hoarding at times. :O

 

[JeffKeryk]

I built a big shed in the back yard for my and other people's junk. But our home is like 1200 sq ft on a good day.
Small 2 car garage. Sheesh.

 

[RooflessVW]

Same here. Garages full of garbage.

My garage is 25x25ish and I only keep the Honda inside. There's just not enough room for both with my tools, shelving, cabinets, and work benches.

We're also a family of 5 and I hate how much stupid room the stupid bikes take up.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Every house in my neighborhood with a garage isn’t able to have a car put in it lol. If I had a garage I’d have it filled with tools and project cars. Can’t imagine not using a garage for something other than cars or tools.

 

[double vanos]

2 singles and a double car garage. Just two vehicles, the Kia and the 1996 chevy pu bomber which sits outside. Most of the additional space is taken up by things need to care for this 100 y/o house: saws, drill presses, air compressor, lumber etc. No wasted space here, all functional…..

 

[AZjeff]

I built a big shed in the back yard for my and other people's junk. But our home is like 1200 sq ft on a good day.
Small 2 car garage. Sheesh.

Do you ever even have to wipe the dew off of your cars in the morning in Paradise? Sheesh indeed.

 

[skyactiv]

I park in the garage. I don't want to deal with frost, ice, defogging the windows or snow before leaving to work.

 

[bugeye]

About half the neighborhood have cars parked outside with garages filled with stuff. Many properties have at least one garden shed.

Our two car garage has three cars inside, two gas electric generators (both run), gas propane grill, car tools (ramps, hydraulic jack, wood safety blocking, drain pans, etc), garden tractor with seasonal implements (mower decks (2), snow plow, weights and chains, two hanging bicycles, other motorized yard tools (chain saws, weed trimmers, fuel tanks). And we have three cars parked in the driveway.

Garages are never large enough

 

[Zee09]

Guilty...very guilty but I have no junk.
All of my garages have machine tools and materials that I work with daily and they pay my bills.

Next house I will have my car in the garage but that said cars cost me money but the machine tools buy my cars and make me money.

It does suck this time of year...

 

[walterjay]

Most of the homes in my area have at least one open garage bay. I keep my garage pretty clean and one car in it along with a garden tractor. If weather gets icy I move the tractor into a different position and put two cars in it.

 

[Zee09]

My car sat outside at this Florida rental even though it was empty.
I am well trained...lol

 

[HemiBenny]

I see countless garages around here that look so crammed full of stuff that there seems to be a small trail through the middle of it. I can't stand clutter, so my thinking is if it hasn't been touched in years (unless it's a tool ), it's getting sold or donated. I have an attic and a shed out back for other storage items, if those get too full, we have too much stuff.
I have a two car garage with a work bench, storage closets, storage shelves, etc. in the front and a tool chest and some other things like a stand up freezer and my beer fridge along the sides. I can fit two cars in there, but since we have my disabled Father-in-law and my Mother-in-law living in the addition on the back of the house, we give them the garage and park ours outside. My FIL has a walker and he needs to swing the door as far open as it'll go to get in and out comfortably as well as being able to get around with his walker.
I do love having the wide open space in the garage since I spend a lot of time out there as it's also my "mancave".

 

[willbur]

I live in a decent suburban neighborhood in the midwest, median home price around me is about 350k. Most of the houses near me have 3 car garages. I counted this morning and fully 50% of my closest neighbors have all of their cars sitting out covered with snow and ice because they have too much junk to get their cars in.

My wife and I are determined our cars will be in the garage and they are. I can't imagine living here and going outside to scrape and sweep like I was living in an apartment complex. Is this a regional thing or is all of America buried in junk?

I see the same thing with $2M homes. Too lazy to garage their MB or BMW or don't care bc they will just buy another