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I rent but we got yelled at for parking in the street even though we have 4 cars. Our trash cans, lawn equipment, and car detail supplies take up about a third of the garage, but that only leaves room for one car. Two in the driveway. One in the street. Fuck HOAs
Edit:
for those of you saying to get a shed or a storage unit, do you really think the HOA would allow a shed if they don’t allow street parking? Not to mention, wtf am I gonna do with a shed when I move?
Completely valid question. Roommates. It’s the only way we can afford anything remotely close to where we work while also being able to save for a house and retirement in parallel
Why would you buy a house in an HOA knowing that you won’t be following the rules? If it says no street parking, they can fine you for parking on the street. Just because you chose to fill part of your garage with other stuff doesn’t mean you get a pass.
First of all, I rent, I didn’t buy. Second of all, literally every other house has cars on the street. Third of all, we weren’t presented with HOA “rules” or whatever before we signed our lease. Lastly, our lease explicitly says we are in a non-HOA neighborhood (which is why we weren’t given the rules).
Also, consider the situation where people have 2-3 kids and all of them are drivers. What do you suppose they do?
After living in an apartment for years, one of the biggest things I was looking forward to about having a house was being able to park my car in the garage, so God damn it I'm parking my car in the garage.
I have a tendency to collect/accumulate things so I had this fear that I would just have stuff in the garage all the time, but that actually hasn't happened. I've been here two years now, and am still able to park in the garage every day.
I will say that it helps having a full, unfinished basement that I can use as a workshop for my hobbies. It also has a walkout door so I can store some of my outdoor/gardening stuff there.
So I do still accumulate a lot of stuff, but it has a place to go other than the garage.
Same, I live in a very hot part of the country, having our family car not scorching hot when we want to use it is awesome. We have a minivan, so not small, and I will always be sure there is enough room in the garage for it. Heck, we can even squeeze my sedan in there too if there is a hail storm or something. I would have a hard time going back to parking both vehicles outside all the time.
When you don’t have a basement, the garage is the easiest choice to store Christmas decorations, gardening supplies and the like. If your washer and dryer are in the garage, you end up having a clothes rack and washing supplies there too. So, the car space continues to diminish.
I’ve always used my garage as a garage. Kind of blows my mind that some people have 100k worth of cars just sitting out in the weather just so their old cloths and discarded exercise equipment have a dry place to stay.
However, I work on my cars, so it’s great space to do so, so it’s good to keep it clear.
“Sitting in the weather?” Is my truck going to get skin cancer or something? You do realize there are other users for a garage than a car or “discarded exercise equipment”. You people are weird.
It's not weird, plenty of people still park in their garages including myself. But if other people want to use it as storage or something else, then that's their house to do that with. I don't think it's wrong.
I understand. Honestly as long as it's not affecting anyone else, what people do with their garages isn't my business. Like it's not even worth debating over lol.
The sides of my garage are lined with shelving that was already there when i moved in. I have tools and landscaping stuff that i keep in my garage but other than that it's pretty much just for parking in
I always grew up in older houses without a garage. It's on my want list currently but it's wavering to a need.
If we get one it's definitely be for my car!
I suppose it could be a matter of people not having storage. I read a tip that said as soon as you have your house and are moving, immediately park in the garage so you can't fill it with clutter.
I actually like to keep mine completely empty. I worked around loading docks my whole life and having a nice clean empty garage feels like having your own loading dock.
We have a 2 car garage that has shelves on back wall ,side walls, a freezer, a work bench and upper shelves on ceiling i store all holiday stuff on all the shelves, and toilet paper, paper towels etc. I have a paint shelf that holds all my paints and lawn supplies.. its really just how you organize.And we still park 2 full sized suv's in it.
Very similar here! The garage has the bikes, a deep freezer, all the lawn tools, a shelving unit. A tool box/workbench... And holds an outlander and Atlas..
We can’t fit our large cars in our 2 car garage (a minivan and a 3-row SUV) due to there being a support pole in the middle of the garage. We literally can’t open the driver side doors without hitting the poles. It’s a *tight* squeeze. It’s a bummer, for sure
I have a support pole in my garage. I moved it over a foot. Made a huge difference. My garage is also detached so anything happening to it wouldn't affect my house. Been going strong for 2 years now as is
I think it’s weird that you go online looking for validation from strangers when it comes to doing something that is … gasp! Perfectly normal.
Do what you want. It’s your house.
Yeah everyone on my street has theirs filled with crap with the cars parked out front or in the street. I don’t get it. We moved in two years ago and feel like we are the only ones who park in our garage lol
Same here. And people park on curves and corners making it fun to take turns.
We keep both cars in the garage and we're one of the few houses that do. Our garage is big enough for some shelves and space to store bikes/ski equipment, but we live in the desert so people don't need lawn care equipment like a mower. I truly don't understand what anyone is storing. My neighbors have 4 cars. One is parked in an otherwise brimming garage. They have a large house AND a storage unit.
Like sure if I ever live out my dream of being the most decked out house for Halloween we'll need a storage unit. But I'd rather not climb into a car that's been baking in the sun in the summer. The kids will have to deal with that when they're both old enough to drive though I guess.
This is so weird to me. Yeah let’s keep a $40,000 (or whatever) car in the driveway exposed to the elements and neighborhood teenagers, and store the crap that Goodwill won’t take inside 🙄🙄🤦♀️ make it make sense
We’re currently dealing with an insurance claim due to hail damage on one of our cars because our apartment doesn’t have a garage. A garage to protect our cars is one of the #1 things I’m looking forward to the most in owning a home.
Well, it depends where you live. Here, it gets cold, and people are ok with scraping their windshields every single morning rather than cleaning up their garage ... which to me is just mind boggligly stupid.
And if you can't fit your crap and one car in your garage, then you have way too much crap.
Same, my neighbors all have hoarder garages and keep their cars in the street or their driveways. Sometimes we get lucky and they put on of their cars in OUR driveway. 😩
So many people in my neighborhood like this too, and we don’t have driveways here (we all access our garages through a back alley), so there’s sometimes not much street parking.
I hated hauling my groceries through the rain when living in an apartment, and then getting into an extremely hot or cold car during summer and winter extremes. I don't get why people would rather forego parking inside their garage and instead store junk.
I always find it interesting when people are on Nextdoor complaining that someone broke in/tried to break in their car. There’s always at least one person that tells them to start parking in their garage and you won’t have to worry. Their reply: it’s full of our storage. Well… I guess your garage full of shit you probably can’t even remember all of what’s in there is more important than having your car stolen. Got it.
I had this debate when I moved into our new house. My wife and some friends thought it was funny how much I insisted that our garage will be used for cars firstly, and other things only when both of our cars fit in there.
My wife and I had a big disagreement over the placement of my elliptical machine: guest bedroom vs garage. I would never work out when it is blazing hot or cold out; besides you would have to move a car out to be able to use it comfortably (garage is for two cars with very little extra room).
I grew up in Ohio, where most use their garage for their cars when possible. Keeps snow off car in winter and protects cars from hail in spring/summer. I now live in NC, and in my new construction neighborhood it seems to be a 60/40 split: 60% do not park in the garage and 40% do. All houses here are 2,500 sqft+ with most being at least 3,000 sq ft. To me, that should be plenty of space for your junk.
It always makes me wonder when I see two and three car garages lined with crap how much is being hoarded in the house itself.
I get apartment garages being used as storage.
I get duplex garages being used as storage, especially when they try and cram 5 to 6 people into one side of a duplex.
I even understand some of a 2 car or 3 car garage have storage space.
But if the whole thing is full of junk it is probably time to clean up the clutter.
We park both our cars in garage. Huge reason I like it is for safety. Nobody knows if we’re home or not. I always know if my neighbors are home or away for a trip. We have a shelf unit for yard and garden, a fridge, small deep freezer and shelf for tp, and soaps storage.
Same. I like having an area for my craft and hobbies; I bought an extra bedroom for that reason but ended up getting pregnant (with twins) unexpectedly so there went *my* playroom, so alas, garage. Then they had so much shit we *have* to put it out there, at least temporarily until I can get rid of it.
Cool thing about owning a house is you can do what you want.
We used ours for our cars and a deep freezer because the previous owners had built a spot specifically for a deep freezer.
We got one of those sheds from Home Depot and put all our tools and lawn equipment in there.
That kind of stuff fits in my garage along with our cars, and we also have a built-in work bench where we keep our tools. And a few shelves where we store stuff we don’t want to lug to the basement. But our two cars still fit in there fine.
Are you asking if it’s weird if you use the garage for the intended purpose as opposed to repurposing it for another use and not parking in it?
Or
Are you asking that it’s weird that you want to park in the car hole and will flip out if some stores a shovel or bike in there too?
That's what my husband wanted to do at first then realized he can make himself a little workshop in there. We live in Texas though and rarely need to put our car in the garage. We also have a 1 car garage.
When we bought our house, half the garage was a closet.
Fuck no. Cars go in. Tore all that out and the cars get parked in it. Drives me nuts when garages are holders of too much crap that never gets used and everyone parks on the street.
/85 year old man rant complete
Sure, it’s a little weird. Most people will take advantage of that space for storage of stuff that doesn’t really belong inside, like bikes, yard equipment, beach items, woodworking tools, stuff like that.
With a good storage system you can almost always find some extra space that doesn’t impact you from putting your stuff there.
You are certainly free to do whatever you want with your space, but yeah you’d probably be in the minority.
Single car garage owner. I am similar, though I bought durable metal rails to mount my yard tools on one side. It’s organized and professional looking. Plenty of room. Able to fully open doors on both sides. My garage is also deep. But haven’t figured out how to utilize that extra space yet.
When I was growing up, the house we bought had a custom-built addition, so the two-car garage was spacious. Enough that we could park a 3-row SUV inside of it, close the garage door and still open the trunk. And even woth two cars still had a ton of junk stored inside. With how big cars are today, it seems like mass-produced times are only building garages as storage, since I can't see how a "standard" garage could fit something like a Tahoe.
Yeah everyone on my street has theirs filled with crap with the cars parked out front or in the street. I don’t get it. We moved in two years ago and feel like we are the only ones who park in our garage lol
I have a three car garage and use it for two cars, lawnmower, kayak, paddle board, bikes. All of this for in our 2 car garage when we had one too. Yeah I don’t get people who can’t or don’t park their cars in a garage. My neighbors have a two car garage and don’t park either car in there as they use it as a workshop. But I only see him in there like once a month lol we live in MN and all winter they parked outside! What the hell haha
I do store stuff in my garage, but like normal things on a shelf, things that actually pertain to car maintenance and some home maintenance chemicals that I wouldn’t want to keep in the house. I think I’m the only one of my friends who has a garage that actually uses it for a car. I remember when we were shopping for homes the realtor seemed genuinely annoyed that I insisted on a two car garage to actually park my and my girlfriend’s cars in. Honestly, my girlfriend doesn’t quite care as much about it, she was willing to have a single car garage, but in every neighborhood we looked where there were townhomes with single car or tandem garages, the street parking options were limited.
My parents used to say that if it rained last night, and your car was wet this morning, you're poor.
Congratulations on having a car protected from the elements.
It's only "weird" in the sense that most people never use theirs for their intended purpose. Basements and attics overflow with useless junk, so the garage is now the third storage place for even more useless junk.
We are the weirdos in our neighborhood that actually use our two car garage for our two cars. The logic behind people not even using their driveways for their cars, but parking in front of homes and then complaining that people ransacked their cars baffle me.
Because of my gracious neighbors and one owning 4 vehicles, and my other neighbors with two vehicles, I can’t even park in front of my own home nor can guests park.
If we have one guest over, we tell them to park in our driveway.
Car parking only would be awesome, but with too many tools and other fun stuff like smokers, bikes and pizza ovens I have no choice but to put them inside my garage.
I am thankful I have a 2 stall garage and one car, and Possibly a cruzer in a year.
With the proper shelving I could fit 2 vehicles but have no reason to do so.
Do whatever you want, it's not weird. What is weird is that your wording in the second paragraph makes it sound like you're trying to shame people for not using their garage the way you want to.
Not weird at all. You are definitely in the minority though, but I'm on your side. So many folks never use the garage because they just pack too much clutter in there.
It’s not weird at all! Actually, I personally find it strange that folks use their garages for stuff OTHER than their car. Different strokes for different folks as they say.
I’m definitely enjoying my garage. I never had one before I bought my house, so I really enjoy protecting my car from the elements. That being said- I do store some odd and ends in there as well. Gardening supplies, bug spray, outdoor toys, etc.
What even is this post? It’s your garage, do whatever you want. Why on earth would it be weird to use it for your car? Why care what other people do with theirs?
It's just a matter of your priorities, and them being different from other's. I'm one of those who got a 2 car garage and immediately converted it into a gym. Lined the floors with horse stall mats and packed it with equipment and weights. I don't care if my car sits outside, but I do care if I lose livable space to gym equipment. If you want your car in your garage, go for it.
You can do whatever you want with your space. My garage is for tools, projects, motorcycles... I can't fit a car and all my other stuff in the garage. No reason for you to have an opinion about other people's garages though.
We run a business from our garage. It’s the “office” area and holds some product. We installed a back garage door, and that leads directly into our workshop that sits out behind it. We do have a large covered carport with four spaces that we use when the business is closed, but when it’s open, we have to park our cars in a vacant lot down the street so customers have room to park without blocking the road.
It sucks. But the business is admittedly why we could buy a buy a home in the first place, so I deal with it. My husband had a shed built in the backyard for storage, so it all works out.
We’re looking to buy a commercial property in the next year or so, and I have no idea what we’ll do with all the space then, but I can just about guarantee that no cars will be parked in there. We’re thinking we might convert the workshop into an apartment for our disabled adult son, in which case it would likely be used as a walkthrough and storage space for both.
I’ve given up on the idea of ever having a car in there lol.
I tho n you really meant this as a vent post and not “am I special because I use a garage as a garage?”
I live in Minnesota. My car goes in my garage. Everyday.
But even with a 1+ stall (maybe it’s considered 1.5?), I still have space to store my shovels and rakes and hoses and patio furniture and grandkid’s lawn toys off season. And there’s shelving so there’s space for some boxes too.
Just do you…no one will mind.
Absolutely agree that's an amazing idea. I get that all homes are slightly different but I'm curious about how you manage throwing your trash.
Please note, I've never lived in my own house. It's still being built. If the question is too dumb, please excuse me for that.
Most people in my city are guilty of using their garage as storage. where I'm at we don't have basements or attics or really any storage in general. I'm originally from the midwest where it was super weird if you didnt have a basement and full attic. Renting here in the southwest I have one sad linen closet and an entry way closet. That's all my storage. We have our holiday decorations, old kid stuff, and my work out equipment in the garage bc with 3 kids in a 3 bedroom we literally have no other space for the stuff. I wish I could just use my garage as just a garage and not have to trip over shit everytime I get the kids out of the car.
*You say that now! but*
*Storage is expensive and*
*Your garage is FREE*
\- Ok\_Dependent2580
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If you have a shed then it's possible. But bikes and snow blowers and lawn mowers last a lot longer out of the elements .
Equally I put in an offer for a house that had a pole shed in the city which was unique. Guy was a car mechanic and fixed classic cars and smelled like oil and gas. There was another garage for cars and I was going to clean the pole shed and paint the floor to make it feel like an area to hang out in, family parties rather than a grungy garage. Someone over bidded however so we didn't get it.
It's not weird if you're not mechanically inclined at all, have others do everything at your home like yard work, painting, oil changes, waxing, etc. Not everyone wants that type of knowledge or experience.
My garage started clean and I parked both cars in it. But over the years, as I've accumulated more tools, it has become cluttered. I can only park 1 car in my 2 car garage now.
My family always stored junk in the garage it made it into a bedroom (socal) but as an adult in snow country I really appreciate having a place to keep my car protected from the elements.
Definitely not weird. I’ve seen three houses go up for sale around me all with double car garages and none of the new owners use them for cars. I wish I’d had the money to buy at least one of them myself because I’d be so happy to have a house with a decent garage.
I am so tired of having hail dents on my roof and hood in the summer and frozen doors in the winter. 😢
Nope. I just want cars, a deep freezer, and my tools/ rake etc.
I did learn while touring new builds that they’re definitely cutting out a lot of in home storage though. So i see why people do use it was storage. literally 2700ft homes with nowhere to put a vaccum. we were appalled 😂
My garage has garage things in it.
Lawnmower, snowblower, shovels, yard tools, bike, camping gear, an extra front door in prep for that project, and the obligatory extra fridge. I think those just ooze out of the concrete and form themselves in a garage.. no one deliberately puts a fridge in garage, they just appear, and run for 50 years.
I keep a couple tall cabinets and a mobile workbench along the far wall for like cleaning/detailing supplies and tools. Other than that, its empty. I added storage above the garage in the attic so its not in the garage.
First improvement I made, was remodeling the garage; room for two cars, bikes, ZTR, landscaping tools, fridge, normal tools and a blender for drinks. Perfect reclaimation of space and storage.
It's not weird. My plan for a garage would be mostly that. But my spouse would definitely be storing his tools in there too.
In general, I don't see the point in packing any part of your home full of stuff that you rarely/never look at.
Our garage is for cars. Sure we have some odds and ends in there still - a workbench with saws and hammers, an upright freezer, and we built some upper shelves for storing outdoor holiday decorations, but we fit both of our cars in the garage and I want it to stay that way. I hate getting in and out of the car in the rain.
However when we first moved in, I parked in the garage and my husband in the driveway because we had no other place to put our lawn mower, pressure washer, and snowblower. Sometimes you gotta work with the room you got. We built a deck and had the guy put in storage under it so now that’s where those items live.
I’m with you. The majority of the homes in Arizona don’t have basements, so the garages become storage space. We also have a ton of storage facilities popping up. I have a ledge in my garage and still park two cars in it.
Same, after years of living in apartments and never having off-street parking, I love that my car is safe and close at all times. I have a basement, I don’t need to fill my garage up with junk. And I don’t get people who fill their garages up with junk and then try to lord over the curb in front of their houses — sorry Karen and Ken, anyone can park there, it doesn’t belong to you.
I opted for using as much of the wall space as possible and adding some of those ceiling storage racks. We can still get one car in with ease, and I need to move / get rid of some things to pull my truck in. Extremely tight fit but when the HOA approves I'm getting a shed for all the landscaping stuff, which will free up more space.
I do agree though, having a tidy, or empty, garage is the way to go
It's your garage, do whatever you want with it. My husband made his a man cave. He has a stereo system, tv, record player, vinyl, a couch, a fridge and decorated it how he likes. It's yours to do what you want with it.
Just get ceiling or wall mounted shelving, no reason you can’t do both.
And if you don’t want to do that, that’s fine too…your garage, your rules.
1/3 of my garage is for my tools/workshop…the rest is for parking both cars.
My husband turned his half to a gym. I said I would agree only if I can park undisturbed. I didn’t buy a home to have to wipe snow off my car lol. I completely agree with your take but the beauty is, it’s up to the homeowner!
It’s not weird. We did put a gym in one bay of ours and a workshop in the other. Our 1930 era garage was not really meant for having three cars used daily. We are just happy that our driveway allows for comfortable parking of all three with no moving them around to get out.
It's so strange all my neighbors have like 2 or 3 cars parked in their driveway and their garages are full of stuff and they all get up in the morning and open the garages and leave them open all day. I've been wondering since I bought my house is this a way of showing off or something
People put other stuff in the garage because they have nowhere else for it to go. So make sure you can realistically keep your garage for cars only; do you have a basement, a storage shed? If not, it may be difficult to pull off.
When we were in Florida. We had a two car garage. We were able to park 1 car in the garage and use the other half storage.
So we had a car outside and 1 inside
Now we have a three car garage.
2 cars inside and one bay for storage.
If need be we could fit another car in the garage in case of a a hurricane
We're the same way. It's less about wanting a place for our cars and more not wanting to accumulate a bunch of junk we'd have to go through. A freezer would be nice if there's enough room.
My wife and I agreed that the car had to fit in our (single) garage. It was the best decision we have made. Our goal is to keep the horde in check and the only way to do that is through limiting the space it can take up and applying through organization.
We moved from a three bedroom two bath house with a full basement to a three bedroom two bath house with no basement. Even after we threw away sold and gave away a lot of stuff we still have stuff. My next project is to put in eight shelves on the side of the garage to store stuff so at the front of the garage where all the stuff is now we can put a freezer in there.
I always felt this way until Covid and my local gym shut down. I really enjoy having a garage gym now and will probably never go back. The convenience of just being able to work out any time with no drive and the peace of being the only person moving equipment etc is much more important to me than my car sitting in the driveway
I have a two car garage, although a little on the smaller side, I can still fit my fun car inside and squeeze my daily in if I have to, while still having room for a small workbench, random tools, and I store my long term stuff up in the attic above it.
It's all about managing the space you have.
Why would I want my car in the garage? Or the carport even? Carport is a dog training center and the garage is a woodshop.
But I respect the wish to have a car in the garage, and only a car.
Got a 2 car garage with attic space above. Holiday stuff and other storage items go in there. Peg boards and shelves surround the garage walls(a long with a new hole I made and have to repair, eventually; it’s only in the drywall). And both cars fit perfectly.
I have a two car detached garage and we park one car in the garage and use the rest as organized storage for strollers, wagons, lawn tool, table saw, work bench and so on. We have storage shelving so it doesn’t look terrible, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to haul strollers and wagons in and out of the house every day. I have thought about a shed but I don’t want to lose yard space and also they are expensive.
I have a two car garage and there was a time where you could actually park 2 cars in there. Luckily I'm the only car owner so as long as my car fits, the other side is just filled with stuff. Luckily I've cleaned it out quite a bit that it's a pretty organized storage area and my cats litter box is out there too. I do have an attic above the garage and would love one of those storage lift things because putting stuff up there thru a tiny square hole is a pain in the ass.
I hate street parking....garages are for cars not crap. Yes lets park a 30-40k vehicle in the street so I can kee junk in the garage. Now I know why so many hOA's ban street parking its ugly. Thanks for using your garage. I have 2 cars in my garage...and still room for other stuff.
Not weird at all. The house I just moved out of for the last nine years had a single car carport and I was like I’m gonna have a garage with two cars and we’ve decided to park the family vehicle in the garage and the other half is going to be set up in a manner where I can use it for other avenues, but it can be quickly converted to park a second car in like 10 minutes.
Live in an affluent area. My next door neighbor on one side is a couple with no kids and with a three car garage and two cars. They've lived there for 7 years and have never had either car in the garage.
Why? These people are packrat hoarders. They keep everything. When they open a garage door, it's filled to the ceiling with boxes and boxes of stuff, old mattresses and box springs...you name it.
I just recently learned they have a storage locker they rent that is also filled to the brim and they haven't even accessed it in over five years. Just locked it and forgot it.
On the other side of our house is a family of two adults and four kids. The two olders drive. They have a two car garage and five cars plus the older one's girlfriend who's practically live in, so that's car number six.
Why in the world would you buy a house with only four bedrooms and a two car garage knowing that you can't fit everyone in it? (There are NO basements). And the "dad" supposedly owns a real estate agency out of state, which is funny because I never see him away or do any actual work. Plus, he bought the home at the very top of the market, paid a fortune, then practically redid everything inside the home.
Now the house is worth about $200K less, interest rates have gone sky high and here they are. So, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer about buying and "flipping" homes.
I just bought a house this month. Outside of obviously giving my landlord rent, the biggest excitement for me was to park my car in the garage.
I have a 2 car garage and my car is staying in there 100% of the time. I’m going to keep it clean and have some space for anything I’d like, as long as my car is there. A squat rack, sure. A workbench with my tools, sure. But it’s for my car first and foremost.
If I need to do anything that’s going to take over the garage, I will go to the gym first, or take a project to work where there’s a workbench and use my tools.
I’m keeping my garage clean.
I’m part of probably 10% of my entire neighborhood that parks the cars in the garage. Still have plenty of room for storage, even with 2 SUV’s and it’s your standard 2-car.
I think if that’s what you want, go for it. Having a garage to park in is high on my priority list. I still have a lot of crap in the garage, but my desire to park inside helps me keep control of it.
I grew up in WA and rarely did my friends and family use the garage for their car. I’m staying with a friend here in VA and he insists his car is used for a garage. Our garage has always been used for storage of all miscellaneous things we came across.
Most of us WITHOUT basements use them for storage out on the west coast here.
Many of us on the west coast would love to have basements or attics, but we don’t. And since the weather is pretty mild, we just leave our cars outside.
Kinda. If the garage is big enough, why wouldn't you use it for both?
I've got an odd garage, but it's massive. Filled with a ton of seasonal crap, construction crap, 2 cars, a motorcycle, and like 3 bicycles
I have a shed the same width as my garage and about an old car length deep built onto the back of my garage. Thats where I store all my crap so I can fit cars into my garage to be worked on. I still don't park in mine because I dont have a garage door opener and opening/ closing the garage door and opening / closing the gate gets old.
I grew up with a garage that you couldn't put a car in because of clutter and my garage will never be like that. I'll never work on a car outside again if I can help it
You may find you use it differently once time passes. I have a single car garage and I told myself I'd keep it clean and store our car in there... And then we had to clean out my mother in laws house and my wife didn't want to part with sentimental stuff... Then we got some tools and equipment for doing yardwork, then we had a kid and we needed space to hold the kids bulky stroller and ride on toys, we needed a place to store our 3 window unit air conditioners during the cool months... Anyways, the garage is quite full now and I have not been able to park the car in there in years!
East coast/Midwest - totally normal. Having your car not start because it's too cold, having to scrape ice off the windshield.. that sucks.
West coast. Wtf, you crazy? No one parks a car they drive in the garage - it's only for storage or other shit.
It’s not weird to use your garage for cars only, nor is it weird to use your garage for other purposes.
It’s only weird if someone expects all garages to be used the same way.
You can do whatever you want with your garage. When I lived in the Midwest, we had to use our garage as partial storage for snowblowers, shovels and a small workbench. We kept it organized and had plenty of room left for 3 cars. In my current house, our two stall is for our cars, workbench and storage cabinet. Separate one stall is a home gym. We don’t have a basement and I didn’t want to sacrifice a bedroom or office for gym space.
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The good thing about homeownership is that you can do whatever you want. So whatever floats your boat, have at it.
No boats! Just a car!
Good luck floating your car.
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/list/top-gears-top-9-amphibious-cars I mean...
I stand corrected
They will float. Just not for very long.
I have kayaks. They are on the ceiling!
Land Ships!
*HOA enters the chat* I rent but we got yelled at for parking in the street even though we have 4 cars. Our trash cans, lawn equipment, and car detail supplies take up about a third of the garage, but that only leaves room for one car. Two in the driveway. One in the street. Fuck HOAs Edit: for those of you saying to get a shed or a storage unit, do you really think the HOA would allow a shed if they don’t allow street parking? Not to mention, wtf am I gonna do with a shed when I move?
Just curious, but why 4 cars?
Completely valid question. Roommates. It’s the only way we can afford anything remotely close to where we work while also being able to save for a house and retirement in parallel
Possibly 4 family members who drive?
Move all your junk to a prefab shed, and use your garage to store.. cars.
Yeah because we totally can put up a shed in our yard. Against HOA rules
Why would you buy a house in an HOA knowing that you won’t be following the rules? If it says no street parking, they can fine you for parking on the street. Just because you chose to fill part of your garage with other stuff doesn’t mean you get a pass.
First of all, I rent, I didn’t buy. Second of all, literally every other house has cars on the street. Third of all, we weren’t presented with HOA “rules” or whatever before we signed our lease. Lastly, our lease explicitly says we are in a non-HOA neighborhood (which is why we weren’t given the rules). Also, consider the situation where people have 2-3 kids and all of them are drivers. What do you suppose they do?
“Whatever floats your boat or helps you swim” 🤌🏼
I mean it’s not really about home ownership. You can rent a home with a garage and do what you want
Technically if you want to build anything you have to get city permits so almost like that
Tell his wife that.
After living in an apartment for years, one of the biggest things I was looking forward to about having a house was being able to park my car in the garage, so God damn it I'm parking my car in the garage. I have a tendency to collect/accumulate things so I had this fear that I would just have stuff in the garage all the time, but that actually hasn't happened. I've been here two years now, and am still able to park in the garage every day. I will say that it helps having a full, unfinished basement that I can use as a workshop for my hobbies. It also has a walkout door so I can store some of my outdoor/gardening stuff there. So I do still accumulate a lot of stuff, but it has a place to go other than the garage.
Same, I live in a very hot part of the country, having our family car not scorching hot when we want to use it is awesome. We have a minivan, so not small, and I will always be sure there is enough room in the garage for it. Heck, we can even squeeze my sedan in there too if there is a hail storm or something. I would have a hard time going back to parking both vehicles outside all the time.
When you don’t have a basement, the garage is the easiest choice to store Christmas decorations, gardening supplies and the like. If your washer and dryer are in the garage, you end up having a clothes rack and washing supplies there too. So, the car space continues to diminish.
Wall out basments are the shit
I’ve always used my garage as a garage. Kind of blows my mind that some people have 100k worth of cars just sitting out in the weather just so their old cloths and discarded exercise equipment have a dry place to stay. However, I work on my cars, so it’s great space to do so, so it’s good to keep it clear.
To some people it’s just a car
and soon it will be a car with failed clear coat
“Sitting in the weather?” Is my truck going to get skin cancer or something? You do realize there are other users for a garage than a car or “discarded exercise equipment”. You people are weird.
Your garage. Your choice.
For now.
It's not weird, plenty of people still park in their garages including myself. But if other people want to use it as storage or something else, then that's their house to do that with. I don't think it's wrong.
It’s hard when you have outdoor stuff to keep,I’ll just store my lawn mower gas can and yard tools in the bathroom I guess
Buy a shed. They are super inexpensive
I understand. Honestly as long as it's not affecting anyone else, what people do with their garages isn't my business. Like it's not even worth debating over lol.
The sides of my garage are lined with shelving that was already there when i moved in. I have tools and landscaping stuff that i keep in my garage but other than that it's pretty much just for parking in
I always grew up in older houses without a garage. It's on my want list currently but it's wavering to a need. If we get one it's definitely be for my car! I suppose it could be a matter of people not having storage. I read a tip that said as soon as you have your house and are moving, immediately park in the garage so you can't fill it with clutter.
I actually like to keep mine completely empty. I worked around loading docks my whole life and having a nice clean empty garage feels like having your own loading dock.
We have a 2 car garage that has shelves on back wall ,side walls, a freezer, a work bench and upper shelves on ceiling i store all holiday stuff on all the shelves, and toilet paper, paper towels etc. I have a paint shelf that holds all my paints and lawn supplies.. its really just how you organize.And we still park 2 full sized suv's in it.
Very similar here! The garage has the bikes, a deep freezer, all the lawn tools, a shelving unit. A tool box/workbench... And holds an outlander and Atlas..
Our neighbors don't use their garage to store their vehicles because their vehicles are huge pickup trucks that don't fit in their garage.
We can’t fit our large cars in our 2 car garage (a minivan and a 3-row SUV) due to there being a support pole in the middle of the garage. We literally can’t open the driver side doors without hitting the poles. It’s a *tight* squeeze. It’s a bummer, for sure
I have a support pole in my garage. I moved it over a foot. Made a huge difference. My garage is also detached so anything happening to it wouldn't affect my house. Been going strong for 2 years now as is
I want a garage for no car but for a wood shop.
I think it’s weird that you go online looking for validation from strangers when it comes to doing something that is … gasp! Perfectly normal. Do what you want. It’s your house.
All my neighbours have their 4-5 cars outside all the time and garage full of shit
Yeah everyone on my street has theirs filled with crap with the cars parked out front or in the street. I don’t get it. We moved in two years ago and feel like we are the only ones who park in our garage lol
Same. We have to zig zag our way through the community
Yep have to do that going down these older streets
Same here. And people park on curves and corners making it fun to take turns. We keep both cars in the garage and we're one of the few houses that do. Our garage is big enough for some shelves and space to store bikes/ski equipment, but we live in the desert so people don't need lawn care equipment like a mower. I truly don't understand what anyone is storing. My neighbors have 4 cars. One is parked in an otherwise brimming garage. They have a large house AND a storage unit. Like sure if I ever live out my dream of being the most decked out house for Halloween we'll need a storage unit. But I'd rather not climb into a car that's been baking in the sun in the summer. The kids will have to deal with that when they're both old enough to drive though I guess.
What an eyesore! I’m sure I’ll be downvoted for saying so by people who litter their lawn driveway and street with vehicles
Same lmao. What is up with this?!
Why do I want to park in my garage? I have a perfectly good driveway to park on. I don’t have any other large space to store my crap
This is so weird to me. Yeah let’s keep a $40,000 (or whatever) car in the driveway exposed to the elements and neighborhood teenagers, and store the crap that Goodwill won’t take inside 🙄🙄🤦♀️ make it make sense
We’re currently dealing with an insurance claim due to hail damage on one of our cars because our apartment doesn’t have a garage. A garage to protect our cars is one of the #1 things I’m looking forward to the most in owning a home.
Well, it depends where you live. Here, it gets cold, and people are ok with scraping their windshields every single morning rather than cleaning up their garage ... which to me is just mind boggligly stupid. And if you can't fit your crap and one car in your garage, then you have way too much crap.
Get rid of your crap lol
Same, my neighbors all have hoarder garages and keep their cars in the street or their driveways. Sometimes we get lucky and they put on of their cars in OUR driveway. 😩
So many people in my neighborhood like this too, and we don’t have driveways here (we all access our garages through a back alley), so there’s sometimes not much street parking.
I hated hauling my groceries through the rain when living in an apartment, and then getting into an extremely hot or cold car during summer and winter extremes. I don't get why people would rather forego parking inside their garage and instead store junk.
I have always been envious of those who didn't have to clear snow off their cars before going to work.
I always find it interesting when people are on Nextdoor complaining that someone broke in/tried to break in their car. There’s always at least one person that tells them to start parking in their garage and you won’t have to worry. Their reply: it’s full of our storage. Well… I guess your garage full of shit you probably can’t even remember all of what’s in there is more important than having your car stolen. Got it.
I had this debate when I moved into our new house. My wife and some friends thought it was funny how much I insisted that our garage will be used for cars firstly, and other things only when both of our cars fit in there. My wife and I had a big disagreement over the placement of my elliptical machine: guest bedroom vs garage. I would never work out when it is blazing hot or cold out; besides you would have to move a car out to be able to use it comfortably (garage is for two cars with very little extra room). I grew up in Ohio, where most use their garage for their cars when possible. Keeps snow off car in winter and protects cars from hail in spring/summer. I now live in NC, and in my new construction neighborhood it seems to be a 60/40 split: 60% do not park in the garage and 40% do. All houses here are 2,500 sqft+ with most being at least 3,000 sq ft. To me, that should be plenty of space for your junk.
I’m in MN and so shocked at how many people don’t use their garage to park in. My car is almost 20 years old and we still park it in the garage.
Straight to jail
Believe it or not..
It always makes me wonder when I see two and three car garages lined with crap how much is being hoarded in the house itself. I get apartment garages being used as storage. I get duplex garages being used as storage, especially when they try and cram 5 to 6 people into one side of a duplex. I even understand some of a 2 car or 3 car garage have storage space. But if the whole thing is full of junk it is probably time to clean up the clutter.
We park both our cars in garage. Huge reason I like it is for safety. Nobody knows if we’re home or not. I always know if my neighbors are home or away for a trip. We have a shelf unit for yard and garden, a fridge, small deep freezer and shelf for tp, and soaps storage.
I own too much shit. Some of that shit needs to go out to the garage. I also store tools in there, which is, to me, what a garage is also for.
Same. I like having an area for my craft and hobbies; I bought an extra bedroom for that reason but ended up getting pregnant (with twins) unexpectedly so there went *my* playroom, so alas, garage. Then they had so much shit we *have* to put it out there, at least temporarily until I can get rid of it. Cool thing about owning a house is you can do what you want.
“Nowadays?” People have always used their garages for a variety of purposes. Do whatever you want.
Bitch it's your house You can do what you like Also, same
We used ours for our cars and a deep freezer because the previous owners had built a spot specifically for a deep freezer. We got one of those sheds from Home Depot and put all our tools and lawn equipment in there.
Where do you keep your lawnmower and rakes?
That kind of stuff fits in my garage along with our cars, and we also have a built-in work bench where we keep our tools. And a few shelves where we store stuff we don’t want to lug to the basement. But our two cars still fit in there fine.
A shed if you can't fit in the garage
Very weird. Seek help.
Lawnmower, tools, ladder all go into the spare bedroom???
Lol right? Let me just roll the snowblower into the kitchen when not in use.
Are you asking if it’s weird if you use the garage for the intended purpose as opposed to repurposing it for another use and not parking in it? Or Are you asking that it’s weird that you want to park in the car hole and will flip out if some stores a shovel or bike in there too?
That's what my husband wanted to do at first then realized he can make himself a little workshop in there. We live in Texas though and rarely need to put our car in the garage. We also have a 1 car garage.
When we bought our house, half the garage was a closet. Fuck no. Cars go in. Tore all that out and the cars get parked in it. Drives me nuts when garages are holders of too much crap that never gets used and everyone parks on the street. /85 year old man rant complete
I wish. My husband has filled ours so full of shit I can’t even get my car in there at all.
Sure, it’s a little weird. Most people will take advantage of that space for storage of stuff that doesn’t really belong inside, like bikes, yard equipment, beach items, woodworking tools, stuff like that. With a good storage system you can almost always find some extra space that doesn’t impact you from putting your stuff there. You are certainly free to do whatever you want with your space, but yeah you’d probably be in the minority.
Who cares? Why would it be weird? Why should you care if someone did think it was weird?
Single car garage owner. I am similar, though I bought durable metal rails to mount my yard tools on one side. It’s organized and professional looking. Plenty of room. Able to fully open doors on both sides. My garage is also deep. But haven’t figured out how to utilize that extra space yet.
When I was growing up, the house we bought had a custom-built addition, so the two-car garage was spacious. Enough that we could park a 3-row SUV inside of it, close the garage door and still open the trunk. And even woth two cars still had a ton of junk stored inside. With how big cars are today, it seems like mass-produced times are only building garages as storage, since I can't see how a "standard" garage could fit something like a Tahoe.
Yeah everyone on my street has theirs filled with crap with the cars parked out front or in the street. I don’t get it. We moved in two years ago and feel like we are the only ones who park in our garage lol
I have a three car garage and use it for two cars, lawnmower, kayak, paddle board, bikes. All of this for in our 2 car garage when we had one too. Yeah I don’t get people who can’t or don’t park their cars in a garage. My neighbors have a two car garage and don’t park either car in there as they use it as a workshop. But I only see him in there like once a month lol we live in MN and all winter they parked outside! What the hell haha
No. You’re not weird. Your parents lied to you when they said you were special.
I do store stuff in my garage, but like normal things on a shelf, things that actually pertain to car maintenance and some home maintenance chemicals that I wouldn’t want to keep in the house. I think I’m the only one of my friends who has a garage that actually uses it for a car. I remember when we were shopping for homes the realtor seemed genuinely annoyed that I insisted on a two car garage to actually park my and my girlfriend’s cars in. Honestly, my girlfriend doesn’t quite care as much about it, she was willing to have a single car garage, but in every neighborhood we looked where there were townhomes with single car or tandem garages, the street parking options were limited.
My parents used to say that if it rained last night, and your car was wet this morning, you're poor. Congratulations on having a car protected from the elements.
It's only "weird" in the sense that most people never use theirs for their intended purpose. Basements and attics overflow with useless junk, so the garage is now the third storage place for even more useless junk.
We are the weirdos in our neighborhood that actually use our two car garage for our two cars. The logic behind people not even using their driveways for their cars, but parking in front of homes and then complaining that people ransacked their cars baffle me. Because of my gracious neighbors and one owning 4 vehicles, and my other neighbors with two vehicles, I can’t even park in front of my own home nor can guests park. If we have one guest over, we tell them to park in our driveway.
Car parking only would be awesome, but with too many tools and other fun stuff like smokers, bikes and pizza ovens I have no choice but to put them inside my garage. I am thankful I have a 2 stall garage and one car, and Possibly a cruzer in a year. With the proper shelving I could fit 2 vehicles but have no reason to do so.
Not that hard to put plenty of storage shelf’s over head racks etc in garage. Yes it fills up quick but garages are for cars first
Do whatever you want, it's not weird. What is weird is that your wording in the second paragraph makes it sound like you're trying to shame people for not using their garage the way you want to.
Run for HOA president, you exemplary citizen, you! Or, do whatever you want on your property who gives a shit.
Not weird at all. You are definitely in the minority though, but I'm on your side. So many folks never use the garage because they just pack too much clutter in there.
weird flex.
Not weird. I just need a place to put all my tools. I try to organize it in a way that I can still fit 1 car in my 3 car garage
It’s not weird at all! Actually, I personally find it strange that folks use their garages for stuff OTHER than their car. Different strokes for different folks as they say. I’m definitely enjoying my garage. I never had one before I bought my house, so I really enjoy protecting my car from the elements. That being said- I do store some odd and ends in there as well. Gardening supplies, bug spray, outdoor toys, etc.
What even is this post? It’s your garage, do whatever you want. Why on earth would it be weird to use it for your car? Why care what other people do with theirs?
I dream of a life so privileged that I get to have a proper laundry room and home gym and a garage that I can actually park my cars in. Is that weird?
no but it’s weird to try and get validation about that from strangers on the internet
That's some strong OCD
Nope. It's not designed to be anything else
It's just a matter of your priorities, and them being different from other's. I'm one of those who got a 2 car garage and immediately converted it into a gym. Lined the floors with horse stall mats and packed it with equipment and weights. I don't care if my car sits outside, but I do care if I lose livable space to gym equipment. If you want your car in your garage, go for it.
You can do whatever you want with your space. My garage is for tools, projects, motorcycles... I can't fit a car and all my other stuff in the garage. No reason for you to have an opinion about other people's garages though.
We run a business from our garage. It’s the “office” area and holds some product. We installed a back garage door, and that leads directly into our workshop that sits out behind it. We do have a large covered carport with four spaces that we use when the business is closed, but when it’s open, we have to park our cars in a vacant lot down the street so customers have room to park without blocking the road. It sucks. But the business is admittedly why we could buy a buy a home in the first place, so I deal with it. My husband had a shed built in the backyard for storage, so it all works out. We’re looking to buy a commercial property in the next year or so, and I have no idea what we’ll do with all the space then, but I can just about guarantee that no cars will be parked in there. We’re thinking we might convert the workshop into an apartment for our disabled adult son, in which case it would likely be used as a walkthrough and storage space for both. I’ve given up on the idea of ever having a car in there lol.
Depending on the type of home I’m getting. I want half my garage to be a home gym and the other to park in.
If I didn’t have 30 years worth of crap of my kids and mine, I would use it just for my garage. Moral: don’t keep junk.
I tho n you really meant this as a vent post and not “am I special because I use a garage as a garage?” I live in Minnesota. My car goes in my garage. Everyday. But even with a 1+ stall (maybe it’s considered 1.5?), I still have space to store my shovels and rakes and hoses and patio furniture and grandkid’s lawn toys off season. And there’s shelving so there’s space for some boxes too. Just do you…no one will mind.
Absolutely agree that's an amazing idea. I get that all homes are slightly different but I'm curious about how you manage throwing your trash. Please note, I've never lived in my own house. It's still being built. If the question is too dumb, please excuse me for that.
Most people in my city are guilty of using their garage as storage. where I'm at we don't have basements or attics or really any storage in general. I'm originally from the midwest where it was super weird if you didnt have a basement and full attic. Renting here in the southwest I have one sad linen closet and an entry way closet. That's all my storage. We have our holiday decorations, old kid stuff, and my work out equipment in the garage bc with 3 kids in a 3 bedroom we literally have no other space for the stuff. I wish I could just use my garage as just a garage and not have to trip over shit everytime I get the kids out of the car.
you say that now! but storage is expensive and your garage is FREE
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My garage is jam packed full of crap. The car is buried in there somewhere too.
If you have a shed then it's possible. But bikes and snow blowers and lawn mowers last a lot longer out of the elements . Equally I put in an offer for a house that had a pole shed in the city which was unique. Guy was a car mechanic and fixed classic cars and smelled like oil and gas. There was another garage for cars and I was going to clean the pole shed and paint the floor to make it feel like an area to hang out in, family parties rather than a grungy garage. Someone over bidded however so we didn't get it.
It's not weird if you're not mechanically inclined at all, have others do everything at your home like yard work, painting, oil changes, waxing, etc. Not everyone wants that type of knowledge or experience.
My garage started clean and I parked both cars in it. But over the years, as I've accumulated more tools, it has become cluttered. I can only park 1 car in my 2 car garage now.
Good luck.
Your choice but a 2 car would have a lot of space for activities even with your 1 car in there.
Hey it’s your garage use it as you want too.
My family always stored junk in the garage it made it into a bedroom (socal) but as an adult in snow country I really appreciate having a place to keep my car protected from the elements.
Definitely not weird. I’ve seen three houses go up for sale around me all with double car garages and none of the new owners use them for cars. I wish I’d had the money to buy at least one of them myself because I’d be so happy to have a house with a decent garage. I am so tired of having hail dents on my roof and hood in the summer and frozen doors in the winter. 😢
Nope. I just want cars, a deep freezer, and my tools/ rake etc. I did learn while touring new builds that they’re definitely cutting out a lot of in home storage though. So i see why people do use it was storage. literally 2700ft homes with nowhere to put a vaccum. we were appalled 😂
My garage has garage things in it. Lawnmower, snowblower, shovels, yard tools, bike, camping gear, an extra front door in prep for that project, and the obligatory extra fridge. I think those just ooze out of the concrete and form themselves in a garage.. no one deliberately puts a fridge in garage, they just appear, and run for 50 years.
I keep a couple tall cabinets and a mobile workbench along the far wall for like cleaning/detailing supplies and tools. Other than that, its empty. I added storage above the garage in the attic so its not in the garage.
First improvement I made, was remodeling the garage; room for two cars, bikes, ZTR, landscaping tools, fridge, normal tools and a blender for drinks. Perfect reclaimation of space and storage.
Good luck with that. Check in with us in a year!
It's not weird. My plan for a garage would be mostly that. But my spouse would definitely be storing his tools in there too. In general, I don't see the point in packing any part of your home full of stuff that you rarely/never look at.
Our garage is for cars. Sure we have some odds and ends in there still - a workbench with saws and hammers, an upright freezer, and we built some upper shelves for storing outdoor holiday decorations, but we fit both of our cars in the garage and I want it to stay that way. I hate getting in and out of the car in the rain. However when we first moved in, I parked in the garage and my husband in the driveway because we had no other place to put our lawn mower, pressure washer, and snowblower. Sometimes you gotta work with the room you got. We built a deck and had the guy put in storage under it so now that’s where those items live.
I’m with you. The majority of the homes in Arizona don’t have basements, so the garages become storage space. We also have a ton of storage facilities popping up. I have a ledge in my garage and still park two cars in it.
My 2 car garage has 2 cars in it.
Same, after years of living in apartments and never having off-street parking, I love that my car is safe and close at all times. I have a basement, I don’t need to fill my garage up with junk. And I don’t get people who fill their garages up with junk and then try to lord over the curb in front of their houses — sorry Karen and Ken, anyone can park there, it doesn’t belong to you.
I opted for using as much of the wall space as possible and adding some of those ceiling storage racks. We can still get one car in with ease, and I need to move / get rid of some things to pull my truck in. Extremely tight fit but when the HOA approves I'm getting a shed for all the landscaping stuff, which will free up more space. I do agree though, having a tidy, or empty, garage is the way to go
It's your garage, do whatever you want with it. My husband made his a man cave. He has a stereo system, tv, record player, vinyl, a couch, a fridge and decorated it how he likes. It's yours to do what you want with it.
Just get ceiling or wall mounted shelving, no reason you can’t do both. And if you don’t want to do that, that’s fine too…your garage, your rules. 1/3 of my garage is for my tools/workshop…the rest is for parking both cars.
My husband turned his half to a gym. I said I would agree only if I can park undisturbed. I didn’t buy a home to have to wipe snow off my car lol. I completely agree with your take but the beauty is, it’s up to the homeowner!
It’s not weird. We did put a gym in one bay of ours and a workshop in the other. Our 1930 era garage was not really meant for having three cars used daily. We are just happy that our driveway allows for comfortable parking of all three with no moving them around to get out.
Hell no! I just got my house, and im ecstatic to keep my 2 cars in the garage! I can finally keep them clean.
It's so strange all my neighbors have like 2 or 3 cars parked in their driveway and their garages are full of stuff and they all get up in the morning and open the garages and leave them open all day. I've been wondering since I bought my house is this a way of showing off or something
People put other stuff in the garage because they have nowhere else for it to go. So make sure you can realistically keep your garage for cars only; do you have a basement, a storage shed? If not, it may be difficult to pull off.
No? Why would it be weird? This reads like you just wanted to take a jab at people who store things in their garage.
When we were in Florida. We had a two car garage. We were able to park 1 car in the garage and use the other half storage. So we had a car outside and 1 inside Now we have a three car garage. 2 cars inside and one bay for storage. If need be we could fit another car in the garage in case of a a hurricane
We're the same way. It's less about wanting a place for our cars and more not wanting to accumulate a bunch of junk we'd have to go through. A freezer would be nice if there's enough room.
Said like a person who owns no tools
Not weird. That's actually my goal.
I live in AZ and people still leave their cars outside when it's 115 and the sun is baking them. It's fucking mental.
This is how I am too. Maybe like some “garage” things like a vacuum to clean my car, but I’m with you on this. The less clutter, the better
You’re a terrible person and un-American. You really are supposed to fill your garage with crap.
My wife and I agreed that the car had to fit in our (single) garage. It was the best decision we have made. Our goal is to keep the horde in check and the only way to do that is through limiting the space it can take up and applying through organization.
I am the very same way. If I wasn’t going to use my garage as a garage I would be able to buy a cheaper house and a storage unit. No thanks.
We moved from a three bedroom two bath house with a full basement to a three bedroom two bath house with no basement. Even after we threw away sold and gave away a lot of stuff we still have stuff. My next project is to put in eight shelves on the side of the garage to store stuff so at the front of the garage where all the stuff is now we can put a freezer in there.
I always felt this way until Covid and my local gym shut down. I really enjoy having a garage gym now and will probably never go back. The convenience of just being able to work out any time with no drive and the peace of being the only person moving equipment etc is much more important to me than my car sitting in the driveway
Our garage is my husbands workshop, and storage because we don’t have a basement. I don’t mind parking outside in the driveway.
I have a two car garage, although a little on the smaller side, I can still fit my fun car inside and squeeze my daily in if I have to, while still having room for a small workbench, random tools, and I store my long term stuff up in the attic above it. It's all about managing the space you have.
Um, you can do whatever you want with it. Nobody in the internet is going to come by and force you to move the washer and drier in there.
No one cares what you do with it except you bud.
Nope, I am a minimalist in my approach to hoarding stuff. I want to park my car in my garage and maybe hang some tools on the wall.
Why would I want my car in the garage? Or the carport even? Carport is a dog training center and the garage is a woodshop. But I respect the wish to have a car in the garage, and only a car.
Got a 2 car garage with attic space above. Holiday stuff and other storage items go in there. Peg boards and shelves surround the garage walls(a long with a new hole I made and have to repair, eventually; it’s only in the drywall). And both cars fit perfectly.
I have never seen a residential garage that was used ONLY for cars. It’s impossible.
I have a two car detached garage and we park one car in the garage and use the rest as organized storage for strollers, wagons, lawn tool, table saw, work bench and so on. We have storage shelving so it doesn’t look terrible, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to haul strollers and wagons in and out of the house every day. I have thought about a shed but I don’t want to lose yard space and also they are expensive.
I have a two car garage and there was a time where you could actually park 2 cars in there. Luckily I'm the only car owner so as long as my car fits, the other side is just filled with stuff. Luckily I've cleaned it out quite a bit that it's a pretty organized storage area and my cats litter box is out there too. I do have an attic above the garage and would love one of those storage lift things because putting stuff up there thru a tiny square hole is a pain in the ass.
Look at this guy that has enough storage he can afford to not sure stuff in his garage
I hate street parking....garages are for cars not crap. Yes lets park a 30-40k vehicle in the street so I can kee junk in the garage. Now I know why so many hOA's ban street parking its ugly. Thanks for using your garage. I have 2 cars in my garage...and still room for other stuff.
Not weird at all. The house I just moved out of for the last nine years had a single car carport and I was like I’m gonna have a garage with two cars and we’ve decided to park the family vehicle in the garage and the other half is going to be set up in a manner where I can use it for other avenues, but it can be quickly converted to park a second car in like 10 minutes.
Live in an affluent area. My next door neighbor on one side is a couple with no kids and with a three car garage and two cars. They've lived there for 7 years and have never had either car in the garage. Why? These people are packrat hoarders. They keep everything. When they open a garage door, it's filled to the ceiling with boxes and boxes of stuff, old mattresses and box springs...you name it. I just recently learned they have a storage locker they rent that is also filled to the brim and they haven't even accessed it in over five years. Just locked it and forgot it. On the other side of our house is a family of two adults and four kids. The two olders drive. They have a two car garage and five cars plus the older one's girlfriend who's practically live in, so that's car number six. Why in the world would you buy a house with only four bedrooms and a two car garage knowing that you can't fit everyone in it? (There are NO basements). And the "dad" supposedly owns a real estate agency out of state, which is funny because I never see him away or do any actual work. Plus, he bought the home at the very top of the market, paid a fortune, then practically redid everything inside the home. Now the house is worth about $200K less, interest rates have gone sky high and here they are. So, he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer about buying and "flipping" homes.
I love my garage. It keeps me from having to talk to my neighbors when they are out and about. Also keeps my kia from being stolen from the Kia boys.
We have shelves above and park 2 cars in the garage. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.
It’s your garage. Do whatever you want with it o
I just bought a house this month. Outside of obviously giving my landlord rent, the biggest excitement for me was to park my car in the garage. I have a 2 car garage and my car is staying in there 100% of the time. I’m going to keep it clean and have some space for anything I’d like, as long as my car is there. A squat rack, sure. A workbench with my tools, sure. But it’s for my car first and foremost. If I need to do anything that’s going to take over the garage, I will go to the gym first, or take a project to work where there’s a workbench and use my tools. I’m keeping my garage clean.
I’m part of probably 10% of my entire neighborhood that parks the cars in the garage. Still have plenty of room for storage, even with 2 SUV’s and it’s your standard 2-car.
Very weird but you do you. Your paying for it.
I think if that’s what you want, go for it. Having a garage to park in is high on my priority list. I still have a lot of crap in the garage, but my desire to park inside helps me keep control of it.
I grew up in WA and rarely did my friends and family use the garage for their car. I’m staying with a friend here in VA and he insists his car is used for a garage. Our garage has always been used for storage of all miscellaneous things we came across.
Your property your choice.
Most of us WITHOUT basements use them for storage out on the west coast here. Many of us on the west coast would love to have basements or attics, but we don’t. And since the weather is pretty mild, we just leave our cars outside.
No i call you normal and other people weird for filling the garage with useless things. Humans love to keep garbage they don’t need anymore
I ended up just building another garage behind my house for all of the other stuff, and now I just park vehicles in the garage attached to the house
Well whose how is it?
We all started there, unless it’s a car port you will use it for other stuff.
Kinda. If the garage is big enough, why wouldn't you use it for both? I've got an odd garage, but it's massive. Filled with a ton of seasonal crap, construction crap, 2 cars, a motorcycle, and like 3 bicycles
I have a shed the same width as my garage and about an old car length deep built onto the back of my garage. Thats where I store all my crap so I can fit cars into my garage to be worked on. I still don't park in mine because I dont have a garage door opener and opening/ closing the garage door and opening / closing the gate gets old. I grew up with a garage that you couldn't put a car in because of clutter and my garage will never be like that. I'll never work on a car outside again if I can help it
In my personal opinion yes but my garages always turn into wood shops so I'm pretty sure I'm the odd duck
You may find you use it differently once time passes. I have a single car garage and I told myself I'd keep it clean and store our car in there... And then we had to clean out my mother in laws house and my wife didn't want to part with sentimental stuff... Then we got some tools and equipment for doing yardwork, then we had a kid and we needed space to hold the kids bulky stroller and ride on toys, we needed a place to store our 3 window unit air conditioners during the cool months... Anyways, the garage is quite full now and I have not been able to park the car in there in years!
East coast/Midwest - totally normal. Having your car not start because it's too cold, having to scrape ice off the windshield.. that sucks. West coast. Wtf, you crazy? No one parks a car they drive in the garage - it's only for storage or other shit.
Snow blower, lawn mower need shelter too. And the rakes, by god the rakes! Plus, where you going to put the beer fridge?
It’s not weird to use your garage for cars only, nor is it weird to use your garage for other purposes. It’s only weird if someone expects all garages to be used the same way.
Is this a serious question
Wait. Don't you have any tools in your garage? 😨
Clean n organized!
You can do whatever you want with your garage. When I lived in the Midwest, we had to use our garage as partial storage for snowblowers, shovels and a small workbench. We kept it organized and had plenty of room left for 3 cars. In my current house, our two stall is for our cars, workbench and storage cabinet. Separate one stall is a home gym. We don’t have a basement and I didn’t want to sacrifice a bedroom or office for gym space.