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Garages are designed to house our cars. Right? As such, they differ from how we designed interior rooms in our houses.

• There is no heat or air conditioning
• Smelly garbage & recycling bins are often stored inside.
• The floor is unfinished and slops – and may include various stains
• The walls might be finished – at least the ones in common with the house
  • Or they could be painted concrete
  • Exposed studs
• Windows aren’t required and therefore often absent
• Utilitarian things live there like electrical panels, water heaters
• Older home may even have a/c units

In short – they are perfect for storing cars that have fumes, drip water, oil, or transmission fluids. They are great for the lawn mower too complete with its messy grass clippings and fumes.

With all of these negatives, why do garages end up housing everything except cars?

Garage as storage

Because garages are big – we often fill them with things other than cars. Things that store well in unconditioned space might include

• Yard maintenance equipment
• Outdoor sports equipment like golf clubs or water skis
• A second refrigerator or freezer (not recommended)
• Ladders

Turns out, a lot of people don’t care that the garages are unconditioned and end up storing just about anything.

A neighbor had their garage full of stuff – floor to ceiling all the way to the garage door – with just a narrow path between.

Garage as Other Uses

Turns out there are many other uses for these large spaces other than storage.

Dog Wash Station

There’s no getting around the fact that bathing your dog is a messy chore. The garage provides a convenient space out of the elements for your dog to shake off excess water and fur.

Workshop

My son turned his garage into a wood working shop. Complete with miter saw, table saw and router table. Naturally, saw dust on the floor isn’t an issue but the Florida heat and humidity was. Even with the garage door wide open and a giant box fan – it was often too hot to work there except at night.

Another garage workshop was devoted to fixing cars. It included a giant tool case to house all the various sized wrench as car stuff – sorry I’m clueless about car stuff.

Garage as Gym

I’ve seen rowing machines, treadmills, even a bench press machine in garages. I guess it’s an okay place to exercise – since you’re going to sweat anyways – right?

But one crazy person took the junk-filled third bay of their garage and made it a fully loaded private gym. They walled it off from the rest of the garage, insulated the walls, leveled the floor, added pads and air conditioning. Wow. They did leave the garage door so it can easily be converted for a future sports car – just not an F150 truck.

Garage as Man Cave

I guess when you must to get away from your other half – escaping to the garage is one option. Have you seen the Freshpet commercial where two guys are watching the game in the garage – complete with the motorcycle!

Good news – bad news

The good news is when the house is too small there is always the garage to expand into – as we have seen.

The bad news is many now need to find new places to store the cars, especially in more urban areas that are pinched for space. How many neighborhoods have you seen where the cars are blocking the sidewalk? Not a good look.

How do you use your garage? Does it house your cars or have you found new life for the space? I’d love to hear your thoughts!