Why do you (or others!) value garages?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the pp that leaving the door in the garage unlocked is generally unsafe. That is how multiple houses in my neighborhood were broken into. People were getting into the garages through the Exterior window and then just walking straight into unlocked homes.

Not the PP who mentioned that, but some of us do take some precautions. We have no windows into our garage. The only egresses are the garage door itself (attached to the opener) and the door into the house. We lock the door into the house most of the time, but when we don't, that door is on the house alarm and when you open the door, you have 60 seconds to disable the alarm or the alarm company gets notification that the door was opened and the alarm was not turned off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why on earth would you give a poster a hard time for saying she thinks it's a hassle to park in a garage. I happen to agree with her. Unless there is a major snow storm coming, and I know I don't need to get out, i park in the drive. Always. It's just easier.

Because she is a lazy ass! And so are you, apparently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't think I needed one until I bought a house that had one. Now I don't ever want a house without one. We have a rowhouse in the city so it is detached (on the alley) so you have to walk through the backyard to get to the house. And it is still the best thing ever! Just a few of the reasons:
*Security - I open the door from the alley, close it and then get out of the car in the safety of a closed in space
*You know the ice that covered everything earlier this week? There wan't any on my car!
*I store tools, extra furniture, elfa, etc in my garage. I have no idea how I would fit all that stuff in my house
*My kid is still in a car seat. Even though I have to walk to the garage, I am safely out of the rain when I am putting her in/out of the car seat
*Packing the car to the gills for a trip - not a security risk
*Gardening tools, shovels, hoses, weed wackers and other things covered in dirt and debris don't set foot inside my house

OP back again. I like this post a lot since I tend to view garages as a security negative. My understanding is that they tend to be a weak point that makes home entry easier for break ins. While this may be true, another vulnerability point for crime is getting into and out of a car, especially with kids, groceries, etc. There was a recent carjacking in Ch Ch DC that fit this bill, so being able to do stuff inside obviously has some value. I guess there's a pick your poison side to the security issue. I worry a lot about keeping my home well sealed, but not so much about being attacked while getting in and getting out of my car. But I'm not sure this is anything other than personal preference or a function of each house's particular circumstances.