Why do you (or others!) value garages?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I long for a garage, though I doubt that I'll ever park my car in it - just seems like kind of a hassle. But to have that space to store bikes, kayaks, garden supplies, and all that - well, that sounds just heavenly!

In a small townhouse now, but thinking about upgrading - the next house will definitely have a garage.

What part of it sounds like a hassle?

I pull into my driveway, press a button that is in my car, and the garage door opens. I drive a bit further until I am in the garage, put my car in park, and turn off the ignition. I press the same button again and the garage door closes behind me.

No hassle at all.

Yea no clue what the PP is saying...parking in a garage is a hassle? How do you manage driving?

We have a 2 car Garage. My wife parks her car inside, the other half is for storage and my tools/DIY gear.

I don't mind that you park your car in the garage....I just don't think that I'm likely to take the extra steps of opening the garage door and pulling in and parking. Garages just seem kind a squishy to me. I grew up in a house with a garage and no one in the family ever parked in it (much colder climate than DC). In that house, the garage was moderately sized (though actually larger than many garages that I see around, except in newer builds), so there just wasn't a lot of clearance to open the car doors without hitting into something. Maybe I'd feel differently if we end up with a really wide garage with tons of storage space AND clearance, but I'm also perfectly happy parking my car in the driveway

Also, unless we somehow end up with a three car garage, I'm not going to have space to park my car inside because my husband will definitely want to park His car in the garage, and I'd much rather use the other side for storing bikes and other outdoor gear. So, it's really pretty much a moot point, from my point of view.

You're too lazy to push the garage door control and drive in? Oh, brother.

[Anonymous]

It gives me a place to plug in my electric car.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It gives me a place to plug in my electric car.

You can charge outside too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

NP but really? I love just opening the garage and walking in the door. My front door is locked, but my garage door isn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

NP but really? I love just opening the garage and walking in the door. My front door is locked, but my garage door isn't.

That's not a good idea. Garages are very easy to break into.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I long for a garage, though I doubt that I'll ever park my car in it - just seems like kind of a hassle. But to have that space to store bikes, kayaks, garden supplies, and all that - well, that sounds just heavenly!

In a small townhouse now, but thinking about upgrading - the next house will definitely have a garage.

What part of it sounds like a hassle?

I pull into my driveway, press a button that is in my car, and the garage door opens. I drive a bit further until I am in the garage, put my car in park, and turn off the ignition. I press the same button again and the garage door closes behind me.

No hassle at all.

Yea no clue what the PP is saying...parking in a garage is a hassle? How do you manage driving?

We have a 2 car Garage. My wife parks her car inside, the other half is for storage and my tools/DIY gear.

I don't mind that you park your car in the garage....I just don't think that I'm likely to take the extra steps of opening the garage door and pulling in and parking. Garages just seem kind a squishy to me. I grew up in a house with a garage and no one in the family ever parked in it (much colder climate than DC). In that house, the garage was moderately sized (though actually larger than many garages that I see around, except in newer builds), so there just wasn't a lot of clearance to open the car doors without hitting into something. Maybe I'd feel differently if we end up with a really wide garage with tons of storage space AND clearance, but I'm also perfectly happy parking my car in the driveway

PP that you quoted here...
I never really thought of it as "extra steps." I mean, I need to put my car in park and turn off the ignition regardless of where I park--so the only "extra steps" are pushing a button twice. If I was to park in my driveway and enter through my front door, I'd have the "extra steps of putting the key in the front lock, turning it, pressing down the handle, pushing the door open, closing it behind me, and locking it behind me.

[Anonymous]

We don't use our garage for out car (it's actually our gym). The angle to get in is weird (not to mention backing out). I don't think we would use it unless snow was predicted if the space wasn't being used for something else.

[Anonymous]

No garage. We live on a quiet street with plenty of parking, have only one car, and have a big shed for all of DH's tools and the family's bikes. I've lived in much worse climates, so the few times we have to shovel out a year don't bother me (plus I make the kids do a lot of it now that they're older!). I guess it's hot in the summer, but the AC kicks on pretty quickly. Nothing I can' t tolerate. I just walk my groceries from the street up to the front door, I don't see how a garage makes that easier or harder.

Now, when we lived on Capitol Hill, I would have given my firstborn for a garage or even a driveway. Driving and driving and not being able to find a spot drove me batty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most the popular neighborhoods in NW DC (where houses are currently selling in 48 hours with multiple bids) are comprised of houses entirely without garages or with non-functional garages (tiny and built in 1930 so they don't fit current cars).
I live in AU Park and no one i know parks a car in a garage.

That's called "making a virtue out of necessity." The reason for AU Park popularity is NOT that houses don't have garages; if they had garages they would be just as much or more popular.

[Anonymous]

Good place to park a car, fix a car, butcher a deer, butcher a pig, butcher a goat, hose off a messy friend, have a pillow fight, hide drugs... possibilities are endless

[Anonymous]

Actually, the previous owners of our house were dinged by fairfax county for having 17 dogs in cages in the garage. They run one of the dog rescue orgs and apparently were keeping unadopted dogs at their place.

They also apparently let them shit all over the backyard and never cleaned up after them. Our neighbors that live behind us that have a pool were very happy to see them go since it made their pool area unusable due to the stench.

[Anonymous]

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.