Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Marginalizing Garages



Is a garage a necessity for a home?

And, how much *market value* does it add?

My answers are "no" and "not as much as most think".

Just look down your street and count how many people actually use their garages for cars.

Our last move was from a garaged house to our current driveway-only abode. My wife whines incessantly how in New England, we NEED a garage because of the weather.

What do you know, almost two years here and we've managed to survive.

It only snows, at most, 10 days per year. And, in those rare occurrences, either the wipers can sweep away the snow or there's a husband out there anyway clearing a whole lot more of the white stuff with a shovel.

Mrs. C-Nut counters, "But it rains ALL OF THE TIME."

Whatever. Shrinkage isn't fatal.

Again, realize that if no one parks cars in their garages, empiricism has declared them far from necessary.

People would rather use them for *storage* than anything else. So, if garages add value to a home it's not in the manner for which they were intended.

Now, down south I think a garage may be more necessary, and more valuable on account of the heat. That's why they have those *carport* things I guess.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ha, a garage is totally necessary to me. Not for cars but for stuff. Half a dozen bikes or so, various kids riding machines, etc, etc. Plus the lawnmower and all that. I guess a shed would accomplish the same task, but still. That's just semantics.

Slow out

CaptiousNut said...

Do I have to do another *clutter* post?

Full Disclosure - I do have (half of) a shed. Though I keep bringing stuff to the dump faster than it comes in!

Grumpy MBA said...

Dude you are nuts on this one. I couldn't live without our three car garage. Only reason the wife agreed to move back east to the dreadful weather here. And I need a place to put her car, a place for my beemer and a place for the boat during the winter! I agree with you on most everything, but not this one. 3 is the new 2!

CaptiousNut said...

I concede that a new, expensive car should be garaged.

But a boat?

If boats *needed* shelter then I wouldn't have to look at so many beached on front lawns!

CaptiousNut said...

Southern dude also reminded me that they don't have basements down there for their junk like *Yankees*.