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Do you have a garage? Whether it's one-car, two-car, or even three, if each bay is used for actual car storage, you're in the minority. There's an old saying, that the junk accumulates to fill the available space. The expenses also expand to eat up the available wages, but that's another article. There's just something about a large open space that isn't part of a family's immediate living quarters – it begs to be filled with anything and everything. Anything, that is, but a car.
Some people have a soft heart for stray animals. My husband has a similar tendency to adopt stray cars. He'll hear from a friend that someone's selling a car really cheap, or giving it away free, and he just has to have it. Sure, it doesn't run, or needs major engine work, but hey, a little work and a few parts and he can sell it for a profit. The problem is simple: not only does the investment of labor and parts only barely meet whatever profit he might accrue, but we also have a million things to do around the house and no time to do them. He tends to get attached to cars, and we'd have five or six if he could manage it. Consequently, there's a 1975 Volkswagen Bus in one bay of our two-car garage that isn't moving anytime soon. I've taken to storing the kids' bikes inside. Hey, it's a cabinet!
So, is it important to your family to use the garage for its intended purpose, to protect cars from the elements? After all, an automobile can be the second largest investment a family can make, and keeping it out of the sun, rain, and ice can add many years to its life. Did you buy a house with a two car garage, hoping to house both cars? How can you keep the clutter from overtaking this space?
Many garages are used as workshops. These can be easily organized by building a solid table for a work space, and storing the tools on a pegboard attached to the wall. Bicycles, another space gobbler, can be stored by hanging hooks on the ceiling. Just remember to duck when you pass by. If you're lucky enough to have a garage with an attic, don't neglect his potential space. Likewise, if your garage has a gabled roof with rafters above, it's relatively easy to make this into a storage area by adding plywood sheets to form shelves. Search garage sales for castoff kitchen cabinets; these can be mounted along the walls to store everything from hardware to extra pantry items without interfering with the space around your car.
In some families, the garage can become the arena for a subtle (or not so subtle) battle of the sexes. She wants a spacious area in which to park the car, shuttle the kids in and out away from the cold winter wind, and an easy way to carry in the groceries. He wants a space to work on his hobby, whether it's a car he's fixing up or a cabinet being refinished. This is the most difficult aspect of garage usage. Each family will solve the problem in a different way.
No matter what size your garage, it's likely you will at some point face a struggle as to how that space is used. Though the area is often overlooked, it is a true living space for most families and tends to reflect the dynamics of the family relationship. It is a place that catches the overflow of our busy lives, and needs to be managed as much as the other rooms. Maintaining effective storage systems can help maintain the clutter, and communication can help solve the problem of what to expect from this space. Take the time to compare priorities. If investing this space to protect your family vehicle is more important than storing the collection of bowling balls, a discussion could go a long way toward promoting family harmony.
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