Garage materialism is growing

Ever since the first suburbs were built, the garage

became a measure of the financial prosperity of a

family. At first there was one, then two, but now four

garages are becoming the newest form of decadence in

home building. A real estate agent would say that

people have a log of gear and items these days so there

is a huge demand for a place to store them. These

garages, in some instances, may be larger than many apartments,

housing more cars than ever. The third and maybe

fourth family car is a necessity for families where kids

stay home longer and the restrictions on street parking

are one of the factors that point towards building larger

garages.

Moreover, every man has his love for the “toys”

such as boats, jet skis, motorcycles, bikes, power tools

and workbenches and these “toys” need storage. A

look into a three or four car garage may reveal tools,

bikes, sporting gear, a workshop and a 25-foot boat.

This visual degradation of the suburban landscape is an

aspect of materialism that won’t stop turning any time

soon.

Not everybody likes this trend. Some home builders

spend the extra time and money on architectural plans

that can split these huge expanses of square footage into

opposite sides of the house. A problem that appears

here is the problem of the house’s design after this

transformation. The most aesthetical are the back-

loading garages but they require the use of the backyard

space for turning radiuses. Side-loading garages need

wider home sites but can make the front of the house

look enormous. With the current rising costs for

land, in many areas this is not feasible in the long run.

This is a sign of a mega-materialism, that is: if one is

good five is better so more and more people understand

only one thing: that a garage is not good unless it is as

big as a basketball court.

When will it stop?

Are we going to have the house attached to a garage ten

times bigger than the house? Maybe it would be better

for everyone to think twice before making such a commitment

when buying a house attached to the garage. Maybe it

would be better if people would care about the simpler

and more basic things in life than owning a four car