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 
garage.

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PPPPP
