We all know how important garages are to our home; they work hard for everyone in the house. Garages are often places that we store tools or memories. Compared to all they do for homeowners; people know relatively little about them. With that in mind, we have compiled some fun facts about garages for homeowners. Many thanks to Garage Living for their work with garage fun facts that inspired this post.
How We Feel About Our Garages
- About a quarter of Americans say that they can’t park in their garage because of clutter. In fact, of all Americans who own two-car garages, 25% cannot park in them at all, and 33% can only fit one car. That means less than half of the people with two car garages are maximizing garage efficiency.
- Over half of all Americans spend at least 2 hours in their garages doing hobbies or other activities. That’s a lot of garage bands!
- Despite the amount of time that most people spend in their garages, only 11% of homeowners are happy with their garage. That means 89% of homeowners want to make significant changes to their garage.
Garages Are Integral To The Home
- In an average American house, the garage takes up approximately 15% of the floor plan.
- A garage door can take up to one third of the front of a home.
- The average American household opens and closes their garage door approximately 1,500 times a year, that’s 3 to 5 times a day.
- When buying a new home, 80% of buyers consider the garage when they’re trying to determine which home to purchase.
- Garage doors are the largest moving objects in a home. They cause 12-13 thousand injuries annually. Most commonly, people get their fingers or joints pinched in garage door joints or parts. The second most common issue is when people don’t maintenance their doors, so the door falls suddenly and hits someone.
Garage History
- The first electric garage door opener was invented in 1926.
- Five of the biggest companies in America were started in a garage: Apple, Amazon, Disney, Google, & Harley-Davidson. Not in the same garage though, that would be chaos.
- As with many words in English, “garage” is a derivative of another language. The word “garage” is actually derived from French! The original French word is “garer” which means to park. Which makes sense when you consider that 74% of homeowners say that parking is the main function of their garage.
Money Matters
- Replacing a garage door can increase the value of the home by as much as four percent. If your house is worth $100,000, that is a $4,000 value!
- If you are working on home improvement projects, a new garage door is a great option. They provide an 80-90% return on investment.
