If I Had The Chance To Do It Over : The Garage

Often called a 2-car garage, but in reality, is it really designed for 2 cars, or is it a play on the math? My biggest do-over wish.

Brian Wright

12/30/20252 min read

Ah...the infamous 2-car garage. This piece of construction has become a staple, if not a necessary part of American homes across the country. In the north, it keeps the ice and snow off your ride in the winter, and in the south during the summer, the sun is unable to turn your mode of transportation into an oven that will bake anything left inside. (Not to mention my tooshie on that unprotected leather seat.) In today's market, with car prices exceeding what I paid for my first home, it's no wonder why people want to try to protect their investments. If you are anything like me, you will drive your car until the tires fall off. A car payment is my kryptonite, and making my ride last as long as possible is the ultimate goal.

Ok, so enough talk about hotrods. Let's talk about the structures that are built to protect them...the garage. As the old saying goes, "you can never build a garage or workshop too big." Well, I can tell you firsthand that I am fully convinced that this statement is 100% true. On the outside, it looked great, and I was fully confident that my special order 8' high by 9' wide double doors would provide ample room for any vehicle that our budget could afford. That is, until my "garage" changed from a building materials warehouse to a stable for one of our modern-day horses.

After clearing out one side of the "warehouse," I confidently told my high school sweetheart to come take a look as I pulled in our 455hp Volvo XC60. "Like a glove," I thought to myself, and then I opened the driver's side door and "clunk." A moment of confusion suddenly came over me. I thought to myself, "Why is the wall so close that my door hits it?" I then realized I built this garage just like many large tract home builders do. 24' wide with 2 overheads is the standard for marketing to call this garage big enough for 2 cars. On paper, the numbers work, but in practice, not so much.

So...if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely go wider on the stable so it is a little more comfortable dismounting from our steeds at the end of the day. On the bright side, I now eat more salads, knowing that a few more inches around the waist would make it all the more difficult to slip into and out of my ride.