Modern house with garage frontageWhy do people leave their £20,000 (or more) car out on the driveway, and lock up their junk in the garage? It is after all, slightly inconvenient to open the garage door – unless it is electrically operated – and drive in, even if it wasn’t full of junk.

Well, it makes sense because these days, cars are more durable – they don’t rust so easily, generally don’t leak when it rains, they start when it’s cold and wet and cannot be stolen in ten seconds with little more than a coat hanger. There was a time when an ungaraged car would rot, leak and in winter, might not start.

So, these days most people don’t really need a garage to store their car in, even if most property buyers would consider it a bonus. Is this why newbuild property developers still add garages, and even worse, make it a prominent architectural feature? Do you live in a property which looks like a garage with a house attached?

What people really need is storage. Not shelves in a garage, but properly designed and integrated storage. Why doesn’t this happen?