Organize Your Garage... In No Time

Preface Preface Evolution of the Garage ith the introduction of the first "horseless carriage," or motor car, in the late nineteenth century, America's love affair with the automobile began. With the introduction of the Model T in the early twentieth century, motor cars were passionately embraced by the American public. No longer a "toy for the rich," automobiles quickly worked their way into the mainstream middle class and became an essential item. By 1920, there were already more than nine million of them. The logical next question everyone began asking was, "Where are we going to store them?" Early cars were very expensive, and people wanted to protect their investment, so they stored them in old carriage houses and barns alongside the horses or in public livery stables. The latter option was the predecessor to today's public garage. For $15-$20 per month, a car could be stored there, and additional services were offered that would later be provided by full-service gas stations. This arrangement proved to be very inconvenient and lasted only a short time, as people began to demand convenience and didn't want their cars to smell like horse manure. People questioned why they couldn't just store their cars at home. The big fear back then was the real danger that this motorized carriage could spontaneously burst into flames. The concept of attaching a garage to the house was unthinkable, so people began building free-standing wooden or brick structures to house their prized investment. From the French wordgarer, meaning "to protect," the concept of the garage as we know it today was born. The early garages came in two varieties. They were either built in the same style as the main house, using leftover building materials, or were delivered as a kit from Sears or Montgomery Ward. The garages that came in these kits were more utilitarian and constructed of wood or metal. They were practical, affordable, and quick and easy to build. The use of windows was strictly for ventilation or light and not for architectural significance or interest. Early garage doors were much more like barn doors. The weight and awkwardness of these unwieldy doors made them very impractical, especially for those who lived in snowy climates. Sliding doors were introduced next, but the garage needed to be wider in order for this type of door to work, and city dwellers did not have that kind of space. These were soon followed by the lift-type door, and though definitely an improvement, they were heavy and cumbersome. In 1921, C.G. Johnson invented the overhead door. Although a definite improvement, it too was heavy for some people to lift. This problem was solved with the invention of the first automated garage door opener in 1926. Consumers loved this invention, but unfortunately few could afford it. This changed when the mass production of garage door openers began in the mid 1950s. However, it would be another 20 years before the use of these devices became widespread and affordable for the masses. The carport was another option for protecting the car. It gained increasing popularity in the 1940s and is still widely used today. Especially popular in places with warmer and more temperate climates such as Florida and California, carports were liked by builders because they were much less expensive to build than the traditional garage. Carports come in one- and two-car varieties and are usually constructed with a large closet-like enclosure to store tools, lawn and garden supplies, and the traditional items one would store in a garage. The storage space in a carport is much more limited, and good organization is critical for maximizing its use. A large number of the attached one-car garages seen today started out as carports that were later enclosIzsak, Barry is the author of 'Organize Your Garage... In No Time ', published 2005 under ISBN 9780789732194 and ISBN 078973219X.