Love this brilliant description of the evolution and eventual desecration of garage space! My daughter is currently waging battle with the detritus accumulated by an active family of 5, which now includes 2 teenaged drivers. Their collection of 3 cars sit in the driveway, none of them able to find shelter in the 3-car garage, which seemed cavernous when they moved into their spacious home 6 years ago. As a lifetime Packrat, I feel great sympathy for all who wrestle with this problem. I was forced to do a major (and rather traumatic) downsize a few years ago, when I moved into a Retirement Community. It's not easy to part with the treasures that one once had a good reason for saving.

Younger people do not treasure the antiques handed down from generation to generation. So many of the old pieces of furniture, tools, household appliances, etc. are well made compared to the items so poorly made nowadays. When I was born, my mother bought plenty of the baby furniture, etc. from the classifieds and when we had outgrown them, she sold them in the classifieds also.

We have several pieces of family history, furniture, china, jewelry, even old family bibles. Some of them probably have "antique roadshow" value and possibly value as antiques!

Saying all that, attic space and basement space is rare in Eichlers and in Palo Alto as a hole. Attics and lofts are being made into sleeping space or office space. Even garages are now often used as home offices.

It is hard to know how a family can keep camping equipment, holiday decor, lawn furniture, etc. which may be regularly used each year but need storage space when unused. Garden sheds are now referred to as She Sheds or Man Caves.

What's a modern family to do?