A new survey released today from Stanley Black & Decker's CRAFTSMAN® brand uncovers the many ways homeowners who own garages are utilizing their garage spaces across the United States.
Among the key findings, 76% of respondents say their garages could potentially become the most productive room in their house. Reinforcing the value of this space in the home, the survey finds that more than one in four homeowners say their garage has played a role in the development or growth of a side hustle, and more than two in five homeowners indicate that they use their garage space as a gym to work out, or area to exercise.
As a result, 78% of homeowners are planning to declutter and organize their garages in 2024, further proving the garage's significance in their lifestyles, whether it's for tackling day-to-day projects or pursuing their creative ambitions.
"Garages are no longer a place just to store cars and tools; instead, they have become a hub of productivity, creativity and even a source of income for some homeowners," said Eric Bernstein, President, General Manager of CRAFTSMAN at Stanley Black & Decker.
The CRAFTSMAN Garage Works Survey* unveiled a variety of insights into homeowners' garage usage, aspirations and trends including:
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The side hustle: A large majority of homeowners (76%) say the garage can be the most productive part of the house. In fact, 28% surveyed said the garage has played a role in the development or growth of a side hustle.
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Get fit: Aside from working on projects, the garage can be used in other areas of productivity, like getting in shape. More than 2 in 5 homeowners indicate that they use their garage space as a gym to work out or area to exercise. Those who don't work out in their garage frequently cited it's because theirs is too cluttered to use as an exercise area.
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Cut the clutter: 78% of homeowners say they plan to declutter and organize their garage in 2024.
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Garage aspirations: Half of homeowners (50%) say they have plans to make investments in garage organization solutions in the next year, with the most interest being in storage bins and containers (54%), wall-mounted systems (51%) and portable storage (51%).
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Garage usage: Most homeowners primarily use their garage for the storage of vehicles (76%), but many also use their garages as a place to work on home improvement projects (47%), gardening/outdoor projects (47%) or automotive projects (38%).
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Get smart: 86% of homeowners express interest in integrating smart technologies into their garage (e.g., Wi-Fi compatible garage door openers, wireless keypads, etc.).
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Garage rock: Nearly one in nine millennial homeowners have used their garage to start a band or have band practice; and regardless of what they are doing while in the garage, if homeowners are listening to music in there, it's most likely something that rocks. Rock tops the list of music genres (42%) that American homeowners listen to in their garages, followed closely by pop (37%), country (33%) and hip hop/rap (30%).
