Garages 'too small' for today's cars

More and more homeowners are being forced to park their cars on the street because garages are too small

The Association of Garage Door Specialists (AGDS) says the size of garages has changed very little since the 1930s when cars were significantly narrower.

It means many homeowners cannot fit their four-wheel drives, MPVs and SUVs inside their garage, and are having to park them on the street instead.

"Car design has changed dramatically and much larger vehicles, such as four-wheel drives, have become very popular," said Derek Hibbart, a spokesman for the AGDS.

"People are bigger too, so its no surprise that getting in and out of a vehicle in the confines of a garage can be almost impossible."

The AGDS is calling on housebuilders and developers to increase the size of garages they are building with new homes.

The standard size of a garage door is seven foot, and many developers are building garages that are little wider than the door leaving very little room to get in and out of the car.

A few developers at the top end of the market have been increasing the size of garages and fitting doors that are eight feet wide.

But Hibbart added: "These are few and far between. The rest of us risk expensive damage to paintwork and even injury by squeezing out of vehicles into an ever decreasing space."

See aboutproperty.co.uk's TV guide for the week beginning 5/12/05 click here