The term "garage" comes from the French garer, meaning "to shelter or protect." The first of them were termed outbuildings, or carriage houses, usually placed in the back yard of a home for storing carriages and sometimes the horses too. They had dirt floors and swinging wooden doors, much like a barn. These buildings evolved with the motor vehicle industry in the 1900s and soon became a four-walled, roofed structures with a foundation and a large door or multiple doors for storing vehicles and keeping them out of the elements. A garage not only protected your car from the weather and oxidation, but having your vehicle in a garage kept the engine warmer allowing for an easier start in those cold winters.

 In the early 1920s the first overhead garage door was invented, followed by the electric door just a few years later. This brought electricity to the garage, which allowed for lights, radios, power tools, and much more. Although originally being built separate from the house, it soon became popular to have your garage attached to your home. One could basically park their car in their house, getting in and out in a temperature and weather-controlled space. Garages continue to be used to store our vehicles and other items not wanted in the home, but have continued to develop into multifunctional extensions of the home. They have been turned into workshops, craft spaces, studios, gyms, man caves, and many, many more.