Garage Question

Submitted by Htown-Germany t3_y0jftc in newhampshire

We just finished a road trip through the foliage. We noticed most houses we saw had different colored garages than the main houses. Is there a reason for this?

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[deleted] t1_irsmh8d wrote

[removed]

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rudyattitudedee t1_irtsyxz wrote

Last year I finally drew the color of my main house and now my garage barn is the same color as the main house. At last!!!

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Htown-Germany OP t1_irt9cqb wrote

Thank you. I think I will take this as the official reasoning. 🧐😅

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Jack_Jacques t1_irtawfw wrote

When you come home drunk you want to make sure you put the pick up in the garage not the living room. So you remember truck goes in red building I go in gray building.

Simple

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Different_Praline_52 t1_irsxttq wrote

Way back when they would be built one then the other often followed by a connection between the two (or possibly additions to a house followed eventually by the barn). It breaks up the monotony of the main siding, sometimes saves money, and looks more quaint / historic / organically developed. It was also a trend in the 60s / 70s when a lot of housing stock was built to use different siding on the garage.

https://people.uwec.edu/ivogeler/w188/articles/NewEngland-connecting-barn.htm

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youngJZ t1_irs3lkj wrote

We are a peculiar folk.

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[deleted] t1_irs9th1 wrote

One of the beauties of NH is lack of cookie cutter suburbs for the most part. Little things like quirky home or garage colors is a plus in my book

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OfficialObserver t1_irsm9zb wrote

Being frugal yankees, if the paint store has something they are trying to get rid of, and the price reflects it. That's the paint going on the garage. Doesn't matter what color it is.

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joesai t1_iru1js8 wrote

Seems like this sentiment disappeared with the 90s

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sunlitvt t1_irsbhrl wrote

I have never noticed this growing up, maybe it’s because a lot of garages were built after the main house and so the original paint wasn’t available so people decided to branch out?

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mixolydian8 t1_irstm5q wrote

Is it possible these “garages” were actually barns?

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unknown_libertarian t1_irtizct wrote

This OP dude probably saw a bunch or white house with red barns and was like wtf is up with these new hampshire hillbillies and their bad taste and no class.

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Htown-Germany OP t1_irw0od3 wrote

No, that would have been clear. We saw blue house - yellow garage, red house - purple garage, and almost every other color combination. We were just curious if there was a reasoning behind the combinations like on Svalbard.

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a1234321 t1_irsg82w wrote

When 60-70 of our year is dull grey and brown we need a little color in our life!

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vexingsilence t1_irsgbc3 wrote

Built at separate times and/or maintained differently than the house.

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SomeSortofDisaster t1_irsf1ig wrote

I've always thought that it was because people were trying to make their garages look like barns and differentiate it from the rest of the house.

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thread100 t1_irsawbd wrote

The house and garage aren’t always on the same painting schedule.

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3_1415 t1_iru8qbd wrote

Gotta give OP some credit, at let they didn't think the tilted/sideways double hung witches windows seemed odd, just the paint job.

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gvuio t1_iru2uls wrote

LSD

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[deleted] t1_irvuhlb wrote

to confuse and disorient tourists lol

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Apprehensive-Ad6466 t1_irtibas wrote

Because unlike the massholes and Connecticut folk who come to admire our garages we aren't loaded and spring for a deal regardless of the color. There are some good multi colored ones around if you know where to look

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nobletrout0 t1_iru3n91 wrote

Have you seen the cost to paint a house?

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Trailwatch427 t1_irs98ty wrote

You were studying the colors of people's garages? Not the foliage? Or were you just stuck in traffic, with nothing better to do? I'm puzzled--so where you live, you are judged if you do not match the color of your garage to the color of your house? That's weird. Bummer for you.

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clarenceisacat t1_irsev9h wrote

I think that's actually a pretty common rule for a lot of HOAs.

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Trailwatch427 t1_irtvj1d wrote

Not in the every day burbs. There are no set rules, lol. People are just compulsive and don't want to stand out. Don't be weird!

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just_ducky_in_NH t1_iru0hg1 wrote

OP is from Germany.

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Trailwatch427 t1_irua1g0 wrote

I see. I still feel sorry for the OP. Nowhere in the US are we required to paint our garages the same color as our houses. Except in the most highly controlled residence areas. But perhaps in Germany, people just feel better when the houses and garages match. Or that is a legal building requirement. I can understand that.

I've also explained to Europeans why it is that so many houses are seen floating away in floods and hurricanes in the US. They are surprised to discover that so many Americans live in trailers located on flood plains and next to rivers. Well, we do. We are a mysterious people.

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