Hellobee Boards

Bikes: You can hang those on the wall in the garage so you can still park in the garage.

Off-season clothes: I don't have a lot of clothes or a lot of closets (my house was built in 1971), so I store off-season stuff under my bed or in the coat closet.

For me with kids especially since you want several kids having room to store outgrown clothes and gear is important.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: As a parent of a toddler, my daughter doesn't really have a lot of large toys, but space is a premium in our house (1600 sq. ft., including the garage). Her large outdoor toys are her balance bike and an assortment of balls. Her swing hangs in a tree year-round and she is possibly getting a playhouse this year. We've instituted a no-large-toys policy (my FIL wanted to get her a kid's size 4-wheeler) simply because we don't have the space.

Dad is actually the one with the most large toys (two bikes and a lot of fishing/biology equipment. I just have a lot of tools.

@regberadaisy: Plenty, if not most, have basements.

We just store all clothes in the closet. If you don't have room, then just get Rubbermaid tubs to store it in. We don't have a garage so just keep everything outside during the warm months. During the winter, store in the basement.

@mamabolt: Agreed.

We need far less storage space for my 10 year old step son than we do for the clothes and gear we are storing for future kids, or that our 6 month old hasn't grown into yet.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: If I was doing a new build, I would get a basement, no question. I think it helps for resale value, room for storage (it is to hot to use the attic), perfect teenager hangout space (once finished), etc.

Chiming in on GA living re: basements. Tornados are super prevalent and basements are really great to have for riding out storms.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: If you have a HOA you might have to get permission to have a shed. but that is what we use for all the outside/yard work equipment. You can't see it from the street.

I would love a garage to park in. Buckling a kid in and out of a car seat when it is raining is a pain in the ass. But yes you will have to scrap ice off the windows on some days.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: We had a fairly mild winter this year (KY), but I still had to scrape ice off my car and let it warm up. It's a PITA, I would much rather park in my garage and not have to deal with scraping the windshield.

@Smurfette: really! My inlaws were in GA for quite a few years and no one in their developments had basements. All slab on grade.

@regberadaisy: I'm surprised by that, although to be fair some people consider them more serious than others. Perhaps it is more common in north Georgia and Atlanta. I grew up near there and it's constant during the season.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Hahahaha, that's pretty funny.

@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I don't know much about construction costs in GA. But I'm going to guess you're going to pay a premium for a basement. Basements are expensive, period. You have to excavate, select fill, pour concrete for foundations/footings, etc. What would you miss that a basement provides that you can't get in more SF? I'm guessing the $/SF above grade will be cheaper than $/SF for basement. How much are tornado shelters, if that's a genuine concern of yours? Things to think about and ask your realtor or builder?

I live on the West Coast so we don't have basements, but my in-laws all have them in Michigan and I am SOOOOOO jealous of the storage!! They also hall have separate guest suites downstairs in the basement that makes it so comfortable for us when we stay with them and I imagine once your kids are old enough, its a great place to have all their toys and mess sprawled out without making the main living areas look so cluttered (like in our current single-story home). DH says he and his siblings romped to their hearts content in their basement growing up because it wasn't making a huge racket like if they were on the second floor and yeah, my in laws are hoarders and they had SOOOO much stuff but its all tucked away in the storage rooms. We love having a 3-car garage for storage purposes (we keep a drop freezer and extra fridge out there, on top of storage in the garage cabinets and shelving units, but if I were building new, I'd go with one with the extra deep bays, or like a 3-car tandem garage in case you buy a huge SUV. I know people who ended up not getting the big SUV because it wouldn't fit in their garage and they didn't want to leave a $50K car sitting outside in the elements all the time.

I think your DH should consider having a gym in the basement cuz I think it gets pretty hot and muggy in GA - it sounds really unpleasant to work out in a garage when you could be nice and cool inside with a TV!

As far as storage in our GA home, we just have normal closets, a large shelf in our garage, and the unfinished storage room in the basement. I guess we technically have a pulldown attic in the upstairs hallway but all we have up there is paint cans.

I think our house has really good storage. We have never found there to be a lack of storage space. All clothes are in the closets or a dresser, all outdoor things in the garage, and longer-term storage/big items/holiday stuff in the basement.

As far as sheds, definitely check with your HOA. They are not allowed in my neighborhood at all. You are also not allowed to use your garage as storage and park in the driveway 24/7.

While we love our basement and I would definitely get one if you can simply for the extra space and storage, I don't think they are necessary from a storm perspective. We have lived here for 4 years (and I was here another 4 years for school) and I have never had to go to a basement or any secure area for a storm.

@regberadaisy: Most basements in GA are built on lots that have a hill (we have a ton of those in GA). So the excavating is not nearly as much as you would think. They just make all the basements walkouts.

A nice option is the ability to sleep in a basement when it's super hot- even with AC if its over 100 we can't get our upstairs bedroom under 80.

We have been spoiled the have a basement we use for storage only. It's been awesome. We store a swing, infant car seat, Bumbo, and all old clothes as far as kid stuff. Also spare kitchen things- I have several crockpots and misc items like an ice cream maker and juicer. I also store games, crafting supplies, quilting supplies and boxes of childhood and wedding mementos. I swear I'm not a pack rat but a basement helps keep our upstairs storage streamlined and organized.