The Garage Mahal To me, and a lot of other guys, the garage is probably one of the most important parts of a house especially when you consider the winters we have in the Lakes Region of NH. Going out in the morning to dig your car out from under a foot or two of snow is no fun. It always amazes me when I see a garage that is so packed full of stuff that you couldn't fit a bicycle, let alone a car, in it.
A spacious, well lit, heated garage with plenty of room to store things (and to work on your cars or other projects) is a desirable feature to many home buyers. The trend today, at least on more expensive homes, is to have an oversize three, if not four, car garage to accommodate the additional vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and lawn equipment that everyone seems to accumulate these days.
For many auto or motorcycle enthusiasts, The Garage Mahal is the most important part of their home and reflects their persona. Perhaps the best known (for those that consider these things important) is Jay Leno's 17,000 square foot Big Dog Garage in sunny southern California. He doesn't need to worry about snow, but he does worry about his fabulous collection of vintage and exotic cars that include Stanley Steamers, Duesenbergs, Porches, Lamborghinis, Bugattis, in addition to many American muscle cars and motorcycles. This is not your ordinary garage. It is not only as spotless as your mother's kitchen it actually has a gourmet kitchen, a climate control system, a machine shop that takes up about a quarter of the building, plus automobile memorabilia and artwork. I bet there is even a pool table, bar, and some comfy lounge chairs in there as well. You can see his car collection and info about his garage at http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/.
One source for finding the perfect collector car property is Hemmings Motor News (http://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/realestate/) which has properties all over country that have the 
requisite garage space. There are some pretty nice garages tucked away on properties here in the Lakes Region that house smaller collections of automobiles or that house the trusty daily commuter. Many garages are an extension of indoor living where on the second level you have a game room, media room, or exercise facility.
Most of us couldn't afford one of Jay's Duesenbergs, let alone his garage. But there are some properties on the market in the Lakes Region that would fit the bill for someone looking for ample garage space.
My favorite is nice 4 bedroom, 1850's vintage home at 78 Plymouth Street in Meredith that has been completely redone and has two separate garages for a total of seven bays. Priced at only $295,000 that equals only $42,142 per stall which means the house is free! Obviously, the price per stall is a totally meaningless number, but I couldn't resist...
Over at 11 Murray Hill Road in Gilford there is a stately 6,576 square foot home that has 4 bedrooms, 5 baths, a gourmet kitchen and plenty of space for 3 cars in the attached, finished garage. Unlike Jay's 
place, the gourmet kitchen is not in the garage. Real shame. However, upstairs over the garage there is a fabulous game room complete with pool table, card table, fully equipped bar, and flat screen TV.
This home is on the market for $799,000 which seems like a bargain as a nice Duesenberg to put in the garage can run you over $1 million.
Another beautiful garage that also comes with a home (which is beautiful too) is at 24 Checkerberry Lane in Gilford. It is currently on the market for $649,900 and has 1,842 square feet of living space with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and lots of glass 
to take in the fabulous views of Winnipesaukee.
To some the best view is the 30' x 40' detached barn that has 3 stalls and space overhead that is beckoning to be finished. There are also 2 more stalls under the house, just in case.
You can have space for 7 cars under cover if you buy the property at 55 Cogswell Rd in Sanbornton. The heated, detached garage also has a guest apartment upstairs so one has to be careful not to asphyxiate the in-laws when they are visiting. 
The main home has 4,295 square feet of living space with 4 bedrooms, 5 baths, a living room with fieldstone fireplace, an upscale kitchen, and probably a lot of stuff the Garage Mahal connoisseur doesn't care a lot about except for the 265' of waterfront and dock on Lake Winnisquam. Considering that, the price tag of $1,995,000 or $285,000 per stall becomes a lot more bearable. You see, boats look really nice inside a garage too!
Herbert Hoover said many, many years ago "The slogan of progress is changing from a full dinner pail to the full garage." Isn't evolution wonderful?
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