Personally i cover them so it looks better from the "street view"

I leave mine open

I put blinds on the windows for light/heat control as well as privacy. That's more important in a hot climate with south or west facing windows, but it can be a concern for some east facing windows as well in a super hot climate. They aren't always shut, but they are tilted most of the time. I shut them when I do a garage strip of filthy gardening clothes that are too dirty to even walk into the mudroom. Also, with the blinds always there and used occasionally, it doesn't look so "we're not home" if I close them so you can't see the absent vehicle when we travel. I'd be really uncomfortable if there were no window coverings in a subdivision that had a small front yard where you could see directly into the garage. If you're off of the street a good distance, and you aren't in a hot climate, I think it's much less of a concern.

Mine is open (I have 1 big decorative window). Mom & Dad simply put up valances so the windows looked pretty from the inside & they match up with all the other windows from the outside.

The bigger questions that need to be asked are: What will you be putting in the garage? Other than a vehicle, is there anything in there that an unsavory character might want to steal that they can see plainly from the window? Is your garage always neat and organized or do things tend to get out of control in there? What direction do the windows face? If you need to conceal either a messy garage or items of value that are in plain view or the windows face south or west, I would recommend some type of window covering fro privacy or to decrease sunlight & heat.

Just my $0.02. Hope it helps!

Thanks for your helpful replies!

We are the first house entering the development of 21 houses. In the current garage we keep one car, the lawn tractor, snow blower, bikes, trash/recycle cans, misc stuff. Baiscally everything you would have in a shed.

It's funny how you never really think about something like garage windows, when you don't have any.

Thanks again! I think we will put in some sort of blinds.

We tried to match the appearance of our garage windows to the other front-facing windows in the house. We have about 1" vertical blinds in the house, so did the same in the garage. However, we were able to get a much cheaper blind, since function isn't as important.

I plan on blacking out our garage windows. Where we live, flies are a problem. In a garage with windows, the flies beat themselves against the window trying to get out. In a garage without windows, flies will find the tiny pinpoint of light where they actually can escape. I've never had flies in my garage (no windows) and my parents' garage (windows) is like a fly version of Woodstock.

I agree with mydreamhome.... windows that aren't covered are an invite for thieves to see what is inside.

No one here leaves windows like that uncovered.

With that aside, I haven't ever seen a neat garage.... so I prefer to obscure the view anyway. Because of dirt, bugs and such, I just have replaceable, temporary blinds in the same shade as other blinds in my house. I use the kind that creates privacy but filters as little light as possible... It might be our windy climate, but I wouldn't be able to keep anything else clean for long.

I agree, cover them. I recommend window film that you can find at any big box store. I prefer Home Depot's brand. When you put up blinds - if not cleaned regularly (as is often the case in a garage) the blinds get dusty, spider webs,and bugs often find themselves a home... the window film helps to eliminate a hiding spot for the nastiness. The window film comes in a few different styles, IMO the frosted version looks good from the road.

Our garage windows will be covered as its more of a security thing with us and allowing anyone to see if cars are parked in the garage or not!

Window film is a great idea! Again, I was not thinking about dusting/cleaning the blinds. Of course they would get dirty/buggy, it's a garage, not the living room!

Thanks!

I think the dirt thing may be overblown but it depends on your tolerance. I just cleaned ours for the first time after 3 years installed. They are the 2 inch faux wood white type.

I guess each situation is different but ours are high enough that only a 7 footer could see in and then he would have to be pretty close since the garage isn't lit up. He also has to get by the rose bushes and wouldn't that be suspicious looking. The blinds are left partly open depending on the season.

Our neighborhood of 55 side entry garages has over 50 garages with blinds in the windows - there might be a few that don't but I haven't noticed any bare or window films.

Before using window film you might want to check with your window manufacturer. Often, the use of window film will void any warranties. Might not matter to you, but then again, it might.

Opaque or semi-opaque interior window film can cause the inner pane to become warmer than the outer pane and put unexpected stress on the perimeter seal therefore it often voids the glass seal warranty. Professional film installers sometimes provide a warranty for the glass they modify.

Ok, so no film! Back to the blinds.

Thank you all very much for your helpful responses!