Move out of California. I housing prices out there shock me for sure. In Pittsburgh $200,000 can get you 2,500 - 3,000 SQFT.

There is always the garage or Living room/dining room. Then again you can store them at my house

Norcal real estate prices are the same, if not worse (higher). I agree with msf, I see a lot of my pinhead friends use their 2 car garages to house a dozen or more machines - so look for a BIG garage when you go house hunting. I was lucky to buy a house with 5 bedrooms, so I'm able to have pins in two of the bedrooms.

Hobby costs money, both for the games and for the required space. it just does.

Love San Diego but in 10 more years I will be out of here - You will find me in Florida playing pins/pool in my nice gameroom on the weekends or out fishing during weekdays in my nice boat...

Too expensive to retire in CA......

Florida = humidity.

Screw humidity!

+ 1000

Yes but no big deal - I grew up there. Like I said I love San Diego but my money will go so much farther in retirement in South Florida. Plus I think boating/fishing is better in Florida and I love to be out on a boat when everyone else is working

Wouldn't you want to make the move BEFORE housing recovers near you? We did that here and rent out our old place. I'll sell that when prices recover, but I went from having room for 1 in the office, to being able to fit 4 and a pool table in the game room. Just got my second pin that I'm restoring in the 3rd garage bay, but the pool table has been a welcome and heavily used addition.

I assume socal is a bit like the bay area in terms of housing. Housing prices are out of control here and even if the housing market crashes a second time they still won't be priced at what they are worth. I would suggest looking to rent a house or duplex. I am in a 3br duplex with yard and garage for $1800 (for those outside CA that's pretty low priced). If you stretch and buy something you will end up having to pay for fixing things like roof, water heater, whatever breaks which means less money for pinball and even though you have space for some you won't be able to buy any to put there. Also when CA had a housing boom where they built a lot of houses they didn't install grounds. Expect the middle pin on your outlets to go nowhere...

I'm in SoCal and my two car garage is my game room. I've got room for a big ball bowler, 7 pins, a mini-pin running hyperpin and a few arcade machines. You can definitely do it out here, you just need to park outside.

I grew up in Long Beach, my Grandparents lived in Canoga Park on a street called "Lanark St." When my parents divorced we moved to my GP's house there in Canoga Park. I went to 8th grade at Columbus Jr. high and Canoga Park H.S. for 9th grade. Now my Dad sold our house in Long Beach for $700K we move here in Arizona and he had a custom built home for $350k, 3500 sq.ft. 6 bedrooms etc. I currently bought a 3 bedroom home in a real nice area surrounded by mountains for 150k 2000 sq. ft. home with a very nice swimming pool. Bottom line, you can live like a King in Arizona. Lots of Californians out here too. With the money left over you could buy lots of pins

I still live with my parents, but I plan to move out soon hopefully. My TSPP is currently in the garage.

Although I dont mind visiting AZ, it is too hot, and FL is too hot and humid.

I'm in LA, and for years I had pins in a couple bedrooms of the house with some in storage that I would rotate in occasionally. Then they spilled into my 2 car detached garage and got really out of hand, so 3 years ago I demo'd the garage and built a larger 900 sq ft gameroom building in its place (basically a 5 car garage). It is heated and cooled, has arcade carpet, seperate bathroom, a 140A sub panel, recessed dimmer lighting, and wall switch controlled outlets. See pics under my profile. It wasnt cheap of course, but we also demo'd and rebuilt the house at the same time so the gameroom build was a bonus.

If she's a fan, ask her how she would feel about having pins in the dining room. It's usually the most wasted room in the house. I have a bunch in mine. (townhouse in norcal, no garage)

Also, when moving, check door sizes. Some newer places are getting skinnier and shorter doors and narrow stairways. Removing the head every time you want to move a game in or out of a room can be a pain. You may have to remove railings to get a game up or down stairs. If the stairs have tight turns, it may be virtually impossible to move a game up or down. Rent a crane instead and use an upstairs window. d

Spare bedroom for now... I can squeeze up to 7 pins on opposing walls but my master plan is converting the outdoor patio to a "proper" arcade.

The Adult Adoption Agency.

pinball players hope for AAA

I built a new living room for the wife and added on to the original living room for pins.
I live in the mountains and the garage I built is at street level, I converted it to a gameroom and shop with two bays for pin restoration.
I play the games up there for awhile and if they are keepers they get to take the ceremonial trip down the stairs into the gameroom, so far 7 have made the trip and there is room for two more.
There is a 1,200 sq ft cabin next door, the lady uses it for weekend rentals and the tenants are usually a pain in the ass.
It just went on the market after her last weekend renters trashed the place and needs a remodel.
I am thinking about buying it and gutting the place and turning it into a toybox for pins.
RE has tanked up here, cheaper to buy now than to build.
There is enough room to add the Steve R. and Pat L. Wings.

My house has a sunroom that became my main gameroom area...and then there's a den right off of that room that I put more pins in....and a few in my office...lol. The rest are in the garage. If you've got the whole wife and kids thing going on - the garage is likely going to be your gameroom.

I used to live near Canoga Park (Winnetka) in a pretty small house..but again, it had this long strip of a sunroom that was just perfect for arcade games and pinballs.