Garages will fall into the category of “most neglected parts of your home”. They’re a thing you don’t give a lot of attention to, and we all know what this usually results in. Your garage becomes run down fairly quickly - and it also ends up being stuffed full of boxes and other junk.
Some say it’s the ultimate clutter haven, but you need to do more with your garage to get the most out of it. Having a garage puts you in a really privileged position and you’re wasting it by letting it get worn down and messy. Let’s change that for good; this post will explore the basics of how to renovate your garage and why it makes loads of sense to do so.
Garage Renovation Tips
Garage renovations and transformations aren’t as hard as you think. They’re way easier than renovating your home because you’re usually only dealing with one (relatively) small space. The process is also much simpler when you understand the key areas to focus on and what can help you improve a garage space.
Here are some tips to help kick things off:
Start With The Door
The garage door is the main thing that draws everyone’s attention when they walk passed your house. Nobody will know how messy the inside of your garage is, but they will know that your garage door is dented, has chipped paintwork, and makes a horrendous screeching sound when it opens.
As such, it’s the perfect starting point for your renovation. Get in touch with garage door repair professionals to restore your door to its former glory. Or, if you truly want to transform your garage, get a brand-new door installed at the front. Think of it like you’re giving your garage a new face - a different door can also improve practicality by taking up less space inside the garage.
Upgrade The Garage Flooring
Your next step is to look down and address the garage flooring situation. Be honest with yourself; is it in a good state? Most garages, when neglected, end up in a terrible flooring situation. That’s because they’re mainly just plain concrete floors, which can crack and become bumpy over time.
With that in mind, you need to haul everything out of your garage to tackle the floor. If you’re fortunate, then you may get away with simply hiring someone to roll out the flooring and make it an even surface again. However, it could be better to invest in better flooring altogether. Some garage flooring ideas to consider include:
Metallic tiles
Rubber flooring
Epoxy resin
You may want to think about how you’ll use your garage before putting new flooring down. For example, if you want it to become a living space, then you’ll want a flooring that suits this and provides more comfort. If it’s still being used as a conventional garage, then you need a durable flooring option that can withstand heavy weight and lots of use. Whatever path you decide to go down, upgrading your garage flooring is a convenient way to make it both practical and aesthetically pleasing.
Install Better Wall Insulation
Upgrading your wall insulation will totally transform your garage space. Right now, it’s a cold and damp dumping ground and really not at all pleasant to go into and hang around in - especially in the winter. Adding some more efficient insulation to your garage will give you the option to re-invent the space and change how you might use it in the future.
Insulating garage walls will help to regulate the temperatures a lot more effectively and add some much-needed warmth in those cold winter months. Normally, being in your garage would be unbearable in this weather, but better insulation makes it easy to deal with. It would also provide some sound cancellation - whether that benefits you from outside noise or your neighbors when you use some of those tools you’ve left lying around.
Some common options for insulating your garage walls include:
Fiberglass
Rigid foam boards
Spray foam
Cellulose
Depending on the use of your garage, you might want to consider the different types of insulation and what will have the biggest benefits for your home. Perhaps you’ll keep your garage as a tidied-up tool/storage shed, or maybe turn it into a functional office. In any case, it’s definitely worth looking into what wall insulation can do for your home.
Improve The Lighting Situation
Garages tend to be seen as quite dark, dingy places that you want to avoid going out into. If you’re lucky, you might have a single bulb hanging off a string in the middle of the ceiling. Realistically, that’s not very useful when you’re using your garage for storage and wanting to find something specific. So, why not add some different lighting solutions to not only improve the look of the space, but improve the practicality too?
Some great solutions can be super affordable, like LED stripes around the edge of the room. LEDs have some great benefits - such as being energy efficient, providing bright, clear light, and having an incredibly long life span so you won’t be changing bulbs every other visit.
If you have a larger budget and are looking to add more natural light, consider putting in windows. Even just one small window would completely change the space and revitalize it with better lighting. Skylights could be a great option if you don’t want to lose any vital wall space, especially if you still want to use your garage for storage purposes. Windows or lights will add practicality and functionality to your garage, no matter what its purpose is.
Create Better Storage Solutions
When it comes to creating a better way to store all your stuff, you first want to get rid of some of the things you don’t want. Starting with a clear out lets you look over what you actually have to store. Once decluttered, you can then look into your best options when it comes to organizing your remaining belongings.
Organized spaces are much easier to work with and will help you find whatever items you might be after on any given day. Kick things off by grouping your stuff into categories and then place what you can into containers or storage boxes. The key here is to label everything! Then, the next time you go into the garage, you don’t spend hours looking for whatever you need; it’ll be right where you expect it to be.
What if you’re short on floor space? Ah, great question! If that’s the case, then you may want to utilize whatever vertical space you have in your garage. Wall-mounted shelves are a fantastically affordable option to add storage to your walls. They also let you present storage solutions in easily accessible places, so you’re not rooting around on the floor, messing everything up again. You could even opt for racks mounted to your garage ceiling to really expand your usable storage space. Of course, get someone in to test your garage roof before doing this so you’re 100% sure it can handle any additional strain.
The Benefits Of Renovating Your Garage
Improving the structure and appearance of your garage in all of the above ways is going to provide you with a more functional and appealing space. You and your family will benefit from the increased living space and the endless ways you will now be able to improve your lifestyle at home. It’s also worth noting that renovating your garage will improve your house’s property value. So, take this advice to help you go about designing and creating your dream garage.
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