.Garage Makeover: 5 Ideas for a Garage Transformation
Guest Blogger #634, Entry #1510, August 24, 2012
These days people are doing all kinds of overhauls in a bid to turn their garage space into usable square footage. Instead of wasting the space to store cars, tools, and camping gear, some homeowners have opted to turn the garage into an extra bedroom, a home office, a playroom for the kids, a man cave, a sewing room, or even a granny flat/rental unit to make room for an elderly relative or bring in a passive income. But if you’d rather use your garage for its intended purpose, or you simply don’t want to put in the effort and expense required for these major overhauls, there are still plenty of upgrades you can do to make your space more functional and aesthetically pleasing (not to mention add some value to your home).
Image via
[ad#co-1]
1. Flooring and walls.
These two areas often go unfinished since builders striving to keep costs down simply don’t see the payoff in adding the finishing touches to the garage that are required of interior spaces. But there are a couple of easy and inexpensive solutions for the floor, such as staining and sealing the concrete or smoothing a protective epoxy coating on the surface to repel stains and improve the look of your garage. And for walls, the most common fix includes adding insulation and drywall. But if you’re looking for something a bit more eco-friendly, consider using organic cotton insulation (instead of fiberglass) and EcoRock, which uses 85% recycled materials, is itself recyclable, and requires 80% less energy than average drywall during manufacturing.
2. Lighting.
This category is often overlooked when it comes to the garage space, so install additional fixtures to ensure that you have all the illumination you need when tinkering with your engine or working at your tool bench. And if you’re worried about a higher energy bill, simply install LED fixtures. These bulbs may cost a bit more up front but they provide ample lighting in true color, they are estimated to last as much as 50 times longer than incandescent bulbs, and they use approximately 1/10 of the energy.
Image via
3. Cabinetry.
Since most garages come with no storage solutions in place to house the many items that end up in the average garage (tools, sporting goods, chemicals for the home, garden, and automobiles, and other odds and ends), adding cabinetry and shelving is one way to instantly improve the utility of the space.
4. Loft.
Garages often have ample but unused overhead space. So consider installing some kind of loft that you can use to store large items (like a canoe, bikes, and so on) that are making it difficult to find room for your car.
Image via
5. Carport.
Families with teen drivers have no doubt noticed the need for additional covered parking, so you might want to consider adding a carport to the exterior of your home as a way to extend the garage. This upgrade can be as cheap or expensive as you want. While you could easily erect a serviceable covering with nothing more than some PVC piping for the framework and a tarpaulin cover, you might want to go want to spend a bit more on a more permanent and durable structure. While you could just make your teens hike, bike, take buses, or even use a car service (like nobletrans.com) rather than giving them their own automobile, adding a carport could solve your storage problem and add value to the home while allowing your teens the cars they crave.
For more home ideas on Stagetecture, click here.
Indeed, there are several homeowners who are transforming their garage into a more useful space. Other families who need an additional room make use of this area and it certainly saves much from extra expenses. These ideas you have shared are very much helpful. The pictures you have posted are also great. Thank you for sharing this very inspiring post.