The Ultimate Guide to Renovating a Garage
More than 80 million American homes have garages. But unfortunately, a large percentage of homeowners with garages are unable to use them to their full potential.
More than one-third of these people say their garages are so messy that they're no longer able to park cars in them. About 60% also say their garages are the messiest places in their entire houses.
Is this starting to sound like your garage? If so, you should add renovating a garage to the top of your to-do list.
By remodeling a garage, you'll be able to make better use of it from now on. You'll also be able to give yourself a more beautiful garage that won't be such an eyesore.
So, how exactly should you go about renovating a home garage? Check out the steps you'll need to take to bring your messy garage back to life in no time at all below.
Come Up With a Garage Layout
No matter what you're going to use your renovated garage for, you'll need to create the perfect garage layout for it. You should sketch out where you would like to put things in your garage when it's all finished.
In some cases, that may mean deciding where to put a toolbox for all the tools you'll use to work on cars. In others, it may mean looking for the ideal spot for furniture that you'll use for entertaining in your new man cave.
You're more than welcome to play around with your garage layout as you work your way through a renovation. But you should have a general idea as to how you're going to lay out things in your garage.
Paint Your Garage
More often than not, the walls of garages get painted plain white when they're first built and they stay that way forever. This can lead to marks showing up all over garage walls over time. They can take a toll on the appearance of a garage.
For this reason, you should think about putting a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Whether you stick with white or go with a different color, you can brighten a garage up dramatically with little more than paint.
Put a Fresh Coating on Your Garage Floor
The walls in your garage won't be the only things that will look a little worse for wear when you're renovating it. Your garage floor will likely look like it has seen better days, too.
You can change this in an instant by having a fresh coating put on your garage floor. It'll brighten up your garage space even more, and it'll also make your floors so easy to maintain.
Just make sure you go with a top-tier garage floor coating. It'll extend the lifespan of your garage floor and ensure you won't have to worry about replacing it anytime soon.
Add New Lighting to Your Garage
The lighting found in most garages leaves a lot to be desired. You might not be able to see all that well in your garage if you're only using a single lightbulb or something like fluorescent lighting.
When you're renovating a garage, it'll provide you with the perfect excuse to update the lighting in it. You should look for lighting that'll help you use your garage in whatever ways you would like in the future.
Consider Insulating Your Garage
Do you live in a part of the country where it gets very warm and/or very cold throughout the year? If you do, it might make it impossible to use your garage during certain times.
You will be able to reverse this trend by insulating your garage's walls. A little bit of insulation will go a long way when you're trying to make the inside of your garage more comfortable.
You should be able to insulate the walls as well as your garage door itself. Even if you don't have your HVAC system pumping hot or cold air into your garage all the time, it should stay comfy for the most part unless it gets ridiculously hot or cold outside.
Think About Adding a New Door to Your Garage
If your current garage door is still in good shape, you won't need to replace it while renovating a garage. You'll be free to leave it alone since it's not going to have a huge impact on how the inside of your garage looks.
But if you can afford to do it, you may want to give thought to getting a new garage door if your existing one is very old. It'll work to make your garage look that much better, and you might also be able to locate a garage door that'll insulate your garage better than your current one does.
A new garage door might cost a pretty penny. But it will be well worth it once you see how wonderful it looks.
Introducing a Locksmith's Station
Have you ever considered setting up a garage workspace tailored to a particular purpose? Introducing a locksmith's station into this renovation project could be a great concept. This involves searching for equipment utilized by locksmiths, which can range from key cutters, pinning blocks, and followers to various other tools in this skilled trade. A locksmith's station could even turn into not only a hobby area but perhaps even a professional venture. This transformation could elevate your garage from simply being a storage place or parking area to a hub of productivity and practicality.
Stick Finishing Touches Into Your Garage
When you reach this point while renovating a garage, you should be almost done with it. But before you officially call it quits, you should add some finishing touches to it to take your new garage design to the next level.
You're going to have so much wall space in your revamped garage. Why not hang some stuff up on the walls that work with whatever theme you have going throughout the rest of your garage?
If, for example, you're turning your garage into a man cave, filling the walls with movie posters, sports jerseys, etc. can really help set the tone for it. You might want to hang up things like a dart board and neon lights as well.
Let your imagination run wild as you aim to turn your garage into a place you'll want to spend more time in from here on out.
Commit to Keeping Your Garage Clean
There is a reason why garages get so messy in the first place. It's very easy for people to throw stuff out in their garage and forget about it.
If you're going to spend time and money renovating a garage, you should make it your mission not to do this anymore. Fight hard to get your garage as clean as you can possibly get it and keep it that way.
You might find that you'll be tempted to toss things into your garage every now and then. But you should try not to do it. You should also get yourself into the habit of cleaning up after yourself in your garage and encouraging others to do it, too.
When your garage is clean, you'll want to be in it as often as you can. It'll make all the renovating you did worth it in the end.
Renovating a Garage Can Make It More Useful
Garages have turned into afterthoughts for many people. They fill their garages with stuff they probably won't ever use again and avoid going into them because of the messes this makes.
If you're doing this now, renovating a garage will make so much sense. You can give yourself your garage space back and find great ways to utilize it.
Take some of the steps listed here and you'll be hanging out in your garage again in a hurry. You might even be able to add some value to your home through a garage renovation.
Search for more great home improvement tips by reading through our other blog articles.
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