There is nothing better than the summer coming in because it’s such a good time to perform any home maintenance and renovations. One of the places you should upgrade in your home is your garage but most people don't think to use this space well enough to upgrade it for anything beyond the car. If you have a garage space that you don't use for a car, then you might want to consider what you could be using it for, instead.
While you may look at this space as a bleak, gray space, it could be so much more than that. Imagine a door that doesn't roll up but opens out? Imagine a beautiful new set of storage shelves against the wall to hold all of your belongings off the ground in a way that’s tidier than ever? Your garage can be a stand-out space and with the right storage and a cleaner floor, you can make your garage anything you’d like it to be. So, let’s take a look at how you can redo the space and make it something beautiful.
Add some more storage. We already told you about storage for the garage and you can instantly tidy up the space with a set of these storage shelves. All of your boxes that sit on the floor of the garage can be hung up correctly and you can get them off the ground. This is so handy if you live somewhere that floods often. Anything that’s at eye level should be stuff you use often, but perhaps not the Christmas decor!
Redo some of the space into a mudroom. When everyone comes in the front door, what do you do first? Shoes and jackets off, of course! Turning some of your garage into a mudroom for dirty shoes, umbrellas and jackets to be hung up can really help. The shelves we mentioned earlier are going to really stand out with a mudroom. A storage bench, a shoe rack and a scrubbing brush for muddy shoes are all going to have a place in your new mudroom area.
Swap out the door. We talked about switching your roller door for something that pushes outward and this is a great idea if you’re not planning to use the space for a car. You can really do well with replacing your battered old door with something more polished to make your home look great. You can even give it a fresh coat of paint to make it stand out.
Add windows. Some people like to convert their garage into an extended room of their house rather than use it for a car. Here’s where you can get really creative, but make sure that you have added windows into the room for light and air to flow through. You can also get the floor redone so that it’s not just cold concrete, and this will give you another room of the house to enjoy. Adding windows helps to make this feel more like an extension and less like a garage that’s been converted.
Add insulation. While we’re on the topic of converting the garage, adding insulation can make a big difference because otherwise, this is going to be an extremely cold room come winter! You will need to finish the space at some stage, and your energy bills will go up, but it’s worth it.
Paint the garage floor. If you currently have the dingy, cold concrete floor, it’s time for an upgrade. Painting the floor can give it a new look and make the entire space look more polished and pretty. You may not want to add a carpet, but painting the floor and adding rugs is a transformational thing to do to the space.
Transform it into a play space. Have you got little ones who love soft play? Why not convert the entire room into a giant play space! You can add giant mats, a ball pit, low slides, games and even climbing equipment. Then you can swing the door open and let the kids go nuts. Of course, they’ll need supervising, but this way on a rainy day, they can burn off that energy.
Install a laundry room. If you have the know-how, you can convert the garage into a walk in laundry and storage space. You can add a washer, dryer, ironing space, basket storage and more to make it a space that’s well organized for all of your linens.
Your garage doesn't have to be used for cars; it can be an upgraded, updated space that really makes a difference to your whole family.