Things to Consider to Improve Your Garage

Your garage is one of those rooms in the house that gets far too little appreciation. For many people, it’s just a ‘car storage room’ and they fail to see the potential in their garage. So in this post, we’re going to offer some great tips for how you could upgrade your garage including some rather unique and quirky ideas that you may have never thought about before.

Transform your garage into the best storage room you’ve ever had

Garages are fantastic for storage because most of them are large enough to house multiple cars. Some of them are fairly tall as well, meaning there’s plenty of space for vertical storage, extra cabinets, shelves, drawers–you name it! There are loads of opportunities to install more storage which means that you can keep all of your junk, loose items, and other bits and pieces that you want to keep around.

While most people would leave their garage storage for things that are related to their cars (such as tools or car-related products) there are also plenty of people who use their garage for storing clutter that they haven’t gotten rid of yet, or even wholesale purchases like boxes of drinks and pantry items.

There are loads of possibilities when it comes to utilizing your garage for storage, so why not approach it in a more organized way instead of just throwing boxes around?

Fix up those annoying things in your garage

There’s a good chance that you have random things that are annoying you in your garage. For example, maybe you need to fix your garage door because it’s really squeaky, maybe it doesn’t open all the way, or perhaps the light in your garage keeps flickering because it’s old and hasn’t been upgraded or changed for a while.

These are usually very small issues because we typically don’t use our garage very much. We usually just park our vehicle in and then leave it to enter our home. However, if you’re getting a little tired of small annoying things in your garage, then you should prepare it with an upgrade before you get your new car.

We suggest focusing on your garage door first. You could potentially modernize it with the help of Merlin Garage door remotes and a new door mechanism. You could even add smartphone functionality so that it automatically opens with a voice command.

We also highly recommend that you fix any door-related issues, especially if it has a tendency to close randomly or if it fails to open the whole way.

Protecting your garage (and also your new car)

A new car needs to be protected–especially if it’s expensive and worth a lot! There are definitely people out there who will stalk cars as easy targets for carjacking, break-ins, and other criminal activities. These people aren’t the nicest of folks and they’ll use any opportunity they can to rob you.

Even if you think that your neighbourhood is relatively safe, there’s always a chance that they’re going to take advantage of you.

So what can you do about this?

If you’re in the process of buying a new car, make sure you upgrade the security of your garage as well. For instance, you should add motion-sensing lights alongside CCTV cameras.

If you have a smart home hub or a strong wireless internet connection that reaches the garage, you could consider using smart security cameras instead. These can often be accessed over the internet which means you can view them even when you’re outside of the home.

You can even record footage automatically when there are people, and you can even set warning messages that play to the would-be thieves.

Protecting your car is incredibly important and it’s one of the reasons why we have a garage in the first place. Make sure you install the right features to secure your vehicle and also protect your garage which could be a potential entry point into your home.

Have plenty of space? Convert your garage into a new room

Another fun option is to actually convert your garage into a completely new room. This is a good option if you’re not using the entirety of your garage and you want to add some more functionality to it.

A few common ideas include:

• Building a gym inside of your garage
• Turning it into a games room
• Adding a projector to make a small cinema room
• Putting up walls to add something like a toilet room, bathroom, or even a new bedroom
• Installing additional fixtures such as a washbasin for pets and other vehicles
• Turning it into an office so you have a quiet place to work
• Using it for other hobbies such as woodworking

There are plenty of great ideas for turning your garage into something fun and practical. While this does take a bit of work to achieve, it’s one of the best uses of the extra space in your garage if you’re not using all of it.

Just keep in mind that getting electricity sockets or even plumbing to your garage might be difficult and will likely need a contractor to help you.

Since it often does involve digging into the foundation to install new piping and electrical lines, it can be a little more expensive than you think. It’s always best to ask a contractor for a quote before you invest in this, especially if you’ve not yet decided on the type of room you want to convert it to.

Keep in mind that a permanent renovation that transforms a part of your garage usually can’t be undone. If you’re a hundred per cent sure that you won’t ever use the additional space (such as having a second car) then you could potentially go through with your renovation ideas.

However, if you think you might use it for something in the future, then it might not be a great upgrade option for you right now.

Got Something to Add?

Have you updated your garage as part of a home renovation or perhaps you’ve done something quirky as part of a new-build? Share your tips with us in the comments below.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

Helen, Nial and Lewis.

Main image courtesy of Pixabay.