The home you purchased ten years ago may not fit anymore…. Sure, it was perfect when it was just the two of you, but throw in a couple kids, maybe a pet or two and wham – you’ve outgrown your house! But not everyone has the luxury of just moving to a bigger home. You may not be in the market for a new house or even a room addition for a long time; however, there is a solution to your lack-of-space woes: A garage makeover! Remodeling your garage is the one of the easiest ways to implement additional square footage to your living space.
It’s also the ideal environment for a home office, workshop, storage space, laundry room or home gym, due to the fact that most garages are attached; thus, you still have access to heating and air, plumbing, and wiring.
Where Do You Start?
First things first: You need to decide exactly what you want to transform your garage into and, secondly, you need to decide whether or not you need to park your vehicles inside of it. If you live in a climate where you simply cannot risk leaving your car outside, then you need to consider some heavy duty storage solutions. That way, you can keep your car safe and sound in your garage, but just organize it in a way that allows for you to have ample space for an office, gym, “man cave,” etc.
So let’s start from the ground up: When you make the decision to renovate your garage with the end goal being more space for your living area, you need to go through all the items that are currently being stored in your garage. Keep only what is absolutely necessary – this process alone will free up space and eliminate clutter.
Next, you need to decide on flooring. Chances are, your garage floor is a basic cement surface (possibly with stains and maybe even cracks), and so you need to cover your concrete with a new flooring system or coat it with an industrial strength sealer. Advances in the garage floor coating industry have made top coats not only extremely durable, but also highly decorative. For instance, there is a product on the market, which has been deemed the best garage floor finish by car and motorcycle dealerships nationwide, called InstaDrive. It’s a polyaspartic polyurea coating that allows for quick dry time (floors coated with InstaDrive Coating Systems can be walked on just two hours after installation, and you can park a vehicle on it after just one single day!).
Once the flooring has been employed, you can start to think about décor and organization systems. Cabinetry and shelving can make your life easier, and you might not need to throw out or donate as much stuff as you originally thought. Since there are so many homeowners looking to expand their living space, companies who specialize solely in garage organization systems are wonderful resources. Cleaning out your messy garage is overwhelming enough, so organizing it may never happen unless you bring in some professional help. Companies like Garage Interiors, located in Austin, Texas, specialize in custom cabinets, epoxy flooring, garage remodels, and they can install car lifts or bike racks for you. Plus, companies like this do this all day every day, so they know how exactly to optimize space.
And that's what it's all about -- space optimization and freeing your life from clutter. Now you just have to decide: Are you ready to create the garage of your dreams? Of course you are!
