Make over your garage for the perfect storage space
[Written by our friends at Garaga.]
Finally, you’ve decided to makeover your garage with the goal of having enough space there to meet all your needs. Here are some points to consider, however, before rushing headlong into this type of project:
1. Be clear about your needs
- Determine how you would like to use your garage. As garages increasingly become extensions of the house, they need to be more functional and, especially, well organized and tidy.
- If you intend to park your car there in cold weather, that’s very different from turning the garage into a workshop, a home gym or a play area for the kids.
- A good place to start is by taking an accurate inventory of what you have. Figure out what items you use regularly, what deserves to be recycled or given to charity, and what should just be thrown away.
2. Evaluate how much you can budget for your project
To do this, make a list of the work that must be done:
- Insulate the garage and close the walls. Check the insulation standards required by the energy-efficiency organizations in your province or state.
- Repaint the concrete floor. Repaint the walls and ceiling.
- Don’t overlook any plumbing (sink) and electricity (heating, extra electrical outlets).
- Set aside an additional cushion of 10% for those unforeseen expenses and little extras.
3. Draw up a plan of the garage
- Use a sheet of graph paper or a free online design program to record the actual dimensions of the garage. Be sure to note which objects will stay in place (e.g. refrigerator), and if there is a staircase to the basement.
- Don’t forget about the third dimension – height. Be aware that you can store containers or objects that you use only once a year above the garage door.
4. Don’t be reluctant to choose quality products
- Use wear-resistant paints.
- The same goes for the quality of the floor paint. Hire a professional in this field, or carefully follow the instructions from your paint consultant.
- When it comes to storage systems and cabinets, once again, at the store where it will be purchased, explain how you plan on using your garage, including its level of humidity.
5. Keep in mind the 4th wall of your garage – the garage door
Depending on what you will do with your garage, especially if it includes using it for various family activities, you’ll definitely want to maintain a comfortable room temperature inside.
- Only consider garage door systems that provide unmatched weather seals to protect against heat loss.
- Choose a garage door that provides R-16 thermal resistance.
6. During your renovation work, put your belongings and large equipment in storage
- Use a self-storage facility in your area to store your sports, gardening or seasonal equipment, as well as large gas-powered items, such as your snow blower, lawnmower and all-terrain vehicle
- Especially use this type of storage if you hire subcontractors. They prefer to have adequate room to do their work without having to constantly more your belongings around in and out of your garage.
- Storage facilities not only protect your things from bad weather, but more importantly, they keep everything out of sight from potential thieves who don’t take long to swipe up your vulnerable personal property during the renovation work.
These points summarize what you need to think about before starting your project. Also, it’s important to be patient, because you can’t do all of this work in one weekend, especially if you use a contractor to carry it out. By staying focused on your goal and keeping a careful eye on your budget, however, your project will be completed just as you had imagined in your head!