Garages are normally seen as a place to park your car, store tools, seasonal items and other belongings that don’t have a space within the home. However, garages have the potential to be so much more! Garages can become a functional living space with the proper planning and creativity. They can be used to work on projects, extend your living space, or be used as an efficient storage area rather than a cluttered dump. Lets jump in and discuss some steps you can take to transform your garage into a more functional space. 

Declutter

The very first thing you will need to do to begin this process is to declutter the garage. Garages are one of the areas that tend to collect more and more items over time which can lead to a disorganized disaster. You’ll want to pull everything out and sort everything into piles. You can have a pile for things you want to keep, sell, donate and throw away. 

Organize 

Once you can see what you have left, you can then make a plan to organize it efficiently. One of the most effective ways to maximize space in your garage is to make use of vertical storage. Installing shelves, cabinets and hangers can be a great way to make use of the unused wall space. This will give you plenty of space to organize garden supplies, tools, sports gear and boxes of other items or seasonal decorations. Larger items such as bikes and ladders can be wall or ceiling mounted to save space. 

Another awesome idea is to invest in overhead storage racks or ceiling hoists. This works well for items that are seasonal or not frequently used so that they are up and out of the way but remain accessible whenever you need them. Heavy-duty storage racks are best for storing belongings like decorations, camping gear and large boxes or bins. A ceiling hoist will help you keep large, bulky items such as kayaks or bikes up and out of sight with very minimal effort. 

Create Zoning

If you plan on using your garage for multiple purposes, it is best to create distinct zones to keep things organized and functional. For example if you are using your garage partly as a home gym, you can set aside a section for that with rubber flooring, and exercise equipment. Another corner can be used as a hobby/crafting space with a desk, drawers and clear bins so everything is visible and accessible. 

Improve and Upgrade the Garage’s Flooring

The flooring of your garage can make a massive difference to its functionality. Concrete floors can be unwelcoming, cold and look unappealing over time as they can become stained and cracked. A couple good suggestions is using rubber flooring such as mats or tiles. This can work well especially if you are going to have a home gym. An alternative would be to use an epoxy coating. Epoxy can be an excellent choice as it’s simple to clean, very durable and comes in a wide variety of colour choices. Epoxy can give your garage a very finished look.

Invest in a New Garage Door

If you are looking to use your garage as additional living space or require it to be more temperature controlled, spending the money to upgrade your garage door to a more insulated door is well worth it. If this will be a space you spend any significant time in, you will want to make it comfortable. A high insulation garage door will help to prevent drafts and greatly assist with keeping hot air out in the summer and cool air out in the winter. This will also reduce the cost of utility bills to maintain a comfortable temperature within the garage.

Use Adjustable Furniture

Accessories and furniture that is adjustable will be very beneficial if you are using your garage as a multipurpose space. Look for furniture that is portable and can be adjusted. Portable storage carts, stackable bins and foldable workbenches are examples of furniture that are adaptable to what you need at the moment. 

Improve Garage Lighting 

Garages tend to not have the best lighting so if you are transforming this into a usable living space, you will want to ensure good lighting. Inadequate lighting can strain eyes and make it more difficult to get tasks done. Upgrading lighting to LED overhead lights can vastly improve visibility within the garage. LED lights are also long lasting and energy efficient. Task lighting can also be beneficial over workstations and storage areas. 

Another consideration is to add windows to allow for natural light. This can be more easily done by adding windows to your garage door, especially if you are already planning to invest in a new garage door for insulation purposes. 

Whatever the plan is for your garage, with some time, creativity and effort invested, you can certainly make a more useful and functional space to store your items, work, exercise, or for anything else you come up with! Go from a cluttered or underused space to a wonderful extended living space!