Garage Update Ideas

No matter your plans for your garage update, you need to accomplish certain tasks before getting started. To begin, sort through everything you have in your garage. Keep items you want or need, donate things you don’t want anymore but are in good condition, and toss anything that's broken or worn out.

Next, invest in safe storage options for your items. Storage bins and cabinets are perfect for holiday decorations, sports equipment, tools, and cleaning chemicals.

Also, consider using your walls to hang items you can’t easily store in a container or cabinet. Take advantage of Slatwall racks to store sports equipment, tools, or even bicycles. Now, you have an orderly place to park your vehicle.

Finally, make a plan for your garage. Knowing where everything will go and how you want it to look will go a long way to ensuring that you turn this space into a usable area.

Making room for your car is only one way you can update your garage. If you don’t mind parking in the driveway and want some extra space, you can always use the garage as an addition to your home. For example, you might consider repurposing it as a home gym.

Having a home gym saves you money on monthly gym membership fees and stops you from making excuses for not wanting to go back after a long day. So, how do you turn it into a home gym? According to Growingupbilingual.com, there are four simple steps to follow once you’ve cleaned out the junk.

Determine What Equipment You Want

When you go to the gym, what equipment do you use the most? Do you run on the treadmill, or do you opt to do cardio on the elliptical? Answering such questions will help you decide which pieces will be the most useful & beneficial to your space & health.

For the most successful home gym, you need to focus on both cardio and resistance training. This will ensure that you get as full of a workout as you would if you went to an actual gym.

And while you might think this is a great time to try something new, avoid the temptation. Unless you’ve tried or researched new equipment advertised on TV, it’s best if you stick with what you know, at least at first. That way, you are sure to use the equipment and not let it sit around and gather dust.

Don’t buy anything yet. Instead, wait until you’ve completed the next step.

Make a Plan

You know what pieces you want. Now it's time to figure out if your garage will hold everything and still give you room to work out. First, measure your floor space to know how much area you have to work with. Then, use the dimensions of the equipment you want to figure out if you have enough space.

Next, mark the floor with tape to indicate where each piece will sit. This will give you a great idea of how your home gym will flow when you’ve finished setting everything up. Don’t forget to take into account any additional floor space you need to operate the equipment safely.

Add Extra Touches

Once your equipment is set up, think about the additional touches that will help ensure that you’ll use the space. For example, add a sound system that can easily connect to your phone & blast your workout playlist. Consider mounting a small TV or building a place to put your tablet so that you can follow along with your favorite streaming exercise class.

While your garage floor can take the abuse from your equipment, you may still want to consider adding some workout mats or perhaps Swisstrax rubber floor tiles. If you do exercises that require you to be on the floor, your body will thank you for the cushy support!

Don’t Forget Climate Control

It’s easy to forget that while the garage is part of your house, it is not connected to your home’s heating and cooling system. So you need to take your area’s climate into account. For example, you might need to add a small window AC unit or a fan to your garage during the warmer months and a heater during the cooler ones.

Having your own home gym is nice, but not everyone wants to work out at home. For those who’d instead use the space to add more square footage, you have a wide array of options.

Whether you turn the space into a play area for the kids, a place to watch your favorite movies, or an added guest room, bear in mind that you may need to significantly renovate this site. As mentioned above, the space may not be tied to your home’s HVAC unit. You might need to call in a contractor to add ductwork and vents so that you have a climate-controlled room. You may also need to add electrical outlets if you don’t have enough.

Finally, ask your electrician to install ground-fault circuit interrupters to shut off if the outlets become overloaded.

Home Theater

Adding a home theater is a great way to spend time as a family. Once you have the climate control and electrical work you need done, it’s simple to remake your garage into a movie theater. Before you hang that 75-inch flat-screen TV, according to homeguides.sfgate.com, you should consider adding some soundproofing to the walls and ceiling. This way, you won’t disturb the neighbors or the rest of the house with your loud movies.

You can leave the floor as concrete if you desire and add rugs to make it feel cozier. The hard flooring makes clean-up more manageable but can be cold during the winter. Additionally, you should caulk around all openings and hang heavy drapery to make the room darker for movie time.

With your big screen on the wall and your surround system wired in, you need to consider storage. Custom garage cabinets give you space to store movies, games, snacks, and blankets for when you are ready to relax with the family.

Play Room

Theater rooms are fun, but sometimes they don’t fit what your home needs. For example, if you have children, especially small children, you might want a place where they can freely make a mess.

As stated before, you need to make sure the space is connected to your climate control system and add a few electrical sockets if necessary. In addition, ask your electrician to install tamper-resistant plugs so that small hands can’t poke things into the outlets.

Consider painting at least one wall with chalkboard paint. This will give your children a space where it’s okay to draw on the walls and get creative. Custom cabinetry is a must for this room. Select cabinets that can be installed low and are easy to open and close. It is best to leave the doors off in some cases so that little hands aren’t pinched when playing. You can use bins to organize their toys and games.

If you leave the garage doors in place, instead of putting up a wall, make sure they are sealed and locked so no one can open them. You don’t want your little ones to run out front without your supervision.

Having an additional room for the family is excellent, but having extra space for yourself might be even better. Garages can be a great place for a work area or for the ever-elusive man cave.

Art Studio

Being creative can get messy. You spend a lot of time in your home trying to keep it orderly and clean, so it’s understandable if you don’t want the creative process all over your home. Turning the garage into a studio gives you room to be messy and space to have more than one creative outlet.

Whether your craft is painting, flower arranging, or woodworking, you need some sort of bench to work from. Install one that is the right height for you to sit or stand at comfortably. It should be long enough and wide enough to hold all of the supplies for your current project.

Your workbench should also have plenty of storage to keep frequently used items handy. For example, suppose you’re into woodworking. In that case, you may consider a Slatwall rack above your bench to hang tools and small containers for screws and nails.

Man Cave

Ah, the man cave. A place for men to go and enjoy their hobbies and sports without bothering the rest of the family. There are many options for a garage-to-man cave transformation.

This space may be a dual-purpose area. On one side, you can sit in a comfortable recliner and yell at the referees who made a call against your favorite team. While on the other, you have a place to do your favorite hobby. You may even consider starting a home brewery and having a place for a bar and your brewing barrels. 

The garage is not only a great place to store your cars away, but it's also an awesome area where you can pretty much update any way you wish. You can get in shape with a new home gym or add on that home theater you’ve always wanted. Maybe you need a place to escape from the family. Whatever your needs, your imagination is the limit!