Reinvent Your Garage With These Popular Renovations

The garage is a much more versatile space than most homeowners recognize, especially if they’re more gearhead than interior designer; but even those looking to repurpose their garages restrict their ambitions to just shifting the floor plan.

True garage renovators will maximize every inch of their space, utilizing walls for additional storage and enriching décor while evaluating the ceiling’s structural integrity and light intake against their intentions for the room.

If you’re looking to transform your garage into something more than just a place to park, here are a few popular renovation options to consider as you plan your project.

Invest in Vertical Storage…or Create Your Own

Regardless of what you have in mind for your garage, decluttering your space should be one of the first steps. This doesn’t mean toss everything into bins and stack them in a corner. You can, but a more efficient way to use your space is purchasing a series of cork and pegboards to hang small tools from. Larger tools, like shovels and gardening hoes, will need a bit more bracing, so cut some small circlets from plastic PVC piping and fasten them to the board.

Your garage should remain a functional space to some extent because these tools likely have no place in your home proper, so it’s key to organize these indispensable items in a way that’s both accessible and not a hindrance to your other design plans.

Shine a Light on Your Passion

Garages are often portrayed as dark, cluttered spaces strictly reserved for overflow items that haven’t been used in months or years, but if you’re a crafty soul, your space can serve as an accommodating work area with a few adjustments. Installing skylights in your garage is a savvy renovative choice if you’re an artist looking for studio space. Plus, once you’ve put the finishing touches on your portfolio, your skylit garage can serve as a gallery space. Some might call it a bizarre choice; the art crowd will see it as minimalist and “real”.

If gardening is your thing, a well-lit garage can also serve as a greenhouse, if you don’t have the backyard space or money to invest in a new home addition. It may help to arrange your succulents on a portable tray, though, so you can bring them outside when sunshine is scant, but having your plants indoors will save you a trip or two out into the rain to lay down a protective tarp.

Bring Your Game to the Garage

Admittedly, converting a garage into a game room isn’t the most novel idea, but you can have some fun with the configuration and table layout. Perhaps you’d like to bring the casino home and arrange a series of card tables throughout your space, or you’re the neighborhood pool shark and would rather opt for a billiard hall. Children of the 80s can also get in on the fun by creating their very own arcade room, because the classics are always more enjoyable when you play them with a crowd. Take time to research a garage floor coating to prevent oil stains, however, so you can give your space some added durability and protection against scuffing pinball machine legs or the occasional wayward cue ball.

Please Your Inner-Sommelier With a Wine Cellar

If you enjoy a nice, aged red as much as you enjoy feeling fancy, converting your garage into a wine cellar could be a good bet; but it’s going to take more than buying a few jugs of Carlo Rossi and putting them on a shelf next to the weed whacker. Temperature is key for long-term wine storage; if you live in a colder climate, you’ll have to invest in added insulation. Really, this a good advice for anyone drawn to any of these suggestions. Wood shelving is also a nice design accent for those looking to capture the rustic look of many wineries. Creating a wine cellar will also add another amenity to your property that, if constructed well, could up your home’s overall value.

Embrace the Endless Possibilities

If you’re comfortable keeping your car in the driveway, or if you live in an urban home and car ownership is more of a headache than a benefit, think of your garage as a blank canvas for all your interests and passions. Whether you’re the consummate handyman or a Pac-Man whiz, there are a wealth of unique renovative options that will help you personalize what would, otherwise, be a cluttered storage space—all while raising the value and aesthetic appeal of your home.