The Best Ideas For Renovating a Garage

Whenever the word renovation is brought up, the first thing people think of is their home; their living room, their bedroom, their kitchen. No one ever considers the garage. Homeowners are more likely to remodel their backyard than other parts of the home that see more daily use. It is not uncommon in Florida, for instance, to see a property with new pool coatings from Jacksonville, new deck coatings from Jacksonville, and a dilapidated garage. Most people associate their garage with being an addition to the house and not a part of the house itself. But a renovated garage could be extremely beneficial.

The first benefit is property value. The garage is typically the part of the property that will receive the least amount of care and repair. The ground surface will crack, the paint will chip, and the homeowner won’t bat an eye. A high-quality garage can mean more than just a nice place for a car. If the garage is remodeled into a stylish and accommodating space, it can act as an additional room. Everyone forgets that a garage doesn’t have to be a garbage and storage depot. A garage could be an exercise room, an art room, or even an activity room.

Here are some of the best ideas for transforming a garage from a trash bunker to a playroom.

New Ground Surface

The ground in a garage takes a beating in just about every home. Even though the walls of a garage may be neglected, the ground surface gets repeatedly punished by consistent use. For families that do use their garage for their car, the ground can take even more damage. Having to support the weight of a vehicle can cause the ground and its surface to shift and crack. The worst part of every crack is that it either grows or stays the same. Having cracks in the ground can allow for additional elements to more severely damage the surface. Water and rain damage are common occurrences for garages that have been unattended. If the roof has holes or the garage door has a weak seal, then water damage could be a serious problem, especially for the ground. With existing cracks and breaks, the garage ground could reach a point of no return when it comes to repairability. So, what are the best ways to prevent this?

The most common material for garage ground surfaces is concrete. If a person is renovating their garage, they can either choose to keep this material or switch it up. If the homeowner wants to keep the ground concrete, then they will have to evaluate the condition of the surface. For instances of cracking and severe damage, the concrete may need to be resurfaced. Paint is a great way to elevate the quality of the concrete surface while maintaining its sturdy and resistant properties.

To make a garage surface even more durable, a homeowner can seal it. Using paint can be an effective way to seal the surface and reduce incoming damage from activity or weather conditions. Repainting every few years can be a much more affordable and sustainable method of maintenance than having to replace the surface every ten years. Epoxy is another option for providing a protective layer for a garage surface. This is a stronger alternative to paint and can make the garage ground resistant to oils and grease. Protection of this kind is invaluable when the ground surface is made of concrete. While fairly resistant to activity, concrete stains very easily. Investing in protection like epoxy can be a really smart investment. That being said, there are better surface sealers than epoxy. For homeowners in Florida who are looking to guard their garage’s ground surface, professional floor coatings from Jacksonville and industrial floor coatings from Jacksonville are the best choice. These types of surface protectors are long-lasting, durable, and can even come in a variety of patterns. If a homeowner is going to spend the money to renovate their garage, they should choose the surface sealer that is going to optimize their remodeling.

Introduce Insulation

The possibility of a garage becoming more than just a storage facility starts and ends with the addition of insulation. Every other part of the house has insulation. Why shouldn’t the garage? For areas that have colder climates, insulation can make the garage actually bearable as a room. Without it, the garage essentially becomes a winter shed for garbage.

Boosting a garage with insulation can also improve a homeowner’s energy bills. While some garages are detached from the house, the majority are adjoined to the walls of the house – often by a door. If a garage is attached to a home, and it is not insulated, it will reduce the energy efficiency of the home. This is because any central heating or cooling will be lost through the garage. Independent of the climate, uninsulated garages can force the air conditioner and the furnace in a house to work even harder. This extra work reduces the useful life of your central cooling and heating system and increases the costs of your associated energy bills. While it may not be as visibly appealing as a brand new ground surface or paint job, insulation could be the one remodeling choice that actually saves money.

Lofting

Lofting a garage can be an excellent idea for maximizing the space in a garage. At first, this may sound like someone trying to add a second livable space, but it doesn’t have to be. Most instances of garage lofting involve separating the upper half of the space with a partition. This partition functions as a second, smaller level that accommodates the use of both upper and lower spaces. The second level is almost always for storage because the average garage doesn’t have the capacity to become a two-story building. For this reason, lofting is sort of like creating a roof for the garage. If a homeowner is truly looking to turn the garage into a livable space without boxes and storage containers, then lofting might be the perfect compromise.