Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
A garage’s importance can’t be overstated.
It’s where you park your car, store important belongings, and maybe work on a few projects.
So you don’t want your garage to be dull and cluttered. Here are six things you can do to improve your garage.
1. Epoxy the Garage Floor
Adding a layer of epoxy to your concrete floor is a great way to spruce it up. An epoxy floor has several benefits:
- Increased durability: With all the foot and vehicle traffic your garage suffers, your garage floor can deteriorate quickly. Adding a layer of epoxy adds a layer of resistance from chemicals, oils, solvents, and abrasion from garage items like toolboxes.
- Aesthetics: Epoxy comes in many different colors and styles, so adding a fresh coat of paint gives your garage floor a fresher look, turning it from ordinary to extraordinary.
- Weather-resistance: Epoxy flooring can withstand extreme cold and extreme heat. It can also withstand snow, rain, sun, and hail.
- Easy to maintain: Covering your concrete in epoxy keeps liquids and salts from seeping in while reducing dust and cement particles. Sweeping your floor doesn’t damage it, either.
Check out this guide to the cost of applying epoxy to a garage floor.
2. Add Insulation
Many people use their garage as a workshop, but nobody wants to do a DIY project in extreme temperatures. Insulating your garage makes it more comfortable.
Insulation has a number of benefits:
- Allows year-round usage: You can use your garage year-round if it’s insulated.
- Keeps temperatures comfortable: Even an uninsulated garage provides SOME protection from the elements, but it can only protect against so much heat or cold. Opening the door will let the extreme weather in. Adding insulation helps a lot.
- Protects your belongings: Humidity in your garage causes your items to deteriorate. This is particularly important for seasonal items, as you keep them in storage most of the year.
- Reduces noise: If you’re using your garage as a workspace or your teen is using it for band practice, you and your neighbors don’t want to hear the noise through the garage walls. Adding insulation muffles the noise.
3. Install Storage and Cabinets
If you’re planning a garage makeover, you’ll have to clean up all the clutter. The best way to do this is to install storage and cabinets. Cleaning your garage is the most attractive feature, but other such pros include:
- Improved accessibility: What good is a garage if you can’t get into and out of it? Garage storage allows you to get your clutter off the floor and onto shelves or cabinets, letting you and your family enter and leave your garage without any trouble.
- Increased curb appeal: Imagine you want to buy a house. Looking in the garage, you see a storage system with wall-mounted shelves. Doesn’t that make the house more appealing? Storage and cabinets add value to your property and make your home more attractive to potential buyers.
4. Add a Garage Door Opener
The biggest reason to add a garage door opener is convenience. After all, who wants to stop their car, manually open their garage door, drive into the garage, get out, and close the door again? Exactly.
However, there are other benefits to adding a garage door opener:
- Increased security: Garage door openers have high-tech features that keep everything in your garage safe. For example, most openers have constantly switched rolling codes, meaning the code to enter the garage changes after the door closes, so other people can’t get in.
- Lighting: Most garage door openers have an extra light for your garage, letting you see it more clearly and helping you find a pathway out of it.
- Energy efficiency: Garage door openers don’t consume much energy, letting you save money on electricity.
How much does a garage door opener cost? Here’s an article that breaks down the cost.
5. Install a Screen Door
Unlike regular garage doors, screen doors have an additional door within, meaning you can go into and out of your garage without opening the screen door. You can also extend it to cover your garage’s opening, converting it into a makeshift sunroom.
However, there are other benefits to installing a screen door:
- Increased living space: Converting your garage into a sunroom means you don’t have to have another sunroom in your house, giving you more living space.
- Increased security: If you keep your garage door open, you risk people stealing your goods. A screen door provides additional security to keep your belongings safe.
- Energy efficiency: All you have to do is lower your garage screen, and natural air will flow through your garage, cooling it, preventing you from having to install air conditioners or fans, and lowering your energy bills.
- Keep your garage clean: If you leave your door open, you risk dirt, leaves, and debris entering your garage space. None of that can get through a closed screen door, meaning your garage stays clean.
It costs an average of $800 to install a garage door screen.
6. Install a Workbench
Installing a workbench is a worthwhile investment if you’re a DIYer. Here are several benefits of installing a workbench:
- Extra storage space: Workbenches can declutter garages and clear floor space. You can even install a pegboard for tool storage.
- Weight capacity: If you handle heavy equipment, a workbench can be a good value, as its ability to handle heavy objects reduces the risk of the floor surface breaking or getting damaged.
- Privacy and safety: A workbench lets you work without banging or other noises. It’s also safe enough to let you handle electrical work and other hazardous tasks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth remodeling your garage?
Yes. Even the most basic of tasks can increase your home’s curb appeal. Plus, with the extra space, you can turn your garage into spaces like a home office or mudroom.
How much does it cost to remodel a garage?
Depending on the size of the project, you can expect to pay between $7,000 and $15,000.
Does remodeling a garage increase your home’s value?
A garage remodel can increase the value of your home, but some renovations might keep potential buyers away. For example, turning your garage into a workspace can make your home more appealing, but turning it into a game room for teenagers can repel potential buyers.