If you have a house with a garage, you may not be using that space to its fullest potential. A garage can be an extremely versatile space that allows you to have fun, take on projects and add a fun extra room to your home.
A garage does require some maintenance, however, so depending on how you plan to use it you may need some garage tips for upkeep in the space. That is just one of the many things you can do in your garage though. Even maintenance projects can be very rewarding if you cultivate the right kind of space in your garage.
Here are 6 things you can do in your garage. These garage tips are meant for every lifestyle and budget. Whether you want your garage to be a space meant for fun or just meant to be functional, these tips can help you make the most of your garage.
1. Store Your Gear
A lot of homes are purchased via the internet. According to Broker Agent News, 87% of those of us in the U.S. who are looking for a home use the internet during our search. As much as that may mean we get access to a ton of information before having to commit to a home purchase, it also means there are things we miss.
If you are in the market for a home, you definitely need to explore the home in person and not just via the internet. You could miss, among other things, the garage, if the home has one.
A garage is an incredibly important space to explore in person while you’re shopping for a home. Some garages aren’t going to be suitable for certain types of activities. For example, it might simply not be large enough or well-ventilated enough for some types of auto work.
However, this is all garage tips for before you have the home. If you have purchased your home and are now trying to think about how to utilize your garage, here are garage tips specifically for that scenario.
First, a garage is great, obviously, for storage. If you are the type of person with intense hobbies, you might have some intense gear to go along with them. Storing things like arctic cat accessories is simply not feasible inside a home. However, a garage is a great space for equipment like that.
Other activities you might take part in that require large pieces of equipment include things like outdoor sports, farming, home improvement projects and automobile maintenance and customization. If any of those things are among your hobbies, you will need some garage tips in order to maximize the storage space you have available.
On the extreme end of this is, perhaps, farming. You might have huge things like tractor wheels that you need a place for when they aren’t being used. Getting smart with how to maximize space will give you the most resources possible within your garage for these bulky items.
A more everyday example includes things like bicycles, dirt bikes, skis, skates and other ordinary spots equipment. These are smaller, but in some ways that makes them even trickier. It becomes even more tempting with items like these to just leave them in your garage and forget about them.
Even if you have smaller items, you should think carefully about storage space. Garage tips for increasing storage include simple fixes like putting hooks on the walls. Hooks can let you hang up bikes, which will cause them to take up way less room than they would otherwise.
Treat your garage like any other room of your home. Put in furniture like shelves and storage units so that toys, gear and equipment can’t cause clutter and eat up space better reserved for the fun stuff.
2. Turn It Into a Workshop
You might want to get more function out of your garage than mere storage. If so, you can remodel your garage into a full-on workshop, or just dedicate part of your garage to a workshop type space.
If you need garage tips for how to turn it into a work shop, first start by figuring out exactly what kind of workshop suits your needs best. Are you trying to fix cars or are you looking at simpler tasks like appliance repair for things you have around the house? These present very different needs in terms of space, equipment and garage space utilization.
Every workshop needs tools. Start there, figuring out what kinds of tools would be most useful to your life and the kinds of things you plan to be doing. It might be helpful to start with a simple work bench. This can just be a table, chair and some simple shelving for storage. As you progress, you may discover a need for larger and more specific tools that you have to add.
The great thing about a garage workshop is that it can evolve naturally over time. You don’t need to have it all planned out from day one. Let your needs and lifestyle alter the workshop as you make use of it.
3. Work On Your Car
Here’s the quintessential garage project. A lot of garage tips focus specifically on car maintenance and repair because it is such a common way to use a garage. However, you should be prepared if you’re going to use your garage this way.
First of all, identify what your goal is. Are you trying to do some simple auto maintenance and avoid the shop? A garage can be a great space to do this.
There is a lot of car maintenance that can be done at home by an owner, especially one who has a garage. If you are new to auto maintenance, start with simple tasks. A lot of filters and fluids need to be changed out regularly.
These tasks make great starting points. Not only are they pretty simple, but having a garage lets you contain the mess to a place where it won’t stain anything vital or cause damage. Use your garage to do things like change filters, change your oil, replace old wipers and replace your brake pads.
Of course, if you have a more serious problem or aren’t confident, you’ll want professional auto repair. There is a lot you can do on your own with the tools you have in your garage, but if safety is an issue always ask a professional for help instead.
4. Take On Some Vanity Projects
Garage tips don’t have to be purely practical. You can (and should) also use your garage for projects you simply find fun. It’s your space – make the most of it in any way that makes you happy!
While we’re on the topic of auto maintenance and repair, there are a lot of fun vanity projects you can use your garage for. For example, you might want to do some custom car painting at home.
Painting a car is a great passion project for someone who has a garage. However, you do need to keep in mind some garage tips if you’re taking on this sort of project. Paint fumes are not great to breathe in, so first and foremost make sure you can keep your garage well ventilated while you’re painting your car. A mask should definitely be among the tools you use for this type of work.
Also, have a plan before you begin. You don’t want to start painting your car only to discover you hate it and want to start over. Think carefully about colors and designs before you begin, and read tutorials to ensure you have all the tools you’ll need.
Automotive projects are not the only things a garage is good for. You can turn a garage into an art studio, for example, making use of the flooring as a surface paint can drip on without damaging anything.
You could also turn your garage into a bit of a home gym. You’ll lack temperature control, but a garage is a great space for heavy workout equipment that you might not want inside your home.
5. Learn Something New
This brings us to our next point, which is that a garage can be a great space to play in. Learn something new in a room with concrete floors. This is important because it takes away the fear of ruining a hardwood floor or staining a carpet. You can put heavy equipment in your garage, splash paint around or change car oil without fear because of those concrete floors in your garage.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t be careful. There are lots of garage tips for making your garage safe, especially if you plan to use it for things like working out. You might want to have foam mats or other softer flooring covering the concrete if you think you could be doing something where you’d fall on the floor.
Even so, the point remains that a garage is a great space for experimenting and just playing. Paint the floor. Paint the walls. Make a workshop so you can learn something new. Take apart your car’s air filter to figure out how to put it back together. One of the best garage tips out there is simply to play in the space and make it a safe, fun environment to learn things in.
Here are some other great ways to you can make your garage a super fun space to be in:
- Install shelves and storage yourself
- Add insulation and space heaters to make it more accessible in cold months
- Paint it
- Turn it into a children’s play room
- Make it a room for hosting during parties
- Turn it into a guest room
- Make it soundproof and use it as a musical space
- Turn it into a DIY workshop
- Turn it into a game room
- Use it for a home office
These are just a few ideas. Truly, your garage can be anything you can dream of if you have the ambition to upgrade the space.
6. Take Care of Your Garage
All of these tips are great, but one of the most important garage tips is to take care of your garage. It may be a hardy concrete room, but it still needs some maintenance and repair.
One of the biggest places that need repair in garages is doors. That means the garage door that opens to the street, as well as the door that leads from the garage into the rest of the home. These are potentially the two weakest points in the garage, the places most likely to take damage over time.
Garage doors can wear down over time. If you’re looking for garage tips, also look for some garage door tips. Garage doors take a beating from the weather, as well as from opening and closing frequently. Make sure your door is well-maintained. This can be as simple as giving it a fresh coat of paint when it starts to look a bit run down.
However, you should also think about the walls and floor. Even a concrete floor can get worn over time. Plus, many garages have small leaks that erode the garage over time. If you have any kind of water leak in your garage, you should find some garage tips for sealing it up. There are many simple products you can get from hardware stores to stop leaks and seal up your garage before the damage can worsen and lead to lasting damage and bigger problems.
While you’re considering repairs and maintenance, also think about ways to upgrade your garage. For example, if your garage door opens and closes manually, you might look into residential garage door openers.
A garage door opener can be a massive upgrade to your garage, and they’re relatively simple to add. If you are going in and out a lot, you don’t want to have to do that manually forever. Look into a garage door opener as a way to upgrade your entire garage.
Enjoy Your Garage
Your garage should be more than just a cold concrete room attached to your house. It should be a space you love and enjoy!
Use these garage tips to help make your garage welcoming, warm and loved. You may find you discover a whole new hobby as a result of a few garage tips that help you revamp the space into something special.
