Sometimes a forgotten space, your home’s garage is normally a storage facility for vehicles, seasonal items, and other things you may not use on a regular basis. Oftentimes a garage can be seen stuffed floor-to-ceiling with boxes, which is a bit of a disgrace given this space can be so much more than simply a place to ditch your ‘unneeded-but-can’t-part-with’ things.
Imagine the potential — a workshop, a hobby space, a museum for your prized collection. Here you have a wide open, often triple-car sized space that’s begging to be developed into something fantastic. You have some ideas, but where do you begin?
The Obvious Workshop
If there's one thing most people think of when customizing a garage space, it's to install a fully functioning workshop. Whether this is woodworking, metalsmithing, or tinkering with a project car, you want cabinets, drawers, hanging pegs, and plenty of working countertop space. Building this into your garage at the same time as the rest of your home is being constructed takes away the stress of trying to figure it out later. You can simply move in and start working immediately — how relaxing would that be?
Have your builder design the perfect workshop space for you in your garage. This could mean using the third-car space and dedicating it to workshop space, or incorporating the design into the entire garage. Adding more windows for natural light is a great way to use less energy while you're working as well. You could even go so far as to install solar panels that power your equipment in the shop, without adding to the overall utility bill for the household.
Don't Forget about Lighting
If you're going to convert your garage into a livable space, whether it's a workshop or anything else, you're going to want to ensure you have sufficient lighting for the purpose of which you are using it. If it's a workshop, you're going to want plenty of bright lighting in exactly the right places, perhaps right over equipment and working countertops. If It's more of a games room, the ambience can be more relaxed and dim, with focused lighting over the key functions of the room.
Types of Flooring
Most garages have a glossy concrete pad as their surface. While this is the standard application, there's a world of options available to you in terms of how to surface your garage floor. If you're looking for something that looks a bit more upscale but still functions as a driving surface, consider using exposed aggregate. Your front driveway could be made of the same material, and carry the design right into the interior of your garage.
If you do a lot of mechanical work, you might want something that's sealed to avoid permanent oil or fluid stains on your garage floor. Interlocking tiles or rollout mats cover up the standard concrete floor, providing a protective layer. These tiles and mats come in a wide variety of colours and textures so you can find something that works for your style.
Concrete can also be stained, painted, or sealed to protect from damaging marks. Concrete stain can be finished in a number of different colours, and when it's finished, it provides the look of natural stone. Alternatively, you can have your garage floor painted with an epoxy paint that seals the concrete with your preferred colour.
Embrace Your Inner Collector
Do you have a collection that's currently piled in a corner of the basement, or tucked away in a storage space? Use your garage as your own personal museum of sorts.
Design the entire garage space to replicate the thing you collect; for example, do you collect old car memorabilia? Perhaps incorporate the design of an old gas station, with shelving for your treasured pieces. Use checkerboard flooring tiles, and be sure to design the trim, colour scheme, and finishes to match your favourite automobile era. Have the electrical wired-in to hang your collection of neon signs without needing to drape long cords along the walls.
It Doesn't Have to be For Cars at All
It Doesn't Have to be For Cars at All Who says you have to store your vehicle in the garage? This could be the ultimate game space for a pool table, dart board, and even wet bar with high stools and tables for when your guests come by. Mount a TV in the space and you've got yourself a complete escape right in your own home. Just don't forget to have your builder put in a heat source, otherwise, this could be a place to chill...literally.
Your garage is one more space in your home that can be made into anything you desire. The possibilities are vast, and the more you plan ahead, the more you can incorporate at the time of construction and personalize the design exactly the way you want it to be.
Have you read our other Creative Customization posts? A custom home can be uniquely yours, but we've put together some design ideas for your ensuite, great room, and kitchen to help get you started!
