Garages are built without much care for style or substance. Home builders add them to properties to make the home more valuable, because it now has extra space. Too many homeowners let their garages rot away when they could be transformed into something far more useful.
If you’re thinking about some midlife renos that’ll reinvent your home, here are some garage renovation ideas that’ll prove to be very beneficial.
1. Add A Second Floor Or Extend Your Garage
The most basic garage renovation is to give it some more space. Some garages are built with zero practicality in mind – they’re more like glorified sheds than actual garages. If you like keeping your car in the garage, but have another car on the driveway (or worse, parked on the street), then extending your garage and giving it an additional parking space makes loads of sense.
Alternatively, you could add a second floor above your garage. As explained by Cass Construction, second floors free up square footage for additional living space or can give you better views of the surrounding area. It’s one of the most interesting garage renovation ideas because you’re adding something that doesn’t necessarily impact the garage down below.
Perhaps you keep your garage as is, but the second floor is now a new bedroom or study area for your family to use. Or you could blend the rooms; up top is a workshop, while down below is your main garage where you keep your car. The same can be said when extending your garage on the same floor; you can use the extra space as an entirely separate or conjoined room.
2. Convert Your Garage Into A Practical Room
Speaking of turning your garage into a different room, that’s another highly popular renovation idea. It’s a good choice if your current garage is empty or a jumbled mess. It doesn’t really serve a purpose at the moment – but a renovation will change that.
Convert your garage into a more practical room that you’ll genuinely use. Depending on your lifestyle habits, it could become:
- A home office
- A home gym
- An extra bedroom
- A library or reading area
- A design studio
- A DIY workshop
- A music studio
The beauty of garage conversions is that you have total freedom to do as you please. Does your home lack space? Do you need a room to pursue a hobby? Think about the ways in which you can use your garage, rather than keeping it as is. Some people will like this idea – especially if they’re happy parking their car in their driveway and don’t really use their garage at all.
3. Turn It Into A Secondary Dwelling
What if you converted your garage into a different space, but it wasn’t for you to use? A secondary dwelling adds so much value to your home – along with loads of practicality. This almost combines the two previous ideas, as you may want to extend your garage or add a new floor before converting it into a completely new space.
Think of the possibilities that come when your garage is now a place people can stay in and live. You’ll have a living area, a dining space, a bathroom, and a sleeping area. It opens up a world of ideas – but here are two of the best:
- An Airbnb: Convert your garage to a secondary dwelling, and you can rent it out to people looking for an Airbnb. It’s brilliant because you generate extra income from your secondary dwelling, but it’s mainly detached from your house. A really good choice if your garage is already separate from your home to give both you and your guests more privacy. Also, a genius plan if you life in a very tourist-heavy area. Maybe you’re close to a National Park or something people come from far away to visit.
- A Family Annexe: Instead of renting the space out to other people, you can use your secondary dwelling as an annexe for relatives to stay. It’s a really popular idea for people with ageing parents; you can keep them close by while ensuring they have some independency. It’s also great if you’ve got adult kids who aren’t ready to move out but still need their space.
Whatever you choose to do with your secondary dwelling, you can’t deny it’s a very clever (and potentially profitable) way to renovate your garage.
So there you are: three different garage renovations that will reinvent your home. You can go about it in various ways, yet they all help you bring something new and exciting to your property.