September 9, 2016

Retake your garage with these 5 steps

Garage Plan

Is your garage out of control? Is it chock-full of stuff that’s limiting your ability to park your cars inside? If that sounds familiar, then there are a few simple things you can do to eliminate the problem and reclaim that space. Read on to learn how you can reclaim your garage and get all that unused stuff out of the way.

1- Clean, clean, clean

The first step is to clean out the garage. You’ll want a nice, sunny day for this, as you’ll need to move things from inside the garage to the outside as you tidy up and organize. Create separate areas on your driveway or even in your front yard and sort the items in your garage by the following types:

  • Things that you’ll use soon, and that you want to keep
  • Things that can be recycled
  • Things that can be donated and reused
  • Things that need to be tossed completely
  • Things that can be sold (such as at a yard sale)

Yes, this will take some time, effort and careful consideration. However, it’s essential that you do this.

2- Finish and insulate

Now, while the garage is empty, is actually the best time to decide whether you want to insulate it and then finish it out. Perhaps you want to create some hobby space or turn part of the garage into a workroom. Maybe you want to make it into a playroom. Whatever the case, you’ll need to insulate it. If you’re doing this on your own, you should plan to spend somewhere around $1300. If you want to hire someone, double that amount.

You will also need to determine what sort of finish you want. Sheetrock and paint are probably the most commonly used options, but there are other choices. You can put up pegboard if you’ll be hanging tools on the wall, or you can protect the lower few feet of wall space by adding a few rows of exterior vinyl siding.

3- Plan for it

Grab some blank paper and a pencil, and start planning how you’ll lay out the interior of your garage. You’ll want to leave space for items that cannot be moved, such as fuse boxes or hot water heaters. You’ll also want to add objects that you’re going to install but that will not move – a workbench, for instance. Try to draw all of these objects to scale so that you actually know how much room you have to work with. Hint: get in there and measure the garage with a tape measure to ensure better accuracy.

You should note the total amount of wall space from the floor to the ceiling. You should also check the amount of space above the garage door, as this can be turned into extra storage space. For instance, if your ceiling is 10 feet high, but your garage door is only 7 feet tall, then you have a few feet over the doors where you can add extra shelving for more storage. Make sure you account for the space taken up by the garage door tracks and the opener, as well.

Now, start allocating space for things like your seasonal tools, your hand tools, power tools, sports gear and the like. This is also the best time to figure out if you’ll want to install new electrical outlets (before you finish out the interior). As a note, you should also take a look at the floor and decide whether it needs paint or if it needs to be sealed with acrylic.

4- Prioritize

Now that you have your plan laid out, it is time to budget for the makeover and then prioritize. Be prepared for some things that you simply cannot do on your own, such as routing new wiring and the like. You’ll need to budget to pay a professional for these things. Call around to trusted contractors and get quotes so you know what your costs will be.

You need to consider the amount of material you’ll need for the DIY portions, including the number of sheetrock panels, and the amount of insulation you’ll need to purchase. Don’t forget to factor in things like shelving, paint, sandpaper and the like. Wood shelving is generally the cheapest, but metal and plastic shelves can work as well. Google can give you some very good ideas on how to create the right type of organization system – just type “garage storage organization ideas” into the search box and click on images.

5- Pay attention to the garage door and opener

If you’ll be using the garage more frequently, make sure you have the right garage door in place, and the right type of opener. You will likely want to choose an insulated garage door, and there are plenty of options available to you. You can place a request for a free quote, or get in touch with us at 705-324-1005. We can help ensure that you make an informed decision that also ties in with the style of your home, as well as your budget.

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