How many of you have a garage that’s not used for its intended purpose; stacked full of dusty boxes, unused tools or old furniture you keep meaning to take to the tip? Utilising it for storage might seem like the easy option to two problems (“What do we do with this stuff?” and “What do we do with this room?”) but you’re wasting so much valuable space – and the potential is there to really transform your home.
Far from simply clearing it out and popping in a TV or a few weights, putting the time, effort and budget into creating a unique room is going to yield much more satisfying results; if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it properly! Here are some typical ideas, and how to execute them really effectively.
1. Extra Bedroom or ‘Granny Annex’
Whether you’ve got an ever-expanding family or an elderly parent/relative who wants to live with the comfort and support of their family, then utilising your garage space for an extra bedroom or slightly larger ‘Granny annex’ can be a really useful and generous way of using this space.
You’ll obviously want to construct a solid wall in place of a garage door, to make it a more complete room, install effective wall insulation and (eventually) decorate. To ensure that it’s a self-contained area of the home, it’s also a really good idea to install an en-suite with a wet room for ease of use and safety.
It’s important to ensure that any tiling in here is well treated against damp build-up and the onset of mould, so be on the lookout for specialised cleaning products. To maximise on space, it’s also worth installing underfloor heating during the construction process. This will remove any dangers that can come with a conventional radiator such as burning or injury during a fall, and can also aid in the drying of a wet-room floor which can help prevent against slipping.
2. Music Room/Rehearsal Space
Whether you’re a budding bedroom musician, or part of a band just starting up and in need of somewhere to practice, a garage is often seen as a clichéd location to crank it up to 11. However, your homemade rehearsal space needn’t be cluttered with boxes or interrupted by your other half wanting to put the car inside.
The first thing, as with any of these building ideas, is to ditch that garage door. Not only will it make for a chilly space in the colder months (not good for the musical muscles), but it’s going to leak out sound. You might have some loyal fans but, unless they come to your gigs, then your neighbours aren’t likely to be some of them.
Get a wall constructed, utilise effective insulation and look at professional soundproofing options – there are always a range of solutions to suit different budgets. You can apply ‘aftermarket’ soundproofing on top of existing walls or, if there’s some construction going on, you can incorporate the soundproofing into the walls and floors themselves.
3. Deluxe Home Gym
We’re not talking anything particularly extravagant here; once you made the change from a cold garage with a slightly rickety door to a properly constructed room with walls and effective insulation, the rest is fairly simple.
Have a wall constructed where your garage door once was (there’s no need for this anymore), and ensure you have some reasonably sized windows fitted as these will be essential for helping with ventilation – not just for comfort (it’s going to get pretty hot in there!) but also to stop moisture accumulating as this can lead to damp, particularly in the colder weather.
Pop in a few bits of gym equipment key to your workout, ensure the heavier equipment is secured to a concrete floor, and you’re good to go. Now there’s no excuse to not go the gym, now that’s it the same distance from your sofa than the fridge!
Now you’re got a few practical solutions to help you execute typical ‘garage conversion’ ideas much more effectively, it’s time to get clearing out all your old junk and get planning – before you know it you’ll have a unique and bespoke addition to your home!
This guest post was written by Tom McShane – blogger, DIY lover and writer for UK tile retailer Tile Choice. Having recently transformed his garage into a full extra bedroom, Tom would recommend bathroom tiles from Tile Choice for anyone looking to do the same.