The typical home garage is designed with one key purpose in mind: To protect vehicles. While most garages provide adequate protection for vehicles, they offer little in the way of comfort, utility, or an inviting appearance. Many have a dull concrete floor, poor lighting, and bare walls. They rarely feature any type of built-in storage and are often unbearably hot or freezing cold depending on the weather.

The good news is that you can easily transform your cold, drab garage into a neat, attractive space to store your possessions. Best of all, you can turn your garage into one of the brightest and most organized areas of your home while spending little in the way of time or money. Below are nine ways to transform your garage in your new home.

1) Apply Epoxy Flooring

Epoxy can be a difference-maker for your garage floor. In addition to enhancing the appearance of a drab concrete floor, the protective properties of epoxy can add years to the life of your garage floors. Here are just a few of the many benefits of installing epoxy flooring in your garage:

Cost-effective: You can make it an inexpensive DIY project with a kit from amazon or find a contractor to do it for you.
A strong, protective finish: Epoxy’s strength and durability enable it to protect your floors while being highly resistant to staining.
Choose from a variety of colors: From earth tones to bold, vivid colors, you can choose from a host of different colors for your garage.
Minimize flaws and defects: Epoxy coatings have a smooth finish that hides flaws and imperfections that often exist in older garage floors.
An eco-friendly choice: Epoxy coatings require little in the way of raw materials and last for years, thereby preserving resources.

2) Install Garage Shelving

The path to a neat, organized garage begins with organized storage space. Installing shelving in your garage is one of the best ways to maximize space and minimize clutter in your garage. Garage shelving also enables you to make use of space on higher sections of your garage walls. Advantages of garage shelving include the following:

Protection: Storing your belongings on shelves keeps them off the floor where they are more vulnerable to moisture and pests.
A wide selection of materials: You can choose from prefabricated shelving, metal racks, wooden shelves, plastic shelving, and other options.
Many shapes, sizes, and colors: Depending on your storage needs and garage space, you can select shelves that are small, large, narrow, or wide.
Aesthetically pleasing: Shelves help keep your garage free of clutter and presentable to visitors.

3) Stock Up on Storage Boxes

Once you have your shelves in place, you can begin filling them with your possessions. Storage boxes can be easily stored on garage shelves and can help you maximize space by enabling you to stack them. Here are a few tips to help you keep your boxes organized:

Stack according to need and accessibility: Place boxes containing rarely used items on the highest shelves or on the bottom of a large stack.
Label each box: You can avoid a lot of searching and frustration by labeling the contents of each box. Remember to leave the label facing out.
Consider plastic storage bins: If your new home is in a humid area or prone to pest infestations, you may wish to switch over to plastic bins.

4) Mount Garage Hooks

Garage hooks provide a convenient way to organize a variety of items. They are available at most department stores and hardware stores, and are available in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors to accommodate your tools and garage space. Prices start at just a few dollars for smaller hooks and the majority of models can be installed in a matter of minutes.

5) Store All Your Tools in a Tool Chest

Few things are more frustrating than needing a hammer or screwdriver and being unable to find it. Homeowners are not always the best about keeping their tools organized and properly stored. They may use kitchen drawers, mudroom cubbies, or laundry room shelves as storage spaces, which can make tools difficult to track down when they are needed in the future. A tool chest eliminates these pitfalls while offering the following benefits:

A central solution: A tool chest provides a single location for all your tools so you know exactly where to go to find them.
Protection: Many of today’s tool chests have a locking mechanism to help keep high ticket tools safe and secure.
Organization: Tool chests often feature small bins and drawers for key accessories and components such as drill bits and nails.

6) Invest in an Air Compressor

Driving a vehicle with tires that aren’t properly inflated is dangerous and can affect your vehicle’s performance. But it’s not uncommon for drivers to head out the door anyway and pay to put air in their tires at the nearest gas station. Once you invest in an air compressor, you don’t have to worry about taking this risk. Investing in an air compressor for your garage offers the following advantages:

Utility: You can easily fill the tires on your vehicles, trailers, ATVs, motorcycles, and bikes to keep them ready for use on the road.
Cost savings: You can avoid paying the fees that many gas and service stations charge to use their public air compressors.
A small footprint: Advances in technology enable compressors to accomplish more with a smaller footprint, using little garage space.

7) Update Your Garage Lighting

Your gorgeous updated garage will look even better once you improve your outdated lighting. Many garages still have their original lighting sources, which often use incandescent or fluorescent bulbs. This type of lighting is inefficient and costly, as bulbs need to be replaced frequently. Incandescent bulbs also emit a lot of heat, which can make them difficult to work under. Switching to LED lighting offers long-term cost savings, as well as the following advantages:

Improved energy efficiency
Enhanced visibility
Cooler lighting
Adjustable

8) Boost Your Comfort with a Heater or Fan

Now that your garage is starting to look great from top to bottom, it’s time to make it feel great. This is especially important if you live in an area marked by extreme temperatures or seasonal fluctuations. Today’s best garage heaters are portable, low-maintenance, and affordable, with prices starting just over $100. You can expect to pay a bit more for systems that offer both heating and cooling properties, but you can conserve space in your garage by investing in an all-in-one unit.

9) Mount a Retractable Extension Cord

Retractable extension cords are an especially welcome addition for homeowners who would like to use their garage to complete woodworking projects or restore vehicles. You can find models that sell in the $100 range, though some models with optional features may cost more. Here are some benefits of retractable extension cords:

Easy to mount: Most people can mount a retractable extension cord quickly and easily on their own. You can even find videos online.
A hassle-free design: A retractable cord eliminates the hassle of gathering, coiling, and storing long cords each time you use them.
Fast access to power: With a retractable extension cord, you can have access to power from any location in your garage.

Final Thoughts

By introducing the changes above, you can make the most of your new home’s garage without breaking the bank. But don’t forget the importance of maintaining your garage. Set aside one or two days per year to walk through your garage and do the following:

Declutter: Remove old boxes, broken tools, and unused items from your shelves to create space.
Clean your floors: You can keep your epoxy floors looking like new by cleaning them with a solution of ammonia and warm water.
Take inventory of your tools: Go through your tool chest at least once each year to make sure all of your tools are present and intact.

Keeping your garage neat, clean, and organized doesn’t have to be difficult or costly. By starting off on the right foot when you move into your new home, you can turn your garage into the best-kept space on your property.

Picture this… You just crawled into bed with your favorite book and you’ve got your pillows in just the right spot. Then, moments later, you realize you left the heater on too high of a setting and forgot to turn the lights off downstairs. Now you have to get up, adjust the heater and walk back upstairs only to attempt to find that peace and comfort you had achieved only moments before. It’s a common occurrence across the country, but it doesn’t have to be. Home automation is now more common, and more affordable, than ever before.

While home automation once seemed like something straight out of Star Trek or another Sci-Fi series, recent years have seen astounding technological advances that have begun to fundamentally alter the way things work in our homes.

Essentially, home automation refers to devices, appliances, and systems that connect and can be controlled remotely. When you bring the technology in your home together through a central network, this is often referred to as a “connected home.” For instance, home automation can allow you to connect your home’s thermostat, locks, TVs, and even your appliances to the internet, allowing you to control all of these devices from a central hub in your home, or even from a home automation app on your smartphone.

Let’s take a look at how home automation can change the way you live!

Manage All of Your Devices From One Location

Perhaps the greatest benefit that smart home automation provides is the ability to control all of your devices from one location. That’s right. No more headaches from losing all of those remotes that just seem to always find their way in between the cushions. Smart devices allow you to connect to, and control, your gadgets and appliances wirelessly from your phone, removing the need for additional cords and controllers.

Convenience

We couldn’t understate the convenience of a home automation system if we wanted to. Imagine having control of your entire home at the palms of your hands. Forgot to lock the door? No problem. Left the light on downstairs? Turn it off with your phone. The list of convenient benefits remains endless! And remember, you can utilize these features from anywhere with an internet connection! Feel like checking in on your pets during the workday? No problem.

Increase Energy Efficiency

In addition to being convenient, home automation can also help to save you money. While home automation allows you to control devices and appliances throughout your home from your smartphone, making your daily life easier, these systems can also be controlled when you are out of the house. This gives you the freedom to check on systems in your home and alter their settings when you are on the go, saving you money on your energy bill.

In your hurry to get out of the house in the morning, you may forget to turn off your heater, the TV, or the coffee maker. Prior to home automation, these mistakes could end up costing you money. However, with home automation, you can check the status of these systems remotely wherever you are, and even get notifications when things are left on at odd hours.

No More Fumbling for Keys

Home automation can also provide you with added security by allowing you to do away with traditional keys. Upgrading the locks around your home to smart locks can add convenience by allowing you to enter and exit your home without the need for a key, which can be copied or stolen. This means no more fumbling with keys when your hands are full of groceries, or worrying about how you will get inside if you forget your keys. As long as you have your phone with you, you will have the convenience of keyless access to your home.

Upgrading to smart locks can also improve your home’s safety, as eliminating the need for a physical key makes it harder for people to break into your home. The fact is that keys are easy to misplace, and if you lose your key, you may have to replace your locks to prevent a break-in. With smart locks, you can forgo physical keys, allowing you to have one less thing to worry about.

If you travel frequently and rely on friends and family to house sit, this often means creating multiple duplicate house keys to give to people, or leaving a key hidden somewhere where a burglar may find it. Neither option is perfect, as many people are uncomfortable having multiple copies of their house keys floating around. Fortunately, smart locks take the stress out of letting people house sit. You can simply create a temporary virtual key that your house sitters can use to access your home for a predetermined amount of time, and you will even be able to see when they enter and exit your home. For additional security when you are not at home, you can check to make sure that all of the doors have been locked when your house sitter leaves.

Help for The Forgetful

If you often find yourself forgetting to close the garage door, lock the front door, or even turn off the oven when you leave the house, then home automation could benefit your safety and peace-of-mind. The fact is that when we are on the go, it is easy to forget things; however, there is nothing worse than the sense of dread one feels when they get to work only to realize that they did not secure their home properly.

Instead of having to rush home on your lunch break, or call a neighbor to have them check on your home, you can use your home automation system to ensure everything is properly secured. From your phone, you can close your garage door, lock the front door, and turn off all the lights and appliances throughout your home. While you may discover that everything was already secure, home automation gives you peace-of-mind as it makes it easy for you to check on your home from wherever you are.

Integrated Security System

Of course, no home automation system is complete without a modern home security system. However, while these systems used to be complicated and expensive to set up and maintain, these systems are now more affordable and user-friendly than ever before. These fully integrated home security systems can easily be accessed from your phone, allowing you to check security camera footage and arm/disarm the system remotely from wherever you are. You can easily check to see if the kids made it home from school or keep an eye on elderly family members. This gives you complete control over your home’s security.

Worry-Free Vacations

By now, you have likely realized the many ways in which the smart features we have discussed could give you peace-of-mind when going out of town. Not only does home automation make it easy to let in house sitters, check your home’s security, and ensure that your HVAC system and appliances are off, but it also gives you the ability to create the illusion that you are home. With smart lighting and motorized window treatments, you can create the appearance of activity in your home throughout the day, which can help to deter potential burglars. When coupled with integrated home security systems, home automation helps to ensure that your home is safe, and you are able to relax when you go away on vacation.

No longer considered to be a luxury for the rich and famous, home automation is truly revolutionizing the way people go about their daily routines. With properly integrated smart home technology, you can control systems throughout your home from a single device no matter where you are, giving homeowners access to convenience and security like never before. Feel free to contact us to learn more about how a home automation app could change the way you live as well as for advice on how to integrate smart technology into your home.

Posts Categorized: Homeowner Tips

9 Simple Ways to Transform Your Garage in Your New Home