One of the best projects that you should tackle for home renovation this year is remodeling your garage. If you’ve looked it over, but you aren’t sure where to start, there are some garage door conversion ideas below that will give your garage a facelift. It can also make your home and garage a much safer environment for you and your family. Keep reading to see what you need to do for those
Update the Garage Door
The first part of any garage door conversion idea is to update the garage door first and foremost. If you have an old door that has seen better days, it’s time to take a look at the inventory offered by a garage door company. Many of these garage doors have undergone damage for a while due to weather or accidents, and over time, they aren’t serving much of a purpose if they aren’t working properly, or the doors are bent beyond help. In these cases, it may be time for garage door repair and what works best for you. A garage door can now be made from steel, aluminum vinyl, and fiberglass. Many homes are looking to make that durable switch to either aluminum or fiberglass as a way to have a modern look and also have a good quality garage door.
In the past, vinyl was preferred, but that has since changed with so many homes going to different siding options for their exterior. Other parts of the garage door that need to be mended are the garage door spring replacement. This can keep the door from operating properly, and if you have a relatively new door, then you need to make sure you just have this part replaced. There isn’t a reason to have the whole door replaced for a whole new spring if the door isn’t causing any safety concerns.
Install a Garage Door Opener
If you haven’t already made the switch, it’s time to get a garage door opener in your car so that you’re able to open your garage safely when you pull up. If possible, have this garage door opener programmed to your security system, so it knows when you’re pulling up and to not set the alarm off when you come in. If you have an old garage door opener that’s over five years old, it’s time to have it replaced. At this point, hackers have been able to find ways around these openers, and there could be safety concerns. One that’s more updated is what you need to manage protection.
You should always keep your garage door with you when you switch vehicles and so you can get back in the garage, even on vacation. If you happen to lose a garage door opener, then you’ll need a contractor to come back out. They’ll have to reprogram the opener so that if it’s stolen, that person won’t be able to use it and get into the home. These garage door conversion ideas are great for making your day-to-day activities easier.
Add Insulation
When your home was built, it’s likely that insulation was last on the list of priorities. Garages that don’t have insulation are very cold or hot, and they aren’t a pleasure to enjoy. With insulation installed by insulation contractors, you can finally start managing the temperature in your garage better. This means that it will be more energy efficient, not allowing warm air to escape or cool air to escape. This will also allow you to repurpose your garage, and use it for future events.
When these contractors come in to do the insulation, most will provide spray foam insulation services, which allows them to get behind plywood and spray, and still allow this to be a multi-use space. This spray foam will help hold in the preferred temperature, so if you’re out there with a heater, it won’t start escaping or need a lot of power like it would if it wasn’t insulated.
Add Electricity
Having lights in your garage is important to its conversion. This allows you to do work out there, host events, or just sit with the doors open and enjoy the view of the neighborhood. Electricity is meant to be a safety feature, so if you’re unloading your car with bags and groceries, you need to be able to see safely to get into the house with these items. Keep in mind though that trying to wire up electricity in your garage isn’t something that you should be doing, as this means messing with the electrical grid.
If you’re looking for a residential electrician service, then you need to make sure you’re hiring someone who has knowledge of garages and the home wiring grid that you have in your home. They will cut the power to your home for a while while it’s being installed, but you can add a fan and lights to the room to make it fully functional.
Remediate Stucco
Not all homes require stucco, but if yours does, then it’s on the garage door conversion ideas that you should have. Stucco remediation can be delicate and should always be handled by a contractor. Getting this material just right and using it in an area with little water is vital to its lifespan. If it’s had constant exposure to water, then you’ll see it start to crack, and you’ll find that you need a lot of repairs. When these signs start developing that means it’s time to reach out to someone.
A local stucco company will come out to your home and check on the quality of the stucco and oversee the stucco remediation. They will be able to let you know what type of repairs you’re looking at, and what to expect during this process. It could be a lengthy process, depending on whether they’re doing a touch-up on the stucco, or they’re just redoing the whole thing altogether. Try these garage door conversion ideas to upgrade your home.
Install New Siding
Trying to decide on new siding for your garage isn’t that difficult unless you’ve recently changed the rest of your home’s exterior. If you have or are planning to, you’ll want to consult with a local siding contractor to see what your options are for this area. Some homes are staying with the traditional vinyl and brick, but others are moving more to the board and batten. These can all be added to your home, and your garage should match, especially if it’s attached to the home.
If you have a detached garage, you have some room to make some different decisions if you want. You can diversify your siding, which is another modern trend that’s taking off around the country. If it’s detached and you’re planning to upgrade the siding to your home in the near future anyway, go ahead and update your garage dosing to that material so you don’t have to change it again.
Install a New Roof
One of the most important parts of garage door conversion ideas is to have roofers come out and check your roof’s condition. Local roofing companies will take a look at your roof and let you know if you’re in need of a new roof, or if you need to just have a few places repaired. This is important because these services have two very different price points, so you want to be sure that you’re getting the right service. You want the most out of your current roof, but you also don’t want to leave it up there if it isn’t protecting your home. Keep in mind that if you need a new roof, you can choose from several types of roofs, instead of traditional asphalt ones with shingles.
Many garage updates are seeing that a roofing contractor will come in and utilize these new metal roofs that are durable and match the garage doors. They can be customized to match the same color and both be durable fighting against the same types of weather damage and wind that can creep up on a home. You’ll want to get a few proposals first before you move forward with one contractor and decide on it.
Install New Flooring
With the help of these garage door conversion ideas and a garage door company, you can determine what the best flooring is for your garage. Because there’s a lot of driving and storing on a garage floor, the two most common are polyuria floors and epoxy floors These floors are easy to clean and very durable for the traffic and weight that come into the garage regularly. Some opt to have cement floors, but over time, those will start to crack and break down. This means that you should make the investment first and then have a little maintenance later.
The epoxy contractor will not be as easy to find, since this is a very specialized task. When you do find this contractor, however, make sure you let them know what you’re looking for, if you want any particular designs, and give them the dimensions of your garage. They should be able to use this information to give you a quality quote about the flooring, so you know what to expect. Since these floors last though, they are considered to be worth their investment.
Add New Lighting
You may already have some lighting in your garage, but with all the new LED lights that have come out in the last decade, it’s time to take out the dingy bulbs in your garage and upgrade them to something brighter and has more of a lifespan. There are some LED lights that you can purchase that will make for great extra lighting and will just burn out after so many thousands of hours of being on. These are great if you don’t have electricity in your garage, or you don’t want to go through the process of updating what you have in place.
If you do have electricity, you can consider adding track lighting to your garage so that it goes the length of the space when you need to turn it on. Other lighting options will include those camp lights that span the perimeter of the room and are tucked up high to give an ambiance of sorts. Folks who use their garage as an entertainment space find the idea of adding new lighting appealing. It’s a safety concern to make sure you have enough lighting, so no matter whether or not you have electricity, your garage needs to have lights in it. This is one of the most prominent garage door conversion ideas trending today.
Bring In Pest Control
If you haven’t already done it, your garage remodel won’t be complete until you have pest control brought in to manage this area. If you had a garage that wasn’t insulated properly or didn’t have electricity, you need to have this space treated in case there is a potential pest infestation. This service will go through the garage, clean out any nests that were built, and eradicate the problem. Because so many folks use their garage as storage for their items outside, it can attract rodents to the area. They may even destroy the stuff you have in your garage.
Start Remodeling Your Garage
Before you tackle any of these plans, make sure you work with a local contractor to go over these plans for these garage door conversion ideas and let them know what your end goals are for this garage. They’re going to need to know how you plan to use this space, and what its main purpose will be. Even if you’re using a small area for storage, you’ll need to clarify that beforehand. Once you know what you want to do with your garage, make sure you gather a list of the contractors that you’ll need, and plan to review these contractors. You only want certified, licensed, and insured contractors at your home working on your garage. You’ll likely still keep a lot of your stuff in the garage during this renovation, so you’ll want to make sure it’s protected and that it’s still there after the job is done. Remodeling your garage with these garage door conversion ideas can guarantee you satisfaction.