It’s a no-brainer that most homes have a garage. Although the garage is for parking your car, statistics from 2015, carried out by GarageWorks, indicate that one in four Americans have too much clutter in their garage to fit their vehicles. The study is a bit old, but habits die hard. Not much has changed today.
1. Your Garage Has Extra Space. Make Use of It
Some homes come with a one-car garage space, and on average, that measures 12 feet by 24 feet. Other popular sizes are 14 by 22 feet and 16 by 24 feet. Some garages can hold two cars, 18 by 20 feet, while three-car garages could be as spacious as 32 by 22 feet long. The bigger the garage, the better you can utilize the space creatively.
The garage is the forgotten space in the home, only remembered when there’s nowhere else to store or dump one more item. As seasons come and go, the room takes in the clutter as gardening tools are pulled out in the spring or outdoor furniture is shoved back in after the summer. Over time, it becomes one messy corner into which access is even harder. Yet, when you remodel your garage, it can take a life of its own, becoming a useful resource that can birth unique, world-changing business ideas.
Several notable global IT companies, such as Apple Computers, HP Computer, and Amazon all started off in the garage. It all started on 5th July 1994, when Jeff Bezos launched what became the largest online bookseller, Amazon, from his garage in Bellevue, Washington. How about remodeling your garage space into a mini- Montessori school for your kids? Who knows, it could be the next center of excellence, a safe place for children’s experiments!
2. Kids Enjoy Playing In Bigger Spaces
Ready to remodel your garage and create space for the next world changers? Your garage could be waiting for just that! Let’s get to transforming it. No promises that the process will be as easy, but certainly, there’ll be fruit from your efforts. While at it, you could call a few house remodelers for new ideas to add to yours. They’ll visit your garage, inspect your facility, and offer more ideas on making it a makeover.
For a start, declutter your garage by removing unnecessary items you’ve stored over the years. Sort the furniture, the hardware spares, tires, bags of clothes, shoes, old bikes, books, everything. Take them out of the garage space, and sort them into groups of items, such as those you can donate, items you must trash away, and what you want to keep. As a rule of thumb, any items in your home you’ve not used in the last three months are unnecessary and should go. Think of donating the stuff to a local charity. Someone will be grateful you did. Next in the quest to remodel your garage is mapping out where you want to put up the playroom for your kids. You can use just a section of the garage space.
3. Engage Home Building Professionals Around You
The professional home builder helps give ideas on what interventions will best suit your idea. They can advise on how to fix the garage doors to make them safe for kids’ play. A residential garage door may be so neglected that it doesn’t close properly or makes too much noise when opening, which can be extremely annoying. Ensure the garage door repair is entered in the consultant’s notebook to fix the door nuisance early. Issues such as rollers, panels, garage tracks, and general customizing of the door should be done early, with the kids’ safety in mind.
4. Safer Floors Mean Fewer Accidents
As soon as the clutter is gone, the adventure of remodeling your garage will take off in high gear. The space is now available – the walls, the floor, the lighting, and so much more. Many garages are victims of oil spills, cracks due to tools left around carelessly, or random paints gone bad on the surface.
The garage floor should not be treated with less care. Carefully consider several flooring options before settling on one. Ensure repair of the broken, chipped, and cracked areas, bearing in mind that children will be the main users of this space. Clean out the oil and grease stains, or else they’ll find their way and show up on the flooring material you intend to spread on the floor. Another concern should be to check the moisture issues and any leakages likely to mess up the flooring and address them.
Start by giving your garage floor a major wash. Clean it systematically before fixing the floor covering. Start removing unnecessary bumps and air spots that may need repair soon. Consider the purpose your floor will serve, and in this case, your vision is for a little Montessori school where your kids will be spending lots of time. The flooring should therefore be easy to clean, not slippery, and comfortable for the feet.
Vinyl flooring is relatively easy to buy and install and has an aesthetic feel with its timber appearance giving it a natural feel. Vinyl flooring is also a good choice for a floor where the traffic into the room is light. This type of floor is prone to frequent repairs due to too much activity in the garage. Insulating makes it usable during the cold seasons. Consider controlling moisture to avoid damaging the surface flooring material you’ll use. The kids will be happy to use a warm and soft floor for their little feet, so consider adding soft and safe flooring materials like carpets or foam tiles. This will also cushion the children against tripping and falling, making the play area more enjoyable.
5. A Garage Can Accommodate More Kids’ Stuff
Beyond the floor, take a long, hard look at the walls, as they are crucial if you want to remodel your garage. Garage walls look empty and spacious as if waiting for something to be hooked onto them. As you keep working towards creating a kids’ playroom, the walls are useful for storing items that would have otherwise taken up floor space.
Since we know this will be a children’s playroom, the walls will be useful for storage space. The toys, books, and other tools children are likely to use will need a place to rest when not in use. Children can reach wall shelves, and shelves that are strong enough to hold items are suitable. Include drywall over your insulation covering to keep your garage room above freezing during winter.
It’s a requirement in most homes to install fire-rated drywall, so it’s good to find out from the home builder or building inspector what the requirements in your area are. A drywall for your garage comes with benefits such as increased value of your property. If you wish to one day sell your home, a potential buyer will likely notice the base work done on the garage walls.
Drywall makes the garage more comfortable by keeping it above freezing during cold months and ensuring hot air doesn’t come in during the hot seasons. Adding wiring and electrical outlets as needed with drywall is easier because it neatly hides wiring than on bare concrete surfaces.
6. The garage Is The Place To Experiment With Brighter Colors
Your new playpen can do with a coat of paint. If you want to remodel your garage as a kids’ playroom, paint it in children-friendly colors. Kids generally feel more energized in brightly colored spaces, and this may not go too well with your living room, where you want to relax after a long day. That’s why a garage is a great option.
For the paint job exercise, involve the kids in suggesting the best colors to grace their new playroom’s walls. Children will undoubtedly be happy with bright colors. A painting company can then take over and do its magic! They’ll wash over every part of the garage you want painted, even the garage doors and the roof. Beyond a coat of paint, the walls could do with colorful decorations such as posters and hanging lights.
Remember to include a chalkboard on one of the walls to remodel your garage. A chalkboard can inspire children’s creative juices, as they will pick up chalks to draw, doodle, and practice their writing. You’ll be surprised what a board can do to eager learners!
7. There Are Endless Ideas To Explore
What if you have no garage? Other options include using a container crate to give the kids a safe place to play. This is an excellent choice if you have extra space outdoors. A homeowner with a large garden space can use a shipping container and remodeling ideas for the garage space to make a nice playpen for the children. A container garage needs a level and solid surface where the container will be laid. A concrete slab works as a good foundation for the container. Also, choose a container with an entryway wide enough if you need a portion of the space to park your car.
To remodel your garage, always keep the repiping services in mind, as this is one of the critical expenses of home ownership. During the remodel, inspect your home’s entire plumbing system. Repiping is a major investment in your home’s plumbing, especially if you are overhauling the entire plumbing. You’d do well to call repiping service experts for an overview of what’s expected and the estimated cost of the whole exercise.
Installing new pipes could mean renovating rooms other than the garage. The process will also involve moving the furniture around and covering the décor and furniture to protect them from dirt and damage. Repiping can take a few days to complete.
Some of it can go on for over a week. Hence, this is something to factor in should you remodel your garage. It may also involve cutting into drywall, a perfect reason for repiping as early as possible. Your home builder will devise a work timeline to ensure a seamless experience. Bring in an inspector to check and approve the finished work.
8. Kids Can Put Their Psychomotor Skills To Use
The journey to remodel your garage into a little Montessori school is nearly done! At this point, the appropriate toys and equipment still need to be included. Children can be very mobile. You’ll need enough space to accommodate their movements. Add a climbing wall on a sturdy and safe surface and a sensory play area with materials such as grains, textured balls, and fidget toys, and include activities such as sand play areas.
A sand pit attracts children’s attention. They can spend long hours building their castles on it. After noisy play, a child will enjoy a quiet spot to relax and unwind. You can create this spot thoughtfully by incorporating comfortable seating, soft lighting, and soft music. It can also be a good spot for quiet play and daytime naps.
9. Kids Get a Sense of Independence at Home
Having a children’s corner identifies the space as theirs, which is quite liberating. They don’t have to keep removing their toys from the sofa when adults come to use the living room. They can spread around their wares and dream away in their world, their make-believe world of toys and immersive learning.
As the remodeling is underway, the kids should contribute ideas to personalize their playroom and meet their needs. Incorporate plenty of storage shelves and boxes, tables and chairs for their make-believe events and parties, enough pencils, colors, and other fun items they’ll need to incorporate into their learning, plus so much more.
10. Kids Learn Teamwork
Ensure to get your kids’ input to win their trust and cooperation, and also so they can own the garage remodeling project. Remember that childhood days are the most memorable moments in their lives, and sometimes in yours as well. As a parent, ensure your children create special moments in your garage. Who knows, there could be a Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, or Mark Zuckerberg sitting in your garage playing with toys, preparing the way for the next big thing?
There are more reasons to remodel your garage into a kid’s playroom, but these ten are enough to get you going. The goal is to make it as safe and exciting as possible for children to look forward to playtime. Ultimately, your repurposed garage could be the breeding ground for the next Steve Jobs!