Common Garage Renovations You May Find Yourself Needing

A garage renovation can improve your home, add its value, create a new space for the kids to play, and give you plenty of other benefits. Some common garage renovations are easy enough to do by yourself, while others are a bit more involving and need a professional’s help. Read on for some ideas of common garage renovations you may like to do as well as tips on how to go about them most effectively.

Beginning A Garage Renovation

Ask yourself a few questions including how you intend to use the space- will you turn it into a different room altogether or keep it as a garage? What aesthetics do you hope to achieve, and do you have the necessary tools and materials or will you need to seek help from remodeling contractors? Finally, how much on average do you plan on spending?

These questions will help you get a good idea of how to go about the renovation, and this in turn will make it faster and less stressful to perform. Don’t overestimate your skill and become one among nearly 40% of homeowners who regret taking on a remodeling project.

Also, make sure to choose quality when getting things like coating for your garage floor which will look good and last long. The same goes for shelving and cabinets that you choose, which need to be strong and fit well with the theme of your garage.

Finally, it is important that the solutions you pick are flexible enough for different storage needs you may have in the future. Remember that children grow up, people move out, and new items are bought while old ones get sold. Do not have permanent fixtures that will call for full renovations again when change occurs.

Common Garage Repairs

Common garage renovations, as mentioned before, range from simple to more complex ones. Because the garage is a pretty basic space, repairs you may need in the space include lighting issues and problems with the garage door.

For lighting or electrical problems in your garage, simply call an electrician to evaluate what the matter is. Electrocution is a serious thing, and you want to avoid it at all costs so unless you have proper training in electrical fixtures, it’s best to leave this to an expert.

Problems with garage doors are common, and they include:

• Problems with sensors can cause your garage doors to start behaving erratically such as closing or opening halfway. The sensors are operated with the help of optical eyes located near the door which serve as safety devices, preventing the doors from closing on pets, people, and other obstructions. These sensors may be out of alignment or need calibration, something that garage door services can help with.
• Wear and tear of the rollers responsible for opening or closing the doors. They help by guiding the doors along the tracks. This can make the doors close or open jerkily, or even completely fail to open or close. If you are handy enough, you can probably change them up yourself. Otherwise, it is best to get help from a professional.
• Breakage of the cables that apply force to the door during opening and closing. They may wear down or break over time, making your garage door hang unevenly or sag while opening or closing. The door may also fail to stay open, posing a serious risk when you consider how heavy garage doors normally are. For this, it is also best to seek the help of a professional who will bring necessary equipment as well as extra helping hands if necessary.
• Worn or broken torsion springs which safely lift and lower the garage door, which is usually quite heavy. Just as is the case with electrical problems, this is an issue best left to professionals because these springs are usually very powerful and loaded under immense pressure.

Cleaning Out The Garage

The garage is a great space to use for personal storage, but this predisposes it to hosting a lot of unnecessary things. Another one of the common garage renovations you can perform, junk removal is one you may prefer to do yourself.

You can follow these steps to get it done fast and efficiently, after which your main aim will be keeping it clutter-free.

Start by getting everything off the floor and if necessary, install shelf or ceiling storage to get more room for important items. Sweep and vacuum the entire garage, and wipe down all surfaces with a mixture containing detergent and disinfectant to remove stains and prevent mold.

Next, sort through the items in your garage to make sure you’re not hoarding things you have no use for. Sell, recycle, and donate any item you have not used in the past year. This will help you keep only the things you actually use. Throw away broken things and outdated items that may hold a sentimental value but cost a lot to repair.

Get bags or boxes to store the items in, and label them diligently. For the items you keep, make sure that similar items are placed together, so it is easy to find things by label and by association. Toxic or volatile substances will also need to be kept by themselves to avoid destroying other items in the garage.

A tidy garage will be easier to physically renovate when you need to, so things like door replacement and floor repair won’t be unnecessarily complicated to do. When planning any renovation, tidying up should be one of the first things on your list.

Don’t Forget About The Driveway

If your driveway is cracking or crumbling from the effects of harsh weather and use over a long time, it is possible to repair it as it’s one more of the common garage renovations you can undertake. It is the first impression of your home after all, and a neat driveway presents a good aesthetic to anyone visiting your home or just passing by.

Concrete driveways can crack due to bad weather, bad placement, or the use of an improperly compacted subgrade. They can also become unsightly if they are not sealed or get sealed too often, as the right duration is once every three to four years. If the damage is not structural, though, repairing them is a great option. A professional can help you find out the cause of the damage and a proper solution to it.

Asphalt driveways can also get damaged over time. As the most common material for driveways, asphalt is simple enough to repair yourself by using asphalt crack filler, asphalt paste patch, or asphalt cold patch depending on the size of the cracks or holes being repaired. Extremely large holes will be best dealt with by a contractor so that the fix is done right and you don’t have to repair the driveway every summer.

A good idea is to seal your driveway after repairing it. And do it the recommended way to avoid regular asphalt repair. This is because it may be hard to repair well enough, and as the damage increases, it gets costlier to fix. If you choose to do the fix yourself, always follow the instructions of the manufacturer whose product you are using for the repair.

With any crack and fill repair, the first step is always to clean the spot to be filled thoroughly because dirt and materials in the crack may affect how well the repair substance bonds.

Does Your Garage Need A New Roof?

Roofing is an important part of your garage, just like the rest of your house. Things you keep in the garage including your car, tools, and equipment need protection from the elements.

Depending on whether your garage is detached from the house or not, you may either have to fully replace it as opposed to repairing it. A good roofing contractor will guide you on what to do after they have taken a look at the damage to your roof.

For A-frame or higher pitch roofs, repairs are trickier and more expensive. These are common in older houses, or houses built originally with a garage meaning the garage was not an addition made to existing construction. A leaking roof may cause water to travel down the rafters and walls of the garage, meaning you have to repair more than just the roof.

Flat roofs are generally cheaper to repair as they are often constructed with cheaper materials. They are, however, also harder to partially repair unless the damage is over a relatively small area. More damage calls for a full replacement of the roof. If the roof has reached 10 years, it may also need to be replaced because this is the average lifespan for flat roofs.

A yearly roof inspection should be enough to help identify any issues that need repairs done. Small problems that could have been fixed easily enough can grow over time and lead to something that could have been avoided if it was caught earlier.

Consider the Landscaping

If you are thinking of giving a serious boost to your entire garage area and not just the garage space, landscaping the surrounding area is the best thing you can do. The area around your garage may be plain, narrow, and sloped, making it unappealing.

A few ideas that could work for this area include:

• Adding flower trellises with vines and other climbing plants like wisteria, climbing roses, and jasmine will give character to the area. Yard fertilizing companies will help your plants thrive in case the soil is not fertile enough, and subsequent treatments may be affordable and easy to do yourself.
• Plant blooming perennial plants like sedum, coneflower, hosta, coreopsis, and more in window boxes or pots, and they will offer color through all seasons from spring to fall.
• You can also plant evergreen shrubs that need low maintenance and will add color around your garage. Boxwood and camellia are great examples of some hardy evergreens you can plant.
• Adding lighting can also enhance the garage’s landscape, especially at night. Gorgeous, detailed holders for your lights will enable them to add a decorative feature during the day when the lights won’t be noticeable.
• A water feature will not only be a cool landscaping option, but it will also make the area gorgeous and serene while adding a visual dimension. This can be anything from an antique fountain to a more modern waterfall structure, whatever space allows.

Some tips to use include simplicity because if you add too many different elements, they may detract from what you are trying to achieve. Make sure that the enhancements you add bring more attention to the focal point which may be the door or any other unique point.

Tree removal services can help clear and open up the space surrounding your garage. This has the added advantage of letting light through and brightening the space up. The whole appearance of the area will change and you won’t have to deal with falling leaves or have the risk of a falling tree destroying your property.

Finally, make sure that the additions you get don’t end up being obstructions to people and interfere with the flow of traffic in and around the garage.

While this list of common garage renovations is not exhaustive, it should be a basis for starting renovations, or at least help point out some areas you may need to look at. A beautiful and clean garage will not only increase the value of your home, but will also give you peace of mind whenever you get home or start a weekend project in the space.