Guide To Putting Your Garage In A Good Use (Even If You Don't Have A Car)

The humble garage is something found on most single family homes all across the United States.  At first mention, you might think of a damp, dusty and utilitarian space that serves little more purpose than storing your car or the past fifteen years worth of Christmas decorations you pull out at the end of November.  Not much thought goes into how else to utilize the space, unless you decide to get creative.  Why not repurpose your garage for something new and exciting?

We’ve put this article together in the hopes that it may inspire uses for that sad and dusty place called a garage that you may not have taken into consideration before.  Go ahead and read on about the ways to make use of your garage (that don’t involve storing your car) and see if it inspires you to try something new.

Image Credit: Elite Garage Door Of Lynnwood

1.       THE MAN CAVE

Let’s start off with the most obvious one as it’s probably the one that you’ve heard of through TV, the movies, the radio or your friends.  The Man Cave is the be-all, end-all of personal space.  Whether you’re a sports nut, a rare collectible aficionado or the ultimate ‘geek’, the man cave is your place where you can be unapologetically YOU.

With some simple fixes and elbow grease, you can lay down custom flooring to hide the ugly concrete beneath while providing some cushioning for your feet.  Deck out the walls with your favorite posters or display your rare collectibles while you lounge on that used sofa you bought from your neighbor’s yard sale and watch the big game on your Wall Sized smart TV.  There’s no limit to what you can do when you want your space to reflect who you are.

2.       THE WORKSHOP

A more practical use of the garage would be to utilize your space for a personal workshop.  If you have power tools and table saws, you’ll need all the space you can get to organize and arrange you space so that you can focus on what matters.  Utilizing custom shelving, you can have your materials at the ready to cut, rip, and sand down into whatever project you’re working on.  Just remember to have a good shop-vac handy to clean up the mess.

3.       THE PERSONAL GYM

Why spend your hard earned money on a fitness club every month when you can have one in your own home?  Lay down some high quality rubber flooring and setup your equipment for an efficient workout routine whenever you need it.  You can store your weights and loose equipment along the walls while leaving the main floor open for the heavy lifting stations and equipment that might be too bulky for the living room.

4.       THE RECORDING STUDIO

Who doesn’t want to be a rock star, right?  With some acoustic tiles and creative use of black paint and hairspray, you can convert your garage into your own personal recording studio.  Jam out with your bandmates or lay down your demo tracks to upload to your website.  Even if you don’t play that often, you’ll at least have a space dedicated to your passion with all your favorite band posters cheering you on.

Daily practice is key to mastering any instrument so even if you just rock out on the weekends, your son or daughter in the school band will also have a nice space to practice without disturbing the rest of the house.  You could also setup your video camera and make quality content for your DIY YouTube channel if you wish.  The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

5.       THE PLAY AREA

This is one application that often goes overlooked but can make a parent’s life easier.  Too often your little ones will run around the house and be at risk of tripping over power cables, running into hard coffee tables or otherwise hurting themselves.  Kids are active and they play with passion, but what if you had a dedicated space where they can expend that energy safely while protecting your great grandmother’s heirloom dinner plates from crashing to the ground?

The garage has plenty of space available for a playroom but you need to prepare it properly.  Putting up soft walls and laying down child friendly play mats are a must if you want a safe and functional playroom.  You can also get creative with storage bins for all the toys sure to be strewn about in the aftermath of a child’s wild imaginary adventures.  With some simple video camera setup, you can safely monitor your children from the next room if need be, though we would certainly recommend staying with them at all times.

You see, the boring old garage, once thought of as a place to store your car and your unwanted junk has so much more potential than most people realize.  You only need imagination, a budget you can stick to and a plan and you can convert your garage into something truly special!

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