Many homeowners view their garage simply as a place to store their car when it is not in use. However, other homeowners look at their garage with much grander expectations. Garages have been used as a place to perform work or to provide additional living space in the home. More and more homeowners have also become conscious of the fact garage upgrades and renovations are a great way to add value to the price of a home.

Heavy garage doors that must be opened manually are not very appealing to potential homebuyers. Homeowners interested in maintaining the value of their home should install fully automatic garage doors if the garage does not already have one. At the very least, heavy garage doors that must be opened manually should be switched out in favor of lighter, aluminum doors.

A new garage door can provide a significant increase to the bottom line of a home when it is time to sale. Homeowners should consider replacing a garage door with a color that goes well with the house.

If your garage is attached to your home and you live in an area that experiences extreme weather conditions, it is a good idea to insulate the ceilings and walls of the garage. This will help you better control the climate inside your garage and offer protection for you and your car against the weather.

In addition to providing relief from the heat and cold, insulation will also provide a barrier between the inside of your home and the noise that is present outside your home. There are multiple types of insulation to choose from and you should find the insulation type that best suits your garage. You can also add weather stripping to the sides and bottom of your garage door to obtain additional protection against drafts from outside.

You should also take measures to assure proper ventilation in the garage. This will prevent carbon monoxide fumes from seeping into your home. You can purchase a carbon monoxide detector to alert you to any potentially dangerous situations regarding the toxic gas.

It is common practice to store objects that are out of season or not in use in garages. However, cluttering the garage spaces with boxes of old clothes, old bicycles, and broken appliances may send the wrong message to a buyer interested in your house. The buyer may feel there is insufficient storage space inside the home.

It is suggested that homeowners use plastic bins to house these unused items. Once the bins are filled, they should be labeled and placed onto shelves. A little additional shelf space can do wonders for increasing the number of items that can be neatly stored so if there are not enough shelves present in the garage, you should add a few.

One solution is to install wire shelves along the walls of the garage. You can also purchase shelves that stand on their own and are specifically designed to work with large plastic bins. You should always be careful that these freestanding shelves are attached to the wall securely so that they do not fall over and injure anyone.

Motion sensor lights are excellent selections for a garage. If your garage already has motion sensor lights but they are not bright enough, consider adding a few more lights to the space. Adequate lighting in a garage is not just a matter of aesthetics but also provides for better work efficiency and safety for your family.

Traditional fluorescent lighting is more than adequate for most garage space. It is important to remember that some fluorescent lights will not function properly when the weather dips beneath a certain temperature. You should choose lights that are sufficient for the coldest temperatures expected in your garage. Temperature guidelines should be written on the ballast.

There are a number of projects available to the homeowner that wants to upgrade their garage floor. Some possibilities are the addition of a floor cover that attaches itself to the garage floor, adding tiles to the floor, or choosing to apply epoxy shield paint.

Painting your garage floor with an epoxy finish will cause it to become easier to keep clean. The finish will prevent any oil or other fluids that may leak from your car from staining the floor. Epoxy finish is also great for adding a shine to the floor that will attract the eye of potential buyers.

Some homeowners also like the idea of making their garage floors slip-proof. There are two ways this objective can be obtained. The first way is to texture the concrete in a way that prevents slipping or sliding along the surface of the floor. The second method to slip-proof a garage is to add a gritty substance to the floor's surface.

Sometimes homeowners find functional space is sparse in their garage. One solution to this space is to add a car lift in your garage. A car lift will provide the means to basically store two cars with the same amount of space. No major renovation is needed and car lifts are excellent ways to store boats, hobby cars, and seasonal vehicles without the high cost of paying for storage elsewhere.

A car lift is a novel addition to a garage that packs a great aesthetic punch. Potential buyers of your home will be impressed with the upgrade.

If your garage is a place you like to work, there are a number of additions you can make to the garage to make so that you are more comfortable while you work. An anti-fatigue mat placed in front of the main area of work is a good first step. These mats are commonly used in industrial workplaces where workers spend a great deal of the day on their feet. A good anti-fatigue mat will decrease the amount of fatigue in your legs and preserve your ankles and feet while installing louvers, scoops, and other accessories.

A wall-mount fan is excellent for keeping the garage cool in the summer months. You can outfit these fans with motion sensors that will assure the fan comes on whenever you enter the garage. These upgrades will definitely catch the eye of potential homebuyers who also see the garage as a great place to perform work and indulge in their hobbies.

It is suggested that two wall outlets per wall should be present in your garage up to a total of six for a one car garage. If your garage does not possess this number of outlets it is a good idea to hire an electrician to make this upgrade. The cost of adding these outlets is relatively minimal but could have a huge impact on the sale price of your home.

Many home experts believe that garages which are partially outfitted to double as things like painting rooms or craft shops not only fail to add value to the price of the home but may actually decrease the sale price of your home. This fact is especially true if the buyer considering the home does not agree with the vision you possess for the garage.

When considering the sale of your home, it is probably best if the main use for your garage is storing cars that are not being used by you or a family member. The prospective buyer can provide his own vision for the space if necessary after the home is purchased.

Space in a house is always at a premium. One way to gain extra living space in your home is to build an additional bedroom above the garage. Bedrooms built over a garage add significant value to the home because they offer great curb appeal and are often large bedroom spaces. These bedrooms add even more value when they contain a full bathroom.

You might need a professional to take a look to determine if the structure and framing of the garage can bear the weight of the new bedroom before construction begins. Other factors to consider when building a bedroom above a garage is fire safety, insulation, and plumbing.

All the interior changes in the world will not add value to a home whose garage looks old, junky, or dilapidated outside. Most buyers form their impression of a house before they ever step through the front door. A failure on your part to tidy up around the outside of a home can discourage them before they fully consider all the great features your home has to offer them.

Your garage can play many more roles than a simple storage space for a car that is not in use. These uses can add functional improvements to your home as well as provide the home with improved aesthetics. However, if planned correctly, all of these upgrades are capable of adding significant value to the price your home can command if you later choose to offer it for sale.

Source: 11 Improvements To Your Garage That Will Add Value To Your Home Realty Times (July 25, 2024) Vincent Stokes