Originally posted on Porch.com
If you are pressed for space and looking for a way to improve your home, look no further than your garage. This flexible space can do much more than just hold your car, and sometimes the best thing to do is park by the curb and use your garage in other, more creative ways. With the holiday season right around the corner, there has never been a better time to do a little home improvement, and the garage is a great place to start. Whether you convert the entire space and kick your cars to the curb or just use part of the garage, you can increase the living area inside your home and even increase its value, all for far less than the cost of a formal room addition. Here are 10 amazing garage conversion ideas you can complete before the holiday season is over.
#1. A Guest Room Worthy of Company
The holidays will be here before you know it, and when they arrive, so will a house full of relatives. If you want to put your in-laws and assorted other relatives up in style, why not transform your humble garage into a stunning guest room?
By the time you are done with the remodeling project, your garage will be all but unrecognizable. Instead of housing an automobile, your new guest room can house your relatives hotel-style, all without the cost or inconvenience of a hotel stay. You can dress up the space any way you like, with plenty of room for a comfy bed, attractive chairs, and even a TV mounted on the wall.
#2. A Home Gym for Your Post-Holiday Workouts
If your New Year's resolution is to lose those holiday pounds, why not get a head start on your goals by transforming your garage into a home gym? For less than the cost of a full year's gym membership, you can outfit your former garage with workout benches, a high-quality treadmill, and maybe even one of those souped-up exercise bikes.
Transforming your garage into a workout space can give you a double benefit - you are sure to work up a sweat as you move all those boxes and bring in all that exercise equipment. When you are done, you can sit back and relax, at least until tomorrow's scheduled workout.
#3. Stop Paying for That Storage Unit
These days people have so much stuff that they rent tiny apartments for their extraneous possessions. These pint-sized apartments, in the form of storage units, are big business, and you may even have one of your own.
If you are tired of spending hundreds of dollars a month just so your stuff can have a home, why not bring those items into the garage and save the dough? Depending on how much stuff you have, you may be able to combine this transformation with some of the others on our list. If not, at least your stuff will have a rent-free home.
#4. A Workshop Worthy of Your Dreams
If you are a budding handyman (or woman), you will need a place to pursue your passions and continue your craft. Transforming your existing garage into a workshop or woodshop has many important benefits compared to building a standalone shed in your backyard, starting with the fact that there is already light and electricity in the space.
Even a small garage will have plenty of space for a table saw, lathe, and other woodworking tools, and handy homeowners can even line the walls with pegboard to keep their tools within easy reach. And if you can use your new workshop to make home improvements, the transformation could pay for itself in no time.
#5. Get Away From It All with a Man Cave
You work hard to keep a roof over your family's head and food on their plates, and sometimes you just need to get away. If retreating to the den or heading down to the basement for some alone time is no longer cutting it, just take a look at the space your car calls home.
A garage can make an exceptional, and exceptionally roomy, man cave, with plenty of room to stretch out, relax, and watch the big game. You can even add a mini-fridge stocked with beer and snacks and invite a few of your man caveless friends over for the weekend.
#6. Relax and Unwind in Your Own She Shed
The "she shed" is the female equivalent of the man cave, and it too can be accommodated by your current garage. A she-shed can be designed any way you want it, part home spa, part relaxing oasis, and part TV room.
No matter how you design it, you will love your finished "she shed". Transforming your garage into a space just for you is not selfish - it is a great way to keep peace in the family.
#7. Be More Productive with a Home Office
With so many people now working from home, having a great home office has never been more important. Unfortunately, however, many telecommuters are working from bedrooms, basements, and even closets, and that can hinder their productivity and even put their jobs at risk.
If you want a home office worthy of a Zoom meeting, not to mention a generous tax deduction, look no further than your garage. Just think about how great your new home office will look once all the clutter has been cleared out and your ergonomically designed desk has been installed. In no time at all, you will be the star of the virtual office, all thanks to your garage transformation.
#8. Relax With a Home Sauna or Hot Tub
If you have always wanted a hot tub or sauna but do not relish the walk across your cold back yard, now you can enjoy the best of both worlds. With a few relatively simple upgrades you can transform your humble garage into a place of rest and relaxation, all for less than a stay at a fancy resort.
Even if you have to run an extra water line or upgrade your electrical outlets, you can transform your garage into an amazing home spa, complete with sauna, hot tub, steam shower, or anything else that strikes your fancy. If you are looking for rest and relaxation, you cannot go wrong with this great garage transformation.
#9. A Playroom for Your Kids
If your kids are driving you crazy and getting in the way of your at-home workday, why not give them their own separate play space? Transforming your garage into a playroom for the kids is a great idea, especially if you have a house full of little ones.
The beauty of this garage transformation is that it can grow with your kids. You can use chalk to paint hopscotch squares on the garage floor when your kids are young, then bring in makeup tables, video game consoles, and other age-appropriate accessories as they get older.
#10. Give Your Teen Some Growing Space
Having a teenager in the house can be stressful, especially when you are pressed for space. If your teen is grumbling about a lack of room and a dearth of privacy, why not give them their own apartment?
All you need to create that separate living space is an unused garage, and when you are done your teen may be so thankful that they will happily take out the trash. Even if that dream does not come true, you can ask the teenager in your life to help out with the garage transformation, moving boxes, putting away extra items, and dragging their furniture out from the house.
No matter what the size of the home, many families are finding that there is simply not enough space to go around. The needs of a growing family can eat up those extra rooms pretty quickly, and paying for an addition is not always an option, and even if it is that kind of extensive home improvement project could take months to complete and upend your normal family routine.
If you are looking for an easier, and much less expensive, way to add space to your home, why not start with the space you already have? Whether you have a one-car garage or a spacious two-car abode, that spare room in the making is just begging for a transformation.
Now that you know how many hats your garage can wear, it is time to get started. Just stand at the precipice of the existing space, close your eyes and picture how wonderful your garage could be. Whether you turn the garage into a tax-deductible home office, a private space for the teenager in the home, or a gym with no membership required, you can turn your sweat equity and vision into exceptional and long-lasting home improvement.
