Your garage may be your favorite place in your Bloomington, Indianapolis home. Many homeowners use their garages for far more than vehicle storage. Some have used them to create functional offices and workout rooms; others have turned them into comprehensive workshops for their favorite hobbies. No matter how you use your garage or how often you visit it, investing in improvements in this area is guaranteed to grow the value of your property. The right upgrades will set your home apart from comparable houses in your neighborhood, boost its resale price, and increase its marketability. Following are eight amazing ways to modernize your garage with breathtaking results.

1. Build on Top of Your Garage

Depending upon your garage’s general design, you may have the option of building on top of it. Do you want the extra cushion of a passive income source but aren’t quite ready to take on the extra debt load that buying a rental property entails? The top of your garage is a great place for a functional in-law unit. It could also be the perfect location for your home office, dance studio, art studio, or music recording studio. If you’ve got the time, you can complete this Herculean project in small, manageable phases. (Make sure to check your local zoning laws and HOA guidelines, as each area has different requirements for home additions.)

2. Establish a Multi-Layered Lighting Plan

Not every garage upgrade is as ambitious as building another unit on top of your garage. One of the best ways to upgrade your garage is by investing in a multi-layered lighting plan. People are using layering techniques to produce universal and highly adaptable lighting plans on both the interior and exterior of their homes. You can use different lighting types to create task lighting, overhead lighting, adjustable lighting, and lighting that’s purely for aesthetics. This way, you can create the perfect ambiance in here just as you can everywhere else in your living environment. Whether you’re making fishing lures, showcasing your sports car, lifting weights, or watching TVs and tossing back beers with your friends, you’ll have the right level of lighting for every mood and activity.

3. Add Color to Your Garage With an Epoxy Floor Coating

Garage epoxy floor coatings are stunning, easy to maintain, and long-lasting. These pour-in-place flooring solutions take garage interiors from run-of-the-mill to downright head-turning. Available in multiple colors, styles, and designs, epoxy flooring systems can have matte or high-gloss finishes. Once yours is in, you won’t have to worry about stained concrete due to automotive fluid leaks or other spills. Best of all, epoxy floor coatings are entirely slip-resistant. Whether you’re working with engine oil, paints, or other slick, slippery materials, there’s no fear of losing your footing or facing liability issues because someone else has.

4. Take Your Garage Door to the Next Level

When you want to turn your garage into a truly unforgettable space, it’s best to start with your garage door. After all, this is the first thing that people will see when pulling up or passing by your home. There are many kinds of garage doors out there to fit into a variety of home aesthetics, such as carriage house doors for rustic farmhouse looks and more modern doors with wood-plank exteriors.

Your garage door will also determine how well-insulated your favorite space is. If you intend to spend lots of time in this area, look for garage doors that are built with high-performing, insulating materials. You can also use your garage door upgrade as an opportunity to add yet another level to your multi-layered lighting plan. There are a number of garage doors made from insulated steel that have varied window designs. You can shop by R-values or materials. You can even opt for an all-aluminum, full-view garage door that lets you see outside without letting everyone else peer in.

5. Go Vertical With Your Organizational Strategy

Even a large and undeniably spacious garage can feel cramped once everyone starts piling things in. Of all the rooms and closets in a home, garages have a tendency to become go-to dump sites for everything miscellaneous. Rather than stashing every individual item that people want to store in random areas, have a plan. If you’re looking to maintain your garage as a relatively private space or as a functional workshop, but still have to accommodate the needs and preferences of other household members, invest in an organizing system that capitalizes on all the vertical space that you have access to. Install shelves that reach or near the ceiling’s actual height. Use wall-mounted racks to hang tools and equipment or to organize random items like old blankets, camping gear, and board games.

The more time and money that you invest into creating a functional, intuitive, and easy-to-use organizing system, the easier it will be to keep your garage looking stellar all of the time.

6. Install a Ductless Mini-Split

Properly venting your garage is just as important as insulating it. This is especially true if you intend to use a portion of your indoor space for parking your vehicle. The good news is that you may be able to solve multiple problems with a single installation. Ductless mini-split heat pumps are great heating and cooling solutions for remote areas of your home that aren’t serviced by your central HVAC system. Having one put in will ensure that your garage remains both usable and enjoyable even when the outside temperatures soar or plummet. It will also give you an easy way to maintain an acceptable indoor air quality in this area. In addition to heating and cooling, ductless mini-split heat pumps also act as dehumidifiers, air filters, and air purifiers.

7. Consider Having a Solar Roof Installed

Solar panels aren’t just for primary buildings. Having a solar roof installed on your garage is an easy and effective way to offset your home’s ongoing energy use and energy costs. Although you’re unlikely to meet your household’s total energy needs with this installation, the solar energy that you do harness could be enough for powering up one or more electric cars, creating a noticeable drop in your monthly home energy bill, and significantly reducing your carbon footprint. This improvement will make it easier to manage run-off during times of heavy precipitation. Along with your new garage door, it will also supply added insulation. Moreover, if you’re especially ambitious about saving or creating your own energy, there are a number of solar installers who can show you how to use your garage to move closer to being off-grid.

8. Paint the Walls

The bare-bones, unfinished look of the typical garage certainly has its appeal, but if you’re adding epoxy flooring, a multi-layered lighting plan, and a top-tier and well-insulated garage door, you might as well give the walls special treatment too. Using a high-quality latex paint will protect these surfaces from excess moisture and from any solutions or lubricants that you use in this area. You can choose a bright, uplifting color, one that will wear well despite lots of traffic and active use, or a combination of tones that pair perfectly with your flooring and help define the room’s ambiance.

Garage Door Doctor is a trusted provider of residential and commercial garage doors throughout Bloomington, Indianapolis and the surrounding areas. Our clients can also turn to us for innovative garage door openers and garage door repairs. If you’re looking for the perfect garage door for your home improvement project, get in touch with us today.

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