A garage addition Does our older child need a little more liberty? Your work from home or maybe you just feel that you need another room for a special project that you want to start? Then the solution is to construct a new addition to your garage. By making an addition to your garage you can add to the living space in your house, no matter what type of garage you own: detached or attached to the house. The space above the garage can be converted into a private living space for your older child, guests or a live-in parent. You can convert your garage into your home office. You could very well find here the peace and quiet needed for your work. Also, the new addition can be converted into a music studio if you put some simple sound proofing measures into place. In order to start planning for your garage addition, first prepare a budget and then hire a professional because this is a complex project. Also, you may need to hire an architect to help you with the construction plans. (word count 183)

Five steps to a clean garage workshop You park your car in the driveway and you still have to work on your projects in the back yard. If you don’t use your garage for its designed purpose, why not turn it into a tidy workshop? Here are five steps to turn your garage in a perfect small home workshop: 1) Create your own workbench from an old door, s ome sawhorses or scrap wood. 2) Mount a pegboard on the wall to store your tools. It would be a great idea to mount it above your workbench. Strategically place pegs according to the type of tools you will be placing on the board. After hanging your tools, trace around them with a marker so you will know where each one goes. 3) Use old jars for holding nails, nuts, bolts and screws. 4) Make a storage box for the rags because they tend to accumulate in the working area. 5) Use a small tackle box for transporting items such as screws and nails as you move around the shop. (word count 174)

Gadgets for your garage If you spend a lot of your time at home in your garage or if you want a clean and organized garage you need a few gadgets. Garage gadgets come in many forms and for different purposes. For example a stop light for parking may come in handy for someone who has a problem with depth perception or for someone who comes home late from work and is very tired. If you have such problems, you need this tool. It is easy to install and use and it helps you to park the car in the same spot every time when the motion sensors are triggered. If you need space on the walls next to the door, you can mount a garage door opener on the ceiling above the door to eliminate chains. Bike storage is ideal in a garage for “hanging” your bike on a wall so you have easy access to it with the advantage of having more clear space in the garage. If you have a lot more items in your garage than you really have Room for or the walls are full of shelves and cabinets, you definitely need additional storage devices like an overhead storage system mounted directly on the ceiling. (word count 209)

Garage doors There are four basic types of garage doors and three types of materials commonly used to construct these doors. If a traditional look is desired for the garage, then the side hung garage door is the usual solution. Side-hung doors can be fitted directly on a wood frame or on bricks. Another type of garage door is the sectional garage door. These doors are perfect where the space in front of the garage is limited because they open vertically. They are perfect for a new garage that is intended to have an aesthetic appeal. Similar to sectional garage doors are the roller doors. The door rolls up inside a drum above the opening of the garage door. Also there is no need to allow any room inside or out to operate the door so it would be well suited for limited space in front of the garage. The last type of door is the most common one, up and over garage door. This is the most popular type. They can be manufactured from timber, steel and GPR materials. They can also be manual or automatic and they are relatively easy to install. (word count 200)

Garage facelift You would probably ask yourself why do you need a facelift for your garage. It is only a garage! But what if you have a two or more cars garage? The garage doors take up a significant portion of the front of the house. What is the use in having a great design for your house but having only generic garage doors? Nowadays the garage door trends are to incorporate the doors into the design of the house. For example you could choose carriage-style doors(look like they open like old-fashioned doors in carriage houses, but they open like normal garage doors) or you could choose wood carriage doors. These wood carriage doors are reminiscences of the horse-drawn carriage days and they are very popular. You don’t need to go as far as to order custom made garage doors because you can find more appealing garage doors at most home improvement stores. In addition to the doors, the floor of a garage gives style and can integrate to the overall aesthetics of your house. You could try interlocking garage floor tiles that come in multiple colors and patterns. They are made of polypropylene and are easy to install and clean. Another interesting and practical flooring is the coin shaped G-flooring. (word count 211)

Garage flat roof Whether you have an old garage or if you construct a new one you should take into consideration the quality and the type of roof that you choose for your garage. You might encounter problems with a home inspector if you don’t have an adequate roof for your garage. He may cite your garage. And of course you want to make sure you have a stable and reliable roof that can face a massive rainfall. A flat roof with sagged joists allows rainwater to pool at the center, rather than draining toward the roof edges. This is a common problem and it affects nearly all the so-called flat roofs. Having an insufficient roof slope promotes standing pools of rainwater and this increases the likelihood of leakage as the roof becomes older. Roof drains should be installed at each low point of the roof. Since the roof joists have sagged it seems that they were not designed to support accumulated water. Therefore if you can add drains at the lower points of the roof it could prolong the life of your roof. (word count 178)

Garage floor remodeling The garage is a very important part of your house. It is not only the room where you keep your car but it can be used also as a storeroom. In the garage you keep things that you do not use everyday or things that you want to dispose of later on. Sporting equipment is usually stored in your garage. Also, a lot of people use the garage as a laundry, a workshop or even as a home office. The growing importance of the garage has increased the number of remodeled garages through the past years. Garages are becoming an integral part of the house. One of the things that need to be changed when planning to remodel your garage is the floor. Concrete floors serve the purpose of flooring but do not look good, even if you paint it, the floor will look bare. It is best to have a garage expert adviser to do the job. The best type of garage floor is made of specially formulated polyvinyl, this special material for flooring conceals cracks and protects the floor from getting stained. This flooring protects the floor from accidental spills: oil, battery acid, grease and any other dirt that gets into your garage. By making a few minor changes to your garage you can transform it into an attractive storage room. (word count 219)

Garage materialism is growing Ever since the first suburbs were built, the garage became a measure of the financial prosperity of a family. At first there was one, then two, but now four garages are becoming the newest form of decadence in home building. A real estate agent would say that people have a log of gear and items these days so there is a huge demand for a place to store them. These garages, in some instances, may be larger than many apartments, housing more cars than ever. The third and maybe fourth family car is a necessity for families where kids stay home longer and the restrictions on street parking are one of the factors that point towards building larger garages. Moreover, every man has his love for the “toys” such as boats, jet skis, motorcycles, bikes, power tools and workbenches and these “toys” need storage. A look into a three or four car garage may reveal tools, bikes, sporting gear, a workshop and a 25-foot boat. This visual degradation of the suburban landscape is an aspect of materialism that won’t stop turning any time soon. Not everybody likes this trend. Some home builders spend the extra time and money on architectural plans that can split these huge expanses of square footage into opposite sides of the house. A problem that appears here is the problem of the house’s design after this transformation. The most aesthetical are the back- loading garages but they require the use of the backyard space for turning radiuses. Side-loading garages need wider home sites but can make the front of the house look enormous. With the current rising costs for land, in many areas this is not feasible in the long run. This is a sign of a mega-materialism, that is: if one is good five is better so more and more people understand only one thing: that a garage is not good unless it is as big as a basketball court. When will it stop? Are we going to have the house attached to a garage ten times bigger than the house? Maybe it would be better for everyone to think twice before making such a commitment when buying a house attached to the garage. Maybe it would be better if people would care about the simpler and more basic things in life than owning a four car garage. (word count 404)

Garage rubber flooring If you are considering remodeling you garage you might consider choosing a rubber flooring for your garage. This is an inexpensive option for general purpose flooring: most common uses include parking vehicles on the rubber flooring, converting the garage space into a play area or into a workout room. Parking your car on a recycled rubber matting is the least common use for this product because of two major inconveniences: recycled rubber tire products have very little resistance to petroleum products so an oil leak could seriously damage the floor; the melting point of this type of flooring is relatively low, in extreme circumstances the heat from the tires can be sufficient to melt the tires into the mat. If planning to remodel for your garage and you also have changing the flooring in mind, it is important to know the primary function that you need your floor to fulfill. If you are going to convert your garage into a dog- house, the rubber flooring would provide insulation against extreme temperatures of the cement as well as an extra cushioning. Also you must consider the ease of maintenance for this type of flooring. For a home theater, a rubber flooring is desired to reduce the noise transmission. (word count 209)

Garage spring cleanup Imagine a beautiful spring day. You want to go biking, go fishing or even enjoy a picnic with your family. When you enter your garage to gather your gear and head to having fun you have a tremendous surprise: your stuff is all over the place, on the floor, messed up in corners, misplaced in various drawers. Organizing your garage is as easy as figuring out where to start. The first thing is to purchase some cabinets, some shelves and hammer a series of nails into the walls. The storing and sorting goes as follows. Categorize each object and place it in a place specially designed for it. For example sporting gear should be placed in a cabinet or on some shelves, tools should be placed in drawers or hung on to some peg boards. Be ruthless about throwing away and don’t think twice before you throw away anything that you haven’t used recently or anything that’s broken. If you haven’t repaired it yet, chances are you won’t repair it. Seasonal gear should also be sorted, boots and out-of- season coats should be organized in small closets. After you finish organizing, sorting and throwing away unwanted items you will be surprised to see your garage floor and corners again. Maybe your car will fit in the garage again. (word count 223)

Garage storing – shelves A garage is the perfect home for all sorts of items and activities from storing sporting equipment to tools and machines; and it’s original purpose for car parking to activities like a home-office, a gym or a workshop. If your garage is only used for storage rather than other activities it really needs some shelves for organization. Usually garage shelves can be found in two main forms: site-built and prefabricated. Site-built shelves are usually less expensive and allow you to adapt the sizes to the space available. You can find everything that you need at the local home center, lumber yard, discount store or hardware store. One of the basics of the garage shelves is made of a simple piece of ѕ” plywood or a length of 1x or 2x lumber on a set of heavy-duty shelf brackets. This is mounted by attaching the brackets to the studs directly using long screws then by attaching the shelf to the brackets. To strengthen the shelf you can add a brace at each stud. Another type of shelves are the floor-supported ones. One method is to run vertical 2x4s every 50 inches and resting them on the floor and attaching them to the rafters or ceiling joists at the top. In addition, the 2x4s are run horizontally on edge between the uprights then a particleboard is used to create the shelve. The most commonly used dimensions are 19-25 inches for depth and the spacing between 2x4s is usually on 25 inches but of course, these sizes can be changed to accommodate the size of the items that you are storing. For storing small items you should take into consideration the space between the studs. By attaching a series of 1x2 strips horizontally to the inside edges of two adjacent studs approximately 6 inches apart, cutting some 1x4 and 1x6 pieces of lumber and fitting them between studs and slipping them on top of the 1x2s you can create some small adjustable shelves. These are great for jars, cans and bottles and also for other small and light items. The small shelves are great for organizing and storing screws and nails. The best choice when building prefabricated garage shelves is Steel shelving. Plastic shelving may be enough for storing light Weight items but in time you may need something more resistant for storing heavier items. One disadvantage of the steel shelving is that they cannot be cut to size so they have standard widths, depths and heights so you have to choose something that fits within your available space. Adjustability is another important consideration in prefabricated shelving. Prefabricated shelves should be adjustable to at least two different locations within the shelving framework and also the pins for adjusting should be heavy duty and should have something in place for preventing them from working loose or becoming accidentally dislodged. Another thing to be taken into consideration when opting for prefabricated shelves, especially those designed for heavy loads, is that they may require a wall attachment or other support against tipping. (word count 511)

Improved storage – your garage One of the most important storage areas of a home is the garage. Because the space it offers is limited it should be used efficiently. So the garage is a prime candidate for storage improvements. Of course you have many options for improving the storage in your garage. One of the options is to buy a modular storage kit. This can have parts and components that you can mix and match together and can solve many storage problems. Another option would be to build your own storage solution. If you have too many items that you keep in your garage maybe a modular storage kit cannot provide you the needed solution. The improvements made to your storage may help you reduce clutter, store seasonal items in a more conveniently way and improve organization. Cabinets, shelves, wall-mounted racks and plastic containers are the most popular types of garage storage and organization solutions. Cabinets work well for protecting their contents from moisture and dust. Shelves save space more efficiently but the most affordable solution are the wall-mounted racks. Clear plastics containers help you to store several items and allow you to see the contents. (word count 196)

Insulating you garage You recently bought a house that has a bedroom addition above the garage but it is not insulated. Adding insulation should make those rooms more comfortable and save on energy bills. There are several options for insulating above the garage. Depending on the local building codes, the size of the area, whether you decide to hire a professional or do it yourself and maybe the most important factor is your budget. If you have a sheet rocked garage, the fastest way would be to have blown-in insulation installed behind the sheetrock. A fair warning here, the blown-in insulation may be expensive if your garage is small. If your garage is not sheet rocked you have to install lame-spread rated batt insulation and cover it with sheetrock. First check your local building codes for the requirements of the thickness of the sheetrock for garages including fire safety rules. The lack of smoke detectors in a garage and the possible storage of flammable and combustible liquids can cause a garage to be considered a hazardous space. This is the reason why you should contact a local contractor to help you in insulating this space. (word count 193)

Major garage transformation One of the most commonly encountered questions when thinking about converting your garage for a new use is the warmth of the floor. Whether you are choosing to convert your garage into a spacious home office or to convert it into a gym room, you have to take into consideration some improvements for your floor. Since the garage has a concrete and uninsulated floor you should focus on making it warmer and more resilient. Furring up the floor with wood and plywood can accomplish both tasks. As a warning, you should use pressure-treated wood or protect the wood which is in contact with the concrete by placing a layer of felt paper between the wood and the concrete. First of all measure and determine how much you want to raise the floor. All garage floors have some amount of slope from the back wall to the wall with the garage door in it to allow the water runoff. To achieve a level floor you will have to adjust the joists, for this if you are placing the joists perpendicular to the slope in the floor each of them would have to be ripped down or shimmed up and if the joists are parallel to the slope, you can rip them on a taper or use shims to level them. Ok, you finished remodeling the floors, now it’s time to examine your walls. You might be surprised to find out that your walls are not even with the foundation they sit on. They may be set back from the foundation or maybe overhang it in other areas. Only one step will solve these problems: selecting a lumber size that is deep enough to extend the framing past the concrete. By notching each end of the furring strip and attaching one strip to the face of each wall stud will result in an even wall that completely hides the foundation. Also it will be deep enough for the R-21 wall insulation, this type of insulation being the most common code requirement. When remodeling the walls and the floor several obstructions may appear. Obstructions like pipes, ducts, wires and other impediments to smooth walls may exist. For small obstructions such as wires or small pipes you could adjust the furring strips enough to accommodate them. The solution for larger obstructions is to box around them. If the obstruction is a water heater or something that you will need access to, you can frame it in and enclose it on three sides and then provide a removable access panel for the fourth side. A building permit may be required for a garage make over. Of course all the methods presented here are purely theoretical and only for guidance. All garages are different and some adjustments to the used methods or materials may be required in order to accommodate to your garage. (word count 482)

Music studio in a garage Music is your hobby and you want to practice with your band. The only available place that you can think of is your garage but you also have neighbors that must not be disturbed while you are practicing. The only solution to use your garage as a music studio is to soundproof it or build a small studio in one corner of the garage. For this you need to use two existing garage walls and build another two new walls on an angle to improve the acoustics of the studio. After measuring the angle you will have to anchor sole plates to the garage floor and frame the first new wall. After finishing the framing for the second wall and adding a door to this one you have to insulate the garage walls to help deaden the sounds. Next you will hang drywall on the new walls and patch the seams. The final layer of sound-deadening material will be applied to the walls and to the ceiling. This layer is made of some secondhand carpeting. After applying these carpets you can cover them with some strip boards pinned onto the wall with nails. (word count 195)