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Garage Makeovers: Getting the Ideas Going

Before starting a garage makeover, it's important to learn about all the steps you'll encounter along the way

In prior blogs, I’ve discussed how to get ready for garage floor coatings and I’ve briefly addressed how to approach a garage makeover. In this article, we'll address the questions you should be asking yourself before you start your garage makeover. Whether you are just giving the garage a quick tune-up or a complete overhaul, these questions will help to guide you to the best possible outcome. Even if you're getting ready to build a brand new garage, I’d encourage you to keep reading – I’ll help you avoid the mistakes that I (and many others) have made.

We’ll approach this garage makeover project from every angle, not just floor coatings. Before STRONGHOLD FLOORS became “flooring only", we used to install garage cabinetry and organizers, so my approach and guidance is based upon seven years of being a designer.

Garage makeovers begin with the question: What do I want from my garage?

What Do I Want From My Garage?

Before you can even begin to plan for your garage makeover, you must first ask the question,  “What do I want and need from my garage?” This question leads to more specific questions:

  1. Am I just trying to make the garage more functional for storing items?
  2. Do I want a gardening center?
  3. Am I going to store a lot of sporting, hunting, or recreational equipment?
  4. Am I going to have a refrigerator, freezer, or any other appliances in the garage?
  5. Do I want the garage to become a multi-purpose and/or multi-season room?

As you start to create a picture of how you want to use your garage, you can begin to consider the questions of how to achieve your end goal.

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What Do I Need to Consider for my Garage Makeover?

The following may seem like a lot of different questions, but I want to give you all the items you should consider.

General Garage Project Questions

  1. Do I want to approach this as a DIY project or use professionals?
  2. Do I have the expertise to do all the types of work required?
  3. What budget do I have or need to complete this project?
  4. Am I going to complete this in phases or all at once?

TIP: Sometimes, these general questions are best answered last. The more specific questions below may help to answer the questions above.

There are a ton of questions to ask before you begin your garage remodel and makeover

Garage Remodeling/Enhancement Questions

  1. Do I need to add or replace the wall or ceiling materials?
  2. Am I adding any insulation to the garage?
  3. Do I need to paint the walls and ceiling?
    1. What color for the walls?
    2. What color for the ceiling?
    3. What color for the trim?
  4. Do I need to add or replace the stairs?
  5. Am I adding or changing the garage’s lighting?
  6. Am I adding or changing the electrical outlets?
  7. Do I want to add or replace the utility sink?
  8. Am I replacing or upgrading the garage doors?
  9. Am I replacing the garage door openers?
Before starting a garage makeover, it's important to learn about all the steps you'll encounter along the way

Garage Storage, Organization, & Functionality Questions

  1. How much room is available after I park my vehicles in the garage?
  2. What items can be permanently removed from the garage?
  3. What large items do I want to store in the garage?
  4. What sports, hunting or recreational equipment do I want to store in the garage?
  5. Are there a lot of small items that I want to store?
  6. Do I want to see or hide as much of my stuff as possible?
  7. Do I want to use a wall storage system instead of drywall?
  8. Am I adding or replacing an existing garage floor coating?

How Do I Figure Out the Answers to So Many Questions?

If the questions above seem overly daunting, do not fret. I've listed several articles below that breaks some of the questions discussed here in more detail.

If you do not have the time or expertise to complete some of the garage enhancements or upgrades, there are many professionals who can assist. If your budget is limited, don't worry. You may break the project into more affordable phases. You can pursue "Do It Yourself" solutions for many of these areas.

If you want to get ideas of what is possible with a garage makeover, I suggest checking out some of our project profiles. Get a Free Quote!

NOTE: We regularly work with garage organization companies. The most common are California Closets (Central Pennsylvania and Philadelphia) and Closet Factory.

Mike Mincemoyer is the President of STRONGHOLD FLOORS. When the company was a PremierGarage franchise, Mike was the primary garage designer for their central Pennsylvania-based company.