UPSCALE GARAGES

Garages are turning into much more than the unsightly, utilitarian place to store cars and lawnmowers. They are becoming the final frontier of the organized home, the new luxury space to be remodeled into a warm and inviting room.

15% of new homes have a garage large enough for 3 cars or more. As a result, garages are highly visible, often accounting for more than 40% of a home’s exterior face. We most often come and go from our house through the garage doors, and when the overhead door is up, people instinctively come through it to knock on our door, making the garage – rather than the front door – the gateway to our home.

This explains why the garage is graduating from the largest, most underutilized “room” in the house to a highly flexible space available for multiple activities. By adding insulation, HVAC, plumbing and task lighting, the garage is a room with endless possibilities. Changes include:

Innovations in overhead door design can bring a pleasing, coordinated look to what makes up a large portion of your home’s front façade.

Using ceiling space for overhead storage is a smart way to gain square footage.

Unused ceiling space can also be turned into a loft area. Endless possibilities for this “bonus room” include a lady’s hobby and craft room, a guy’s hangout room with TV and stereo or an exercise area for the whole family.

The traditional workbench area can expand into an intricately organized system with extensive options for configuration and cabinet finishes.

Along with painting or paneling the walls, flooring changes the look and feel of a garage. Advanced floor coatings and coverings make for easy clean up to avoid tracking dirt into the home.

And let’s not forget that the garage still remains the domain of the car. For those who work on their vehicles, installing lights in the floor is the ultimate luxury.

Another useful item is the motorized lift, making home car repairs and oil changes a breeze.

To house multiple vehicles, increasing the depth of your garage is an option, as well as overhead platforms which use vertical space to gain extra space.

Other ideas for remodeling your garage into a multi-use space include: walk-in storage closet, laundry room, shower, home elevator access, pet room and mud room. Your garage could be the answer to many space and lifestyle needs.

Here is a garage project we did that completely changed the appearance of their home.  Have the Mosby architects and designers help you imagine the possibilities by calling 314.909.1800 or contacting us here.

Learn the Art of Living at CallMosby.com.

Tags: garage remodeling, overhead garage doors, upscale garage

This entry was posted on Friday, January 26th, 2007 at 10:34 am and is filed under garages & driveways. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.