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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.

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.

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.

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
¾ 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 1×2 strips
horizontally to the inside edges of two adjacent studs
approximately 6 inches apart, cutting some 1×4 and 1×6 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.