What are Some Tips for Making Your Garage Multipurpose?

Believe it or not, but your garage can be one of the most versatile spaces in your home.  To make it that way though, it does take some forethought and extra effort. Here in this article, we’ll walk through some of the steps you can take to ensure that you are transforming your garage into a fully optimized multipurpose area.

Why Make a Multipurpose Garage?

First, let’s focus on "the why" behind turning your garage into a multipurpose space; it would be easy to think that your garage only needs to serve one exclusive function but that doesn’t need to be the case. One major reason is to ensure that you are maximizing the space of your home.  A properly set-up and multi-use garage alleviates a lot of the clutter from within the actual interior of your home.  Those things that usually take up so much room can migrate into their proper locations within your garage which frees up tons of space and leaves your home feeling free and clear. A second major reason to turn your garage into a multipurpose space is that it can assist in maximizing your productivity.  Having space to perform work unsuited for the interior of your home is essential – can you imagine trying to build furniture; change oil; or repair power tools in your living room?  Having a properly laid out multipurpose garage will keep you sharp and focused on the task at hand. A third and final reason to create a multipurpose garage, is that it allows you to consolidate and properly organize your storage.  Going through the effort of turning your garage into a multi-use space will inevitably lead to more tidy, well-catalogued storage. Now, let’s go ahead and get into how to actually make a multipurpose garage.

Zoning

The best place to start when working to turn your garage into a multipurpose space is to create distinct zones for each component piece. Typically speaking, you'll want to have three separate areas:

• Storage Space
• Work Space
• Space for Vehicles

Each and every garage is going to be different in how this is actually set but there are a few key tips we can give you to make sure you get the best out of your zoning layout.

Organize Your Space

First, set clear delineations between different zones.  These boundaries don’t have to be hard-and-fast but they do need to be clear and deliberate enough that you can clearly discern and focus on the primary purpose of each area.  You don’t want Christmas decorations laying all over your workshop!

Logical Flow to the Layout

Second, make sure that there is a logical flow to the layout.  When doing this consider how each aspect of the garage is going to fit together.  It won’t do to have the path to your vehicle blocked by storage shelving or to have your vehicle angled in such a way that you have to slide over the hood every time you want to get to your workbench.  Spend some time thinking through what makes the most sense for what you want to accomplish.

Allocate How Much Space

Third, be intentional when allocating how much space each specific zone will receive.  Everyone will come with different needs for their multipurpose garage and it’s going to be vital to come in having clarity on this.  Some will want to maximize storage, others have many vehicles that they want to ensure are protected, and some are going to want to have large and spacious work-stations.  Regardless of the specifics, you'll want to be sure and have a plan of how much space you want to allocate to each application.

Storage Specifics

We’re going to hone into a few specifics on storage because more likely than not this is the single application that’s going to have the most need in terms of space. Start managing your storage with a firm commitment to yourself that everything related to storage will remain in its properly allocated zone; everything truly should have a distinct and specific place.   If you're finding that there’s still an overflow of excess storage material that you aren't able to keep set within your dedicated storage zone, consider reviewing your overall zone layout and pulling in additional space from another zone. You’ll also want to build out the necessary amount of cabinetry and shelving to keep pace with the amount of storage material that you have active.  Take the time to fill out your storage zone in the most efficient and productive manner as possible thinking through how you can use the floor-space, wall-space, and ceiling-space. One very helpful way to specifically use wall-space is to hang up either pegboard or slat-wall segments that you can directly hang items to.  This will minimize some of the storage burden placed on your floor-space and lead to maximizing the capacity of your storage zone.

Livability

Another key aspect of crafting a multipurpose garage space is to increase the livability of your garage.  By livability, we mean making your garage a place that's enjoyable to be in without discomfort. Here are a few primary ways you can do this:

Insulation

Insulation serves a vital role – it protects your garage from losing valuable treated air and maintains energy efficiency.  Because of this, either installing or maintaining quality insulation is absolutely key to creating and sustaining a comfortable garage.  Without getting too in-depth, currently we want to list out what some of the target R-Values (a measure of a materials insulation qualities) should be for specific applications:

• Spaces between studs - R-13 or R-15.
• Between ceiling joists - R-30 to R-38 (depending on ceiling type).
• R-8 or R-12 on the garage door.

Heating & A/C

Alongside insulation, heating and A/C are central when it comes to creating a livable garage space. For A/C, consider either integrating the garage into your existing central unit (you'll likely need to consult a licensed HVAC technician to assist in this) or look to install a window unit in a location that has good air-flow. For heating, there are a couple of options available – you can either draw from a space heater (a more mobile option) or look to install a fixed heating unit that would run via natural gas (you probably would need to consult a licensed HVAC technician to assist in the installation). We hope that these few tips would greatly assist you in transforming your garage into a highly functional multipurpose space!

Get a Multipurpose Detached Garage

If you have limited space in your garage then it's better to expand your garage size. At Danley's, we offer one car garages, two car garages and three car garages. In fact, we customize the garage space to make enough room for your car, workshops, and storage space. No matter what you choose, you'll want to go with professional garage builders who have the reputation and experience. That's why Danley's Garage World is #1 in Chicagoland for detached garage construction. Speak to a specialist and get a free quote online today.