Some homeowners treat their garages as holy spaces for their cars. No clutter, cars parked perfectly to shelter them from the elements. On the other hand, some homeowners use their garage as a large storage closet. It transforms into a catch all that is too cluttered to walk through. However, a majority of homeowners fall somewhere in the middle – but what’s the fun in that? There are a wide variety of alternative uses for garages available to homeowners. This “bonus room” is especially important to Floridians who lack basements. Read on to learn all about the alternative uses available to garage owners!
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A Home Gym
New Year’s Eve is just around the corner and that means resolutions about eating better and going to the gym are too. But who wants to pay expensive gym membership fees? On the other hand, who wants to exercise outdoors in the Florida heat? Avoid both and fin the middle ground in your own garage!
This transformation is pretty simple. The first step is to lay out foam or rubber matting. The matting protects the garage floor from workout equipment and human bodies from the hard garage floor. Then, plan how you want to use the space. Yoga, cardio, weightlifting…the options for a garage gym are endless. Finally, bring any necessary equipment in and add the final touches. Don’t forget a fan and place to get water to cool off after an intense work out!
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An Office
Anybody that works from home know just how hard it is to set work life boundaries. With an office in the garage it is easy to know exactly where the work begins and ends. A designated office space that doesn’t overlap with other room functions is essential to high productivity. A garage office creates the work space that is in the home, but not part of a living space.
This setup requires a little more work. Ensure that the garage has all the basics of a decent working environment: HVAC, lighting, outlets, and wi-fi. Double check that all of these are exactly perfect – nobody wants to spend hours in a sweaty office. Next, bring in the furniture necessary for your job. A majority of at-home employees need a desk, desk chair and some storage. Now go enjoy having an amazing work life balance.
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Music Studio
“Garage bands” earned the name for a reason. Garages, due to their separation from the rest of the house, make excellent mufflers. Whether the band member is you or your child, a garage studio gives the family some peace of mind. Even if the garage band is good, they probably don’t cater to the tastes of everyone in the household.
The main hurdle for garage band is a good soundproofing system. Even a few heavy blankets nailed to the wall should do the trick. Have everyone bring their own instrument and let the musical practice commence.
Join Us Again
Come back next week for the follow up to this article, where we explore even more alternative uses for garages.
