Garage Remodelling Tips
By making an addition to your garage you can add to the living space in your house, no matter what type of garage you own: detached or attached to the house. The space above the garage can be converted into a private living space for your older child, guests or a live-in parent. You can convert your garage into your home office. You could very well find here the peace and quiet needed for your work. Also, the new addition can be converted into a music studio if you put some simple sound proofing measures into place.
In order to start planning for your garage addition, first prepare a budget and then hire a professional because this is a complex project. Also, you may need to hire an architect to help you with the construction plans.
Five steps to a clean garage workshop
You park your car in the driveway and you still have to work on your projects in the back yard. If you don’t use your garage for its designed purpose, why not turn it into a tidy workshop? Here are five steps to turn your garage in a perfect small home workshop:
1) Create your own workbench from an old door,s ome sawhorses or scrap wood.
2) Mount a pegboard on the wall to store your tools. It would be a great idea to mount it above your workbench. Strategically place pegs according to the type of tools you will be placing on the board. After hanging your tools, trace around them with a marker so you will know where each one goes.
3) Use old jars for holding nails, nuts, bolts and screws.
4) Make a storage box for the rags because they tend to accumulate in the working area.
5) Use a small tackle box for transporting items such as screws and nails as you move around the shop.
Gadgets for your garage
If you spend a lot of your time at home in your garage or if you want a clean and organized garage you need a few gadgets. Garage gadgets come in many forms and for different purposes.
For example a stop light for parking may come in handy for someone who has a problem with depth perception or for someone who comes home late from work and is very tired. If you have such problems, you need this tool. It is easy to install and use and it helps you to park the car in the same spot every time when the motion sensors are triggered.
If you need space on the walls next to the door, you can mount a garage door opener on the ceiling above the door to eliminate chains.
Bike storage is ideal in a garage for “hanging” your bike on a wall so you have easy access to it with the advantage of having more clear space in the garage.
If you have a lot more items in your garage than you really have Room for or the walls are full of shelves and cabinets, you definitely need additional storage devices like an overhead storage system mounted directly on the ceiling.
Garage doors
There are four basic types of garage doors and three types of materials commonly used to construct these doors.
If a traditional look is desired for the garage, then the side hung garage door is the usual solution. Side-hung doors can be fitted directly on a wood frame or on bricks.
Another type of garage door is the sectional garage door. These doors are perfect where the space in front of the garage is limited because they open vertically. They are perfect for a new garage that is intended to have an aesthetic appeal.
Similar to sectional garage doors are the roller doors. The door rolls up inside a drum above the opening of the garage door. Also there is no need to allow any room inside or out to operate the door so it would be well suited for limited space
in front of the garage.
The last type of door is the most common one, up and over garage door. This is the most popular type. They can be manufactured from timber, steel and GPR materials. They can also be manual or automatic and they are relatively easy to install.
The new generation of garage doors is reasonably priced, safe and easy to install and they are no longer a convenience for only a select few. You should consider changing your garage door if it is too old or if it has an old motor or pulley system.
The garage doors can be selected by the type of the chain System they use: screw-drive system, chain drive system or computer controlled system. The screw drive system has a mechanism that moves the length of a steel rod; it is a lifting mechanism that is mounted in your garage ceiling. The chain drive system is made of a chain that moves the door along a pair of tracks; this is the most common and affordable system but also has the disadvantage of being extremely noisy. The computer drive mechanism doesn’t use any screws or chains; the system’s body is mounted above the door.
The speed and the type of power are other factors used in selecting a new garage door. A faster door means a more expensive one, but this feature reduces the waiting time on your driveway. Even though it opens quickly, a door usually closes pretty slow for safety. The power of the motor is important in choosing a door because it
has to have enough power to raise the door; a large motor is likely to last longer. Also the quietness of the motor should be another decision factor.
Enhanced security features can be found in a newer generation door that uses random codes. A new random code is generated each time the remote control is used to open the garage door. This security code prevents you from opening another garage and vice versa. The remote control may be found in several models with a different
number of buttons. A multiple button remote control is the best choice for someone who has several garages. The fixed controller is mounted on the wall either inside or outside, near the garage door and it allows the garage door to open without a remote controller. The keypad allows to close the door for a specific period of time and
it provides enough time to exit the garage without running.
Safety features are present on every garage door. These features prevent the door from crushing objects or people by reversing the direction if it hits something. This safety feature is triggered by an electronic beam and it is mandated by law. A computer-controlled mechanism can detect or compensate for varying conditions, for example if the door is coming in contact with an obstruction or is closing too fast.
