Plenty of homeowners these days are deciding to turn their garages into liveable spaces. Closing in your garage has plenty of perks, from adding liveable square footage to increasing your property value. This renovation has endless opportunities to improve your home and quality of life. Garages are one of the easiest rooms in your house to remodel.
The best ideas for closing in your garage include turning it into an instant home addition, man cave or hobby room, home gym, entertainment center, or even a home office. The options certainly don’t stop there, though. Remodeling your garage is a simple process that instantly adds value to your home and maximizes your living space.
The decision-making process certainly doesn’t stop when choosing what type of remodel to do. There are plenty of questions that you should ask before taking on this project. What materials will you need? Should you hire a contractor? We’ll review all this and more to help you make the best choice. The benefits of converting your garage are endless.
What Are The Benefits Of Converting A Garage Door To An Entry Door?
The primary benefit of converting a garage door to an entry door is creating more living space. Many homeowners have started ditching traditional garages in favor of an extra room. Converting the garage is the cheapest way to maximize your home’s entertainment square footage.
Ditching the garage does not necessarily mean abandoning your car’s shelter. There are plenty of inexpensive pop-up car shelters on the market, so you can have an extra room without forfeiting your vehicle’s protection.
Beyond useability, converting your garage can add property value to your home and increase the selling point.
How Does Garage Door Conversion Add Value To Your Home?
Plenty of homebuyers are hunting for as much living space as possible, so having a finished garage may be a significant perk. Increasing the useable square footage on the housing market can push your home above the cusp and make selling it easy.
Property value aside, having an extra room can add value to your life. It provides an escape from your housemates, an additional entertainment area, or even a new bedroom or in-law suite. The options are endless, and an empty, finished garage is a blank canvas.
5 Garage Conversion Ideas That Will Increase Your Home’s Value
Designing your closed-in garage can yield maximum benefits for homeowners. The best part: you can be as creative as you want and make this room the extra addition that you’ve always dreamed of.
There are hundreds of things that you can do with a closed in garage, but don’t get overwhelmed. People choose to close in their garages for many reasons, but some are certainly more popular than others.
Some of the best ways to increase your home’s value include turning your garage into an instant home addition, hobby room or man cave, home gym, entertainment center, or home office.
Instant Home Addition
Closing in your garage instantly gives you another room in your house. Often, garages are rectangular rooms with high ceilings and extensive square footage. It is quite literally a blank canvas ready to be reinvented.
This home addition can be a range of things. If you can imagine it, chances are you can fit it into your remodeled garage. The only question once you’ve decided on something is how to decorate.
Hobby Room/ Man Cave
A finished garage is the perfect place to create a hobby room or man cave. A hobby room can be a place to show off collectibles, but nowadays, it is more like a craft room. No matter your hobby, you deserve a dedicated space in the house to do it. The garage can become an excellent area for crafts, sewing, painting, or gaming.
Man caves aren’t just for men anymore. Anyone can have a dedicated room in their home to take a break and do their favorite activities. A garage is an excellent room to turn into a lounge space with a couch, TV, computer, fridge, and so much more.
Renovating your garage into a man cave is the perfect choice if you find yourself needing some dedicated space away from your housemates.
Home Gym
Home gyms are growing in popularity, with the price of equipment becoming a better investment than a gym membership. The garage is a perfect space to set up a home gym with everything you need to stay fit.
Imagine being able to hit the gym without leaving your house. You’ll never have to wait for equip,ent again. A home gym in the garage opens up this opportunity and can help you transform your figure.Once your garage is insulated and ready, add a treadmill, elliptical, weights, and more of your favorite equipment.
Home Entertainment Center
Closing in your garage opens up a world of opportunity to add more entertainment space to your home. You could turn this into another sitting area with a fridge, couches, and a wet bar. Or better yet, turn your garage into the ultimate entertainment center with all the bells and whistles.
Many homeowners have taken the blank canvas of their garages and remodeled them into entertainment oases. Add a movie projector, comfortable seating, and game tables like pool and foosball. People of all ages will love the space. It also gives everyone a dedicated area to hang out and entertain guests.
Home Office
Work-from-home jobs are becoming increasingly popular. You deserve a dedicated space in your home to work distraction-free. The garage is the perfect room to transform into a home office.
Give the space a clean and relaxing finish, and decorate as much as you want. Some popular furniture pieces for your office include a comfortable desk and chair, a bookshelf, and even a couch for mid-day relaxation. Once you’re mind is made up, all you need to do is renovate.
How To Close In Your Garage Door
So you’ve decided what to do to your garage. Now what? There are various ways to close in a garage depending on the look you want and how you would like to use the space.
Most homeowners who redo their garage choose to remove the traditional garage door. There are ways to keep it in the remodel. However, this can diminish insulation and make the room feel like less of an enclosed space. We recommend renovating the door or turning it into a wall.
There are a handful of ways to go about this. You can convert the garage door opening into a wall, leave the door and build a wall behind it, or replace the preexisting garage door with a standard entry door and windows.
Convert The Garage Door Opening Into A Wall
Converting the garage door into a wall is the most popular solution homeowners take in transforming their garage into a living space. It is relatively simple, as the framing is already intact for most homeowners.
The first step in turning the garage door opening into a wall is removing the door as well as the opening levers that come with it. Once you have a blank space, you can start installing the drywall.
Build a new soleplate across the opening, and once that is attached, frame it with lumber. If you want windows or doors, make sure to frame those. Apply sheathing and siding to the exterior wall, and you’re done.
One of the biggest perks of this method is that it gives your garage the homeliest feel. It will appear like any other room in your home with drywall and enclosed space.
One of the negatives of this method is that it can get complicated if you are not experienced with home improvement. Before taking it on yourself, consider talking it over with an expert handyperson or hiring someone to do the job for you.
Leave The Garage Door And Build A Wall Behind It
Building a wall behind the door may be your best option if you like the look of your garage door’s facade but want to enclose the room. This allows you to add insulation and air conditioning to the space without doing away with the industrial look.
This option is also much cheaper than doing away with the garage door opening, as you will not need materials to remove it and build a new structure entirely. To do this, add framing in the doorway and insulate the garage.
One of the perks of leaving the garage is functionality. You still have a fully functioning garage door or frame to use in your new space if you want. The wall behind it would simply close it in. You could also use the door mount to build a loft or hang something from it.
The biggest downisde about leaving the garage door up is cosmetic. Most people who want to close in their garage wish to do away with the door, and this remodel would leave it in place.
Replace The Garage Door With An Entry Door Or Windows
Another remodel option is replacing the existing garage door with a standard entry door and windows. To do this, you would follow a similar process to converting the garage opening into a wall. However, you would make sure to frame a space for a new door and windows.
If you plan on turning your garage into a home office or bedroom, you may not need or even want a door. This option is also the most expensive, as you need a door and window frame. Simply putting up drywall is the cheaper way to do this project.
The primary perk of this plan is creating a new pedestrian entrance into your home. This is an excellent option if you wish to turn your garage into an entertainment area or just want another port of entry.
The Benefits of Installing a “Man Door” In Your Garage Door
As the name implies, a man door is a port of entry for people to walk through. It is installed into your preexisting garage door. A frame would be put into the door you already have so that you could enter through that instead of raising the garage door each time you need to walk in and out.
The main perk of installing a man door is convenience. Instead of opening your garage door every time, you can simply walk out of a pedestrian port. This ultimately saves time but also energy costs.
Added Convenience
A man door provides extra convenience by saving you time. It takes much longer to open a garage door than a standard entrance door. Instead of waiting for the door to slide up the wall, a man door allows for an easy pedestrian entrance into your garage.
Conserving Energy and Less Wear
Opening a garage door takes a great amount of exertion. It is a heavy piece of equipment that wears down the opening mechanisms over time. Installing a man door allows you to use your garage door less, ultimately leading to less wear over the garage door.
Installing a man door also saves energy. You do not have to use the mechanical opening function every time you go in and out; it also can help keep your home warm in the winter.
Do you ever notice that the rooms near your garage are the coldest? This is because many homeowners constantly open their garage doors for general use and let the elements and temperature in. Installing a man door creates a smaller port of entrance, which means you will allow less cold air in during the winter.
Saves Space
If you have a smaller garage or are on a tight plot of land, you may not have enough room for a garage door with a standard pedestrian door beside it. A man door allows you to install a pedestrian door into your garage door, ultimately saving space.
This majorly benefits anyone with a smaller home. It means you can have less garage space with the same amount of functionality.
Increased Fire Safety and Helps In Power Outages
A man door is perfect in emergencies. If you need to quickly get out of the house for a fire or other problem, you will not want to wait around for the garage door to open.
This is also a great feature during power outages. Garage doors are heavy and take a lot of effort to operate manually. If you need to get in and out during mechanical or energy issues, a man door allows you to do this without electricity.
Should I Close In My Garage Door?
Closing in your garage door is a step many homeowners take to maximize their living space. It can benefit anyone and is the easiest and least expensive room in your house to renovate. You should close in your garage door if you want extra space in your home, increased property value, and savings on electric bills.
Insulating your garage by adding a fully operational room means less cold air will get into your home. You also will not be operating the bulky machinery that comes with a garage door opener. This means a lower electric and heating bill.
Closing in your garage is one of the easiest ways to increase your home value instantly. It creates an entire extra room that can be used for nearly anything from an entertainment zone to a bedroom.
How Much Does It Cost To Close In Your Garage Door?
Closing in your garage is a moderate-level DIY project that anyone with decent home contracting skills take on. The average cost of doing the project with a wall and a window costs approximately $1,000 to $1,500. This only accounts for building the wall, not turning your garage into a new room.
This $500 price gap accounts for the size of the garage door and customizations. You will need a wall plate, construction-grade adhesive, explosive nails, a window, lumber, and styrofoam insulation panels.
Conclusion
Closing in your garage door is an excellent way to maximize your living space and increase your property value. There are plenty of benefits for your quality of life and home.
This renovation is a simple way to add in an instant home addition, a home gym, an office space, or even an expansive entertainment center. The options are endless. Closing in your garage is as simple as insulating your door, but you can step it up by building a new wall altogether. It all depends on the look you want and your budget.
Creating a man door is another excellent garage renovation for homeowners. It conserves energy, prevents excessive wear and tear, saves space, and increases home safety.
Ruben has a diverse background in the home services industry, with experience running a construction company, a kitchen and bath showroom, and a moving and relocation company. This breadth of experience has provided him with a wealth of knowledge and expertise in various areas of home improvement in general and specifically in the heating and plumbing niche.