The garage and driveway are important parts of your home that you also need to take care of. Many people keep their garage in disarray or their driveway unkempt and untidy. These spaces take a large part of your houses’ overall area, and all that space is wasted if not used properly.
The garage is a space where you store your car, protecting it from the weather and the elements. Keeping it organized and tidy is crucial to maintaining your car in good shape. This includes having a well-maintained driveway, as your car should be able to enter and exit your garage with little struggle. Below are some tips to improve one of the most commonly overlooked parts of the house.
Declutter Your Garage
A cluttered garage will always be a pain to deal with, from trying to park your car without hitting something to trying to find something when you need it. It limits your space and makes the space dustier because of a limited airflow. With all the tools being kept, it’s also a fire hazard.
Decluttering your garage is a simple but free solution to improving your space. It can be time-consuming, but it’s all worth it. Donate, sell, or throw any items you don’t need (admit, many of us stock our unused items in the garage). Sooner or later, you’ll find that you have more space than you initially thought!
Use Storage Organizers
There are many organizing options for your garage. You can go for the classic pegboard, a great space-saver as it uses vertical space instead. If you have many tools that you constantly use, a pegboard is a great addition to your garage. For items you don’t always use but can’t bear to throw, store them in plastic containers. This way, you’re keeping them from dust and pests while getting them out of the way.
Metal shelves can also help in keeping your garage tidy and organized. You can place your storage boxes on metal shelves or install the shelves on the wall. Utilize vertical space more, as it keeps the foot space of your garage high. This makes maneuvering and moving about easier.
Check Your Garage Door
Make sure that your garage door is well-maintained and is in full working order. If there’s any breakage, make sure to contact a professional An automatic garage door use heavy torsion springs that carry a large amount of force. These can be dangerous around inexperienced people, so keep that in mind.
If you don’t have an automatic garage door yet, don’t let this scare you. The benefits and convenience cannot be matched. If you still have a manual garage door, consider a garage door installation that you won’t regret.
Clean and Repair Your Driveway
The easiest way to improve your driveway is to clean it. Through years of use, driveways accumulate grime and dirt, making the surface a lot more slippery than normal. Daily use and exposure to the elements might even cause some broken bricks or cracked concrete. This makes your driveway look neglected.
Go for a power wash -you’re sure to see results. You can either hire a company to do the job for you or rent a pressure washer to do it yourself. After cleaning your driveway, you can fill the cracks and reseal any holes. This keeps your driveway looking clean and safe to use.
Install Better Lighting
Garages and driveways aren’t exactly known for their best lighting. But with the amount of work done in a garage, and the importance of lighting when parking at night cannot be understated- you would think that they have better lighting.
Instead of suffering in the dark, opt for a better lighting situation. Look into solutions to bring light into your dimly-lit garage, and use driveway lights to aid you when parking at night. Besides the functional benefits, having better exterior lighting can actually result in a more beautiful house. Having better lighting hits two birds with one stone and is always a good addition to your list of renovation ideas.
You can always go the inexpensive way, especially when keeping a tight budget, and that’s not to say that the end results will be sloppy. You have to know the right techniques that are within your limitations. On the other hand, hiring pros may be costly, but there you’ll more surely have a better sense of security with the knowledge that the work will last longer and look better, too. Whatever solution you choose in sprucing up your garage, whether you choose the DIY route or hire professional services, remember that each has its pros and cons.
