How to Makeover Your Garage on a Budget
Garages are a huge selling point and even a must for a lot of buyers, but oftentimes it’s the “forgotten” space of a home. When a homeowner is preparing their home for sale or wants to do renovations the garage is usually left untouched. However, it can be one of the most inexpensive home improvements that will turn the cluttered dumping ground into a functional space for cars and storage. Who couldn’t use more storage? But before you get the sledgehammer out or call in the professionals you need to come up with a plan of attack.
First and foremost, you’ll have to figure out what items you need and set a renovation budget for your garage makeover. You’ll also want to do additional research and make sure you avoid the most common renovation mistakes. One little misstep can blow your budget out of the water.
So what items do you need to makeover your garage on a budget? Here are the steps I took when I transferred my garage on a $2,000 budget.
1. Storage
In order to organize anything you need to come up with storage solutions. I contacted a local closet organization company for an estimate and it was more than double my $2,000 budget. I then checked out the local home improvement stores, but they only carried what we already had, which was falling apart. So I continued my search online and found a closet organization company, Flow Wall, which had exactly what I was looking for. The organizers were chic, clean and looked extremely sturdy, but they too were over my $2,000 budget. However, I patiently waited to see if they ever had sales, which they did and scored some awesome cabinets. In addition to being on sale, I was able to save even more money with a 30% off coupon code. This brought my almost $3,000 total down to less than $1,800, a HUGE savings.
There were a few more items still needed, which Flow Wall did not carry. The main item was a shoe organizer. We previously bought a shoe rack from Target and while it was still standing it was in pretty bad shape. I checked to see if Target still had it and not only did they have it, but this time around they had color options. I choose espresso, which hides any marks, but does show dirt, so you will have to dust it once in a while. The rack itself was only two shelves, but they were stackable, so we bought five for $55. While these weren’t on sale I was able to use Targets cartwheel ap and save 10%.
In addition to the closet organizers and shoe rack I also purchased wall hooks, a bag holder and basket for $50.00. Once again I shopped around and used coupon codes for the items I could.
2. Paint
A fresh coat of paint does wonders even in a garage. You can take it a step further and paint the garage floor too. If you’re a do it yourselfer you can save a ton of money and do both for less than $200. Once again I shopped sales and used leftover paint from a previous project. If you don’t have any leftover paint check your local home improvements stores “mistake” bin, which usually offers some deep discounts on paint.
3. De-clutter
Now that your garage is freshly painted and the cabinets are installed it’s time to put everything back. However, DO NOT put everything back! There are certain things you store in your garage that you haven’t used in years. Some of these items are worthless and can be thrown out while other items, like sporting equipment, can be sold. With all of the available phone aps you no longer have to go through great lengths to sell items, you can simply take a picture and post online. The great thing about selling items online is the buyer comes to you unless you prefer meeting them. The money made can go towards your garage makeover bringing the cost down even further.
Final Thoughts
Making over your garage is not a home improvement that will lower the value of your home. In fact, many buyers are impressed when a garage is made over. Instead of it being a dirty cluttered space they see it as an extension of the interior of the home. And if you’re in an area that doesn’t have basements, like South Florida, a garage with storage is a great selling point.