Why Should You Install a Heater in Your Garage

Why do you need a heater for your remodeled garage? The answer for this question is pretty obvious: one of the major disadvantages of using your garage as a workshop or a home office is that it wasn’t meant for that. The garage is the special place reserved for your car, the garage is the room where you keep your lawn and garden accessories.

If you start using this space for other projects that you have, you need to deal with one of the major inconveniences, that is warmth. During the summer you don’t have to worry too much about this but during cold seasons you might find some difficulties in continuing your project because of the very low temperature.

You can find many ways to warm up your workshop-garage. You can try one of the porcelain heaters; they work great and can warm up a good area but they are not meant to warm a large space for a long time.

Another solution for you would be to use a kerosene heater. These heaters are easy to turn on, most of them have an electric starter. It should have a thermostat to be able to regulate the temperature also they have a specific scent, they do function on kerosene! So if you think you cannot handle this smell, a kerosene heater wouldn’t be a good choice for you. They are quite dangerous for your children, if they have access to the garage and you would definitely want to ventilate very well the garage!

A very good and popular choice nowadays is a gas heater. Of course you have to hire a professional to install it. You can find a gas heater suited to your budget for remodeling the garage. There are many models and almost all of them are fairly inexpensive. The main advantage of a gas heater is that it gives you a consistently warm environment. They are available in both manual and thermostatic control types. You would probably prefer a model that has a thermostat, even though its price is a little higher than the price of a manual temperature control model. The only thing that you have to do is to set it on a desired temperature and leave it to do its job.

There are two types of gas heaters: vented and vent less. The vent less unit uses air from the room and the vented model has a system that vents directly out of the garage. The disadvantage of the vent less model is that you have to keep the room vented at all times because the unit uses the air from the room where it has been installed. The main advantage for the both types of gas heaters is that they have a pretty low running cost compared to the kerosene and electric heaters.

Remember that if you choose to install a more advanced heating system like a gas heater, you must ask for a professional’s help.

The season to clean up and organize your garage

As days grow shorter and temperatures become cooler, it means the inevitable is just around the corner: everything that came out of your garage this spring needs to go back in before winter rolls around. That means you need to find room for the gardening supplies, the patio furniture, the sandbox toys and more. Not to mention corralling all the tools that you’ve used throughout the summer to tune up the bikes, fix the swing set and put together the new picnic table.

If you’re wondering where it’s all going to go, maybe it’s time to spend part of the weekend creating some order in all that chaos. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Divide and conquer

Start by separating the clutter in your garage into piles. For example, all snow shoveling equipment (shovel, ice scraper, salt) should be together, all sports paraphernalia goes in another pile, lawn care items in yet another pile … you get the picture. This will give you an idea of what you’re dealing with in terms of organizing.

Be sure to have a “throw it out” pile and a “donate it” pile. Throw away broken toys, almost empty cans of paint, and rusty garden tools. Donate sports equipment your kids have outgrown or that extra lawn edger.

A place for everything

Now you know what you need to store. Home improvement stores are a good place to start. Look for storage systems that match your needs. If your family owns bikes, consider hooks designed to hang them from the ceiling or a vertical bike rack to get the bikes off the floor and create more space. A tall storage cabinet provides a place to put out-of-season toys and tools. Shelving units or wall-mounted cabinets supply a convenient spot for sporting equipment.

Take care of your tools

For many homeowners, the garage doubles as a work area. If your tools have become scattered over the summer, or if they’re in a pile on your workbench, now’s the time to corral them. A pegboard and a good tool chest will help keep tools safe and handy. Waterloo Industries, the world’s largest manufacturer of tool storage products for professionals and do-it-yourselfers, has a variety of high-quality options.

There are units that offer a bulk storage area for those large items or power tools. Many chests offer split drawers for all your small hand tools as well as a roomy top tray. If you’ve found that your tools have multiplied over the summer, and you’ve outgrown the storage in your current chest and cabinet, why not consider adding an intermediate chest to expand your tool storage capacity? Intermediates are available in most categories and stack in between your chest and cabinet to help organize your tool clutter.

Start with a clean sweep

Before you start putting all your organized stuff back into the garage, take the time to sweep the floor and hose it down to get rid of accumulated dirt and dust. If your car has been leaking oil, use a product made for this problem to get it cleaned up as well.

With a little time and compartmentalizing, it will be easier than ever to find what you’re looking for, your garage will seem roomier and it will be a more pleasant place to work.

Garage doors that look good and function well

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.

A complete makeover for your garage

One of the most commonly encountered questions when thinking about converting your garage for a new use is the warmth of the floor. Whether you are choosing to convert your garage into a spacious home office or to convert it into a gym room, you have to take into consideration some improvements for your floor.

Since the garage has a concrete and uninsulated floor you should focus on making it warmer and more resilient. Furring up the floor with wood and plywood can accomplish both tasks. As a warning, you should use pressure-treated wood or protect the wood which is in contact with the concrete by placing a layer of felt paper between the wood and the concrete.

First of all measure and determine how much you want to raise the floor. All garage floors have some amount of slope from the back wall to the wall with the garage door in it to allow the water runoff. To achieve a level floor you will have to adjust the joists, for this if you are placing the joists perpendicular to the slope in the floor each of them would have to be ripped down or shimmed up and if the joists are parallel to the slope, you can rip them on a taper or use shims to level them.

Ok, you finished remodeling the floors, now it’s time to examine your walls. You might be surprised to find out that your walls are not even with the foundation they sit on. They may be set back from the foundation or maybe overhang it in other areas. Only one step will solve these problems: selecting a lumber size that is deep enough to extend the framing past the concrete. By notching each end of the furring strip and attaching one strip to the face of each wall stud will result in an even wall that completely hides the foundation. Also it will be deep enough for the R-21 wall insulation, this type of insulation being the most common code requirement.

When remodeling the walls and the floor several obstructions may appear. Obstructions like pipes, ducts, wires and other impediments to smooth walls may exist. For small obstructions such as wires or small pipes you could adjust the furring strips enough to accommodate them. The solution for larger obstructions is to box around them. If the obstruction is a water heater or something that you will need access to, you can frame it in and enclose it on three sides and then provide a removable access panel for the fourth side.

A building permit may be required for a garage make over. Of course all the methods presented here are purely theoretical and only for guidance. All garages are different and some adjustments to the used methods or materials may be required in order to accommodate to your garage.

Your garage door vs. the elements

Often being the largest opening on most homes, the garage door is usually the most vulnerable to failure under high wind pressure such as hurricanes, tornadoes and storms in general. The pressure of the wind can destroy the garage doors during a storm that allows water and wind to enter the house. This can cause significant damage to furniture, electronic equipment, the contents in general as well as the house’s structure. The garage door is often overlooked when strengthening the structure against high winds.

Massive building failures and strong winds have convinced storm-prone communities that residents must be prepared to employ active or passive reinforcement systems for their garage doors. An active system is that specific type of reinforcement that must be installed before a high-wind event while passive systems are built into the product and don’t need any activation from the owner. For the home owner in hurricane-prone areas there are only two real options: either a new garage door with a built in passive reinforcement system or a garage door reinforcement kit.

The option of totally replacing the garage door is usually an expensive procedure so a garage door reinforcement kit would be a good choice if your budget for remodeling your garage is low. Although is rather expensive, a new garage door offers a more secure and safe option in front of a high wind.

If you’d rather choose the cheapest option, that is to reinforce your garage door you can protect your home in one of the following ways: first of all install pressure or impact resistant devices, such as shutters, panels, accordion fold shutters on the garage doors or install pressure/impact resistant garage doors that do not require shutters. If your existing door is impact resistant but it is not wind pressure rated, install an approved garage door bracing system to increase the wind pressure resistance. A pressure/impact resistant rating ensures that the device meets the wind pressure and debris impact requirements of the Southern Building Code Congress International standards or the July 1988 wind pressure and debris impact requirements of the American Society of Civil Engineers adopted in September 1994.

When adding a garage door bracing first ensure that there is enough and relevant documentation that the product has been tested at a certified testing laboratory. The product should be designed to withstand both positive and negative wind pressure. You should contact a local garage door supplier of approved garage door bracing systems to assistyou in the selection of the necessary system for your needs.

No compromises when it comes to garage safety

What do you see when you first examine a garage?

The garage door. This is the first and most important “contact” of your garage to the world. If you want full confidence in your garage, this “contact” should be 100% secure and safe. Also the
door says a lot of you and of your taste in design. You can have a beautiful house but if your garage door is a wooden, plain, white one with that makes an awful sound when opened or closed, says a lot of you and your negligence regarding style and safety.

An ageing garage door and opener could be a real threat for your children or pets. Injuries and death are a thing of the past with the new openers and garage doors. If you plan to remodel
your garage, one of the first steps in doing this must be changing your doors and openers.

Old garage doors have been heavy, huge, wooden colossus that rot and crack. Even though wooden doors provide a wide range of styles and textures the problems related to poor insulation are real and even of present times. An alternative is the fiberglass material, inexpensive, easy to lift, resistant to corrosion and the require little maintenance but they also provide little insulation and security.

If you want a maintenance-free, durable and not-wrapping garage door you need steel. They also provide good insulation, being made of two or more sheets of steel alternating with a variety of insulating materials. The also come in various textures, styles, shapes and colors suited to your needs. Moreover, you can add windows including the reflective type that provide an obscure view into the garage.

In 1991, automatic reversal doors for garage door openers have been required by law in the United States and in since 1993 optical sensors became a requirement. The sensor works perfect for your safety: if something gets in the way of the sensor beam while the door is going down, the sensor sends the door back up. Also the new design provides more security and quieter operation. Today, the silence options include a belt-driven trolley made of Kevlar or, the cheaper option, a screw-drive model with a plastic-lined track to lessen the noisy contact of metal-to-metal.

Remote controls have been upgraded so you can find a remote control having enough buttons to control the lightening or appliances in your home and garage. Another option for your remote-control buttons are the child-safe lock-out and the rolling security codes witch automatically change every time the garage door opens to prevent the stealing of your opener’s code.

Even though you have all these changes added to your garage, security and safety are not 100% guaranteed. It is better that the installation of a new garage door and opener be done by a professional team who can make the proper adjustments that will allow the sensitive equipment to provide you with the maximum amount of safety in your garage.

Layering your garage floor with G-Floor to preserve and protect it

During the last years, the garage has become an important extension of the house. More and more people remodel their garage giving it a new purpose, for example transforming it into a home office, a workshop, a music studio and even adding a new room on top of it. If you are the type that needs to have a workshop in his garage and you also want to park your car inside it you definitely have to install a G-floor.

This type of flooring keeps your garage looking new whatever activities you choose to do inside and also does a great job in hiding cracks and stains while protecting the floor from oil, battery acid, grease, brake fluids, salt, antifreeze, mud or other dirt that finds its way into the garage. If you are living in a colder climate, you definitely know what a mess winter snow and salt make in your garage, this floor is easy to clean , you just have to hose it off.

If you are thinking of remodeling your garage, you must consider the option of installing a G-floor for several reasons: the coin-pattern flooring is easy to install, rather cheap, durable and gives a great look to your workshop-garage.

Is a flat roof for your garage a good idea?

Whether you have an old garage or if you construct a new one you should take into consideration the quality and the type of roof that you choose for your garage. You might encounter problems with a home inspector if you don’t have an adequate roof for your garage. He may cite your garage. And of course you want to make sure you have a stable and reliable roof that can face a massive rainfall.

A flat roof with sagged joists allows rainwater to pool at the center, rather than draining toward the roof edges. This is a common problem and it affects nearly all the so-called flat roofs. Having an insufficient roof slope promotes standing pools of rainwater and this increases the likelihood of leakage as the roof becomes older.

Roof drains should be installed at each low point of the roof. Since the roof joists have sagged it seems that they were not designed to support accumulated water. Therefore if you can add drains at the lower points of the roof it could prolong the life of your roof.

Why not have a music studio in your garage?

Music is your hobby and you want to practice with your band. The only available place that you can think of is your garage but you also have neighbors that must not be disturbed while you are practicing. The only solution to use your garage as a music studio is to soundproof it or build a small studio in one corner of the garage. For this you need to use two existing garage walls and build another two new walls on an angle to improve the acoustics of the studio.

After measuring the angle you will have to anchor sole plates to the garage floor and frame the first new wall. After finishing the framing for the second wall and adding a door to this one you have to insulate the garage walls to help deaden the sounds. Next you will hang drywall on the new walls and patch the seams. The final layer of sound-deadening material will be applied to the walls and to the ceiling. This layer is made of some secondhand carpeting. After applying these carpets you can cover them with some strip boards pinned onto the wall with nails.

What else can I do with my garage space? Well, plenty, actually!

What is the easiest way to add more space to your house? Of course the answer is to remodel your garage. A very cost-effective way to gain more space for your house is to remodel your garage. You can greatly expand your home’s living space especially if you no longer use your garage to park your car using your driveway instead. Remodeling your garage can help you become more organized and stop storing everything in your garage. This is why you have a basement.

Your garage offers a perfect environment to house your workshop, studio or home office. Many people also find that their garage can also be used for a gym or for another living room designed for special activities. However, remodeling your garage does not necessarily mean that you have to sacrifice your storage space or your parking area. Garages today have become multifunctional, allowing cars, general storage, a workshop and even a home office all in the same place.

Because many garages are attached to the home they can benefit from the same comfort as a home: phone wires, heating and cooling and plumbing. All you need is a little imagination, a fixed budget and a plan.

If you think that by remodeling you might be losing too much storage space, you can always build a small storage space behind your garage to house sporting equipment, tools and other items.

Moreover, when remodeling your garage you should consider an addition above the garage. Adding a room for work space and even for living, for one of your kids(they usually love this) above the existing garage can give you additional space and also increase the value of your home without major changes to the floor plan.

If you feel the need to remodel your garage but you don’t know exactly what you want or need, you should consider the following ideas.

You can transform your garage into a laundry room if you have your laundry room in the basement. By building a laundry in your garage you will eliminate the need to go up and down the stairs.

A music studio can be a great choice for your garage remodeling plans if you or your kids have some tendencies in this direction. The garage is the place where many “garage bands” got their start. To avoid your neighbors’ complaints consider soundproofing your garage walls.

Another idea for your garage can be to transform it into a gym. If you have your equipment and you don not have enough place to use it indoors you can always move it into the garage and have plenty of place for your daily exercises and training. Also here you will not be bothered by anyone.

Freeing up more space in your garage

One of the most important storage areas of a home is the garage. Because the space it offers is limited it should be used efficiently. So the garage is a prime candidate for storage improvements. Of course you have many options for improving the storage in your garage.

One of the options is to buy a modular storage kit. This can have parts and components that you can mix and match together and can solve many storage problems. Another option would be to build your own storage solution. If you have too many items that you keep in your garage maybe a modular storage kit cannot provide you the needed solution. The improvements made to your storage may help you reduce clutter, store seasonal items in a more conveniently way and improve organization.

Cabinets, shelves, wall-mounted racks and plastic containers are the most popular types of garage storage and organization solutions. Cabinets work well for protecting their contents from
moisture and dust. Shelves save space more efficiently but the most affordable solution are the wall-mounted racks. Clear plastics containers help you to store several items and allow
you to see the contents.

Discussing heating solutions for your remodeled garage

Why do you need a heater for your remodeled garage? The answer for this question is pretty obvious: one of the major disadvantages of using your garage as a workshop or a home office is that it wasn’t meant for that. The garage is the special place reserved for your car, the garage is the room where you keep your lawn and garden accessories.

If you start using this space for other projects that you have, you need to deal with one major inconvenience, that is warmth. During the summer you don’t have to worry too much about this but during cold seasons you might find some difficulties in continuing your project because of the very low temperature.

You can find many ways to warm up your workshop-garage. You can try porcelain heaters; they work great and can warm up a good area but they are not meant to warm a large space for prolonged periods of time.

Another solution for you would be to use a kerosene heater. These heaters are easy to turn on, most of them have an electric starter. It should have a thermostat to be able to regulate the temperature also they have a specific scent, they do function on kerosene! So if you think you cannot handle this smell, a kerosene heater wouldn’t be a good choice for you. They are quite dangerous for your children, if they have access to the garage and you would definitely want to ventilate the garage very well!

A very good and popular choice nowadays is a gas heater. Of course you have to hire a professional to install it. You can find a gas heater suited to your budget for remodeling the garage. There are many models and almost all of them are fairly inexpensive. The main advantage of a gas heater is that it gives you a consistently warm environment. They are available in both manual and thermostatic control types. You would probably prefer a model that has a thermostat, even though its price is a little higher than the price of a manual temperature control model. The only thing that you have to do is to set it on a desired temperature and leave it to do its job.

There are two types of gas heaters: vented and ventless. The vent less unit uses air from the room and the vented model has a system that vents directly out of the garage. The disadvantage of the vent less model is that you have to keep the room vented at all times because the unit uses the air from the room where it has been installed. The main advantage for the both types of gas heaters is that they have a pretty low running cost compared to the kerosene and electric heaters.

Remember that if you choose to install a more advanced heating system like a gas heater, you must seek professional help.

Rubber flooring for your garage

If you are considering remodeling you garage you might consider choosing a rubber flooring for your garage. This is an inexpensive option for general purpose flooring: most common uses include parking vehicles on the rubber flooring, converting the garage space into a play area or into a workout room.

Parking your car on a recycled rubber matting is the least common use for this product because of two major inconveniences: recycled rubber tire products have very little resistance to petroleum products so an oil leak could seriously damage the floor; the melting point of this type of flooring is relatively low, in extreme circumstances the heat from the tires can be sufficient to melt the tires into the mat.

If planning to remodel for your garage and you also have changing the flooring in mind, it is important to know the primary function that you need your floor to fulfill. If you are going to convert your garage into a dog-house, the rubber flooring would provide insulation against extreme temperatures of the cement as well as an extra cushioning. Also you must consider the ease of maintenance for this type of flooring. For a home theater, a rubber flooring is desired to reduce the noise transmission.

Taking a look at options for the garage door

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.

Garage space gadgets

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.

Turning your garage into a tidy home 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 doors, some 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.

Making use of that garage space

Does your older child need a little more liberty? You work from home or maybe you just feel that you need another room for a special project that you want to start? Then the solution is to construct a new addition to your garage.

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.