Our interactive package takes you on a room-by-room tour of new ideas at various cost levels.
Remodeling room by room
Garage
Project:
Garage remodel
Homeowners want the garage to be everything it isn't: neat, tidy and organized.
So when
they decide to remodel the garage, the
focus is on creating lots of storage.
The garage
used to be a catch-all and a place to
park the car. But it's becoming a combination
storage area and hobby room. "It's
not just for parking the car anymore,"
says Sal Alfano, editorial director
of Remodeling magazine. "It's a
well-organized space, and it's finished
-- trimmed, painted and fully wired.
It's almost another room in the house."
A lot of
homeowners use the garage to house a
work bench or hobby area. As these setups
get more elaborate, "people are
doing more, and they demand more out
of their garage," says Barry Izsak,
president of the National Association
of Professional Organizers and author
of "Organize Your Garage in No Time."
Lighting
is a bigger factor as people spend more
time in the garage. Two popular options:
larger windows and track lighting.
At the
same time that many homeowners are using
garages more than ever, they are also
"figuring out ways to hide the
garage," says Joan Stephens, immediate
past president of the National Association
of the Remodeling Industry. "A
lot of times, people will take garage
space to add a room and add a garage
away from the home."
When homeowners
remodel the garage they spend an average
of $4,413, according to a 2006 survey
for Closets
Magazine.
