01491 579975
info@garageflex.co.uk
info@garageflex.co.uk
How do you use your garage? While lots of us use the garage to park our cars, only a quarter of homes with a garage actually store a car in it.
Part of the problem is that today’s cars have become wider whilst garages remain the same size. So actually parking your car in the garage can be extremely tight. To this end, most of us use our garages as extra storage space simply because we have too many possessions to fit into our home! But what are the most interesting ways to use the garage? We did some investigation work to come up with 12 interesting ideas.
Home offices
More of us work from home than ever before so turning your garage into a home office is an obvious choice. But have you thought about combining the office space requirements with storage? This would mean that you don’t need planning permission (in most cases) and get to incorporate storage solutions into the space as well which, in most houses, we are crying out for.
Man Cave or She-Shed?
Turn your garage into a haven for your hobby, space for your diy or even an area to have friends over to relax. Not exactly a new concept these days but one where you can really use the garage space for your favourite pastime.
Workshop
Garages have long been used as workshops for DIY or mechanics, but they are also used for other hobbies that need a lot of room, such as curtain making. We’ve even seen a garage used as a wheelchair repair centre!
Games room
The garage is perhaps the only room in the house big enough for a full size snooker table. It’s also a great place to set up a permanent dart board, table tennis table, or pinball zone.
Gym
So what do you do with all that gym equipment you buy on a whim? Put it in the garage, of course! We’ve seen many home gyms in garages, and they’re also used as dance and zumba studios.
Playroom or Kids’ den
Depending on how old your children are you may find they take over the garage. When they’re small, it’s an ideal place for all those ride-on toys and balls. And for teenagers the garage can be a great den for hanging out with friends, playing pool or table tennis and holding band practice. Just remember to soundproof your garage if you don’t want to annoy the neighbours!
Guest room / annexe / studio flat
Many a garage has become a permanent extra room – either for guests, or converted into a “granny flat” or studio for an adult son or daughter. Most of the time you don’t need planning permission if you are not changing the structure but of course, it is always better to check!
And now for some of the more unusual ideas …
A drive in cinema
We think this would be a great use of your garage because you’ll still be able to store your car – all you need is a flat screen TV on the back wall and a popcorn machine!
A golf driving range
With ever more sophisticated technology, we have seen garages set up as a driving range with the software portraying world famous courses such as Pebble Beach onto the wall. You not only get to practice your skills but actually feel you are playing the course.
Ten pin bowling alley
As with the snooker table, you’d be hard pushed to find anywhere else long enough to fit a skittle alley.
Spa room
We have heard about people using their garage to house a hot tub, which sounds like a fantastic idea, especially in a country where you can’t rely on the weather. We would suggest you install non-slip flooring though, and think about tiling the walls to prevent water damage.
And our favourite use of a garage …. an indoor skate park!
Sounds incredible but there really are people using their garages as skate parks. Let your kids hone their skateboarding skills in the garage, with a homemade half pipe made from plywood – there are even plans available on the internet!
Thanks for reading our article on 12 interesting ways to use the garage. If you would like to look into how we can help you sort out your garage then visit our website at oldwp.garageflex.co.uk
If you are lucky enough to already have the Garageflex system in your garage, we know that you have plenty of storage solutions to keep your space clean, tidy and organised. But what happens if your life has changed a bit since you had it installed? This blog looks at what you can do to keep your garage fit for purpose, regardless of when you had the garage transformed.
If you were one of our first customers back in 2005 when Garageflex started, chances are that some of the storage solutions you needed then might not necessarily work for you now. Maybe you wanted plenty of toy storage when your children were younger or your interest in golf was at its peak. Now of course, you might have changed hobby to cycling, tennis or boxing, the kids may have grown up and the toys all gone or maybe your interest in gardening has increased.
So what you had back when your garage was installed might not be quite right now. Could it be that some extra bike storage could be used, a couple of extra shelves might work or even something like a coat rack for your wet-suits? OK, we know not everyone is going to have wet-suits but it might be worthwhile looking at our e-store to see if a new rack or hook might work better.
Our Consultants design your garage to best suit your needs and make use of all the available space, but times may have changed what you keep in your garage. Given the fantastic flexibility of our products and the option to move them around, have you thought about changing some bits and pieces around? Perhaps grouping your cabinets together would work better or moving them apart and putting in some extra hooks. A small change might help you use the space more efficiently. We are always happy to discuss any changes you would like to make so give us a call.
We are sure that your garage gets a regular clean but in case it has been a while, we always recommend hoovering your FlexiPanel (or TekTrak as it used to be called back in 2005) to get rid of any dust. It doesn’t have to be done often but we do find this spruces everything up. Wiping down or dusting hooks, brackets, racks and on top of cabinets can make the whole place brighter and feel fresher.
Giving your floor a mop with a PH Neutral cleaner will also give sparkling results and transform the garage.
Or have you thought about installing one of our GarageVacs? Ideal for mounting on the wall, you could use this to clean your entire garage along with the car too! Plus it comes in Midnight Black or Racing Red, so you can choose the one that’s right for your colour scheme.
Adding framed photos or favourite pictures can add colour and personality to your garage. All you need are some small mini clips which mean you can mount them directly on to your FlexiPanel or FlexiTrack.
Many of our customers who move house want to take their storage accessories with them. It’s easy enough to do of course, simply lift the items off of your wall and take with you. Then add in FlexiPanel or FlexiTrack to your new garage space or you can call us to measure up and install this for you.
Of course it may be that you’ve moved from your previous house where we installed your Garageflex garage and haven’t yet gotten around to having it installed in your new pad. Do give us a call if you would like to discuss installing it in your new garage.
If you’ve read to the bottom and still haven’t had your garage sorted out by us, then let us send you a brochure by filling in your details here. You can see all of the options available and how the system works.
We are delighted to share our brand new case study of a garage makeover in Harpenden that we completed in May 2018.
From a cluttered, dark and dusty garage which had breeze block walls, a concrete floor and with exposed roof timbers, the customer wanted to clean it all up and make better use of this space.
After a Design Consultation with our MD, Alastair Broom, the customer agreed the plans and a date for installation was scheduled. Before that could happen however, the current timber storage rack needed to be dismantled and the ceiling to the mezzanine area supported. This would enable more space to be used and for the customer to get his car inside the garage.
Once these two tasks were completed, the beautiful seamless resin floor could be laid throughout the ground floor of the garage. Resin Floors only take a day to lay and leave you with a first class finish, worthy of any showroom. Then our professional fitters arrived to commence the wall panelling, ceiling cladding and installation of storage accessories. We offer either metal cabinets or a polypropolene option for our garage makeovers, and this customer opted for our metal range which sit directly on the floor, rather than being wall mounted.
Now the garage is finished, and as you can see from the ‘after’ photo below, the space is completely transformed. The space is clean, clear, organised and bright. Panelling the walls and ceiling allow you to install as much storage as you like whilst letting the light bounce around the room. The mezzanine area upstairs was also fitted out with cladding and floor tiles to create an extra storage area.
To see the full case study including lots more before and after images, click here.
We have also created a short video clip showcasing the before and after photos of this fantastic garage makeover case study.
Please do get in touch if you would like to know how we can help sort out your garage. We offer a complete Design and Installation service or, if you prefer, we can design the garage for you and provide you with a list of shopping items to buy and install yourself from our e-store.
Contact us on 01491 579975 or email us at info@garageflex.co.uk.
Having seen one of our advertisements in TopGear magazine, Mr W from Harpenden, contacted us to discuss sorting out his garage.
The current garage had breeze block walls, timber beams and a concrete floor as you can see in some of the before photos below. Mr W wanted to clean the whole space up and transform it into a garage he could be proud of, whilst creating storage space for his golf clubs, bikes and his car.
In addition, the garage also had a small mezzanine area, reached via stairs, that was also another potential storage area. Managing Director, Alastair Broom, went over to see him to talk about his garage issues and came up with a plan to transform the whole space.
Once the design was agreed, our professional team of fitters travelled to Harpenden in Hertfordshire to start the process. First up was the removal of some timber storage below the stairs. This was to free up further space and allow for the car to fit in the garage once everything was completed.
Next they resin floor was laid before anything further was started, allowing time to dry. Then finally the walls were panelled, the ceiling was clad and floor tiles were laid to the mezzanine area upstairs. To complete this wonderful garage design, a suite of metal cabinets were installed directly on the resin floor, bike racks, golf racks, hooks and hangers were installed. Now the garage was ready for Mr W to add everything back in and make use of this magnificent storage area he now had. He is absolutely delighted with the outcome, as are we here at Garageflex, this Harpenden Garage Design really is a garage to inspire you!
We could not have had a better experience from Abi who made the initial visit to the two guys who came to lay the floor and for whom nothing was too much trouble.