Garage Trends: Turn a Garage into a Work Shop

Americans today have more cars and (until gas went through the roof in 2007 and onward) bigger cars. They have more stuff. Garages have grown with both of those trends. Garages are not just a place to park cars, but a place to store stuff, and for some people, even a place to hang out. There are shelves, hooks, organizational storage bins, and bikes hanging from the ceiling and tools hanging from the walls. Some people even have an extra TV in the garage for watching the big game.

And many have not only workbenches and workspaces, but have turned their garages into actual work shops.

A Trend That Adds Strong Re-Sale Value
If you've ever seen a true garage work shop, likely you've been impressed. This is a trend that not only adds to a homeowner's enjoyment, it adds to a house's value and re-sale appeal. For many women, the buzzword in home sales is "storage." And for many men, it's impossible to resist a garage work shop's appeal.

Organization Is Step 1
The first step toward turning your garage with a workbench into a true work shop might be organization. Wall pegboard storage is a great idea, not only in storing tools near the garage workbench area, but in freeing up space all over the garage. If you're like most people, you keep a good amount of stuff there, and a work shop requires as much space as you can find. Wall pegboard storage gives you more area to work with, and adds to an organized feel.

Peg board is a great way to store numerous items, while also making the garage look more like a work room. There are also a number of shelves, drawers, cabinets, and workbenches designed specifically for the garage, allowing you to work wonders with what you previously thought was a very limited space.

Don't Forget the Floor
A key part of a garage work shop can be the floor. Concrete is a strong material to start with, but it must be maintained properly. It also gives off a "garage" feel, rather than a work shop one, and we're more likely to let gray concrete go dirty and cracked. Sealing the floor with a resin product can protect the original material, and it can let us know we're in a real work shop, not just in a place to park the cars.