Garage transformations

Make the most of your bit on the side and rethink how to use a garage. They can morph into an extension of your living areas. It can play the dual role of shed and home office. Makes a great space to play loud music, tinker with toys or amuse kids. Hell, you can even turn it into a rumpus room where people can rump all they want without disturbing you.The extra space of a garage can be harvested for all kinds of ingenious living purposes rather than merely sheltering a car or being a dumping ground for bulky household stuff that needs a place to go.

STORAGE

To make the most of your garage, you need planning and good storage systems. Build cupboards, cabinets or pull-out benches into storage areas and then designate one wall  to storage and conceal them with cupboards, bifold doors or even Roll-A-Doors. This way your garage won't feel perpetually filled with clutter.

Clever garage owners designate particular walls to particular household items. For example, the rear wall of the garage if for items that are used regularly: garbage, compost and recycling bins; iceboxes, freezers and extra refrigerators; lawnmowers and lawn care products. This area is an appropriate spot for cupboards, cabinets or filing systems. Doors or drawers, which are open or closed frequently, can bump or damage your car.
The next step is to devote one wall alongside your car to sporting equipment such as surfboards, wetsuits, bicycles or toys. This is also an appropriate location for rakes, shovels and other gardening tools. Use the remaining wall for off season items that are rarely used. Keep other items, such as skis, ice-skates and fishing gear, out of children's reach and away from your car.

DOORS

Gone are the days of the nondescript steel garage door - copper, zinc, polyurethane and even glass are the go. And a garage door can make or break a property value.  Garage doors take up a massive expanse of the home's facade and should look as brilliant as the rest of the package.

Those doors come in many shapes and sizes, but the most popular configurations include tilt, roll and sectional overhead doors. The latter comprises a series of horizontal panels, hinged together. These panels run in a track system, on which the panels lift, then go through an arc and horizontally along the ceiling.
Similarly, the tilt door is a single-piece overhead door. The main advantage of this design is aesthetic: most cladding materials can be applied without any evidence of a join.
Tilt and sectional doors enable alignment with building fascia (ideal when door and building cladding match) and increase the design and material options; sectional overhead doors can be up to 8 metres wide, while the maximum width for a tilt door is 5.5 metres.
Roll doors are the most cost-effective. They can be operated manually or by remote control. On the downside, roll doors do not give much choice when it comes to design. They are usually manufactured in Colorbond steel.