Why You Should Turn Your Garage Into a Guest Room + 5 Tips to Get Started
If your home has a garage or carport, it’s one of the 63% of all housing units which, according to the United States Department of Energy, has one. This is a space with a lot of potential for the modern family, and one of these is turning it into a guest room. Doing this will help you afford privacy for both you and any guests that come to visit and stay for a while. It’s, therefore, a worthwhile upgrade to make. Here are five tips to get you started.
1. Make it Accessible
The first thing to keep in mind when turning your garage into a guest room is accessibility. Remember that 65% of adults who have long-term care needs exclusively rely on friends and family to offer them assistance. This means that if you intend to use the space for an adult to whom you’re related or to whose family you’re renting out the premises, it should be accessible to cater to any issues with mobility that they might have. With this in mind, some of the upgrades you make should include replacing stairs with ramps, widening access ways, and fitting a toilet you add to the space with low-rise fixtures. Don’t forget to add grab bars to strategic points, which could help someone with mobility problems maintain their independence, at least to an extent.
2. Decorate it Moderately
While the room should be attractive, it’s important to keep decorations to a minimum. Get some wall hangings and ensure that most of the decor you get is out of the way, stays visible, but is not too loud. The same goes for the paint you choose for it. Go for a neutral color that will be unassuming as you don’t want to impose your tastes on the person or people that will occupy this space. Trendy and bold colors and decor may not be to everyone’s taste, so it’s good to be considerate and allow the room to remain as neutral as possible. Keeping it clean will have an even bigger positive effect.
3. Think About Airflow and Lighting
When converting your garage to a living space with different needs, it’s important to remember the airflow. Add vents or windows if the design of your garage permits it so that there’s adequate airflow throughout and good lighting to boot. For the lighting, remember to also install fixtures and add switches that will be easy to reach and operate for everyone who may occupy the space. You could also get energy-saving artificial lighting like energy-emitting diode lights, which will last longer and have a smaller effect on the environment.
4. Declutter and Add Storage
Get rid of all unnecessary items in the garage so that it’s clear enough to accept the changes that you make to it and reflect them positively. You could hold a garage sale and dispose of the items you don’t use and get some spare change in the process. Don’t be afraid to donate things that you don’t need, especially if you don’t have the time to hold a garage sale. With the waste industry in the United States valued at $75 billion annually and junk removal accounting for $10 billion every single year, you can help keep items from the landfill by giving them to people who can use them or upcycling them yourself.
5. Engage an Expert for Technical Upgrades
Finally, for any extensive and technical upgrades that need to be done, you should engage an expert. This will help you save money and time that could have been spent on trying to do it yourself and getting less than ideal results/ Keep the changes to a minimum and you could make savings in this way instead of trying to cut corners.
These tips should help you add to the livable space you have in your home and improve your lifestyle. Plan for it so that you can get good results and not regret any of the decisions you make.
