Home Improvement Blog: December 2010

The garage, also known as the "man cave" is often a forgotten space in homes.  Mostly it's the neglected and scary space used for storage and a catch all area for things unwanted and things to be used "some other time".  A place where guys go to watch football and drink a beer.

If you start thinking of the garage as an important part of your home, it can really increase its value and even your quality of life.

In Southern California where basements are not the norm, garages are used as additional living and entertainment spaces. In many homes, the washer and dryer hookups are located in the garage and not inside the home.  You must consider all this when preparing your home for sale. How will your garage stack up against the competition?

Now you don't  have to go run out and spend thousands on the floor treatments and the fancy TV set up but there are things you can do to insure this space will appeal to buyers.   Who wants to do laundry in a dark and scary space?  How can you find your tools if you are tripping over all the stuff laying around?  You should be able to fit at least one car inside after all it is a garage.

First and foremost make sure it is clean and well lit.  These two things are the single most important improvements you can make that will have buyers remembering the space when looking at the competition. 

Women value storage space just as much as men appreciate a large garage and a place to hang out or work on home improvment projects. For example in this space below, all that is needed is a little decluttering, sweeping and organizing.  What does that cost? ZERO!

Storage, storage, storage!  Dedicate one area of your garage that makes sense to storage and make the display neat and easy to get to so that buyers may picture the space WITH a car in the area.  A compact and neat tool bench or a simple arrangement of stackable shelves can be found at local box stores for next to nothing. 

Pack away smaller items in labeled containers and place on the shelves.  Hang up your garden tools and bikes.  Another great way to create storage is to purchase cabinet remnants from kitchen and bath jobs.  Box stores many times sell these left over items at a discount.  They can be easily stacked or mounted in your garage for use.  Drywalling and painting an unfinished garage will put dollars in your pocket even if nothing else is done.

Even if you are not selling, these simple improvments will make your life a whole lot easier.

AccentPositives provides effective and economical Home Staging and Redesign Consultations on site and online.  We are located in Corona and service the Inland Empire of Southern California and the Palm Springs area.  Call 951 833 8529.  Email staging@accentpositives.com.  Visit www.accentpositives.com and www.accentingspaces.com.