Saving Money When Renovating Your Garage

Renovating your garage can be a large endeavor, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. There are different alternatives you could take benefit of. Some include reusing old equipment; others focus on purchasing more efficient tools.

New upgrades can consist of everyday items and inexpensive alternatives. This article will propose a few tips on how to save money during the renovation process. 

1. Using Strips Rather Than Typical Doors 

While this method will not work for the main doors to the outside, it would be great for other doors within the garage. If your garage has a connection to the house, strip doors are the easiest and cheapest solution.

Unlike typical doors, strips have incredible benefits and functionality. Here are some advantages:

• They are multiple times cheaper than hard doors
• Easy to pass through without the need to open or close
• They can be see-through or have different colors
• Strip doors have some thermal isolation properties. Not strong enough for the outdoor gate, but amazing for indoor use
• Strip doors will slightly reduce the electricity bills and help maintain a stable garage temperature

Those strips are multi-purpose. Should the need arise, you can reuse them in other areas of the house and save more money in the future. 

2. Using Curtains Rather Than Permanent Walls 

One of the solutions which will save you the most money would be to use garage curtain walls rather than traditional, rigid walls. Similar to the strip doors, curtain walls have almost every advantage over traditional walls:

• Curtain walls could make great dividers if you wish to separate space for different activities
• Multiple times cheaper than traditional wooden or brick walls
• Curtains are a portable solution – you can easily take them down when not in use. Unlike curtains, permanent structures have to go through demolition
• The curtains have resistance against washdown chemicals. You will be able to wash or paint your car without worrying about damaging nearby equipment
• Improve dust, light, noise, and temperature control
• You can use the curtains to create a small area for privacy
• You can reposition the curtains elsewhere in the household as they are great for multi-purpose tasks
• Often, such curtains use vinyl. This material has industrial strength and longevity
• Easy to store in small boxes
• Curtain walls are maintenance-free. They will last for years and remain in great condition

3. Reusing Existing Garage Shelves

There is no need to throw out the old shelves during the renovation. You can reposition them so they act as dividers. Or, move them aside to free parking space.

If the shelves look horrible, you can upgrade them by spray painting them or adding self-adhesive film. Both options are long-lasting and cheap. The shelves will look as good as new while saving you money in the process. Purchasing new shelves can be costly and not a great option if the older ones are still in usable condition.

4. Reusing Older Containers For Storage 

There is no need to throw away old oil containers or large bottles. You can save some money by repurposing them to store wrenches, pliers, tape, keys, nails, plumbing parts, and other, small instruments. You can designate containers for specific tools and organize them next to each other on the shelf. 

5. Insulation Options 

Insulating your garage will help maintain a comfortable environment inside and reduce heating or cooling bills in the long-term. If the garage is next to the house, you will create an additional thermal buffer for your home.

Air-sealing is another important task. Older garages often have air gaps that let cold air in from outside. Regardless of how well the insulation works, without filling in existing air gaps, the heat will keep escaping. These options could work wonders and are inexpensive:

• Spray Foam Insulation. Spray foam as a material is energy-efficient and great for filling in air gaps. While not the cheapest option, it is common in colder regions thanks to its strength.
• Door Insulation. While some door types come with their insulation properties, they tend to be costly. A cheap alternative would be to use dock door curtains. They can roll-up top to bottom and cover the doorway; blocking colder air from entering.
• Fiberglass Insulation. Fiberglass is common in garages and homes. It has roughly the same resistance to moisture as spray foam. Efficiency-wise, foam comes on top.

6. Using Energy-Efficient Light Bulbs

Using the right light bulbs would improve energy-efficiency and give your garage a better indoor look. There are two main choices here:

• Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL). They use less electricity than traditional light bulbs and pay off their initial cost in nine months. After the nine-month period, they will begin saving you money for as long as they last.
• Light Emitting Diodes (LED). These solid lighting semiconductors have been gaining popularity for years and are currently amongst the most energy-efficient lighting technologies. LEDs use 25% of the energy of halogen incandescent and can last up to 25 times longer. Overall, an amazing long-term solution for garage and household lighting.

Conclusion

These tips focus on using inexpensive yet high-efficient equipment during the renovation. The suggestions we offer are as useful as older methods but cheaper.

Some options like using curtains instead of hard walls will result in immediate money saving. Other options like insulation would initially cost money, but make up for it in the long-term. The ultimate goals are upgrading the garage to look awesome and achieving energy-efficiency.

One final benefit worth mentioning is how the garage will boost property value.