How to Make a Home Office in Your Garage & How Budget Storage Can Help

In homes up and down the country, garages are more likely to be used to store gardening equipment and bikes than they are to protect your car. It’s fair to say that the garage can easily become a bit of a dumping ground. However, with a bit of hard work, this large structure could easily become a home office or additional room for you to enjoy all year round, with the help of budget storage.

The Dream

If you have been working from home for the entirety of the pandemic, you may be keen to free your spare bedroom or dining room from all of your work-from-home clutter. The good news is that having a garage means you already have a space that is ready for conversion.

Depending on the size of your garage, you may have space for a desk, relaxation area, or even your very own breakout area if you need to meet with clients or consult patients.

If you don’t need a home office, you may still be keen to convert your garage into a snug, garden room, private bar or games room. If you have teenagers at home, they might value their own space away from the house, whilst you can enjoy some peace and quiet.

Once you start thinking about re-designing your garage, the possibilities are endless.

First Practical Steps

Your first steps to creating a home office or garden room will depend on the current condition of your garage.

Before you make any changes, be sure to check with your local council to ensure your project does not need planning permission.

If your garage is currently full of garden or sports paraphernalia, you can quickly clear the garage by renting a budget storage unit from a facility like Stop and Store in the heart of Fareham.

Placing the contents of your garage into household budget storage means everything will be kept safe until you have alternative storage in place, such as a shed. Alternatively, renting a budget storage space could be a long term solution. You could choose to store items all year round, and only collect things as and when you need them.

Garage Conversion

To create a room that’s warm, dry and free from damp, you will need to insulate the roof, walls and floor. You can also choose to plaster the walls and ceiling, as well as installing electrics and heating to keep you warm all year round. Plastering leads to a nicer-looking finish than leaving the insulation boards bare.

Whilst a traditional garage door is great for access, you may want to add a personnel door or French doors to make getting in and out simpler. Adding windows will also allow natural light into your office.

Adding lino, laminate or carpet to your newly insulated garage floor will make your new space feel cosier.

Be sure to include enough sockets to power your laptop, printer, wireless router and any other electrical equipment you may require for work.

Security

Your new garage conversion may need to be more secure than it was previously. This is particularly true if you will be leaving equipment unattended or overnight. Check that your new doors have an adequate locking system, and be sure to close and lock windows when you leave.

You may need to enquire about additional contents insurance from your insurance provider to make sure that you will still be covered in the event of a break in or burglary. You may find that you can pay less for your insurance if you have an alarm fitted within the garage.

Design Ideas

Once you have made your garage more habitable, you will be left with a fresh new space that can be designed exactly how you want it. Websites including Pinterest are great for giving you visual ideas for interior design as you begin to transform your garage.

As it is far easier to work in good lighting conditions, you may wish to place your desk in a well-lit area of the room, avoiding direct glare on your screen. If you will be continuing to hold meetings via video call, check what you have placed behind you as this is what colleagues and clients will see during the call.

Your work may involve holding meetings or greeting clients in person. In this case, you will want to ensure that your garage conversion feels like a professional workspace. Counsellors, beauty therapists, tutors and fitness instructors will all need to welcome clients into a warm, well-lit room that makes guests feel comfortable.

The décor you choose can reflect both your own personal taste, and the impression you want clients to be left with. Soft greys, pale yellows and light blues are inoffensive to most people, and can help to make the room feel light and spacious, too.

How Budget Storage Can Help

Although renting a budget storage unit can help you to clear your garage quickly before any conversion work begins, it can also be a long term solution. At Stop and Store, we offer storage contracts to suit you. Your rental can be for as little as one month, to rolling contracts that continue for as long as you need your unit.

Although you might plan to install a small shed in the garden for the items you use more regularly such as lawn mowers or bikes, there may be many items that were stored in your garage that are bulky or only used infrequently.

Skis, camping equipment and kayaks all take up a lot of space. At Stop and Store in Fareham, our storage facility is accessible seven days a week between 8am and 8pm. This means you can pick up your snowboard or surfboard whenever you need it, without it cluttering up your new home office or taking up the entire shed.

We have storage rooms ranging in size from 12 to 200 square feet. Our premises also boast 24 hour monitored CCTV and intruder alarms for your peace of mind.

To reserve a storage unit before you create a new room in your garage, contact us today on 01329 556174.