Some home owners would like to find a creative way to turn the garage into a more engaging component of their home, rather than being just a catch-all storage area. One great garage remodeling idea is to convert your garage into a home theater.
Converting Your Garage Into A Home Theater
Consider the value of your home. Without a functional garage, your home will suffer on the resale market. If you have any thoughts about relocating in the near future, you might not want to sacrifice the garage. However, if you plan on this being your permanent home, you might as well make it your dream home by converting the garage into a home theater.
You should check with your local building authorities to see if there are any zoning ordinances that would prohibit the conversion of your garage to an interior room. As long as you are not adding additional footage to your home the conversion should be fine.
Now comes the fun part. If you’ve been using your garage as a storage space, you get to clean out the entire garage. Most likely, your home doesn’t have room for all the items stored there. You can either get rid of stuff or obtain another storage solution. Some ideas to help you out are having a garage sale, donating items to charity, purchasing a separate storage structure or renting storage space.
Your next obstacle is the garage door. Do you want to keep it or permanently wall it in? Keeping it will make it easier to convert back to a garage, if you ever need to. Walling in the garage will improve the looks of your new home theater and provide better sound quality. You will also want heating and cooling in your new home theater. Your old garage door might not be very energy efficient and a cold draft creeping in could ruin your movie experience. If you want to keep the garage door, you should check into upgrading to a model that will be better for your new theater.
On top of the standard insulation in the walls, you might want to consider installing an additional sound barrier insulation. This will improve your own personal movie experience and help prevent everybody in the house from going crazy every time you watch a thunderous action flick. You will probably want to contact a professional contractor to address any electrical and plumbing issues.
When it comes to the flooring, your typical cement garage floor is not going to work. You want the floor to be both comfortable and to help prevent sound from bouncing. You could install an insulated raised floor. Another method would be to use insulating board, heavy foam and a plush carpet.
Finally, you will want to install the TV setup, surround sound and seating. You will find a large selection of theater seating available to consumers. However, you might find traditional couches and chairs a more affordable solution. If you have room for a mini kitchen area, that’s great. We recommend a mini-fridge, at the very least, stocked with cold drinks.
So, if you’re tired of using your garage as a catch all storage solution, maybe it’s time to convert your garage into a home theater. If you’re intrigued by the idea of opening up your home with a new garage door contact Raynor Garage Doors and we’d be happy to discuss the possibilities. We’ve fitted homes right here in Kansas City with living space garage-type doors. So we can custom build a door, fit your home with an existing selection or work together to design a unique solution for your unique needs.
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