Creative Garage Remodeling Ideas

By Kaitlin Krull

For most of us, the garage is a convenient place to park our cars, stash our tools, and store Christmas decorations. While these uses are all valid, we at Home Improvement Leads think that your garage is capable of more. Here are some of the most creative, innovative, and clever garage remodeling ideas to help you turn your garage into a beautiful asset to your home.

Ultimate Guest Room
Parents often threaten to banish their teenage children to the garage after one too many sessions on the drum kit, but we think there’s something to be said for creating a bedroom out of your garage space. If you don’t use your garage as a carport and are short on spare rooms in your home, this is the perfect solution. Since most garages are already equipped with electricity and water tight cladding, your remodeling job will be mostly cosmetic. New carpeting, a fresh coat of paint, and a few pieces of bedroom furniture will turn your garage into the ultimate guest room in a flash.

Workout Room

If you’re interested in fitness and working out, finding a place to store your gym equipment in the home can be difficult. Since we all know that space is a precious commodity, spare your bedrooms and living areas from gym-related clutter by converting your garage into a workout room.

Equipment of all sizes will easily fit into this large, open space, so feel free to invest in as much gear as you need to kit out your workout room. Add personality and style to this space with a fresh coat of paint, mirrored walls, a wall-mounted television, and comfortable seating for post-session cool downs.






Craft Room
The same space issues that fitness lovers find are also common with crafters—there’s just not enough room for all of your stuff! If this sounds like you, then turning your garage into a bespoke craft room is the perfect solution to your problems. Storage and organization are key here, since every crafter knows that a well-organized crafting space fosters productivity. Personalize your craft room with plenty of counter and worktop space, labeled supply storage, and motivational decorative accessories to get your creative juices flowing.

Entertainment Room
Traditional garages usually function as hangouts for car and DIY enthusiasts, but seating and decorative accessories tend to be put aside in favor of convenient folding chairs and tools. Embrace the lounge aspect of your garage by creating an entertainment room that suits your personal tastes. While a big screen television, leather armchairs, and a bar will work perfectly for sports loving homeowners, others might prefer gaming consoles, foosball, and pool tables.

Home Office
Working from home has its obvious benefits, but office space is generally not one of them. Rather than turning a spare room or playroom into your home office, make use of your garage space. We love this remodeling option because it gives you a purpose built, private, and quiet room away from the busyness of home life with relatively little DIY requirements. One top tip: make sure your Internet connection and other electronics will be able to work in your garage space.

Mud Room
If you have children, or pets, or a significant other whose first priority when arriving home is not always removing shoes, you’ll know that outside mess has a way of spreading throughout the house at an alarming rate. Houses that lack large entryways or mudrooms are particularly susceptible to this kind of mess—but don’t worry, the solution is simple! By turning part of your garage into a mudroom with storage for coats, shoes, and bags, you can leave most of the dirt and grime from the outside world in a room that’s meant to be untidy. We love this idea because you don’t have to completely sacrifice the functionality of your garage in order to create a mudroom area.

Green Updates that Add Value to Your Real Estate

Energy-efficiency is incredibly important for the health of our environment, and with energy prices rising, more residents aim to save money on monthly utility bills. If you own a home or apartment building, you can take control and incorporate some green updates to boost property value. You’ll be able to sell for a higher price or charge a higher rent, so you’ll get your money back in no time.

Harness the Sun’s Power
It’s no secret that solar panels are an incredible way to use renewable energy and decrease our carbon footprints. Installing solar panels may be an expensive investment, but you will save money in several ways to compensate over time.

First, your monthly energy bill will decrease significantly, and some states will even compensate you for generating extra energy and selling it back to the grid. Often times, this is the same compensation price as they would have charged you to use that energy. You can also take advantage of federal tax deductions, lump-sum rebates, and partial reimbursement for solar panels, depend on where you live.

Solar panels will boost your home’s value significantly, but luckily, most states won’t charge you that additional property tax!

Control Your Airflow
Your windows might actually be working against you. Single-pane or poorly insulated windows may release or let in cold air and heat. So when you don’t feel like the heater is working in the winter, you might crank it up higher. With better window options, you can eliminate this problem, add value to your home, and decrease your utility bills.

Installing Energy Star windows could save you an average of 12% on your utility costs per year. These green windows are mostly double- and triple-pane windows that rely on multiple sheets of glass to seal in air and improve the effectiveness of A/C and heating units. Low-emissivity coatings cut back on harmful chemical emissions and improve heat conservation. Certain states will also provide financial incentives for this switch, like the Energy Star tax credit. With perks like these, your home’s value will increase, and homebuyers will be more inclined to purchase or rent your property.

Light Up Your Potential
Lighting plays a huge part in staging and showing your home when it’s on the market, but you can do even more with lighting to boost your property value. The government’s energy website highlights a few options to save some bucks.

Ditch the light switches and go for dimmers, motion-sensors, or timer controls—a favorite of ours here at Modernize. These options allow you to set lighting schedules, so that you’re not wasting energy when you aren’t home or when you forget to turn off the lights. Motion-sensor lights only stay on when someone is in the room, and they turn off after a period of no occupancy. If you pair them with eco-friendly light bulb options, you’ll have another great selling feature to boost your property value.

These are just a few green updates that can significantly increase your selling price. Have fun converting your home into an eco-friendly habitat!

Friday Frolics - What's Your Decorating Style?

A girlfriend has just moved into her new apartment and she's still in the process of fine-tuning the décor. So we went to Ikea the other day to see what she can find for her new space. And oh, speaking of Ikea I'm just so glad that Ikea will be opening its second store in Malaysia and it's going to be here in Kuala Lumpur too! Yay! It's at Jalan Cochrane in Cheras to be exact. Many people would be happy. I know I am. :D

Alright, I digress. Let's get to the matter at hand today, a Personality Quiz. Since we are on the topic of Ikea, let's do a Decorating Style quiz, shall we?

Have a happy day ahead!

My Style is Bright

You are an optimistic and sunny person. And you like your surroundings to be as bright and as cheery as you are. You love colorful things, but you also understand that less is more. You are likely to work with a home's natural sunlight and architecture. You aren't afraid to make bold choices in decorating and in the rest of your life. You like to be surrounded by things, people, and events that pop. There is nothing subdued or boring about your style. However, you are never too much - you are just the right amount!

Your turn..
What's Your Decorating Style?

More Fun Quizzes!

Last week's quiz: What Pumpkin Treat Are You?

Haze is back in Kuala Lumpur

Yum! - smell of barbecue in the air but wait, there's no actual barbecue going on. How's that, you may ask.

Yes, the haze is back again this time of the year - sort of like an annual affair without fail caused by open burning in Sumatra - land clearing for the planting season. At last count 380 hotspots spotted in Sumatra. The smoke is blown over by the south-westerly wind over the Straits of Malacca to the west coast of peninsula Malaysia. Places like KL, Klang, Pangkor, Penang are all affected.

This is the Kuala Lumpur skyline currently - with the 'egg yolk' in the sky.

On a clear day this would be a lovely view with both the KL Tower (right) and the PETRONAS Twin Towers in sight. However in hazy times, people living higher up would best be shutting their doors and windows especially for people with breathing problems such as asthma. Yes, do keep your sliding door for lofts shut to stay away from all that unhealthy air. However, the air quality is still good enough to be going out without a face mask. Todate, I've not seen anyone with a mask on yet. So there..

And this was the haze situation in Penang yesterday.

Penang is still shrouded by haze and as 4pm yesterday, the Department of Environment’s monitoring stations in Seberang Jaya 2, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Prai recorded API levels of 79, 72 and 68 respectively.

An API reading of between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy), and 301 and above (hazardous).


Image sources courtesy of The Star

Premier table linens for sale or rental

Looking for table cloths or other table linens? Premier Table Linens would be the site you would want to check out.

Premier Table Linens is a premier leader in table linen including tablecloths, overlays, napkins, table runners, chair covers, sashes, table skirts and fitted tablecloths and more. Just to give you an idea of their range of stocks, their fitted tablecloths, for example, come in every size with up to 74 different colors!

To serve their customers better, they now have five major operations, i.e.
- table linens and table skirting sales
- table linen rentals for weddings and special events
- Burlap products for which they have an entire Premier Burlap Boutique store dedicated to Burlap and Faux Burlap
- Spandex table linens and all Spandex products
- custom printed tablecloths, custom printed table skirts, digital printed banners and many more custom printed products and they have a professional team dedicated to this department as well.

Just for table skirting rentals you will find 17 exquisite line fabrics to choose from. However if you are buying you will be even spoilt for choice with their offering of 38 fabrics. Don't just take my word for it, check out their easy-to-navigate site and be amazed at their range.

Premier Table Linens offers the most competitive prices both retail and wholesale. This is their 10th year of business and right now there is an offer of 40% on a number of selected fabrics. For further savings don't forget to check out their Premier Clearance section.

This award-winning table linen company has got you covered indeed. Happy shopping!

Inspiration: Guest Rooms with 2 Twin Beds

Planning a guest room or looking out for ideas to redecorate your guest room? Below are some great options.

Inspiration: Guest Rooms with 2 Twin Beds
By Jane Blanchard

A guest room can be a great opportunity to let your creativity shine through. In thinking about what might be most comfortable for your future guests, allow us to suggest using twin beds. Twin beds are a versatile choice: couples can push them together if they wish, but single guests will be relieved not to have to share. Best of all, designing with them is just plain fun. See what we mean below.

Create an Oasis

via Zillow Digs

Even if you don't live at the beach, you can still create a vacationland feel in a guest bedroom. We love the sky-and-ocean color scheme here, and the natural materials in the headboards, blinds and ceiling fan recreate the feel of a rustic, seaside resort.


Keep It Simple

via Houzz

Create a restful space with easy blocks of color. This style doesn't require a major paint job or fancy furniture; instead, the effect is all in the textiles. This is a great opportunity to experiment with color combinations you might not normally consider!


Awash in Color

via Houzz

If you're really in love with a strong color, forget the fabric accents and go for the walls. This tutti-frutti combination of raspberry and orange sorbet shades somehow manages to be completely sophisticated. We love the patterns on the beds and just can't help feeling like this room was designed by a grown-up Marcia Brady.


Traditional Bed Frames

via Houzz

Nothing says guest bedroom like a metal bed frame. We don't know why that is, but we love the look. Paired with some gorgeous pillows, luggage stands, and a luxe, shallow dresser, guests will feel as if they've stepped into a posh B&B.


Awkward Spaces Solved

via Zillow

Chance are good that your spare bedroom is the one that no one wanted to take on permanently because of its size or some difficult-to-furnish feature. Twin beds can be creatively tucked into little nooks, and you can also spread them apart to maximize floorspace for other activities when guests aren't visiting.


Ingenious Murphy Beds

via Houzz

Speaking of awkward spaces, what if you don't have a spare bedroom at all? The solution just might be a pair of Murphy beds built into your home office. We love that these are part of a larger storage system so that your books and treasures need not be moved every time you have overnight visitors.


Comfortably Close

via Houzz

You know, there's no rule that says you have to put a nightstand or rug between those twin beds. If you're tight on space, you can place the beds close to each other, but not touching. Your single guests will appreciate this small separation just as much as a room's width. We love how the ultra-plush bed linens make this arrangement feel like a luxurious design choice instead of a small-space necessity.


For more home inspiration go to Modernize.com.

Two Chinese New Year taboos

Well, Chinese New Year is over. Yesterday was the last of the 15-day celebration. You are still not back at work? Well, lucky you! Trust you had fun this year.

I don't know whether it's just the Chinese who are superstitious but I can think of two taboos that at least some of us pay attention to during the Chinese New Year period - the 15 days. We are not supposed to cut our hair until after the 15 days, and we don't buy footwear during this time too. You didn't know that? Now you do but of course some of us don't care.

I was contemplating on making a purchase of a shoe-rack but thought I should wait until after Chinese New Year. Yeah, best to steer clear of buying anything relating to footwear lest the year should turn out a little too bumpy for comfort.

By the way, if you are looking to remodel your home or make some changes, here's a site you may want to check out for some great stuff and lots of ideas. Bookmark ovisonline.com, who knows..

Hope today will start you off on a wonderful new lunar year ahead!

Friday Frolics - The House Test

Interesting personality quiz this one.

What the House Test Says About You

You are happy with who you are, and you don't have an inflated sense of self importance. You do your own thing quietly. You don't take up a lot of space. You aren't against being community oriented, but it's not really your thing. You tend to prefer to focus on your family and not the neighborhood around you. You are a social, friendly, and giving person. You like to bring people together and make them feel happy. You take good care of your physical appearance. You dress well, stay in shape, and do your best to look great. You are moved by the most simple of things. You can find pleasure from a small, perfect moment.

The House Test

More Fun, Free Quizzes!

The last Friday Frolics personality quiz..The Modern Chair Test

Looking for a Tablecloth or two?

Tablecloths, do you need a tablecloth or two or more and can't seem to find what you are looking for? Try the Internet. I know, what a cliche, right?

120" tablecloths has an AMAZING range of tablecloths of any texture for any occasion. Don't just take my word for it, just check out the site, will you. You'd be so spoilt for choice! Happy shopping!

Friday Frolics - What's Your Decorating Style?

This week's personality quiz is about decorating, your decorating style, that is.

What's your decorating style? Does your home reflect your style? Take the quiz to find out.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Your Style is Bohemian

You are a person with eclectic and varied tastes. You have a wide range of interests and passions. Of all the types, you are the most likely to be well cultured or even well traveled. You don't fit into any particular box. You like to break all the rules when it comes to decorating... and to life. You simply like to surround yourself with things that you love. You are talented at bringing very different things together and making them work. You know how to develop good contrast without clashing.

What's Your Decorating Style?

More Fun, Free Quizzes!

Last Week's: The Ketchup Test

Do you work with foam?

Many people are very good with their hands in the handicraft department, that is. I have a colleague who is so good with crochet that she makes blouses, bags and such for her friends and family.

Another makes pottery items and the pieces she makes are so beautiful they are even good enough for shop shelves. But, she only makes for herself and as gifts.

Yet another makes costume jewellery. So far, no one is working with foam projects. But if you are, here's a site for you so you can have a wider choice and best prices, I'm sure. Get your foam products here, from foambymail.com. Choices galore awaits.

Home improvement ideas

Looking for a great idea for the home or rather the kitchen? How about this great mixer lift. It's an ideal way to store and conceal small appliances or big appliances such as a mixer when they are not in use.

With an easy pull of the shelf, the heavy-duty lifting arms gracefully raise your mixer to counter top level, giving you the kitchen accessory you need in a matter of seconds.

The Internet is a amazing resource for ideas for home improvement. Happy searching!

Cameron Highlands is still a cool hill station

The Cameron Highlands is one of Malaysia’s most extensive hill stations.  The other hill stations being the one on Penang Hill and Fraser's Hill which is in the state of Perak.

The size of Singapore, Cameron Highlands occupies an area of 712 square kilometres (275 sq mi) in the Titiwangsa Mountains.

Many think that the "Camerons" is no longer cool or rather not as cool in temperature as it used to be before rampant development took place in the last few years.

Still, the temperatures there are still much cooler than in Kuala Lumpur, for instance.   The mean annual temperature of the resort is about 18 °C (64 °F). During the day, the temperature seldom rises above 25 °C (77 °F); at night, it can rarely drop to as low as 9 °C (48 °F), at the higher areas though it would be comfortable to have a heated blanket, I should think or at least a hot water bottle for the night...

Adding good fengshui to your home

Water features are popular in Chinese homes mainly for that good fengshui effect. Some people have a fishpond of koi fishes, others prefer a fountain in a strategic location.

Soothing Walls has something quite different.  They have a range of wall fountains which could also double as art pieces. Having one installed not only enhances the aesthetics of a home, it also makes the home a lot cooler with the constant flow of water.

How to choose a TV mount

If you are looking into installing a tv mount, you will need to consider the location of where you will want to mount your tv whether flat screen or CRT tube tv.

You will also need to consider whether you would prefer it to be able to be adjusted up or down, left or right in order to view it. A low profile tv wall mount will do if you will not need to adjust the tv. However, if you need to adjust it, consider buying a swing out tv wall mount that will allow you to place your tv exactly where you can adjust the viewing angle for optimum enjoyment.

I attended a house-warming gathering just last weekend and I noticed the host has her flat screen tv mounted to the wall.  Hers is the swing out tv wall mount.  I thought that's a pretty neat option, the tv mount is designed to hide behind the screen for a sleek, professional finish and minimal hardware visibility. TV mounts work for the home, the office and the retail space.

Went shopping at Courts Mammoth

The purpose of my last visit to Courts Mammoth was to pick out a washing machine to replace the one that quit on me. Besides the section on washing machines, the fridges section got my attention as well that day.

We all know that Samsung is now the world leader in smartphones. Did you know they also have super nice-looking and super efficient refrigerators as well? I had a good time checking out all the refrigerators that visit. What a range!  By the way, I opted for a Samsung washing machine, one of their latest designs, the one with Wobble technology and I am happy, happy, happy with my choice.  

Source: weheartit.com

Heavy duty drawer slides

There are lots of products in the market that we don't need and may never have a need to even find out about them. However, it is always good to be able to know where you can find them if you have a need for them.

Take for example, heavy duty drawer slides. Most of us may never have a need know about these unless one is a carpenter or a home renovator or in a line related to home cabinetry and home improvement.

Heavy duty anything is a safe bet for efficiency and durability. Imagine having to stress out over a cabinet that's always dislodging itself whenever you yank it out a little too hard.

Termites eating away

Haze or no haze, given the high humidity here, we are faced with the high possibility of pest infestation in our homes.

A co-worker in the office was sharing about her current experience with termites that are silently eating away at her kitchen cabinets. Living near a forest reserve may be cooling but she has to contend with more insects than would an urban-dweller. She has seen giant spiders, ants of different varieties, millipedes and centipedes, even snakes. The risk of termites is a given. Mosquitoes? All the time but more so in hot weather.

She shared a website where she could buy products for termite extermination. If you have a need, here it is: pestproductsonline.com for termidor sc

I was curious enough so I checked out the site and was surprised that there are so many different products to ward off the equal number of pests that we can be exposed to from the common ants, rats, fleas, silverfish to the more 'exotic' earwigs, pillbugs, and more.

How to protect your gutter from being clogged up

Anyone who has had to clean a gutter would know how difficult the task is and what it entails. Gutter-cleaning can be dangerous too if  you are living in a 2-story house.

Having a gutter installed may be the easy part. The maintenance part of cleaning it to clear clutter is a completely different story altogether. Not only does a homeowner have to contend with clutter of leaves and twigs, birds and pests such as possums and rats may add to the problem.

Advancement in gutter designs has made maintaining gutters a much simpler affair, more accurately, a thing of the past.  A gutter guard is all that is needed to protect a gutter from being clogged with leafs and other debris, as well as preventing birds and pests from entering your roof space.  A Leafbusters Gutter Guard ensures a maintenance-free gutter all year round.  Not only that, properly installed gutter guards improve the look of the house, beautifying it even.  Leafbusters gutter guards come in a variety of colours to complement the colour scheme of the house.  There is even one type that is fire-retardant.

Leafbusters gutter guards are 100% Australian made from design to manufacturing.  If you are in Australia and are considering a gutter guard system and a proven gutter protection company, you are at the right place.  Leafbusters provides a free quote and that could be the start of years of trouble-free living!

If you are in Melbourne, Leafbusters' Gutter Guards Melbourne team will be available and ready to assist you.  Living in Brisbane?  Their Gutter Guards Brisbane team is equally competent and professional in providing the high quality service you would expect.  Contact them for a free quote or for information about this award-winning gutter protection system. You would be glad you did!

Extend your summer with an outdoor heater

As some places in the north are experiencing the heaviest snowfall in fifty years, some of us here in the tropics are going through hot and humid weather. Where climates are concerned we can't have the best of both worlds at the same time. Fortunately, we can relocate (at least temporarily) to avoid suffering extremes of temperatures.

Here in Malaysia we can escape from the heat and humidity by staying indoors with the air-conditioning switched on or go to a mall to stay cool. Some of us make a quick escape to the highlands such as Cameron Highlands, Frasers Hill or Genting Highlands, Gentings being just an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur.

I remember once we (friends and I) were staying in an apartment in Gentings and the nights were so cold, we wished the place was installed with a heater like one of the two in the images above which have been borrowed from this site: http://www.patioshoppers.com/catalog/Patio_Heaters-4-1.html.

If you are living in a temperate climate and enjoy longer summers, patio heaters or outdoor heaters can help make that happen. Heating units like these provide you the ability to spend more time outdoors with your family and friends.