The Family Handyman – September 2019

FAMILYHANDYMAN.COM SEPTEMBER 2019 31

FAMILY HANDYMAN has

been improving garages for

decades. This year, we found a

family overdue for a garage

makeover. Their simple desire

to clean up the garage led to

a unique conversion that

extended their living space

while still leaving space for cars.

It was a big transformation,

but the projects were easy:

Q TO CUT CLUTTER, we

installed an electric attic lift.

That made moving out-of-

season gear into the attic safe

and effortless—and opened up

lots of floor space. Aside from

careful positioning and adjust-

ments, the installation was

quick and simple.

QFOR YEAR-ROUND

COMFORT, we added ductless

mini-split heating/cooling. If

you’re intimidated by this HVAC

project, don’t be. Supplying the

power took creative planning,

but the rest was amazingly easy.

QTURNING A GARAGE INTO

A HOME THEATER could be as

simple as hanging a TV on the

wall. But we wanted to protect

all the electronics from sawdust

and stray basketballs, so we

built a giant cabinet. Don’t be

fooled by the size; it’s big, but

construction was basic.

QCONCRETE FLOORS are

bland and hard to keep clean.

Our solution was an epoxy

floor coating. More than any

other project, this stunning

floor transformed the garage

into an inviting living space.

MEET THE HOMEOWNERS

T

he Dempseys—JD, Heather, sons Donavan
and Jack, and their puppy, Joe Louis—
have lived in their home for 14 years but
had never given their garage any TLC. “It was
kind of a mess, just a place to keep things,”
says Heather. “When we first started the proj -
ect, all I wanted was to declutter and clean
up. Now it’s a great space to hang out with
friends and family and entertain more often.”

GARAGE

Dual-duty

GARAGE

UPGRADES

GALORE

For videos and how-to

on these projects

and many more, go to

FAMILYHANDYMAN.COM/

GREATGARAGE