What a Garage is Really Good for

If you're currently giving one of the biggest rooms in your house to your car, or even worse - to a bunch of old junk, you might want to consider converting the space to something that's better used by the people in your family. Converting a garage into a living space can be one of the quickest and most economical ways to expand your home and add value to your property.

From dance studio to rental suite, there's a whole world of possibilites when it comes to utilizing the space. Though most people won't have any trouble coming up with ideas, we got so carried away coming up with uses for our garage that we thought we share them with you here:

- Apartment: If you have a double suburban garage, you might want to make another home in it. With it's own en suite and a separate entrance, you can provide older children in the family with independence and privacy, create an apartment for Grandma or Grandpa or turn it into a rental suite and make some $$$.

- Home Office: If you work at home, you know how important it is to have your own separate work space. There's nothing worse that watching your four year old dribble jam on the report you accidentally left on the kitchen table, or to be on an important phone call and have someone shouting at you that they can't find the pop tarts. Yep. A room with a door that locks, your own desk and cabinets make all the difference to your sense of professionalism. If you invite clients into your home, a space like this takes on even greater importance. If you run a home business, a converted garage is an ideal location to welcome the public and do business without disrupting your home life. Consider a separate entrance for this room so they don't have to look at your dirty laundry on the way to the meeting.

- Playroom: Ah, the playroom. If you have children that are old enough to walk, you understand what joy this room can bring to the families that have one. An interesting playroom with lots of storage for easy clean up is like a magnet for young children and like an oasis of peace for their parents. A playroom can help you keep the rest of the house appropriate for all ages and your kids' rooms for what they were meant for - sleeping. As the children grow, the room can adapt to their needs, morphing into an arts and craft space, a dance studio, video game room, indoor gym or general hang out where parents don't appear except to bring pizza. Let the kids decide - it's their room.

- Bedroom - depending on the size of your garage, it can become anything from a single bedroom to two small bedrooms or a master bedroom with an en suite. If you have growing children who are clamoring for extra space or a baby on the way, converting your garage to an extra bedroom can save you the hassle and expense of having to look for a new home.

- Media Room: Formerly known as the 'den', the media room is where you can put all those fantastic machines that entertain and amuse. Video game consoles, dvd players, plasma screen TVs with surround sound and all manner of gadgets can find their home in this room.

- Library - Remember books? We do. A small garage fitted with floor to ceiling shelving, rolling ladders and generous comfy seating can be the ultimate luxury room and retreat.

Unfortunately, we only had one garage and had to pick just one use for the space. For us, the garage became a self-contained apartment for our teenage son which we'll rent out as a mortgage helper when he leaves home. It's been fantastic for our family and I have to say that I don't miss the garage in the slightest. I park my car in the drive and we moved all the junk we were storing into a shed in the back. It took less than two weeks to frame in the apartment, extend the plumbing and electrical systems into the room, and finish the interior. The contractors did such a great job that it looks like the room has always been there.