4 Garage Remodel Ideas To Transform Your Home’s Forgotten Room

No matter how modern your home’s facade is, if an old garage door is facing the curb, it’s hurting the appeal. Think about it: A garage door is bigger than your entry door, more noticeable than windows, and can easily show its age. Maybe that’s why replacing one has an impressive 100 percent return on investment — and maybe it’s time to look into some garage remodel ideas.

A garage remodel is definitely a worthwhile investment! Whether it’s a job that’s been on the to-do list for a while, you’re preparing for a home sale, or you’re keeping up with housing market trends and wondering which home renovations add value, now is the perfect time to do it! And that door? It’s only one of several garage remodel ideas that will have heads turning — for all the right reasons.

How To Remodel a Garage: First Steps

Sure, when most people look at their garage and talk about making updates, they’re usually thinking about replacing the garage door. But, while that’s helpful, there are other garage conversion ideas for the exterior and interior. We’re talking a head-to-toe transformation — floors, walls, and anything else you want to ad

Unless you’re doing a smaller job, like a reorganization (more on that in a minute), a garage remodel is a serious job that involves more than a new coat of paint. We all want to save money on home projects, but fixing a bad DIY job is more expensive than doing it right the first time.

The first item on your to-do list? Research remodeling contractor options in your area and get at least two or three quotes for comparison. Then, talk to them about your garage goals. Maybe you’re thinking beyond storage and considering turning a garage into a living space, a garage gym, or a spare bedroom? Go through the wish list, then ask what’s possible. Together, you’ll create the perfect strategy for your goals and budget, and deciding on a hire will become a lot easier.

And speaking of budget…

Garage Remodel Ideas … and Their Price Tags

Wishlist items typically don’t come cheap. According to Angi.com, a typical garage remodel costs approximately $18,000. But, like all home projects, the garage remodel cost depends on what you want your end result to be. The cost to convert a garage to a living space? That’ll likely run upwards of $55,000. 

Type of Garage Remodel

General Touch-Ups

• Garage Remodel Ideas: Painting walls or the door, updating the flooring, adding organization features (free-standing shelves, bins, etc.)
  • Estimated Cost Range: $3,000 – $8,000

Mid-Range Updates

• Garage Remodel Ideas: Replacing the garage door, adding lighting, installing new flooring, including built-in storage solutions
  • Estimated Cost Range: $10,000 – $30,000

High-end upgrades

• Garage Remodel Ideas: Insulating the walls, incorporating high-end features, installing epoxy flooring, adding plumbing
  • Estimated Cost Range: $18,000 – $50,000

Complete Conversion: 

• Garage Remodel Ideas: Building a new garage or converting the garage into a living space
  • Estimated Cost Range: $55,000+

How To Keep Garage Remodel Costs in Check

Let's talk about labor; it's a huge piece of the puzzle and can eat up about half your total budget. For an average garage makeover, that's close to $9,000. The deal is pretty simple: The more time and people involved, the higher the bill. You might have a general contractor who charges a flat fee for the whole job, and that gets tacked on top of whatever the plumbers, electricians, or other specialists cost.

So, if you’re looking for the cheapest way to convert a garage to a living space, look for areas where you can consolidate labor. For example, hire a full-service general contractor who will manage and supply all necessary tradespeople. This single-point approach streamlines scheduling, reduces overall labor hours, and often secures better rates from their trusted subcontractors.

4 Garage Remodel Ideas

If a total overhaul wasn’t quite what you (or your bank account) had in mind, consider picking and choosing a few of the following garage remodel ideas to give your space a refresh.

A simple garage remodel idea that instantly freshens up the space? Update the floors.

1. Update the Garage Flooring

You may be thinking, “It’s just a garage floor, what else could possibly be done with it?” But the answer may surprise you. There are multiple ways to breathe new life into scuffed and dingy concrete garage floors, including:

Concrete Stain

If your garage has fairly new or untouched floors — and you plan to keep it that way — add a stain to the concrete to give it a marbleized look.

Epoxy Paint

Want to make your garage floors stain- and scratch-free? Add a coat of epoxy paint. Applied correctly, it’ll keep your floors looking new for the long haul, no matter how many times you drive over or leak oil onto it.

Concrete Floor Paint

You can’t smear your floors with regular wall paint, but there are oil and latex-based paints meant to go over a concrete surface. These paints can flake over time, though, so hang onto the cans and color names in case you need to make touch-ups every few years.

Foam Floor Mats

If coating your floors with stains or paints isn’t what you had in mind, try interlocking foam tiles or mats for the flooring, or put them in the spots where you park your cars.

Rubber Floors

This is a wonderful option for workout fanatics who want to use their garage for an iron-pumping space. See other optimal garage gym flooring options.

Carpet, Tile, or Hardwood

Flex your non-traditional muscles by adding a flooring material that’s more commonly used indoors. If you use your garage as a living space, workplace, or other non-car-housing location, this is an option that packs a sophisticated and sleek look.

2. Show Your Garage Walls Some Attention — Inside and Out

If your garage walls are unfinished and uninsulated, addressing both is a great way to refresh your look and save on utility costs.

How To Insulate Your Garage (in Four Steps)

1. Put insulation inside your walls (average cost $5,000) to trap heat and energy, preventing it from escaping your home. While you may not think of a garage as a room that requires climate control, it can be an energy-sucker, ultimately resulting in higher utility bills.
2. Once the insulation is in place, add drywall (average cost $1,000) if it’s not already there.
3. If you really want to open up the space, make room for a new window or two.
4. Once the foundational work is done, finish the job with a fresh coat of paint.

Garage remodel ideas apply to what you keep inside the garage, too. Get clever with storage elements to keep your newly remodeled garage neat and organized.

3. Maximize Your Garage Storage

New floors, new walls, now what? Complete the look and amp up your garage’s square footage by taking advantage of some dynamic garage storage ideas.

Buy or Build a Shelving System or Cabinets

Storage racks and shelving can be purchased at home-improvement or bulk stores, but there are cheaper DIY garage organization ideas, too. This is the cheapest way to upgrade your garage storage, costing only a few hundred dollars (if that).

Implement Vertical Storage

Add pegboards, wall mounts, and hooks to your walls to make better use of some often-underutilized space. If you have a few bikes taking up room in your garage, install a vertical bike rack. This can run around $500, depending on the scale of your project.

Add Ceiling Storage

Looking for a few more space-saving garage storage ideas? Look up! Install one or two overhead garage storage racks for storing items you don’t use every day, like holiday decor, out-of-season sporting equipment, and more. This can cost around $3,500 if you opt for the professional installation route.

Garage conversion ideas, exterior edition: When in doubt, upgrade the door.

4. Finish the Look With a New Garage Door

Now, let’s bring things full circle. We did say there were projects beyond a garage door replacement (average cost $1,400), but we’d be remiss not to recommend replacing the door at all. While there are so many options and styles to choose from, it can be intimidating to make a final decision.

Tips for Choosing a New Garage Door

• Go for a style that complements your home: If you live in a traditional home, an intricate design will stand out like a sore thumb. Opt for a panel or carriage-house model instead of something more contemporary. Most manufacturers will list their models on their websites, so do some perusing before making a decision.
• Remember, you get what you pay for: A lower-quality door may seem more cost-efficient, but ask yourself if the savings are coming from fewer springs, lack of insulation, etc. These are functional shortcomings that could cost you more in the long run.
• Beware of wood: Wood garage doors are popular for a reason — they’re a lovely addition to most homes. But because of their natural finish, they’ll need more maintenance and attention than steel models.

Garage Remodel — FAQs

Q: What are some cheap garage updates?
A: The cheapest way to update your garage is to rely on garage remodel ideas that don’t create a need for outside labor — or, ones that require minimal professional help. This could be painting the interior walls, painting the garage door, installing a free-standing organizational system, or adding LED lights.

Q: What is the cheapest way to do a garage conversion?
A: Labor is the highest cost in a garage remodel, so if you’re on a budget, focus on decluttering, deep cleaning, and adding low-cost functional elements like paint, lighting, and basic storage systems. Avoid structural changes, complex wiring, plumbing, or hiring contractors, and instead repurpose existing furniture and materials to define the space. If you do want to make some structural changes, hire a general contractor to farm the work out to subcontractors rather than employing an entire team of professionals.

Q: How much is a garage makeover?
A: Most garage remodels end up costing around $18,000, but your total could swing anywhere from $3,000 all the way to $60,000+. It really comes down to how big your space is and how big your plans are.

Q: How do I update my old garage?
A: Beyond the basic updates mentioned (paint, lighting, and organization), you can update your old garage by installing new flooring, replacing the garage door, adding exterior lighting, insulating the walls, and building a custom storage system.

Q: How much does it cost to replace garage flooring?
A: The exact cost depends on how large your garage is, how much professional labor is required, and the materials you select. The national average cost of replacing a garage floor is around $800–$1,200 for epoxy and $2,160–$2,880 for polyurea. Painting concrete flooring is the cheapest option, ranging from $1-4 per square foot.

Make Room for Remodeling With PODS

The garage is usually where we’d put things to get them out of the way while remodeling other rooms in the house. But where do we put the things that are in the garage during our garage remodel? Avoid having mess and clutter inside your home, and make room for garage and home remodeling with a PODS portable storage container. It’s delivered to your driveway, and you can keep it for as long as it takes to incorporate your dream garage remodel ideas.

Want to learn more? Kicking off a garage remodel project soon? Visit PODS online for a free quote today.

LB Gabriel is a freelance writer who lives with her husband, daughter, and Golden Retriever in Memphis, TN. A frequent PODS Blog contributor, she's a sucker for any tip she can find on downsizing, cutting clutter, or minimalist living. When she's not on a deadline, you can find her on a tennis court or golf course.

_{*This article was written on behalf of PODS Enterprises, LLC (“PODS”). PODS does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of any information contained in this article and disclaims any liability for reliance upon the content herein.}