A Garage Fit for Family Night

Remember when homes used to have a family room and a living room? The family room was actually the place where everyone could get together, watch television, listen to music, play board games, read, or just relax. Now that smart phones, laptops, and iPads have taken over, most families don't spend as much time together as they used to. In fact, many homes have a television in each bedroom plus a computer in some form for every family member. Although technology is a great thing, it has promoted isolation. Teenagers spend increasingly large stretches of time in their bedrooms and even small children with computers rarely come up for air.

If you're looking to increase your quality time together but have run out of room or ideas, what about that huge 20x20 foot space that currently houses your vehicle? With a little effort, you can turn all or part of your garage into a family fun center. We've outlined a few of our ideas. Use these and adjust them to fit your family lifestyle.

Closing off the Area

Closing off all or a portion of your garage to create extra liveable space may seem like a huge project. Actually, it's not as difficult as you might expect. Building a partition wall complete with insulation can be finished in a weekend. For some families, closing off a portion makes more sense. The front of the garage can be used to store tools and lawn equipment, leaving at least a nice 10x20 foot area for your new family room.

Making Room

Before we discuss the "fun stuff" you'll want to consider a couple of things. First, if your garage is currently too full to even entertain the idea of an extra room, think about making use of the walls with garage shelving and a garage ceiling storage system for the totes and plastic bins holding holiday decoration, keepsakes, and other items you don't regularly need. Why let accumulated stuff keep you from enjoying your family?

Plan it Out

Once you've mapped out your garage storage plan and made the necessary room, it's time to decide on the details of the new family room. To do this, hold a group meeting and ask the following questions:

• What do we do alone that we can do together? Instead of everyone having their own television and sitting in isolation, get rid of the bedroom tvs and install one large flat screen on the wall of your garage. Use garage shelves to hold your sound system, dvd player, cable box, and other necessary items.
• Do you have gamers in the family? A leather couch and a couple of gaming chairs are the perfect addition to the new television.
• What about snacks? With all that room, you can install a bar with stools for snacks, a refrigerator, and even a microwave. A bar can also be used as a juicing station for the family that works out together. P90X anyone?
• A desk area or two can also be added, allowing for those with bills to pay or homework to finish to also be right there in the center of the action.
• If your laundry room is also in the garage, perfect! Now towels can be folded while the latest movie is on the big screen.

The rest of the room is up to you. The walls could be decorated with your family's favorite sports team or can proudly hold your children's framed artwork. Make it personal and you'll enjoy your family time together for years to come.