There was a time when a home's garage was an afterthought, a lesser-used extension of the house that was mainly utilized for either parking a vehicle, housing tools and lawn equipment, or storing decorations and other overflow items you didn't want taking up space in the home's interior. But the evolution of the residential garage has come a long way and now the space is being tailored to suit any number of a homeowner's needs and desires.

At the top of many wish lists is the goal to become more organized and have better storage solutions, whether it's shelving and cabinets to help get things off the ground or perhaps a customized workbench area to keep one's tools tidy and easier to locate in times of need. Others are looking to turn the garage into another living space, perfect for entertaining family and friends, watching the big game or creating a welcomed escape for the kids.

Additionally, the garage has increasingly become the main entryway into the home, and so to avoid tracking in dirt and other debris, garage floors are being finished with resinous coatings that are extremely easy to clean and enhance durability and the overall appearance. What's more, the right garage door can add the perfect finishing touch, help boost curb appeal and add to your home's value.

Unsurprisingly, garage makeovers are only increasing in popularity as homeowners are prioritizing the ability to transform the space from dirty and dingy to a well-designed area that is both highly functional and aesthetically pleasing.

To get a better sense of what homeowners are looking for with these in-demand makeovers, House & Home spoke to some experts in the field who shared their insights and discussed the ways to help breathe new life into your garage.

What's the process like when a homeowner is looking to revamp their garage? How do you determine which
custom cabinet and storage solutions are right for them?
The biggest factor is what they are going be storing. If they're just doing lightweight stuff like Christmas decorations and that sort of thing, that's one issue. If they're doing a lot of paint cans, remodeling tools ... that sort of thing ... it's another situation. When we put our projects in, we build them from simple to spectacular. So a customer can get just basic storage in the closet, or they can get something that's spectacular if they want to show off their 1957 Corvette.
—Charles Palko, general manager, Closet Factory Philadelphia

What are some of the more common requests clients have asked for recently?
They want a workbench in there and they want cabinets. [Homeowners] like having cabinets by the door that they can use as a drop-off zone for groceries, packages, etc.

And since many are using the garage as their front door now, they like to have a bench near the [interior] door where they can sit down and take their shoes off. And then they want a cabinet right next to the bench so they can slide their shoes into it instead of bringing them in the house [and tracking in dirt from the garage].

No matter what their request, they want it to be very functional.
—Aaron Lewis, owner, Closets for Less of Bucks County

Typically when a homeowner contacts me, I will ask questions to find out what their needs are and what their goals are concerning storage, organization and what type of budget they may have in mind. Then I will set up a consultation to meet at their home.

[In addition to finding storage solutions], we have converted garages into workout spaces as well as home offices. We have also turned the space into a man cave or kids play area—[the homeowner] really has unlimited options.
—Clyde Pettit, owner, Distinctive Garage

People tend to focus on updating the inside of the garage, but should they also be looking at updating the garage door at the same time?
A garage door can actually make a difference in your home's value. A recent study showed that garage doors have at least 100% return on investment when you go to sell your home. And when you think about it, especially with doors that face the street, they add to the curb appeal. So instead of thinking about it as just something that goes up and down, think about it as also an extension of your front door. People put a lot of value in what their front door looks like and they should also consider putting the same amount of value into what their garage door looks like.
—Fadi Baaklini, owner, ProLift Garage Doors

With so many options, how can you help a homeowner choose the right door for their style of home?
So one thing we can do, especially if somebody is between doors, is we can take a picture of their house and then send them pictures of what the new garage doors would look like based on whatever design or style of home they have. It gives them a pretty good idea of what it would look like if they chose a woodgrain door, or if they wanted to go from an existing woodgrain to a red or green colored door. It really helps bring what they are envisioning to life versus just seeing it on paper and trying to imagine it in their head.
—Fadi Baaklini

Aside from making the garage cleaner and more organized, is it important to homeowners to make the garage look and feel more polished like the rest of the house?
It's very important. When I was younger, my garage was a garage; we stored stuff in there and we used the front door to access the house. Now people are using the garage as their main entrance, they want to be able to pull their cars in and they want speckled floors in there to help make it look prettier.
—Aaron Lewis

With the garage now being the preferred entryway into the home and folks being cognizant of not wanting to drag in dirt from the garage into the house, what are some of the preferred options when it comes to floor coatings?
We carry two types of flooring, the most common is Citadel Polyurea Floor coatings, which are an epoxy type floor with an endless selection of colors. We also offer SwissTrax interlocking garage floor tiles in 19 different colors and can do many decorative designs in the floor. This is a perfect option if the garage concrete floor is in disrepair and epoxy isn't the best choice.
—Clyde Pettit

The flooring option we use is called polyaspartic. It's very durable against salt, water and UV rays from the sun. So it will not fade and is excellent for its ease of cleaning. ... Most jobs are a one-day job where we'd typically schedule the floor on a Friday and then start putting cabinets in on a Monday. That gives time for the polyaspartic resin to cure over the weekend. You could walk on it, but you shouldn't drive on it for 24-48 hours.
—Charles Palko

RESOURCES
Closet Factory
Serving Pa. and N.J.
(215) 268-7660
ClosetFactory.com

Closets by Design
(866) 278-8881 (Pa. and Del.)
(888) 500-9215 (N.J.)
ClosetsByDesign.com

Closets for Less of Bucks County
Warminster, Pa.
(215) 504-5898
Closets4LessBucks.com

Distinctive Garage
Cape May Court House, N.J.
(609) 602-2270
DistinctiveGarage.net

ProLift Garage Doors
Lansdale, Pa.
(267) 337-5355
ProLiftDoors.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 25, Issue 5 (July/August 2025)
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