How to turn a dust collector into a selling point

That indoor parking lot - sometimes not even used for parking, just surrounded by clutter - can flourish into a multi-use living space.

If you are willing to trade the parking space for on-street or on-driveway, you can create extra in-demand living space, turning a garage around to make it a selling point of your property.

Pocketspace Interiors director Laura Heynike says decluttering the space and going through the stuff you have collected in the garage over the years is the first step.

“Figure out what you actually need. If you haven’t used something in a year then you are probably not going to use it.”

Secondly, evaluate what key functions you want your garage to accommodate and prioritise what additional usage it will have.

“Tailor it your lifestyle but have a foresight of knowing that it can be applied to other storage needs in future.

“But you can’t go wrong with a bench wrapping around the perimeter with some decent storage – that's something that every person would want,” Heynike says.

A garage can often combine a laundry room, a kids’ playroom, a man-cave, a teenage hang out space, workshop and practical storage.

To create a multi-purpose space the garage needs to be design in a flexible manner with every square meter being used wisely.

Use hooks on the walls or ceiling to hang family bikes on and utilise the space above the bonnet of a parked car with a hanging net for useful for storage for light items.

Furniture on wheels and foldable work desk or bench will maximise the space too, Heynike says.

She adds that you want your renovated garage to feel like an extension of the existing house.

Keep a similar aesthetic, add personality but make sure you use hardware and long-lasting materials, Haynike says.

“The garage has a tough life and need to have robust materials that can handle kids practising soccer inside when it’s raining outside.”

Popular now is purpose-made carpet in the garage to make it feel as homely as possible.

When doing-up the interior, think warm colours to make the place feel brighter as garage doesn’t get much natural light, unless the main door is open.

Install more light if you are planning to make the usually dark space into a workshop or an office.

Future-proofing the space and installing plumbing is a good investment in case you want to turn your garage into an extra room or even a studio, but this will require checking with your local council what if any consents are needed.