- February 13, 2024
Many American homes underuse garage space. But with a little clever planning, it can be revamped into a multi-functional space. From parking your cars to doing projects to making the best use of your two-car garage, we have a few tips up our sleeves to share with you. So, let’s begin.
9 Tips & Tricks To Design Your Metal Two-Car Garages
1. Make Use Of Vertical Space
Why vertical? It saves floor space and gives the illusion of higher ceilings. But how can you install shelves and racks in your steel two-car garage?
a) Floating Shelves One Over The Other
You can install open shelves one over the other with a gap of 8 to 10 inches, depending on how tall individual shelves are. To get flexible height, you can opt for adjustable wall-mounted shelving. This will give you the freedom to change the height of the shelf in the future.
b) Wall Mounted Cabinets
Wall-mounted open or closed cabinets are another great way to keep your belongings organized. For ease of access, you can set it at your eye level. A cabinet with doors will make your garage look a bit squeezed. So, if possible, opt for open racks and cabinets.
c) Overhead Storage Racks
These are screwed to your roof’s frame. You can keep occasionally used items such as seasonal gear, kid’s old stuff, or holiday decor. However, before installation, talk to the manufacturer to see if your metal roof and frame can bear the load of overhead storage. You must also note that you shouldn’t overload the rack. Generally, weight instructions come with the overhead rack kit.
2. Don’t Forget About Nooks
This is another place that is ignored by most people, even in their homes. But what can you possibly do with nook space? You can use L-shaped racks to stack your books or triangular-shaped shelves to keep decor or other items. Ensure these racks are neither too wide nor too long. Otherwise, they might interfere with others.
3. Workbench
Whether it is for your office work or hobby work, a desk is a necessary feature. You can use a foldable desk, so it will free up the space when not in use.
a) Add Peg Boards Above It
You can install a peg board or a magnetic board above your desk. This will display all small and medium-sized objects or tools, and you can reach out to them easily. Be it your workshop items for automobile repair, such as screwdrivers, fasteners, piles, saws, clamps, power tools, etc., or your art studio items, such as pencils, palettes, knives, brushes, acrylics, etc., you can keep them organized easily.
b) Add Drawers Below
If you are planning to install a desk (not foldable), consider using space beneath it. You can add a hidden self-adhesive desk drawer to hold lighter objects. For heavier items, you can get an attached drawer that can hold off stuff.
Note: If you are going to install a permanent drawer, you must consider a comfortable height. Assure that the drawer does not hinder your leg space.
c) Material & Size Of Workbench
Working desks can be made of wood, resin, or metal. Each of them have their own pros and cons. It boils down to the use you want out of it. Speaking of the desk’s size, it depends on your two car garage. You can’t have a large desk in a small space, it will clutter up everything. To get the best raw materials for your steel 2 car garage, call Viking Metal Garages.
4. Add Lights
If you are going to spend hours in your garage space, you are going to need adequate lighting. To bring in natural light, you can add some of the following:
- Solar tubes
- Skylights
- Roof daylighting
- Few translucent panels on the roof
- Windows
- Artificial source of lighting (prefer LED as they consume less power)
These are additional accessories and will add to the cost of a steel 2 car garage. Lighting improves indoor visibility. But these aren’t the only ways to bring in light. Some other ways are:
- You can paint your indoors with light colors. This will reflect most light, brightening your indoors.
- While working, you can leave your garage door open.
- You can further place mirrors or reflective items strategically to reflect lights.
Have A Look At Some Basic Designs Of Two Car Garages
| Metal Garage | Width x Length(in ft.) | Height(in ft.) |
| Enclosed Metal Garage | 20 x 36 | 10 |
| Fully Enclosed Side Entry Metal Garage | 24 x 26 | 9 |
| Custom Utility Metal Garage | 20 x 36 | 10 |
| Enclosed Metal Garage with Lean-to | 22 x 26 | 10 |
| All Vertical Metal Garage | 24 x 30 | 9 |
| Metal Garage with Lean-to | 26 x 30 | 11 |
5. Heating & Cooling
Of course, your garage must be livable to work, or else you will be exhausted within a few minutes. The heating and cooling systems are crucial to any garage that is meant to be a multi-functional unit. Your car won’t need to heat up or cool down before heading out. In addition, temperature regulation can help prolong the life of your vehicle & make your work convenient.
6. Insulate Entire Structure
Metal gets heated and cooled down very quickly. This can be a disadvantage, but there is a solution to that. Insulating two-car garages can help minimize condensation and moisture buildup. This will contribute to the longevity of the metal garage.
Moreover, it helps maintain the indoor temperature. An insulation won’t break your bank. You can go for affordable yet effective fiberglass insulators that cost between $0.30 to $1.25 per sq. ft. If budget is not your concern, you can opt for insulated metal panels (IMPs) that cost around $20 to $30 per sq. ft. These are metal panels with sandwiched layer of insulation giving a nice appeal.
7. Finish Walls
Your garage walls can add more aesthetic appeal to your entire appearance. If you want to spend a few hours in your steel 2 car garage, you can add drywall and then paint it or use wallpaper. It will add beauty to the overall look.
In addition, a finishing wall with insulation and drywall will reduce the noise transfer. So you can practice your favorite musical instrument without disturbing your neighbor.
8. Door Style
Believe it or not, your garage door has more than 100% of the return value. That’s right. So, don’t shy away from spending on it, especially if you have an attached garage. Moreover, a garage door is responsible for protecting your cars and your belongings. So, choose a robust steel door. Some options are:
- Black steel door – classic statement to your garage
- Steel side hinge door – contemporary look
- Roll-on door – commonly used
- Metal French doors with glass – modern look
- Traditional garage door in steel
A garage door can enhance the appeal of your garage. It will add a distinct feature to your overall property. You can add wood grain finish paint to resemble wood.
9. Floor
You can go for dirt and gravel if you only want to park your cars. However, you can use asphalt or concrete floors for multiple applications. But the garage floor doesn’t have to look boring grey. So, how to improve the look?
You can stain and polish the concrete floor to resemble wood but with greater strength. If your vehicles aren’t very heavy, you can get a porcelain floor to complete the finished look. Black and white tiles can look great and add an element to your garage’s interior.
Bonus: Landscaping
Boost your garage’s curb appeal with excellent landscaping. You can add local flowering plants, some grasses (trim them occasionally), and hanging potted plants to enhance the overall look.
Personalize Your Steel 2 Car Garage With Viking Metal Garages
We have over 5+ years of experience installing metal two-car garages. We offer high-quality customized steel structures with excellent craftsmanship for our customers. Not only that, you can match your garage’s color to your existing property for that seamless appeal. We even offer screws of similar colors to give a harmonious look to your metal garage.
If you are on a budget, opt for 2 car garages for sale online. You can check our website and social media handles to learn more.
Alabama