Game room design: Remaking your garage

Have you been forced to reconsider where your game room is located? Maybe that basement now needs to serve as an apartment for an older child, or even for an aging parent. What are you going to do with your pool table and other things? Relax. You don’t need to have a yard sale. The answer is to consider a different space. Where? Your garage!

The garage is the answer

The garage – it’s a space that most of us don’t put a lot of thought into. It’s a utilitarian area, as likely to house a second refrigerator and freezer as actual cars. It might be where you’re storing all of your unused items, or it might just be wasted space. The garage is pretty versatile, too. It can be home to anything and everything, and it doesn’t need to involve long‑term storage or parking your car there.

Plan, Plan, Plan

The secret to turning the garage into a game room lies in planning. Without planning, you’re going to encounter some pretty serious issues that could completely derail your project. Here’s an outline of what you need to do, when, and why it matters.

• Cars – If you’re using the garage to park your cars, now’s the time to move them out. You probably have enough room in your driveway for them, and a new carport can be the ideal way to protect them from the elements. Before doing this, make sure to check your HOA agreement as well as any local ordinances to make sure that you’re not restricted from doing this.
• Measure – How much space do you have in the garage? You need to know more than the basic dimensions. For this step, you’ll need to know what items are staying, and which ones are going. Then, measure the amount of space left over. With your measurements in hand, get a piece of paper and sketch out your ideas for the soon‑to‑be game room making sure to leave space for things that cannot be moved, like your furnace or your garage door opener. Yes, you need to account for overhead space, too. Outline where windows are, doors are located, and more. Even the space over the garage door may be useful depending on the amount available.

• Design – Now is the time to let your imagination run wild. Sketch out where things will go in the room. Where will the pool table be located? How easy is it to move? What about the other things that you want to include in the room? Rough out your idea and play with the layout to make sure that you’ve got the right flow, that you’re not blocking things like windows, and generally ensure that you’re ready to hit the ground running.

• Refresh and Renew – The next step is to give your space a little bit of TCL. You’ll need to freshen things up. Give the walls a fresh coat of paint. Consider the ceiling and window frames, too. What about the floor? Does it need a coat of epoxy? It goes deeper than cosmetics, though. Other things you might want to consider during this stage include the following:
  • Additional lights throughout the space, but particularly over gaming tables
  • Additional electrical outlets to limit the number of extension cords used
  • Higher‑output outlets and breakers to support air conditioners and other additions
  • Plumbing for things like wet bars

Ditch the junk

With your plan in hand, it is time to actually make some progress in your space. We’re talking about decluttering. Items that you don’t want and don’t plan to use can be sold or donated. Other items need to be stored somewhere safe. If you have a storage building, great. If not, a shelving system and plastic tubs may be the way to go. Whatever you do, avoid using cardboard boxes, as they absorb moisture and then release it into the atmosphere again.

Think about your games

What games are you going to use? Yes, you have a pool table. What else, though? There are so many options. Here are just a few of the things you may want to consider:

Now is your chance to create the gaming room of your dreams, so go big.

You cannot forget the garage door

Too often, the garage door gets overlooked during renovations and remodeling. It’s understandable, but unfortunate. The garage door is the fourth wall of the space. It needs to be weathertight and insulated in order to keep the garage comfortable all year long and to protect you against moisture.

If you live in the York (717-767-1419) or Mechanicsburg (717-901-4056) area, we invite you to get in touch with us. Call us at or come by the showroom. You can also get a free quote by email if you prefer. We have worked with homeowners in the area for many years, helping them find the right garage door for their needs, goals, and budgets. We can do the same thing for you.

Don’t take our word for it. Use our Design Center to model the garage door options we offer against your home! Or go through our image gallery and see what we have been able to achieve for other customers.