How To Improve Ventilation In Your Garage

As people’s lifestyles have changed, the garage has become a premium-sized space that can be turned into anything from a recreation room or gym to a home office.

One thing that often prevents people from getting the most out of this space is garages are rarely designed to be comfortable living spaces. They’re designed to be places to leave the car, or store  belongings. Comfort is a secondary concern.

Therefore, if you’re looking to make use of the garage for other purposes, you’ll need to do something to improve ventilation and temperature control in the space. Luckily, there are a few simple things you can do that will have a dramatic impact, with minimal expense involved.

1. Install insulation

Paper-backed batt insulation is incredibly useful for garage uplifts because it removes the need to install ceiling wallboard, unless you’re looking to further improve aesthetics. All you need to do is install the insulation with paper side down to instantly improve temperature control in the room.

You can also install wall insulation, though it is best to cover this with wall boarding from an aesthetic point of view.

2. Open the door!

Design the garage space in such a way that the main door is still functional and can be slightly opened in order to allow fresh air in (many people who turn their space into a home office or similar lock down the main door). Couple it with a strong fan to facilitate airflow when the room gets hot.

3. Install windows

Many garages don’t have windows, and obviously this does not help ventilation in the garage space. You’ll need to contact a window installation company or carpenter for this, but it’s definitely worth getting at least one installed. It’s best to install windows on the wall opposite of the garage door, as it will better facilitate the flow of air throughout the space. Invest in frosted glass in order to maintain privacy, and add some good, heavy curtains to keep summer heat out.

4. Install some vents

Installing vents is another modification you can make to the room that will likely need some professional support, but will greatly add to the ventilation of your space. People often shy away from adding vents, due to concern about the potential access they provide to unwanted people animals, however turbine, box or gable vents are designed to prevent this. Vents can also be painted or designed to suit the aesthetics of the garage.

5. Consider a HVAC Installation  

An enormously effective way to improve the quality of the air within your garage is to install an air conditioner system. HVACs will stimulate a very high-quality air flow in large spaces, such as a garage.

Take note, however - strongly consider making the system separate to your home air conditioner system. Many people who have attached garages are tempted to simply extend their air conditioner system, but this can cause the pushing of polluted air around the whole house from the garage. This is especially significant if you still store your car in the garage or use it as a workshop. It’s best to invest in an entirely different system, if possible.

6. Install a rollaway awning on the sunny side

On the outside of the garage, consider installing a rollaway awning. In the summer months, this can help to keep heat out of the garage by sheltering the outside of it. If you’ve converted the garage into part of the home living space, this is also a nice way of extending the area by creating a “veranda” effect, too.

7. Make use of trees

Planting trees around the garage can also help maintain the temperature within the building itself. A row of deciduous trees planted between the garage and the sun will block sunlight during the day in summer (when the trees have leaves), and let it through in winter when you want to warm the space (when the trees have shed their leaves). Just be careful not to plant the trees too close to the building, or the roots could become a long-term problem.

Ant there you have it! Try these suggestions, and you’ll have a perfectly ventilated and comfortable garage space. None of these steps will be overly expensive or difficult to introduce to your garage, and the result will be a far healthier and more comfortable space.