With larger, more luxurious kitchens now the heart of many houses, and first-floor laundry and mud rooms the new activity centers, it was only a matter of time before the garage also underwent a transformation.

Despite the fact that 82 percent of homes have garages, according to the NAR 2007 Profile of Buyers’ Home Feature Preferences, the space is often "the largest, most underutilized, most abused, and most often ignored room in the house," wrote Bill West in his book, Your Garagenous Zone (Paragon Garage Co. Ltd., 2004).

Many people still struggle to find enough space amid the junk in their garage to park a car. But there’s a growing desire to create cleaner, more organized spaces that can contribute to a home’s "wow" factor, says West, CRS®, broker-associate with The Group Inc. in Ft. Collins, Colo.

"It may not raise the price in this market, but it helps win a beauty contest if the buyer is deciding among a few homes," says Jenny Ames, CRS®, salesperson with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Chicago.

Here are some things owners should keep in mind when undertaking a garage makeover.

Choose a Storage Style

In addition to providing shelter for the family cars, storage is the most popular use for the garage—especially for home owners who don’t have the luxury of a basement or attic. 

Owners can find a wealth of storage options for garages at most big-box stores and home-improvement retailers and also through the many garage and closet organization specialist companies.

The least expensive are wood-based stock products such as plastic systems or melamine particle and MDF fiberboard. More expensive, and sometimes better for extreme climates, are all wood or metal. If home owners need a visual reminder of where everything is stored, they may prefer to see items on open shelves, wall board racks, and ceiling racks.

But if clutter—even organized clutter—makes them cringe, they should focus on storage boxes or closed cabinets, says professional organizer Barry J. Izsak, owner of Arranging It All in Austin, Texas, and author of Organize Your Garage in No Time (Que, 2005). Home owners may also want to purchase units on casters so that they can move tools or hobby supplies without unloading drawers.

Make it All Fit

It’s a good idea to divide the garage into zones, with areas for lawn and garden equipment, sports gear, kids’ toys, bulky household supplies, and so on, says Izsak, a past president of the National Association of Professional Organizers.

Owners can use all three perimeter walls and the ceiling as storage options. Little-used seasonal items—an artificial Christmas tree, for example—can often be hung from the ceiling.

Another option is retractable storage platforms made of strong metal. Mounted on brackets attached to the ceiling, these platforms help preserve cabinet and shelf space. A crankshaft is used to lower the platform, says Jeff Crane, president of Concept to Creation, a residential consulting company in Gilbert, Ariz. The price of each 4-by-4-foot platform can range from $150 to $250. Most quality racks store approximately 250 pounds.

Add a Space to Play

Converting garage space into a flexible living area can be a cost-effective alternative to building a new room. 

The quickest way to upgrade a portion of the garage to a casual living space is by painting it or putting up drywall on open studs and covering the concrete floor with epoxy or polyvinyl paint or interlocking tiles, which are available in an array of colors and textures, says Crane. Costs for floor paint vary from $50 to $100 per gallon for do-it-yourselfers, or $2 to $6 per square foot if done by professionals.

Since the garage usually has electrical outlets, other easy upgrades including installing a ceiling fan, track lighting, and, of course, a TV. Owners can even transform the garage into an entertainment center with a front projector, cinema-type screen, amplifiers, speakers, subwoofers, control systems, seating, lighting, and a popcorn machine, says David Berman with Home Theater Specialists of America, based in Chester Springs, Penn.

But some real estate specialists caution home owners not to go too overboard in making an ugly duckling garage into too swank a swan. After all, garages are still garages, and the next owner may have different ideas about what to do with the space.

"A three-bedroom home in which one of the bedrooms is in the converted garage is really just a two-bedroom home that used to have a garage," says Elizabeth A. Weintraub, a broker-associate with Lyon Real Estate in Sacramento, Calif. "It’s worth less than a standard three-bedroom home. Most still want to use the garage for its intended purpose."

Before They Buy Storage

Michael A. Smith of Designs by Michael in Greenville, S.C., says owners should think carefully about their needs before choosing a storage solution. He recommends they:

• Cut down on what they store by getting rid of unwanted items through a sale or donation.

• Divide what’s left  into piles to see what type of storage would work best. Small items that can get lost easily belong in drawers or open shelves.

• Buy a counter that’s the right length and material for its intended use. Also be sure the surface won’t be harmed by their hobby work.

• Buy childproof locks for cabinets if little ones will use the space.

• Add extra lighting if they plan on using the space for hobbies.