Garage and Shed Archives - Inspired Home Ideas

Using LED Lighting In Your Home

Using LED Lighting In Your Home offers many advantages. With LED lights now seen as the most energy efficient way of lighting your home, there is no surprise they are fast being seen as the first choice for many households. LED (light-emitting diodes) are an electronic light source that differ from other common lights such as halogen and incandescent in that they last longer, use less energy and let out less heat.

Along with this they also do not contain mercury or lead so they are a safer option in comparison. With these benefits and the development of LED technology, they are a very good choice to use around your house.

Household Rooms

In your standard household rooms, such as; bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens, LED lights are easy to fix. All that is required is a bit of time to plan exactly where and how you want to place the lights and to be fully aware of where the utilities are like water pipes, gas and joists.

Converted Rooms

In rooms, such as loft conversions, it poses a slightly different challenge in that walls will tend to have less wall space, underfloor space normally has insulation material and ceilings can be sloping rather than your standard flat type. It is best to consult professionals when looking to wire around these places as planning and safety are going to be paramount.

Health and Safety Considerations

With any electrics, safety is paramount so there are a few things that need to be considered:

Planning – Always take time to work out how you are going to carry out the project so you are fully aware of what you are capable of doing and what requires a professional.

How it will impact home life – Electricity will need to be turned off at times during any renovation and how the tools, mess, noise will affect you’re the household.
Safety equipment – always wear the right clothing along with gloves, googles and face mask so you are protected at all times.

10 Best Tips To Make Use Of Your Garage Space

Here are the best tips to make use of your garage space to create an organized and clean space where you can use it for other purposes apart from car parking only.

Have you ever thought the role of your garage can go beyond parking your car? It can be a warehouse, a toyshop or your workplace, saving you from creating extra space in your home for that purpose. To make that possible, you need to make your garage a clean and organized space, which is neither difficult nor expensive. Besides, you will turn it into a place, where your tools and belongings are relatively easily to find.

Whether you own a large garage or small one, there are many ideas you can execute to make the most of your garage. Here we’ve come with the ideas to make your garage the most functional space of your home.

Use Garage Shelving for Storage

Garage can be your storeroom, but that doesn’t mean you put all the stuff at once. You need to keep the things managed inside, and for that consider garage shelves for easy storage solutions. Installing wooden storage cabinets is a great idea to make the most of the garage.

In this way, you make your garage functional and beautiful as well. These shelves are really useful for keeping books, tires, paint, hardware and electricity accessories and other necessary things which otherwise occupy more space at your home.

Hang Everything:

From fishing rods to garden tools, you can use the unexpected spaces like walls or ceiling to create more space inside your garage. As an added bonus, it will look artistic. For example, you can hang up your bicycle by using special hook or rack on the wall. In this way, hanging things just utilize the little to no floor space.

Look For Ceiling Storage System:

Apart from wall hanging, ceiling is the good place to store rarely used items and seasonal belongings. You can think of a sliding storage system for the ceiling that is made of plastic bins attached to the tracking system. The modern ceiling storage system allows you to store up to 250 pounds and comes with sturdy crank or cable to lift and lower your items. The popular variants of this type of storage system are metal and wood, grid system, and steel box frame.

With overhead ceiling storage system, you get added floor and storage space while protect your belonging from the water damage.

Build Multi Use Rolling Workbench:

Multi use rolling workbench is very useful if you use the garage for both car parking and as a workplace. It rolls up against the wall when you need more space to park the vehicle and can be your workshop otherwise. While building it, make sure the plywood is sturdy enough to hold your stuff and tools, and use the strong folding material.

Install a Pegboard Wall:

Pegboard wall is the brilliant idea to keep your small tools and accessories managed on an easily visible space. It is essential for your workspace to keep clean, safe and planned by preventing the small tools go missing when you need them most. You can think about multiple pegboard walls if one wall is not enough for your tools. For example, multiple pegboards are attached to the wall in a way so that you can flip through just like books pages.

You can make a pegboard by cutting the wooden board and then make the multiple holes on it.

Find Suitable Wall Studs:

Like racks and shelves, wall stud is the convenient way to store your toys, sports equipment, tools, cups and many more. It is the vertical frame including small cross sections in vertical and horizontal style. Needless to say that wall studs are essential to keep your garage organized and managed. Make sure to install the one according to the space of your garage.

Invest in Vertical Bike Storage and Wall Mounted Shoe Rack:

As you read before that hanging bike on the wall gives your interior an artistic look. Besides, if you want to go further in that option, vertical bike rack can be the good choice for you. You can easily put off the bike from that racks easily. Apart from bike racks, you can go for the bike poll coming with a handlebar stabilizer to prevent the front wheel from turning and becoming disturbing your space.

Similarly, a wall mounted shoe rack is one of the clever ways to store your shoes while creating the more space inside your garage.This shoe rack comes handy when you don’t want to enter your home with the muddy shoes. You may like to go for the long variant to hang your raincoat also.

Use Wall Tool Holders:

If you find pegboard ugly, you can consider wall tool holders which are nice option. You can have some separate wall holders to sort out your tools and other accessories. After work, you can put back the things to these holders. There are variety of wall tool holders having slots for screwdriver, pliers, and chisel. You can mount them in the front of your work bench for an easy access.

Bring in Broom and Mop Holder:

Broom and mop holder makes the great choice if you have brooms, mops, or garden supply tools like spades or digging bars. You can make these kinds of holders easily at home. Just cut out the PVC pipes and then put up against your wall at an adjustable height. As easy as pie!!!

Build a Mini Garden Station:

If you have large garden tools and machinery, you would like to go for some dedicated space rather than the mop holders at garage. Like the picture in this point, you can create a garden station by using few racks and wall holders to organize your all garden tools and chemicals. In this way, you don’t need to store heavy equipment inside your home or leave outside where they may be stolen or get corroded with the rain and sunlight. Make sure your garden closet has organized hooks or some racks to easily pick the small accessories.

Bottom Line:

So, these are the ideas help you turn your little garage space for the workplace and store house other than parking just the car. Before starting with these ideas, declutter the garage and give a few paint touch ups for creating a good atmosphere.

Author Bio: Oren Linder is the author and founder of ASAP Garage Door Services Inc that provides garage door repair services in queens and other areas of NY. Oren loves to write about home improvement and his expertise is in garage door.

Playhouses and Huts in The Trees

Beautiful well constructed tree house, built around the tree.

Do you remember back as a kid when you hassled your Dad to build you a tree house? Maybe you were a little more pro-active and took it upon yourself to find some old scrap building materials and built one yourself. The art of building a tree house (if your lucky enough to have a tree in your back yard that is big enough to take a tree house) is something that kids should put their hands to during their growing years.

They create a sense of accomplishment (and as long as all the safety aspects are followed, and a supervising eye from a parent) for the child if they are able to pretty much build it themselves. Then when it comes to using it, there is often a pride of ownership that is distinctly different to their bedroom.

I remember myself building a tree hut in my backyard when I was about twelve, and being so proud of it, I wanted to decorate it with all sorts, curtains, carpet, and even giving it a lick of paint. It was around that time I came to realize just how expensive a lot of decor and decorating items were. The carpet was definitely not an affordable option (even though in retrospect, a small cheap mat may have done the job for the space we were talking about), the curtains were shortlived, but I did manage to scrounge some old unused paint from my Dad’s garage.

A home backyard tree house will build character for your child and provide them with a feeling of having somewhere to escape to when and if they need some alone time. So if your child asks you to let them build one, support them and encourage them, but based on my experiences I would strongly suggest that you work with them and plan a few things first, like access, water proofing and roofing to name a few important ones.

Treehouse on the beach.

Wooden child’s tree house in snow.

Well constructed cuicrcular tropical tree house

Treehouse with open platform and edge railings and walk way at Nay Aug Park

Remote wooden tree house with plenty of wooden steps up to the entrance

Beautifully constructed and built tree house with a staircase and a slide for the children’s games.

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Pets and Pet Houses

This feature is all about pets and pet houses, and we kick the page off with this adorable British blue cat lying on a beautiful contrasting white fluffy background.

It is an exciting moment when you finally make that decision to own a pet and you’ve made a choice on what type of pet is suitable for you and your environment. There a number of things that you do need to consider before that day arrives to collect that special animal in your life.

Goldfish in a round aquarium fishbowl with pebbles

One of the more important things to consider is that your new pet will need a lot of your time and you need to consider how that is going to fit into your daily routine. Will you remember to walk your dog twice daily, grooming your cat if required, (if they are the type of cat that needs daily brushing). If you are time poor maybe you need to consider a lower demand pet like a fish or a bird. You want this to be a great relationship. Something you enjoy, so consider carefully what time you have to give to the animal you are getting, so that it works well for both of you.

Choosing a pet because they are trendy at the moment or on how cute they are is without doubt the worst decision people could make in choosing a pet. Unfortunately and tragically most of these pets end up being sold on or taken to animal shelters when they show themselves to be too demanding, high in energy or the cuteness just fades as they mature. There are a number of vital points that need to be considered carefully before making that ultimate choice in pet type and breed.

Black, tan and white colored Guinea pig. This is a popular household pet

When you have made a decision on the type of pet you are going to adopt/purchase, make sure to research thoroughly the breed that you are getting so you really understand all these characteristics and be honest with yourself if it doesn’t fit with your lifestyle.

A green and gold colored wavy parrot stands on a branch in it’s cage.

If you’re lucky enough to meet the breeder of your pet, ask heaps of questions about their temperaments and their likes and dislikes. Chat to your local vet and see what they can tell you about the breed you are considering purchasing. If you have children consider how your chosen pet will tolerate children, are they comfortable around typically noisy children running around. Some animals require a lot more attention and interaction while others are mostly independent. Research, Research and Research and then choose carefully.

Having a good vet is vital in helping you manage your pet’s care as needed. You need to really trust the vet you choose and have a good relationship with them. Don’t just pick them based on how they interact with you, watch them with the animals they treat to see if you are comfortable with how they do this. If you haven’t already got a relationship with a vet, shop around until you find one that suits your needs. Ask for testimonials from the vet and ask friends for their recommendations if they are already pet owners. Having a great vet is invaluable when you need them, which is often in an emergency.

The friendship of pets. Two rabbits and a dog

Bringing your pet home is one of the most exciting times to introduce them to their new home and the people that live in their environment. Before you bring him/her home look around and consider it from your pets point of view in making it safe for them. Will they chew cords lying about, have you got pills left out that they could get into. Check the plants inside and outside your home and make sure none of them are poisonous for animals. Certain foods can’t be left out such as chocolate; dogs will get extremely sick if they eat this. Making your home pet friendly before you bring them home will give you peace of mind.

Adorable French Bulldog relaxing on its cushion bed

Choosing the right food for your pet is crucial and this can change over time as your pet ages and has different needs. Good pet shops will be able to give you advice on all the different types of foods available and I would certainly ask your vet for their advice if you are still not sure. Getting their food right is essential for a happy healthy pet for a good long term healthy life. Always have fresh water put out daily, as all animals need to have a cool regular supply of water to keep them hydrated particularly when it is hot.

A cute dog standing on a brown welcome home mat

When you have finally got your pet home please be prepared for an adjustment period for everyone. Often it can take weeks for your cat/dog to settle into their environment and to feel safe and know their surroundings. If it’s a puppy you are adopting they might cry/whimper for the first few days and don’t be tempted to take them to your bed at night. It is better to make a snuggly warm bed for them in an enclosed space so that they can’t go wandering. During the day your puppy can be free to wander and explore so he/she can smell everything. Kittens usually are easier to settle, put their snuggly warm bed close to their litter tray so it is easy to locate in the first few days of settling in.

Two cats asleep and hugging in their soft cozy bed on a carpet floor

House training your pet is vital from day one if you want a contented happy home. There is nothing worse than stepping on, or discovering puddles or mess’s everywhere. If your chosen pet is a kitten as soon as you get home introduce the litter box and then place them gently in this a few times a day until you can see that they are comfortable at locating it. If it’s a puppy as soon as you get them home, take him/her outside for a walk around the neighbourhood so he can do his toileting and understands this is when he toilets. It doesn’t have to be a long walk just enough to get him used to the idea as this big new environment will seem a little scary at first.

A beautiful black and brown guinea pig taken from in side the cage

We all love to buy our pets treats and toys whether it is balls for our puppies, catnip bird like toys for our kittens or cool aquarium toys for our fish or turtle. There is a vast array of them in any pet shop and it is easy to spend a small fortune and get carried away. Select these toys carefully and make sure just like we would with young children that buttons or other small things won’t come off and potentially lead to choking.

Adorable Labrador dog lying on a messy sofa

Treats are another ‘must have’ especially for puppy’s. They can be used in the aid of training your puppy when used in the right way. Get the treats that have the highest nutritional value. Cats love treats too and again select the treats that have good nutritional value and don’t feed too much as they can sometimes be used too often, which can lead to a weight problem. Kittens will also love tall scratchy poles. They love clambering up and down these and get used to scratching the pole and hopefully not your prized furniture or rugs.

Another thing you may want to consider is getting your dog/cat neutered. Get advice from your chosen vet about when is the best age to get this done for your pet. Most get their pets done between four to six months but get advice on when the time is best for your pet if that’s what you choose to do.

Beautiful guard dog lying near it’s doghouse

There is nothing more devastating than when your pet goes missing. That is why every pet if possible should be microchipped or at least wear some kind of identity tag so if they wander off, you have a very good chance at getting them back as all your contact details are readily available on the collar or tag hanging from the collar. Also take good photos of your pet so he is easily identifiable and keep this up to date as they change through the years. This makes it easier if they are lost for other sets of eyes to help identify them quickly. If you change addresses remember to contact the company that has your details for the microchip so they can easily contact you if required.

Cute chihuahua dog and a parrot in a steel cage both sitting on a chair

Colorful tropical fish in an aquarium on a wooden shelf

Dog house kennel in a backyard garden

German Shepherd resting in its wooden kennel in a backyard

A little mouse in the cage with pea pods

Rabbits inside a wooden hutch

A friendly pet brown rat being held in a person’s hands

Black dog sitting beside his kennel in a country setting.

29 Contemporary Garden Studios and Outdoor Garden Rooms

Outdoor Garden Rooms -Large elegant gazebo room with sea vista, manicured lawn and blue sky background

This is a large stunningly elegant example of a gazebo outdoor room positioned perfectly on a manicured lawn, with expansive sea vista, tables and chairs and blue sky background.

Having a garden room for chilling out or relaxing is quite different to having a garden shed, which is where most people tend to store their gardening tools and equipments. A garden room often doubles up as an outdoors home office space, a sleep-out (for overnight guests, or perhaps those unbearable teenagers) a hobby room, a place to sit and read in peace and quiet, or just a universal room for whatever purpose you decide.

A garden shed though is often a lot more rugged (and perhaps less cared for) than a garden room. With a shed, we don’t usually mind a few cobwebs here and there, or perhaps if the roof leaks a little, it doesn’t matter too much, whereas a garden room is usually thought of as a detached extension of your home, and so features like cobwebs and roof leaks are a distinct no-no.

In this gallery of 29 examples of garden rooms, you’ll find small cottages, gazebos, and even what look like sheds at first glance, and for all intents and purposes, a garden shed and a garden room can be the same building, it’s just that they are used for different purposes. We hope you enjoy this page and that it provides some inspiration for you to create and build your own backyard garden room.

Cute small decorated wooden garden room with double French opening doors and chairs all surrounded by a bush setting. Source: Sheds Warehouse

Cute all wooden garden room with double French doors and outdoor furniture. Source: Sheds Warehouse.

Wooden bungalow cabin painted black and set in a beautiful garden with outdoor seating, picnic table and chairs

Compact wooden decorated garden room building with double opening doors and a table and chairs inside. Source: Sheds Warehouse

Beautiful garden summer house with large double opening doors and windows set on paved courtyard patio with decorative pots and plants. Source: Sheds Warehouse

A charming, rustic garden shed room made from reclaimed barn board timber

Small wooden summer garden room with surrounding bush and lawn, ideal as a quiet reading spot. Source: Sheds Warehouse

Beautiful modern color co-ordinated timber outdoor garden room with nearby seating

Amazingly cute outdoor relaxing garden room with double doors, sofa, opening out onto expanded porch area and with an adjacent additional storage compartment. Source: Pinterest

California home with adjoining garden room and outdoor seating arrangement

Small rustic oder style outdoor cottage room set in a garden with concrete steps and fencing