For a room that we spend so much time working in, garages are often poorly insulated and uncomfortably hot or cold. The worst thing ever is getting your garage in tip-top shape and installing a great garage storage system only to find that it’s impossible to utilize it in the summer and winter. Making your garage a more hospitable workspace isn’t terribly difficult, however, and requires just a few tweaks. To get a jump start on summer, try out a few of these tips and tricks:

Insulate everything

The first thing you’ll need to do to the inside of your garage is insulate the walls, windows and doors. While regular insulation is a great material to start with on the walls, you’ll also want to weatherstrip the garage door, apply caulking to the interior doorframes and windows and adding a moisture barrier to protect from excess humidity, which is a common problem in heated garages. The last thing you need is to find out you’re in a great oil delivery area only to have a bunch of water all over your garage.

There are a few other sneaky areas that you should apply caulking too as well, like electrical sockets and the area around pipes. Usually giving your garage a once-over will expose these vulnerabilities. One more place you don’t want to miss: your ceiling.

Fix the roof

If, whilst insulating your ceiling, you find damp patches or daylight, it probably means you have a hole in your roof. To fix this, you’ll probably need a roofing company in Macomb MI or a similar roofing company in your own area to repair it for you. Holes in the roof will inevitably make it hard to regulate the temperature of your garage, whilst dampness will lead to other issues. It may be as simple as replacing a roof tile, but be prepared to find your roof needs a complete overhaul if any holes have been there for a while.

Cover the floor

Epoxy concrete paint is your best bet, but anything that creates a moisture barrier on the ground will help regulate the temperature of your garage. Of course, see to it that the concrete is not bumpy or cracked. If it is, consider getting it replaced with the help of a company like AB Concrete Lubbock and get the surface smoothened.

Make sure there’s ventilation

There should be a way for air to come in and out of your garage using exterior vents (this also makes sure you’re getting enough oxygen inside your vents). Most garages are already equipped with these, but you definitely want to double-check.

If you do a lot of work inside your garage, it’s also a good idea to install an overhead fan. Freestanding fans work, too.

Paint the door a light color

Dark colors attract sunlight, and while this can be great during the frigid winter months, it can make for one steamy garage during the summer. Whites and beiges are a good option, as they will reflect the sun instead of absorb it. If that’s not enough, you can use a retractable awning or a large tree to shade the door from the sun entirely.

One cool thing about all that insulation and ventilation? It makes your garage soundproof, so you can blast your music as loud as you want while you’re hard at work.