Transform Your Garage into Football-Viewing Central

Now that football season has returned, you’re likely planning game-watching get-togethers and full-fledged parties for the biggest games of the season. Where do you watch your favorite team? Is it the living room, where space is limited to the existing sofa and chairs, and where crumbs and spills are a real threat? Is it in some dark den, where it’s even more cramped, but it keeps the noise down from play-by-play calling and celebrations? Or is your gameday outsourced to a local sports bar just because they have bigger TVs and it doesn’t disrupt your family’s Sunday?

If you’re looking for a comfortable space where you and your football-loving friends can fully get into the game, have you considered your garage? With a few steps (and amenities), your garage can be the envy of the football-viewing neighborhood!

Clean and Organize

Garages can easily get cluttered—beyond housing your vehicle(s)—with tools, bulk household items, outdoor toys, yard equipment, and more. Plus, since it’s often open to the outdoors, it can get downright dirty. If you want to use the space for entertainment, cleanup and organization are musts. The football-focused garage will be an extension of your home’s living space, so it should be up the standards of indoor living. Cleanliness is straightforward, but organization might get a little more complicated. Is a small outbuilding a solution for lawncare equipment? Shelving, cabinets, drawer units, and vertical organization all help open up floor space for entertaining guests.

Set the Climate

In any season, climate control is important for a comfortable and enjoyable experience. It starts with insulation. If your garage walls are not properly insulated, this should be the first step, along with an insulated garage door, or you’ll struggle to keep the space comfortably cooled or heated. Then add heating and cooling to the garage that is capable of keeping the space at a cozy temperature. Whether it’s a matter of extending existing units to cover the garage, or adding standalone equipment, choose appliances that will meet the need and keep everyone comfortable.

Lay the Flooring

Grease-stained concrete isn’t the most inviting flooring for a football-viewing party. It’s cold, uninviting, unforgiving, hard on the knees, and just creates a poor party atmosphere. However, if you plan to still use your garage as, well, a garage, you can’t just slap some carpet down and call it a game room. Improving the garage flooring helps make the space more flexible for multiple uses. Coatings like paint and epoxy are an improvement, but are still hard surfaces that probably require a rug (even if laid down temporarily). Tile or mat floors, on the other hand, are still designed to stand up to vehicle traffic and parking, but are easier to walk on, and a great way to create design interest in a garage floor.

Game On

Then it’s time to install the big screen TV, set up some comfortable (but easy-to-move) furniture, fire up the grill, and invite your friends. A fun place for friends to enjoy the game will also be a great multipurpose space for other gatherings throughout the year.