Turn Your Garage into an Open-Air Game Room

Just because winter is almost upon us and temperatures are dropping across the country, that doesn't mean you can't be dreaming about the dog days of summer and enjoying the warmer weather. In fact, now is probably the perfect time to start brainstorming an open-air game room, giving you months to gather materials and decorations so that, once winter wraps up, you can start enjoying it immediately. Many properties feature an underutilized garage that is an ideal spot to transform into an all-seasons game room. Because these spaces aren't connected to the main house, when players get too loud, it won't affect people inside the house who are looking to get a little peace and quiet. As well, if you choose to transform your garage into a gaming area, there is usually ample space for a sizable shuffleboard table. Best of all, when the weather gets warm again, you can pull up the garage door and let the sun shine in, playing your favorite arcade games or battling friends at the table while still getting fresh air. If your garage, like most older ones, has exposed beams and structural supports, incorporate them into the space's look rather than covering them up. Paint the interior an entire solid color instead of installing a ceiling or wall panels. The room will look larger if the beams stay exposed to the ceiling, and you can hang lights and decorations from the longer ones.

Additionally, the authentic look is cheaper and more interesting than taking the safe route and installing a dropped ceiling. You can lay inexpensive rubber or foam flooring panels to cover the concrete. These will provide comfort underfoot and endure the elements better than indoor flooring. You don't have to get fancy by turning the whole garage into a game room; the raw structural look itself carries an authentic aesthetic. Put a rustic Dakota shuffleboard table in your game room, and the look is complete.