I have some garage/play improvements to share with you.
When Kramer and I first remodeled the house, we had some “down the road” plans. We had thought of them and wanted to do them, but at the time, our family didn’t need them, and to be perfectly honest, we were out of money.
Along one wall, we put in electrical wiring to handle a stove, refrigerator, and plumbing for a sink. We had friends who had done this in their garage. They made a beautiful extended living space. When they had company or all the family home, it was so nice to have a family room right there. In between times, they watched games and hung out together.
My grandkids are getting older, and the play equipment that I have still works, but I can see a future when it won’t. This summer, Scotty, the oldest of the grandkids, will turn 11. Unfortunately, that’s the age when swing sets start losing their appeal.
That’s why last year, at Christmas time, I hinted that I would love a basketball hoop and basketballs for a Christmas present. The kids took the hint. Rick got the hoop set up a couple of weeks ago. That has been a HUGE success. It is often used.
I was talking to Rick about the kids getting older, and he said if I wanted to start adding things to the garage, he would help me. Well, if I have an offer of help, I go for it!! So on Friday, when I was in town for my infusion, I picked up a big television for the garage… something on sale, nothing fancy or overly huge.
Rick and Spencer hung that over the weekend. It got a lot of use just in one day. Now to pick the next updates…
The updates are all just going to happen gradually. Rick mentioned that there were screens that could go over garage door openings. I never knew there was such a thing. They are about $35 per garage door.
We have garage doors on the east and west sides of the garage. To the west is the swing set. To the east is the basketball hoop. We adults, could sit in the garage and watch a game while the kiddos play, and we could easily watch them.
I think we’ll get a dart board set with plastic tips like THIS…I like the closed door option, so if the doors are closed, the rule would be that kids can’t open them. I know Rick and I would love this…the kids and grandkids who are older likely will too.
The basketball set has been just great! The kids played a lot over the weekend.
Spencer and Kayla brought the kids down to the park and showed them how to play pickleball. That was a huge hit!!
Then they explained that there is an option for a portable pickleball set. You can find it HERE. Hmm…that got me thinking that might be another good thing to add. The set is only $100-ish. Maybe that will be what I hint at for Christmas next year.
Long term, we’d love to get pool table. For now, we’ll be adding a few things a little at a time. For now, the TV and the dart board set are on our list…then maybe some screens for the garage doors.
We have some plans to move some shelving and reorganize a few things to make better use of the space.
All I know is that I want the kids and adults to have some things to do while they are at my house visiting. I don’t ever want them to feel bored here. Plus, I would love a big space to watch a game on television with lots of people. We keep coming up with ideas…some jump higher on the priority list…some get nixed. I’d love some input from all of you. What types of games and activities would you recommend to keep older kids and adults busy? …and yes, we do have an Xbox or gaming system on the list. Right now, that’s low priority. I’d rather see the kids running and playing.
I would love to have a list so if I see something at a garage sale or on Marketplace, we can snap it up and make the updates a little cheaper.
One or two round folding tables for games. They could be folded & set against the wall when not in use.
I painted the inside of our garage white to brighten the space. It would have been nice to tape the sheetrock, but that wasn’t something I am able to do.
Air hockey table, scooters, plasma cars (most loved by my grandkids), corn hole, and a foldable ping pong table.
Our grands are 2-14, but most live far away and visit 1-2 times per year. A couple years back we bought a badminton/volleyball set that’s seen some fair-weather use. Croquet is a classic lawn game that doesn’t take long to set up and isn’t difficult to play. A mini trampoline (some have safety handles) often comes out when they’re here. The littles like bubbles. Bean bag (corn hole) would be easy to modify for young’uns.
I like the idea of a sink. Then no one would need to run into the house to wash hands, etc, Lots of counter space for crockpots, food, plates, etc. A fridge would be a must (if you don’t have one yet, get one “garage” ready). In other words – everything a kitchen would have! Good idea for screens, more practical than a screen porch.
The only suggestion I have is a negative. Please, please, please discourage cell phone usage. My oldest g-son (preteen) got a phone for “school” since he walks, but it dominates his life now. If he is told to put it down, he sulks. As you can tell, I absolutely hate cell phones for kids. Perhaps teens are more responsible, but certainly not kids who do not understand the dangers.
I always thought badminton & tether ball were fun when I was a kid.
We purchased a life size Jenga at a church fundraiser and it’s been a big hit with all age groups.
Jump rope!
Ping Pong for rainy days. They have tables that fold up so it wouldn’t take up the whole garage.
A HUGE recliner (or two!) for adults only, covered w/ a HUGE piece of material that you can throw in the washer 1x/week or so. Also, a wrap around couch would be great for the TV area/ games, but expect spills and dirty folks so if a ‘washable ‘ type exists, it might be a consideration??? Maybe ask the kids to design it? The space sounds like SO much fun!!!
Such great ideas for your growing grandson! Foosball and air hockey could be good.
I don’t really know much about pickleball, but I know it’s really popular. Two things I hear are (1) lots of people get injured (ankles, wrists, elbows) and (2) it’s quite noisy (some neighborhoods have closed down their pickleball courts due to the annoyance to neighbours). I agree with Peggy H. about the refrigerator and food setup… great place for family meals and potlucks. Glad you have help to accomplish this. Have fun!
Hi Jo,
Ping Pong, or table tennis, was always a hit in our house, both growing up with five siblings and with my kids in their tween and teen years. And Ping Pong tables are way less expensive than a pool table.
Jo, weren’t you working on an extra room in your basement not that long ago? Maybe there could be a few things that could be moved to the basement room to use during the deep snow season if your garage is too cold during winter.
Gas heaters for the fall and spring. Kids don’t mind playing outside in the cold but the watching adults can use a little heat.
I think you can pick up a BIG couch on marketplace or a ‘buy nothing’ site. Here people are always trying to get rid of them for a new style or they are just too big for a rec room or living room now. Also, lot of carpets if the floor is cold.
I’d also get a wall of cabinets for storing all the games and equipment. Again, may pick those up from someone redecorating a kitchen. You can have duplicate games for indoors and outdoors.
If I lived closer, I’d give you a poker table. It’s very heavy so perfect for a garage. I know you all like to play card games and do puzzles.
Before we moved, we had a pool table in our basement. It came with a ping-pong table that fit on top. Honestly, we played ping-pong more than pool, and those pool tables are very heavy! That’s one reason we left it in the house when we sold it as the buyers asked if it could stay.
What a great plan!! I used to play pickle ball and loved it, but no convenient place to play it now that we moved to a different state. I really don’t think the noise factor would be bad unless it was being played all times of the day. Have fun with the planning!!
I wonder if they would like playing horse shoes.
A HUGE recliner (or two!) for adults only, covered w/ a HUGE piece of material that you can throw in the washer 1x/week or so. Also, a wrap around couch would be great for the TV area/ games, but expect spills and dirty folks so if a ‘washable ‘ type exists, it might be a consideration??? Maybe ask the kids to design it? The space sounds like SO much fun!!!
I like the idea of having the refrigerator sink and stove, but you need cabinets above all of this. You could buy extra dishes and flatware on marketplace or at yard sales. The cabinets would hold all the various games. my family really enjoyed playing different card games. I’d also pick up some kind of a heater for the fall and early spring months when you want to go to the garage.
Board games and jigsaw puzzles. Fun for all even if the weather is bad.
Bocce game and large jenga game. Great options for both the kids and adults or team playing.
Oh of course the suggestion for corn hole. That would be a great father son Craig and Carver project AND great learning project with the sewing and filling of the bean bags and some imagination with the painting of it.. Something the youngsters can contribute to. Then what fun to play with something they helped create.
Definitely ample counter top and multiple plugs for crock pots, coffee maker, hot plate, etc has gotten a ton of use over the years in our garage for family gatherings. Fridge has been a must, along with a sink (even though it’s just cold water and a utility tub) for grungy hands, rinsing utensils and containers, water for coffee and/or tea. Never really had use for a stove as most everything has been potluck precooked, BBQ or crockpot.