An exterior garage is a luxury to have on your property. Not only can you avoid parking within your property, but you can use space you may have used as a garage area for something else.
That said, an exterior garage is unlikely to be fitted to the same comforting standards as a household. There may be a few utilities such as electricity of course, but outside of that, the structure may be somewhat barebones.
For this reason, understanding how to keep this exterior environment safe in winter is important, particularly if you plan to use the winter festive break to attend to some household projects or work on your car.
Keeping the building safe and secure in winter is not only important (especially as the nights draw in earlier), but most of all to keep you safe as you work within it. If the space isn’t heated (and we’ll get to that later), you may find that some of teh comforts and safeties you may expect from an interior garage haven’t been made available.
Let’s consider some helpful ways around that:
Install Exterior Lighting
A well-lit exterior ensures that you can safely make your way to and from the garage, which is especially helpful in preventing slips and trips when there’s frost or ice on the ground.
Moreover, motion-activated lights can be a good choice for pretty much any property and require less management as they’lll automatically switch on when they sense movement, assuring a bright path to your garage without you having to fumble around in the dark. They also act as a pretty strong anti-truder deterrent, because no thief likes being lit up all of a sudden and drawing attention to themselves.
While it’s a good idea to install permanent lighting, you can also invest in some temporary solutions to hold you over until you figure the full approach out. Battery-powered or solar-powered lights can be placed along the path leading to your garage, which can help you avoid a fall to begin with.
Manage Exterior Paths
Of course, it’s not always a lack of visibility that could slip you up in cold weather. Without a floor to slip on, slipping is more difficult. Using salt or sand can help prevent ice buildup on your usual path, be that patio slabs or driveway concrete, giving you more traction as you walk. There are also heated driveway mats you can lay down to melt away ice and snow on walkways if you prefer, or resin epoxy driveways that are harder to ice over.
If your garage is separate from your house, a little extra care with the surrounding area, as well as the aforementioned lighting, could prevent a slip. This is especially important if you’re a little older or if you have any mobility issues.
Chain Maintenance (Never DIY)
Winter can be harsh on any of your exterior equipment, especially if you have a garage door with a chain-operated mechanism, no matter if it’s manual or automated. For that reason, cold weather can cause the chain to contract or become stiff, which may lead to issues or stalls when opening or closing the garage. If not maintained and forced it could cause the chain to snap, which can be both dangerous and expensive, to say the least.
Now, while it’s tempting to do this yourself, never do so. Garage door chains have known to be lethal to those who aren’t specifically trained in their operation, especially if they haven’t used the right equipment to do so.
Non-Slip Flooring
If you’re going to be spending time inside the garage during winter, and especially if you’er doing to be doing any manual work with tools, it’s worth thinking about the flooring. Garages generally have concrete floors, which can become quite slippery when wet or icy, or even cold. Sure the garage might be insulated, but think about treading water in and out from the rain or snow outside – it can all cause issues.
Installing non-slip mats or coating your floor with a non-slip sealant like you might find in a warehouse can generally prevent accidents. There are even specialized garage floor coverings that provide insulation and grip, and that makes it much safer and more comfortable to spend time here. Of course, non-slip boots can’t hurt to wear either.
Portable Heaters
Anyone who likes to work in their garage knows how cold they can get in winter, because they’re not as insulated as a standard home might be for obvious reasons. Moreover, unlike an attached garage, you’re not going to benefit from any residual heat from your home that you may if it were in your household itself
But without proper heating, it can become uncomfortably cold very quickly, and working in freezing temperatures is not only unpleasant but can make your hands stiff and clumsy. That could even lead to injury if you’re trying to be productive in woodworking, for instance.
That’s why investing in a robust portable heater that has little maintenance and doesn’t create smoke or a burnt smell is worthwhile. Airrex heaters are known to provide this need and are also popular in commercial areas, so you know they can heat the space effectively, safely, and with confidence.
Locks & Window Supports
While winter might make it less likely for people to be out and about, it’s still important to secure your garage from potential theft. Assume it can happen at any time. After all, with darker evenings and longer nights, the chances of someone snooping around if they know you have tools or even a classic car in there is higher.
Make certain that your garage doors and windows have sturdy locks. If your garage windows are older or a little weaker, you may want to reinforce them with window bars or security film. Both options give another small llayer of security without making the space feel overly fortified or nasty to look at in general.
You could even think about installing a security camera as well. These can be connected to your home’s Wi-Fi and offer to your phone if someone is near the garage, or they could be a false model that just causes someone to think twice, they won’t know the difference – though of course it won’t help you if the theft goes through.
With this advice, we hope you can keep your exterior safe even in the darkest and coldest of winters.