Grungy gives way to grand in this last frontier of remodeling

There's no place for grunge in Rik Lalim's garage. Or the lawn mower and shovel, either.

His inviting, clubhouse-style Golden Valley, Minn., garage boasts taupe vinyl flooring instead of grease-stained concrete and cherry wood storage cabinets instead of rusty metal toolboxes.

Although Lalim's garage resembles a cozy room in his 1950s rambler, it's where he parks his car, hangs out and fixes stuff. But some nights he throws dinner parties there. His guests won't ever see screwdrivers lying around as they sip a screwdriver in his comfort-filled garage. All that's missing is a couple of La-Z-Boys in front of the TV.

This ultra-organized guy said he wanted a garage that gives him a sense of calm when he pulls in at the end of the day.

"I don't want to see the mower and feel like I have to mow the lawn when I get home," said Lalim.

No matter how hard Lalim tries, the American garage isn't about to shake its image as a no-frills carport and stuff for storage. But for many garage owners, it has evolved into a multifunctional room that can serve as a workshop, an office, a playroom or homey retreat.

GARAGES HAVE become the last frontier to revamp, restyle and reinvent.

"Americans now are discovering the garage because they've already done their basements, rec rooms and master suites," said Kira Obolensky, author of Garage: Reinventing the Place We Park (Taunton Press, $32). The book scrutinizes the adaptability of the American garage.

"It's a versatile, transformable and economical space," she said.

And most of us own one. According to the National Association of Home Builders, 82 percent of homes have a two- or more-car garage, yet only 15 percent of people park their cars in them.

Minneapolis artist Scott Anderson needed more than garage improvements to provide a well-lighted studio for his oil painting. He built a two-story, two-car garage with a heated second-floor studio. It was more economical than adding on to his home, he said. Plus, it was a way to keep oil paint and solvent fumes out of the house. The cottage-style detached garage features a side staircase entry, high- pitched roof and dormers to complement the Anderson home.

Architect Robert Gerloff, who designed the project, said garage studios and offices are the wave of the future.

"More people are working from home offices and want to separate work and home life," he said. The bonuses: no commute and cheap rent.

ALTHOUGH Anderson built new, an existing detached or attached garage is full of cost-effective remodeling possibilities. Doug Nelson, owner of New Spaces in Burnsville, Minn., said many homeowners are adding mudrooms, laundry rooms and entryways to the garage. His company also dresses up garages with wallboard, textured ceilings and epoxy flooring.

"People want fancy finished garages because it's the first thing you see before you come into the house," he said.

And fancy garages need worthy storage cabinets and shelves, some as nice as what you'll find in the home.

"Owners are tired of the mess and want to make the garage as nice as their freshly remodeled kitchen," said Doug Arndt, whose company the Complete Garage sells wall and cabinet storage systems, epoxy flooring (in lots of colors) and car pads.

"Like the unorganized, messy closet, the grungy garage is a thing of the past," he said.

But whether the garage is a massive, two-story structure or a narrow alley carport, Obolensky said, it has become a unique space in American culture where one can putter, play in a band, invent and dream.

Lalim fashioned a garage getaway that makes it clear who is king of this castle. When his friends tease him about his garage being nicer than their home, he just laughs.

"I tell them I like it. I did it for me," he said.