Rick Scully, Author at Garage Tailors

Racks for All the Family Adventures

August 22, 2018 by Rick Scully

When taking the family to the cottage, to go exploring various parts of the country or to go on a camping trip, it often requires more space than we might have in the SUV or mini-van. To add more cargo space to our vehicles or bring our favourite toys to enjoy the outdoors, many of us might use vehicle racks and hitch mounted carriers.

Some of the typical vehicle add-ons include a roof rack with add on carriers or racks or hitch mounted carriers and racks. There are a wide variety of options to deck out vehicles with the space to carry our favourite toys to our favourite spots around the country. Being able to enjoy the outdoors and the serenity that these remote locations afford us while staying active together is the main motivation of many families to leverage vehicle rack systems.

Throughout the summer and even winter months, we’ll want to haul out these carriers and racks with us to our weekend adventures and then, store them away during the week. Finding a way to minimize the work of storing and mounting the rack systems to our vehicles helps us get away on short notice while keeping our garage storage system organized.

Combining Garage Storage Racks with Vehicle Racks

A great way to do this is to match up garage storage racks and slatwall organization systems with your vehicle’s racks and mountings systems. Matching them up and installing them in the appropriate places within the garage means we can make use these vehicle racks with more ease. If we plan it out, we can set it up so that we don’t need to be especially tall or overly strong to move these bulky carriers or return outdoor toys to where they should be stored.

Just because our weekends are packed with high energy activities doesn’t mean that putting things away needs to be just as challenging. A good garage renovation will provide a system where mounting these vehicle carriers will flow easily from the garage storage area to the vehicle itself.

Overhead Lift Racks for Bicycles and Other Sports Equipment

From a vehicle rack, bikes can be mounted easily onto hydraulic bike racks which can be lifted up and out of the way. While there are many types of bicycle racks including wall mount, floor mount or ceiling mount, the lift racks may be the best suited to work with vehicle racks or mounts.

Firstly, they can be placed to be located at the rear of the vehicle so it’s easy to transfer the bikes between the vehicle rack and the overhead lift racks for bikes, golf clubs, snowboads and other sports equipment. Next, if you have a hydraulic overhead lift, after you’ve loaded a few bikes and a couple of sets of golf clubs, it takes the mere push of a button to get the rack to lift up into the overhead storage space of the garage.

Canoe and Kayak Racks

For canoes and kayaks, they are often mounted on the vehicle with a J-rack or other roof rack system. With an overhead sling and pulley system in the garage which is positioned directly over the roof of the vehicle, the kayaks and canoes can be stored in the overhead space. By attaching the sling around each kayak or canoe and releasing the vehicle rack mechanisms, the kayaks can be lifted directly up into the rafters of the garage until it’s time to retrieve them for the next adventure on our favourite rivers, lakes or oceans.

Cargo Carriers for Roof or Hitch Racks

For cargo carriers located either on the roof of a vehicle or off the rear hitch of the vehicle, overhead systems similar to the bike or kayak storage lift systems make putting things away so much easier after a long trip. With slings and a hydraulic lift system, these carriers can be lifted up and away. Whether you intend to store them empty or pre-packed with some standard camping or adventure gear, the overhead cargo carrier storage makes it so much easier to prepare for the next driving trip.

Enjoying All Seasons with Storage Racks

Turning the garage into a storage system to ease the packing and unpacking of the vehicle racks means we can reduce the strain of moving larger awkwardly shaped carriers and outdoor toys. A little bit of planning and a garage renovation will make it easy to move items from the vehicle to its storage location in the garage and back again.

If you need assistance to create this handy system, a complimentary in-home consultation is available to guide you through a process to outfit your garage storage systems to your lifestyle.

Preparing for a Garage Sale

August 14, 2018 by Rick Scully

August 11^th 2018 was National Garage Sale Day. All of us can benefit from a garage sale from time to time. And, it’s a great way to spend time with your growing family and the lifestyle changes that occur as children grow out of old toys or as new sports or other hobbies enter our lives.

It’s not just the garage sale but the process which can be a great learning experience for everyone in the house. The day of the garage sale is a good way to connect with neighbours and friends from the neighbourhood. In fact, they often say that getting together with a few other families to plan a garage sale is a great way to be more successful. And, while the National Garage Sale Day occurs in August each year, any of the warm days from about April to October can be a good day.

A garage sale allows us to let go of things and manage our garage storage whether we’re looking to have a garage renovation done shortly or we’re looking to make the most of our existing garage storage options.

The Benefits of Decluttering

Decluttering and organizing has great psychological benefits for us and our family members. It’s a great learning experience for younger members in many ways.

There is a lot of decision making involved with decluttering because we are working with limited garage storage space while we may have a growing selection of things we believe we want to store. So, we need to make decisions as to which things to get rid of and which things might need to be stored elsewhere.

This task allows our children as well as ourselves to gain a sense of competence or confidence that we are able to do things well. Also, it gets everyone moving and active while accomplishing tasks so there is a lot of satisfaction about completing things.

Also, we know that we feel relief as well as reduced anxiety from being organized. Order and symmetry has been known to do this for us psychologically or as witnessed from people with OCD who feel temporary relief immediately after organizing something.

Step-by-Step Decluttering Rules

If you don’t yet have a garage storage system, the first step is to empty the garage. This first step alone lifts our spirits. It is the first step to getting us motivated and inspired about the space. When the garage is just full of stuff, we just don’t want to look at it so some of us just keep ignoring the problem because it’s unpleasant to keep looking at our own clutter.

Creating piles is now the next step to your final garage organization masterpiece. Start by creating 2 piles. One pile will be the stuff that you want to store in the garage. The other pile will be the discard pile or the pile for the garage sale.

If your garage is already organized into a garage storage system, you may only need to create the pile of items to be discarded. These might be toys and sports equipment which the kids have outgrown. It may also be duplicate items such as an additional weed trimmer tool.

If you don’t already have a garage organization system, it’s time to organize the pile which has been designated to be stored in the garage. You can do this by grouping these items into smaller piles. Group things together into these types of piles on the floor of the garage:

gardening items
automotive accessories
household tools
patio furniture & accessories
sports equipment
bicycles
camping gear

And, add any other categories of items which might be a part of your lifestyle. Organize these groupings of storage items onto the floor of your garage.

Now, it’s time to call in a garage renovation specialist to help you design and implement a made-to-measure garage organization and storage system. Or, if you’re looking for a DIY solution, it’s time to visit the big box stores for supplies to build and mount your systems inside the garage.

Meanwhile, it’s time to run a garage sale to find new owners for all the items in the discard pile. It will be quite a relief when all the things you want to get rid of are finally out of your home.

Promoting the Garage Sale

There are some keys to getting the garage sale to become a success and an event which is full of people visiting your sale. If you follow a few steps, you’ll be able to elevate the success of this event and have a little more fun running the event with your family and neighbours.

We’ll continue next month with a blog on how to put on a successful garage sale. In the meantime, if you’re looking to hire a garage renovation specialist, please contact us for a complimentary in-home consultation.

Making Outdoor Play Easy for the Kids

June 21, 2018 by Rick Scully

Now that summer is here, the kids will be home all day. Of course, they’ll want to be outside with all the warm sunny days ahead. Getting on their bikes, scooters, skateboards and other toys to get to the local park or their friend’s house is the typical response to enjoy a play day or play date with a friend. From the bikes and skateboards to the soccer balls, basketballs, water toys as well as strollers and other toys for the younger children, the garage soon becomes home base to everything the kids need to enjoy the outdoors.

For the active family, the garage renovation would provide garage storage solutions incorporating ways for the garage to be used by the entire family for a fun filled summer. This also includes the big kids in the family with places to access golf clubs, tennis racquets, mountain bikes and kayaks. Whatever your lifestyle, making it easy to access your outdoor sports equipment or toys is just as important as keeping them out of the reach of younger children.

Overhead Hydraulic Racks

With some of the bulkier outdoor equipment such as kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and mountain bikes, you’ll want them handy and easy to mount and dismount from a Thule or Yakima rack system for your vehicle. The overhead hydraulic racks or lifts are ideal for transferring these pieces of equipment to or from your vehicle with a minimal of effort. By positioning the racks at the right spot within the garage, equipment can be lowered directly onto the vehicle’s rack while it is parked in the garage.

Reduce the awkward movements and stress on your back or body needed to mount the cargo box and other gear within the confines of the garage space. Plan out garage storage systems that facilitate the packing and unpacking process of the vehicle.

Garage Cabinet Storage Systems

Now, for things such as an expensive set of golf clubs, you might opt to have lockable garage cabinets. They will safely and securely store more expensive items which cannot afford to be knocked about by the kids, their bicycles or other toys as they move about the garage accessing or putting away their summertime toys throughout the summer..

Slatwall Organization Systems

The slatwall organization systems are so durable, versatile and modular, not only are they great for garden tools and lawn mowers, but they can also be used for a variety of kids toys. For younger children, mount hooks at lower levels so they can mount their own scooters, skateboards, bats, racquets, clubs and bikes off the ground and out of the way of the vehicles which will be parking inside the garage at the end of the day.

Also, there are some great basket systems where all the basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, baseball gloves and other toys can just be tossed into mesh net or wire net basket. By evaluating the kids’ favourite activities and the space available in the garage, the right combination of hooks and baskets will make any slatwall space an effective storage area for everything your kids will want to do throughout the summer.

Bicycle Rack Storage Systems

Bicycle usage is back on the rise again these days for everyone in the family. Kids love riding their bikes to visit friends or to go on a neighbourhood adventure with friends. When all the neighbourhood kids ride back to your house for a lunch break, they just ride up, jump off and run inside to satisfy their hungry bellies after a fun filled morning of activity. Give kids a place to park their bikes. This helps them learn how to put things away in the proper place.

Overhead racks, slatwall hooks and other storage systems are great for the overnight storage of bikes. For summer, a floor rack where kids can park their bike means they leave their bikes standing. They can avoid having bikes strewn all over the garage floor. This keeps it easy to maintain the organization of the garage and prevents damage by vehicles driving into the garage . It also gives the kids a reasonable way of being able to put things away in the proper place within the garage.

Plan a Garage Storage System

When the lifestyle of the whole family is considered, we are able to design the right combination of storage options so that the space can be optimized and utilized fully. The garage spaces can accommodate both off-season storage and easy access to summertime toys and gear which are used regularly. When you need the entire garage space to work well for everyone, consider a garage design that allows the family to leverage the space for maximum enjoyment of the warm sunny summer days ahead.

Storing Outdoor or Camping Gear in Overhead Areas of the Garage

June 7, 2018 by Rick Scully

With the kids nearly out of school and the great weather all around us, we can’t help but think of getting away. Leaving the hustle and bustle of the city for the quieter and more peaceful surroundings of being near nature is one of many people’s favourite summer activities. We may have grown up camping during our childhood or we may just enjoy connecting with the outdoors and nature. Either way, summer is definitely the season to spend more of our time outdoors.

Many of us enjoy the summer on or in the water. We bring our kayaks, canoes or stand-up paddle boards to the cottage or campground. Or, we may even want to make sure that we maximize our time outdoors while getting more exercise when we’re on vacation. We may want the whole family to cycle to the general store, the beach or around the campground while we’re away. So, we’ll want to haul the bikes on a rack at the rear of our vehicle or SUV.

The Thule or Yakima racks, hitches and cargo boxes make it all possible for us to carry sleeping bags, tents, kayaks, bikes and much more for the summer adventure but when it’s time for the family to return home, where will we store it all? Well, we have some garage storage solutions that make it easy and convenient not only to store the gear but also make it easy to pack up our vehicles for the adventures that await us this summer.

Of course, overhead storage solutions is the best way to get the most out of our garage space. This allows us to keep things out of the way until we are ready to use them or access them frequently. Let’s discuss some of the garage storage options. Or, you can get a complimentary in-home consultation for a garage renovation to discuss how to use the space overhead to maximize your garage for your family lifestyle.

Hydraulic Overhead Storage Lifts

Not only are the hydraulic lifts an easy way to whisk bulky items upwards and out of sight, they are also easy on people who want unload or retrieve those bulky items safely from their location up high. Most families use these hydraulic storage lifts to store bulky items such as Thule cargo boxes, bikes, kayaks, canoes, stand up paddle boards and golf clubs into the empty overhead spaces. So, whether you’re over 6 feet tall and the strongest member of your household or you’re 8 years old and trying to retrieve your bike to get to school, the hydraulic lift can be operated by just about every family member regardless of the their size, strength or stature.

An option to the hydraulic overhead storage lift is the manually operated lift which can be installed safely and securely to hold a few hundred pounds of bikes, sporting gear or cargo boxes. Any of the lifts can be positioned to lower to an exact spot in the garage for handy retrieval or mounting. For instance, many of our lifts for Thule racks and cargo boxes are positioned so that when lowered, they will sit directly over the vehicle’s rack system. From there, just strap the cargo box securely to the roof of the SUV, minivan or other vehicle and it is ready to load with the family’s toys and sports gear.

Made-to-Measure Overhead Storage Platforms

One of the most versatile of the overhead storage mediums is the custom made-to-measure overhead platforms which are secured to the ceiling with airline cables making them capable of supporting several hundred pounds of items per square foot of space. Undermount pot lights add visibility for a workspace just below or to the overall brightness of the garage. The whole platform can be finished and painted to match the colours of the garage.

They can run along the sides and back wall of the garage so that it optimizes the overhead storage space. The platforms are designed just deep enough so that most adults can reach to the back of the platform and retrieve any item stored along the back edge against the wall.

Using overhead storage to store items which are not in season or used rarely is the ideal way to leverage this type of storage medium. Some examples of storage items include seasonal items such as tires which are swapped twice a year or holiday decorations which are used once a year. When it comes to sports equipment, snowboards are accessed frequently throughout winter but then, it becomes wakeboards in summer. Tools such as snow shovels and salt in winter which are required weekly or daily are then swapped out for rakes and lawn mowers which are necessities to maintain our yard or garden in summer.

Overhead Storage Racks

Overhead storage racks are typically stainless steel with a mesh platform so that items stored on it can be seen from underneath as well as all four sides in many cases. Again, they do need to be mounted to the ceiling securely but once this is done, they can carry anywhere from a few to several hundred pounds worth of your belongings. Because they can be accessed from all four sides, the rack can have a larger dimension but not too large that people can’t reach the centre of the rack for the item that gets tossed there.

A lot of people use these racks for things such as tents, sleeping bags and other items which require a bit more storage space while also needing some air circulation. Both the racks as well as the platforms may require a step ladder for people to retrieve or store the items. Now, if the garage is quite tall then there are some additional custom built solutions which are also easier to use.

Overhead Storage Mezzanine

The storage mezzanine comes with a glass railing so that it is easy to see the items being stored above and prevents things from being knocked off the mezzanine. Built-in stairs or a pull-down loft ladder which lower to the garage floor and tuck away flush with the mezzanine floor make access to the mezzanine convenient. The stairs are weighted so that they only require a small effort to pull down or push back up into place.

Because family members are meant to walk up onto the mezzanine, it is sturdy enough to carry people as well as a wide variety of belongings. Some of the access options include the elevator style electric stairs or ladders or in one case, an auto lift was used to port the homeowners to the mezzanine level to retrieve stored items. Each mezzanine is made-to-measure with options to suit the homeowners and their families.

Plan a Garage Renovation

If you are in need of some extra storage space, all that we need to do is look upwards for the answer. To plan a garage renovation, start with a complimentary in-home consultation to understand the full range of possibilities that would suit your garage and your family’s lifestyle.

Ten Perennial Flowers for the Garden: Part 2 of 2

May 22, 2018 by Rick Scully

In the last blog, we discussed the first five of ten perennial plants to refresh the yard with colour. Of course, many of the hardy perennial plants can help when the landscape may include slopes or even somewhat difficult growing conditions which require hardier plants. Many of the flowering perennials are easy to grow and maintain, allowing us to balance the time we spend with our family in a variety of activities throughout the summer months and the time we’d like to spend in the garden.

With a little up front organizing and planning, garden tool storage as well as composting bin storage can be worked into the garage. The slatwall organization system of storage offers options for tools, lawn mowers and supplies for the gardener who needs easy access to both the front and back yard gardens and who wants to avoid taking up valuable landscape with a garden shed. A garage renovation makes it possible to offer convenient access to gardening tools and supplies. Of course, one of the most important steps in gardening is planning or choosing perennials based on the garden’s access to sun and the qualities of the soil. Here are the last five of the ten perennial flower choices that we would like to review.

Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum)

The sunny and sweet Shasta daisy is a classic perennial. The blooms on these daisies are larger and more robust than the wild roadside daisies. These flowers have white petals and deep yellow florets and they will blossom every year in late spring or early summer until early fall. They are 2 to 3 feet tall and grow in clumps which are 1 to 2 feet in width.

They love full sun and good soil with proper drainage so use your compost to enrich the garden bed for these flowers every year. And, after the first killing frost of the fall, cut back the stems to 1 to 2 inches for best results in the following season.

Phlox

These star shaped flowers grow in clusters creating great ground cover. The creeping phlox in particular enjoys shade and would work well around and under shrubs as ground cover. They are easy to grow and maintain like many of the perennials. It’s easiest to grow phlox from a cutting than from a seed.

Plant them in spring in moist compost rich soil. Different phlox want a variety of conditions. Border phlox like Carolina phlox, Meadow phlox, and Garden phlox want moist, well-drained soil as well as full to partial sun. Low, mounding phlox like Sand phlox and Chattahoochee don’t mind average to sandy soil which is well-drained with full sun. Woodland species like Blue phlox and Creeping phlox need moist, humus-rich or in other words, mature nutrient rich compost with full to partial sun.

Purple Coneflower

The purple coneflower is Echinacea and it is as sturdy as it is beautiful. The flowers have purple leaves and a cone at the centre where the seeds of the flower are found. The seeds in the cone attract both birds and butterflies to the garden. The flowers bloom in mid-summer and they are so hardy that they fare well in heat while being rather drought resistant.

They also repel deer so if you’ve got a vegetable garden nearby, it’s a handy flower to have around to keep your garden free of wildlife wandering through the vegetables and munching their way through a season of your hard work.

There are a variety of purple coneflower colours. The Robert Bloom has dark orange centers with bright crimson flower petals. The Tennessee coneflower has greenish-pink centers with dark mauve flower petals. The Finale White has creamy white flower heads with greenish-brown centers.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentr)

The bleeding heart flower appears in early spring as heart shaped pink and white flowers or just white flowers all strung along the arched stem of the plant. The foliage is a beautiful bluish green. The bleeding heart needs a cool shady spot in the garden with moist nutrient rich compost soil which drains well. They do well being planted in the spring or fall.

The heat of summer will cause the bleeding heart to wither away but there’s no need to cut away the dying foliage as the plant is taking this time to store away food reserves for the following year’s new growth of the flowers. Over time, the clump of bleeding heart flowers can become overwhelming and they can be separated with part of the clump planted elsewhere in the garden.

The bleeding heart plant grows from 1.5 to 4 feet tall.

Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum)

The cranesbill or hardy geranium is beautiful and easy to grow perennial with violet-blue petals typically. They are resistant to pests and disease and do well in a variety areas in a garden. The growing conditions include soil which is moist, well-drained and nutrient rich so top up your garden with compost each spring to keep the ground well suited to these plants. Some do well in full sun areas and they also do well in partial sun conditions as well.

And, the gardener’s reward is a perennial which produces a long bloom from spring until late fall. These flowers come in a variety of colours including purple, blue, white, and pink. The flowers have 5 petals which are from ½ to 1½ inch wide with the typical colour being violet-blue petals of a Rozanne variety. The geranium is often confused with the flowers called pelargoniums at the local garden centres. The pelargoniums are a ball shaped bundle of flowers and the garden centres often market these as geraniums. However, the pelargoniums are annuals and are not the hardy geraniums which are perennials.

Spring Garden Tool & Supply Storage

If you feel unprepared to store the variety of supplies and tools for your garden, consider a garage renovation to maximize your landscaping space while organizing your garage and yard space. Then, you can enjoy looking after an easy to maintain perennial garden. A complimentary in-home consultation with one of our garage renovation specialists can help you. Whether you need to care for perennials or you have other lifestyle activities which may end up using storage space in the garage, call on Garage Tailors Garage to help you plan and design the garage space.

Ten Perennial Flowers for the Garden: Part 1 of 2

May 8, 2018 by Rick Scully

Now that it is spring, we’re all itching to spend time outdoors and of course, one of the best places to spend time at this time of year is in our own yards. At this time of year, we’re all desperate for some colour. If your garden doesn’t automatically have flowers peeking out of the ground starting in spring, this is the year to consider perennial flowers.

So, swap out the winter tools at the front of your garage located on the hooks of your slatwall organization system and replace them with the typical garden tools such as hoes, spades, hand trowel, wheelbarrow, lawnmower and more. Yes, even the heavy lawnmower will sit safely on your StoreWALL slatwall organization camlock hooks.

Next, let’s consider the perennial flower options for your garden.

Peonies

These gorgeous blooms are perennial flowers which are very popular and long lasting. In fact, these flowers will return annually for up to over 100 years. You can create a colourful and beautiful garden with some peonies in it.

Find a full sun area with well-drained soil for these flowers next to other flowers and away from trees or bushes. While these flowers are hardy, they tend to thrive best when the seed is planted in the fall during the months of late September and October. In the spring, it’s important to prepare the soil and mark out a spot for these flowers. If your soil is heavy or sandy, now is the time to mix in a generous amount of compost to prepare the soil for adequate drainage.

Typical peony colours include white, pink, rose and red so start planning the pairing or combination of flower colours in the garden bed.

Irises

The delicate and divine look of irises make them a desired flower among gardeners. The beautiful look of irises fool people into underestimating the hardy, reliable and easy to grow nature of these flowers.

What makes these flowers so distinctive is their petal formation with lower petals called “falls” and upper petals which typically stand upwards called “standards”. There are also bearded irises which have fuzzy hairs at the top of the falls and beardless irises without the fuzzy hairs. These flowers are so attractive they will bring butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden.

For the popular bearded iris bulb, the best time of the year to plant them here in Canada is late July and August so that these flowers have time to grow strong enough roots to weather the winter months. The typical iris colours include: purple, blue, red, peach, yellow, orange, rose, black and white including some with both purple and white colours in the same flower.

Hydrangeas

The hydrangea shrubs offer the most beautiful flowers of any shrub. With one of the largest flower heads, this classic floral adds traditional charm to any garden. And, the amazing array of flower colours include clear blues, vibrant pinks, frosty whites, lavender, and rose which can all appear on the same bush at the same time.

Because hydrangeas can survive in a variety of soil conditions, the flower colours can also be changed on the same bush depending on the pH achieved in the soil for each shrub. In general, blue flowers will blossom well in acidic soil while pinks or reds typically blossom well in alkaline or neutral soil. These shrubs always appreciate extra compost for proper drainage. And, they can be planted in either spring or fall.

Dahlias

These tuberous root perennial flowers grow from 12 inches up to 6 feet tall with blooms ranging from 2 inch lollipop size to a whopping 10 inch dinner plate blossom. They tend to do better in cooler North American climates. They thrive best in sunny and well-drained soils so use plenty of compost for harder or sandy soil areas.

They remain in bloom until the first frost so dahlias keep the garden in bloom for months and well into late fall. In the fall, the tubers need to be dug up, washed off and stored on newspaper or in well ventilated storage such as milk crates. The storage location needs to be a cool place such as the basement or the back of the garage. Otherwise, you can treat the dahlias like annuals by purchasing tubers each spring.

Daylilies

Daylilies earned their name from their one day blossom of each flower. Over several weeks, a clump of daylilies will blossom 200 – 400 times leaving the clump looking fabulous for this period of time. While the best time to plant day lilies is early spring or early fall, these flowers are so hardy they can even be transplanted in summer but they may not bloom that season.

To help the blossoms do better, add compost to your sandy or solid soils to improve the ground and water drainage. However, if necessary, the daylily is drought resistant and will grow on the side of hill and other difficult to cultivate areas.

Originally from Asia, the many hybrids which have developed over the years have led to numerous colours combinations which are too many to name with only pure white and pure blue missing from the range of colours possible.

Spring Gardening

If you’re looking for ways to manage your gardening tools and supplies, consider a garage renovation including compost bins either in the garage or backyard areas to recycle organic wastes while beautifying the landscape of your home. In the upcoming blog, we’ll continue to discuss the remaining 5 perennials that you might want to consider for your home and garden.

Which Method of Garden Composting Best Suits Your Lifestyle?

April 24, 2018 by Rick Scully

In every garage renovation, we consider the homeowners lifestyle to consider the types of garage storage solutions required including how people can optimize their recycling, composting and waste. With garden composting, there are a variety of methods and some of them will fit you and your family better than others.

Some of the options for storing composting include the backyard or garden, outdoor bins, inside the garage and potentially, in the home. The choice depends on the space available, the type of composting and family lifestyle. To figure out the best option for your family, it’s important to understand composting options and methods.

Composting for More than Rich Soil

Of course, most of us already understand that we can compost 30% of our waste so we don’t add to the mounting landfills where even kitchen waste which is not properly processed can produce methane gases. Instead, when we mix kitchen scraps into compost, we produce something far more valuable without the methane gas production.

We enrich the soil in our own yards with compost and it becomes nutrient rich so our garden harvest may be abundant. Compost can replace or reduce fertilizer use in our gardens.

Composting can also bind heavy metals and render them harmless. Heavy metals are considered toxic when they are all by themselves. Some of these heavy metals include: mercury, copper, cadmium, chromium, lead, nickel, arsenic, zinc and tin. In small doses, these metals are fine but long term exposure to even small doses is not healthy. When the simple heavy metal atoms are composted, they start to bind to form complex molecules within the compost. When heavy metals fully combine into complex molecules, they become quite harmless. This is why composting is effective in reducing toxins, especially when we allow the compost process to continue to full completion.

Compost also prevents other pollutants from reaching our streams and waterways. For instance, nitrogen often found in fertilizers will run off but when compost is used, nitrogen will bind to the molecules found in compost and remain near the plants requiring nitrogen. Compost increases the effectiveness of fertilizer while minimizing nitrogen run off. Another pollutant is phosphorus which depletes our waters of oxygen while killing the vegetation and other life in these waters. It also binds to compost and prevents the run off that is so dangerous to our waterways.

To start the garden season successfully, prepare now so your compost is ready in a few months to a year depending on the type of composting method you choose.

Hot Composting vs. Cold Composting

Just as these names suggest, hot composting will produce a lot of heat due to the high number of chemical reactions taking place in a short amount of time. Hot composting is complete in a few months but requires a higher amount of attention and care. The proportions of compostable waste used in a hot compost needs to be exact. Hot composts need 25 parts brown waste like leaves or untreated cardboard and 1 part green waste such as grass clippings or kitchen scraps. Then the compost needs to be turned every 2- 3 weeks to keep it cooking. The hot compost temperatures inside the pile are hot enough to cook upon or run water pipes through the centre of it to produce hot water.

Cold composts, on the other hand, don’t need exacting proportions of brown and green wastes. The composting process is slower so the temperature rarely rises. The process also takes approximately a year as opposed to months. The lower temperatures means that pathogens don’t get killed off so you can’t add meats or other potentially dangerous waste. Some people do feel that the cold composting method leaves more helpful microorganisms. It’s best for one person when there is not a lot of waste generated by the household.

Vermicomposting

living composter green

This is composting via worms. It’s fast, efficient and takes a lot less space than hot or cold composting. This form of composting also eliminates many plant diseases. This can even be done in condos or apartments where there is limited space. Plus, this is one of the easiest ways to compost in winter. These composters can be stored in the garage or kitchen so people who live in condos or apartments who want to have terrariums in their home can have their own rich earth for a fresh spice garden.

Green Bin City Composting

This way of composting is also a good way to help the environment. Your household doesn’t benefit from access to quality soil for the garden when the compost is finished. However, if gardening is not one of your past times, this method is easiest on time and effort so this may best suit your needs. There are a number of good solutions for storing the large green bins in the garage.

When is Compost Finished?

Only use finished compost in the garden. You’ll know it’s finished when it looks like dark rich earth and it should smell like earth. If there is any vegetable or kitchen scrap smell to it, the compost is still cooking. As we discussed earlier, immature compost will still contain toxic heavy metals, pathogens and acids which all can be harmful to the vegetation and plants it supports in the garden. Also, since the process of composting requires a lot of nitrogen and oxygen, these are unavailable to the plants when the compost is still cooking. Unfinished compost is not beneficial for the garden so waiting for finished compost is an important step of the compost process.

Types of Composting Systems

The various composting systems need to be situated in different locations around the house. For hot composting, open wooden bins are the best method and they are placed near the garden. They’re not as aesthetically pleasing but they are the most effective way for hot compost. For cold composting, it can be as simple as the pile method where a hole in the ground is made available for compostable waste. When the compost is finished, the soil in that area of the garden will be reading for the next planting.

Commercial compost bins or green bins can be stored in outdoor bin storage areas or in the garden over top of where the garden needs enrichment if the composting bin is bottomless. And, come composters can find a place within your garage. When you’re thinking of garage storage design for the avid gardener, a good garage storage system will help you accommodate your favourite compost system whether it’s the city’s green bin or other form of composting.

If you’re considering a new garage interior design in the near future, consult with one of our garage renovation specialists and remember your recycle, compost and waste as one of your overall space requirements around your garage and home.

Earth Day 2018 – Focus on Ending Plastic Pollution

April 13, 2018 by Rick Scully

Earth Day will be this coming April 22, 2018. The focus of Earth Day this year is in ending plastic pollution which is the factor most affecting climate change. And, because plastic is not biodegradable, if it doesn’t get recycled in some way, plastic will continue to remain in landfills or float around ocean destroying the vital life that helps us prevent climate change.

You may have seen or heard of the effects of plastic pollution on our ocean life. We definitely have challenges with the litter it creates but more importantly, there’s an impact to our health as people as well. And, with only 12% of all plastics being incinerated, we are leaving a lot of plastic accumulating in our oceans.

Let’s review the multifaceted ways in which plastics has an effect on our entire planet as well as our health. Plastic water bottles and other plastics causes manufacturing pollution as well as other side effects. Let’s take time to consider some of the things that each of us can do this Earth Day to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic.

The Facts about Plastic

Plastic was invented in 1907. Since then, the main use of plastic has been for packaging and to date, the world has produced 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic. Of that, 6.3 billion metric tons is now waste while only 8% has been recycled and only 12% has been incinerated which is the only real way of breaking down plastic into its original building blocks and getting rid of plastic. The rest of it or approximately 79% of the plastic ends up in landfills.

The main issue isn’t just that plastic doesn’t break down and that it takes up space in our landfills but it is that plastic doesn’t biodegrade. When plastic does eventually break down in 1,000 years from now, it will be leaching toxins to the ground as well as ground water leaving our planet uninhabitable. At the moment, the rate at which this is all happening, we’ll have 12 billion metric tons of plastic in landfills by 2050.

The Effect of Plastic on Our Oceans

Plastics in the ocean end up congregating into condensed patches of plastic in the ocean. Sometimes, the plastic breaks down into micro plastics and get ingested by wildlife within the ocean. These contaminated fish and other sea life that end up on our plates means that we get contaminated by the toxins of the ocean.

Sometimes, ocean life can mistake chunks of plastic for food which sadly, they eat. Since the plastic doesn’t get digested, these animals continue to think that they are full so they starve to death.

The Effect of Plastic on Our Personal Health

Plastics are known to be a health hazard for people. Some plastics leach chemicals into the foods and beverages contained within them. Many plastics contain phthalates (DEHP) and the chemical BPA. If these plastics are heated in the microwave, plastics end up in the food or drink which means they end up in our bodies.

They are particularly harmful for young children. The health effects include damage to chromosomes, reproductive system abnormalities, impaired brain and neurological functions, cancer, cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, early puberty, obesity and resistance to chemotherapy.

The Effect of Plastic on Climate Change

The manufacturing of plastic has a great impact on our climate. For instance, it uses 8% of the world’s petroleum production. The drilling of oil releases a variety of harmful greenhouse gases including: carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, ozone, benzene, and methane. Water bottles are made from a plastic called Polyethylene Terephthalate known as PET. For every 1 ounce of PET produced, 5 ounces of carbon dioxide is released.

How We Can Take Action to Reduce Plastic this coming Earth Day

We can take action against plastic pollution.

Sign the petition being promoted by the Earth Day organizers.
Plant a tree on Earth Day as a family. Every tree provides enough oxygen for 10 people during the course of a year.
Spend an hour a day with your kids playing outdoors. Kid’s connection to the outdoors is not only great for their happiness and well-being but it also improves their environmental stewardship.
Improve the family’s recycling habits if they have become lax.
Start composting which we’ll discuss in the upcoming blog.
Reduce the amount of plastics used within your household during the course of year. Start by taking inventory of how much plastic you use. Then, start a plan to reduce the amount of plastic used daily.
As a last resort, for things you can’t affect such as an air flight, donate to the LESS Offset program.

Here’s a video to help you with some inspiration from people aim to create zero waste during a year, not just plastics. Their thoughts might inspire you in ways to cut down in one way or another.

Garage Storage Solutions for Re-Use

Garage storage solutions help us organize and avoid purchasing more than we need. But, it also helps us re-use more items in our daily lives by having a place to store belongings and bring them out season after season for use.

When you’re considering a garage renovation, contact us for some ideas to help you become conscious of the footprint you’re leaving behind. Make every day an Earth Day in your household.

Garage Storage Solutions for the Avid Gardener

March 13, 2018 by Rick Scully

This year the March Equinox is March 20^th, 2018 at 12:15pm EDT. There are two Equinoxes each year – one in September and one in March. The March Equinox is the day of the year where the sun shines directly on the equator as it moves to shine on the northern hemisphere for the summer. On this day, the length of the day is nearly equal to the length of the night.

Besides March 20^th being the Equinox, it’s also the time of year that the gardeners are itching to get out and into the yard. In fact, if you’re a fanatical gardener, you’re probably already out in the green house aka the garage tinkering with seeds, soil and saplings that you’ve been nurturing all winter long.

Workspace in the Garage

You’ve pulled out your workspace so you can work with your potting soil and get those seeds planted so your saplings will be ready. In the larger garages with fewer storage requirements, you may actually have the back corner of the garage available for an L-shaped workbench made to measure.

If you’ve gone with garage cabinets, you may have opted for the workbench option which is built-in with drawers or cabinets below the workspace. A stainless steel work surface is typical of the workbench option with garage cabinet storage systems today.

Now, if space is at a premium in the garage for whatever reason, a made to measure fold down workspace which folds out from the wall and then tucks away when you’re done is one way to build a working area into the garage. Another space saver is a roll out workbench which can be tucked under a storage platform until it’s needed and then stored under the platform when you’re done working.

Not only are all of these workbench / workspace options available for the gardener but also the handy person of the house, the auto enthusiast and the arts & crafts enthusiast. What makes it complete is a space for all the gardening tools.

The Slatwall Organization System for Gardening Tools

If you already have a slatwall organization system then you’re probably already using it for winter shovels, ice scrapers, snow blowers, salt and much more to survive the icy, snowing and sometimes wet winter weather. But, once March Equinox comes around, the gardener of the family might just get the itch to switch all of those tools out for trowels, hoes, garden shovels, rakes and much more.

With the StoreWall slatwall organization system, the materials are so durable and modular that swapping out winter tools for garden tools is easy to do. The weatherproof commercial grade thermoplastic means that the slatwall will remain mold and mildew free. Water and ice will not cause the wall to wear or crack.

Then, with a wide variety of accessory hooks, shelves and baskets, the slatwall becomes invaluable for storing everything the gardener needs. There are modular baskets or shelves to store fertilizer, soil, wood chips and seeds. And, there are numerous types of large and small hooks secured with Camlok^TMtechnology so that the hooks won’t slip or slide. In fact, with the hooks locked into place, they are strong enough to hang the typical lawn mower so the average garden tools will not pose a problem for the StoreWall slatwall system.

Off Season Storage for Tools

During the off season, the gardening tools can be stored out of reach on the overhead platform or shelf. Since they don’t need to be easily accessible during the winter, it makes sense to store them up and out of the way. Switching them out for winter shovels and other tools needed to weather the ice and snow makes sense.

Now that the March Equinox has arrived, the avid gardener will be anxious to pull out the gardening tools and store the winter tools away onto the overhead shelving. Re-arranging the hooks and shelves on the slatwall makes it possible to accommodate the various shapes and sizes of the garden tools which would not necessarily match the configuration needed to hang the winter shovels and tools.

Go Green with Garage Cabinets to Store Vermicompost Bins

The average person may not be thinking worm composting but the gardener who’s thinking green and wanting to have some rich organic fertilizer to work with as early in the season as possible may be adding vermicomposters to the storage area in the garage where the blue bin, green bin and garbage bins are located.

Vermicomposters take the organic wastes such as orange peels, coffee grounds, egg shells and much more to get worms living in the composter to turn our organic wastes into fertilizer. All winter while we’ve been eating, the gardener in the family has been dumping all that organic waste into the vermicomposter for fresh fertilizer to use as soon as the March Equinox is in sight.

A variety of options for dedicating a space for compost, green bin, blue bin and garbage are available including platforms, shelves, cabinets and hooks.

Garage Renovations which Meets the Diversity of Your Family’s Lifestyles

Regardless of what makes your family members passionate for the weekends, a good garage renovation solution will accommodate outdoor adventurers to athletes to car enthusiasts to avid gardeners and so much more. Consult with one of our garage renovation specialists today to find out how your garage can fit all these lifestyles.

Planning a Garage Renovation this Summer

February 20, 2018 by Rick Scully

It’s the time of the year when people are planning for their garage renovations over the summer. There are many aspects to completing a successful garage renovation project. A lot of people are looking to finally get a garage storage solution for all the things that the family dumps onto the garage floor instead of having a place for everything to reside inside the garage.

If you’re finally done with having to look at the chaos in the garage, you’re ready for a garage renovation this year. To get the family and the garage ready for a garage storage system, here are some steps to take.

Start Planning Well in Advance

The garage renovation season is approximately mid-spring to mid-autumn because temperature is important to some aspects of the project such as some of the garage flooring and paint. When the temperature is moderate then these applications will dry and set with high quality and long lasting results. As home owners, we all want high quality renovation projects completed.

In addition, good renovation specialists will be booked many weeks in advance. So, meeting with a garage renovation specialist early is a good idea not only to book the project timeline for a garage renovation that is ideal for your family and their many activities this summer but it also sets out the time to prepare for the project.

De-Clutter and Select Items to Store

If your family has collected many items or have plans to store things in the garage which are actually sitting elsewhere in the home, it’s important to identify these items for storage. In addition, de-cluttering family belongings helps the homeowner avoid trying to store things that the family does not actually use. Finally, group the items which will be stored in the garage into their respective piles. It is an important initial step of the process to take inventory of things which will need to reside in the garage in the long term.

After these initial steps, other activities will become apparent and discussed as your well-chosen garage renovation specialist guides you and your family through the project process.

Choose a Quality Garage Renovation Specialist

One of the most important aspects of a successful project is finding a good garage renovation specialist.

So, what are the qualities homeowners are seeking in a garage renovation specialist? The garage renovation specialist is the key to your project team in achieving a result with the best possible outcome with the best experience for your family. Here are some key qualities to consider and how they’ll affect your project this summer.

A Garage Renovation Specialist must be a Creative Solution Provider

When it comes creating garage solutions to our storage problems, there are a lot of factors at play from the idiosyncrasies of the garage space to the unique lifestyle needs of each of the family members in your home.

The creativity of a good garage renovation specialist assures that new solutions can be found to difficult combinations of challenges around the garage. Also, creativity means that new and unique solutions can be found when faced with difficult problems and challenges.

Creative solution providers ask the questions that need to be addressed. Working as a team with the homeowners to find the answers, the garage renovation specialist can work to achieve optimal solutions that address the challenges of a project.

Does Your Garage Renovation Specialist Act as your Personal Project Manager?

Not only will a good garage renovation specialist manage their own crew and work timetable, but they’ll also guide the homeowners through the steps they need to take or considerations that they’ll need to make throughout the entire project. Instead of having to make hasty decisions at the last minute, guiding the planning and decision making process well in advance allows the homeowner to have peace of mind with their choices.

Every homeowner wants to know what they’ll experience or need to do to achieve the best garage storage solution outcome. When the garage renovation specialist acts as your own personal project manager, you’ll get the guidance needed to both prepare and act when required.

Quality Garage Renovation Specialists Possess Strong Communication Skills

Organizing and creating a garage storage system that fits the family lifestyle while overcoming any physical challenges within the garage requires effective communication skills. Homeowners may have some anxiety but there are also more moving parts to a garage renovation than some people may suspect. It’s everything from unique challenges of a garage space to the weather and timing of garage storage items to the responses of younger or older family members being prepared for the changes ahead.

Good communication skills amongst the garage renovation specialist and the family members will result in:

Increased Clarity: everyone understands what will happen and there is time to take it all in so that frustration remains low and understanding remains high
Increased Success: when everyone is clear on the project steps and direction, the garage renovation specialist and homeowners can work together for optimal results
Project Productivity: clear communication means the project moves forward meeting both the project timeline as well as the project budget
Homeowner Satisfaction: when people can understand the vision and everyone is able to communicate their own thoughts, concerns and anticipated directions then everyone will feel a satisfaction with both the process as well as the outcome

Punctuality is Respect for You & Your Project

Punctuality is respect for people, the team and the project. It shows discipline and the ability to focus on the tasks at hand while meeting timelines. It reduces stress on the project and for the homeowners. We’ve been noted for our punctuality and whenever we run into traffic issues or another type of delay, we will call ahead to let homeowners know how long we’ll be delayed.

It’s not only satisfying for us, but it keeps our homeowners experiencing project timelines with few to no delays.

A Commitment to Quality Results is Essential

From product selection to the quality of the workmanship for each renovation project, quality is the key. Homeowners experience pride in their garage and the garage storage solutions that matches their family lifestyle.

For us, quality is not just good quality product selection but it’s assuring that there isn’t that awkward gap because the cabinets are just 4 inches short of the wall or space. Everything is made to measure which means it fits the garage space and everything is configured to fit plum with the wall and floor lines. It’s all made to measure. Just like a kitchen with all its cabinets and appliances fitting perfectly and plum to each wall, a quality garage renovation will do the same for the garage.

An Established Track Record in Successful Garage Renovations Completed

We can say a lot about our work but the proof is in the many satisfied homeowners we have helped. We have a wide variety of transformations that we’ve posted not only to give people an idea of what can be done with a variety of challenges but it also gives people an idea of how homeowners have felt about their projects.

Get Started Today with Your Garage Renovation Project

If you’re looking to recover the space in your garage for a storage system which will meet your growing family demands and with an experience you’ll find as satisfying as the final results, contact one of our garage renovation specialists today.