floor space Archives - Garage Tailors

Using Baskets, Hooks and Shelves to Transform Your Garage

February 23, 2016 by Rick Scully

If garage organization is one of your goals this year, keep two essential principles in mind. Adequate space is required, and each item should have a designated storage space. Taming the clutter in your garage might seem like a monumental task. However, integrating simple elements like baskets, hooks and shelves can increase the available storage space exponentially, providing a designated spot for each item.

Whether you choose to do a full-scale garage renovation or a mini, do-it-yourself one, these tips will transform your garage into an organized storage space.

Eliminate the Unnecessary

A garage consists of three walls and a floor, providing very little storage. With no defined organization system, items are stacked on the garage floor. Eventually, these items take over one of the garage bays. In many cases, the entire garage is consumed as garage becomes a dumping ground for old furniture, broken toys and a host of unused items. The first order of business is to eliminate the unnecessary.

If possible, start by removing everything from your garage. This serves two purposes. First, you can see everything you have stored there. Second, you have a clean slate to work with.

Group similar items, like gardening tools, hardware and sporting goods. Now you can easily identify duplicate items. Sort through everything. Assess whether each item is needed and if the garage is the ideal place to store it. Create piles for items that will be discarded or relocated. Donate old furniture, appliances and clothing and housewares to local charities or to a friend.

Once you are left with only the essential items to be stored, decide where each group of similar items would best be stored in your garage. Now it’s time to use vertical space to create task-related zones for each group.

Use Vertical Space

Vehicles consume most of the limited floor space. Few garages are designed to tap into the wealth of vertical space. Maximize storage space storing items on the walls and overhead.

Shelving units from local box stores can provide additional storage space. However, these units tend to take up considerable floor space. This is problematic for storage on side walls, where space is already limited. A sleeker option is a wall organization system.

Slotted wall panels are attractive, waterproof and mold and mildew-resistant. Available in a variety of colours, the 1 x 8 foot panels are super strong, engineered to meet heavy-duty industry standards. They are attached to wall studs for additional strength. Slatwall panels are sturdy enough to hang bicycles and other heavy items.

Hang one or two panels or an entire wall of them to create the base for your vertical organization system. Then use the vast array of corresponding accessories to maximize storage.

Accessorize Your Walls

The real beauty of slatwall lies in the countless corresponding accessories designed to meet a wide range of storage needs. Wall organization system accessories include baskets, bins, nets, hooks and shelving. These receptacles provide a tidy place to store items like gardening supplies, household chemicals, hardware and more.

Is sports equipment littering your garage? Sport-specific specialty hooks and racks are perfect for avid sporting enthusiasts. Magnetic strips and specialty racks can corral an assortment of tools.

Wall organization systems are highly-configurable. The corresponding accessories are quickly and easily interchangeable. This creates a system flexible enough to meet your family’s changing storage needs from one season to the next and throughout the years.

Go Above and Beyond

Storing items in baskets and on hooks and shelves is ideal for frequently used items. To find the best place to store lightweight, seasonal items, just look up. Overhead shelves and platforms convert wasted space into a convenient place to store stackable plastic bins.

Overhead storage racks should be installed by a garage renovation expert, or someone who understands how to safely install loadbearing overhead shelves. Prefabricated steel shelving, like Strong Racks, provides strong, sturdy overhead storage that is easily accessible with a step ladder. For something tailored to your unique space, hire a garage renovation expert to build a made-to-measure overhead storage shelf that will allow you to maximize the space configuration in your garage.

An overhead shelf can provide additional storage near the back of the garage or above the garage door. Do you have a high ceiling in your garage? Turn the wasted space into a storage treasure trove with a custom built mezzanine.

Like the idea of overhead storage, but don’t relish the thought of trudging up and down a step ladder with bulky holiday decorations? Hydraulic overhead lifts provide push-button access to overhead storage. Hydraulics lifts come in a wide range of options. They provide raised storage for everything from seasonal items to lawn mowers, bicycles, motorcycles and cars.

Whether you’re ready for some do-it-yourself garage organization or a full-scale professional garage renovation, a local garage renovation expert can help you use baskets, hook and shelves to transform your garage into a neat, organized space.

Five Ways to Calm Garage Chaos

September 18, 2014 by Rick Scully

If your garage has become a chaotic collection of belongings, the thought of organizing your garage likely feels overwhelming.

It doesn’t have to be.

Whether you decide to take one Saturday to clean your garage as a family or prefer to organize the space a little at a time, these five steps will simplify the process and help you to achieve the results you want.

Step One: Create Specialized Zones

The items in a typical garage can generally be classified into the following categories: household supplies, automotive supplies, gardening tools and supplies, recycling and waste disposal, tools and workbenches and sporting goods. Create dedicated zones in your garage for each of these categories. This instantly reduces the amount of time spent searching for items. Once items have been shifted to designated zones, they can be further organized.

Step Two: Utilize Vertical and Overhead Space

Floor space is at a premium in most garages. Vehicles parked inside the garage consume the majority of available floor space. What remains must be used judiciously. Therefore, one of the keys to an organized garage is to strategically employ vertical and overhead storage space.

A garage wall organization system increases garage storage space exponentially. We recommend a slatwall-based system that, when used with coordinating baskets, hooks and shelves, can accommodate a variety of storage requirements and can be easily reconfigured with each change of season.

Step Three: Make Seasonal Adjustments

When the season changes, how we use our garage storage space often does, too. Softball equipment, golf clubs and bicycles take a back seat to sleds and skis once the air turns crisp and cool. The lawn mower must make way for the snow blower.

Take a few minutes at the change of the season to reorganize your garage so that seasonal items are easily-accessible. The last thing you want to do is wake up to a snowy drive, only to realize that you must first dig out the snow blower. Also, if little ones are forced to wade through summer sporting goods to access their sleds, the garage floor will be littered with the items they had to cast aside.

Reduce the potential for clutter further by ensuring that all items can be easily located.

Step Four: Label or Clearly Display Items

Ever had to dig through half a dozen boxes to find an item? It’s time-consuming and frustrating. Eliminate this time suck by clearly displaying items whenever possible. This can be achieved with open shelving or clear storage boxes.

Open storage isn’t appropriate for some items. Nor do all homeowners find this storage style aesthetically-pleasing. If closed cabinets or non-transparent storage boxes are more your style, invest in a label-maker. Neatly label boxes and either the inside or outside of cabinet doors. This makes locating items a breeze.

The steps above can certainly simplify the process of organizing your garage. However, you may require a more complex or customized solution. If so, assistance is required.

Step Five: Know When to Call in the Troops

As with any other home improvement, some jobs one can handle quite easily. Others require the assistance of a skilled professional. If you’d like to maximize storage in your garage and you don’t know where to begin, or the work required is beyond your knowledge and abilities, it’s time to call in a garage renovation specialist.

A knowledgeable, experienced garage organization professional will assess your needs and create a plan which addresses them and maximizes available space. A garage renovation specialist has access to professional-grade materials, like custom cabinetry, not available to the public. He or she will be familiar with building permit requirements and can install overhead shelving capable of bearing heavier loads safely. A qualified professional will also be able to complete the work correctly and in a timely fashion.

Curious about how a garage renovation specialist can calm the chaos in your garage? Request a consultation today.

Should I Hire a Professional Garage Designer or Do It Myself?

March 13, 2014 by Rick Scully

Home and garage renovation projects can be fun. For anyone inclined to try his or her hand at it, there’s no shortage of DIY books and television shows to help. Completing a renovation project yourself can offer a potential savings. However, it doesn’t always work out that way.

The Hidden Costs of Doing It Yourself

One of the primary reasons we tend to take on a renovation project ourselves is to save the cost of labor, which can be considerable. We hope to trade a few weekends and a little elbow grease for a renovated space at a fraction of the cost. However, when unexpected issues arise the DIY cost advantage can quickly disappear. Here are four factors we often fail to consider when doing a renovation project:

The value of expertise and experience. We can learn a lot from a half-hour television show or a how-to book. However, neither is a substitute for an experienced professional on-site.
The project always takes longer than expected. Ever planned a quick weekend project that ended up taking a month of weekends to complete? Time is your most valuable asset; the only one which can never be replaced. Make sure the trade-off is worthwhile.
The cost of specialized tools. Many garage renovation projects, like applying polyaspartic flooring, require expensive, specialized tools. Purchasing such an item can wipe out the savings you hoped to achieve while leaving you with a tool you won’t likely use again.
The cost of fixing mistakes. Remember those episodes of The Cosby Show where Cliff would try to fix something and inevitably make it worse? He’d eventually have to call a plumber in to fix it. In the end, it cost more than if he’d let the plumber do it in the first place. When flooring, cabinetry and other garage projects go wrong, it can be quite costly.

Renovating the garage yourself seems simple enough, but doing it wrong can cost a lot more time and money than you ever imagined. An experienced, professional garage designer will get the project done right, in less time, and offer exciting new possibilities.

The Professional Garage Designer Advantage

Creating a customized garage design that fits your space and meets your unique needs can be challenging. Here are a few of the advantages of working with a professional garage designer:

Knowledge and Experience

Garage renovations pose unique challenges. While every garage is different, the extensive knowledge and experience that a professional designer brings to the project provides a distinct advantage. A pro designer is current on construction codes, understands how garages are constructed and is familiar with the latest garage storage and décor products and materials. Additionally, the experience of working on a variety of garage design projects gives a pro designer an extensive knowledge base from which to draw when planning and completing your renovation project.

Innovative Space-saving Solutions

Garages offer limited floor space. Then there are odd spaces that homeowners never quite know how to use. With a growing number of possessions and limited space in which to store them, it can be difficult to envision how to get all of your things in your garage along with your vehicles. However, a professional garage designer can see the potential in your space and offer innovative solutions like slatwall, movable shelving and overhead storage to maximize available space.

Design and Engineering Skills

Garage design professionals know how to use available space efficiently while also following fundamental design and engineering principles. Therefore, the proposed renovation will fit your lifestyle while resolving perplexing design issues, like what to do with an odd corner space. Custom-designed overhead shelving and other storage structures will be well-made and safely installed. The selection of colours and finishes will truly enhance the space.

Turning a chaotic garage into an organized space that houses your car and all of your belongings can be a challenge. Doing it yourself might seem like the cheapest solution, but DIY garage reno projects can quickly go awry. A knowledgeable, experienced professional garage designer can maximize your space so that it’s organized, functional and safe for many years to come. Interested in what a professional garage designer can do for your space? Request a consultation.

Get Your Car into the Garage for Winter in Three Easy Steps

January 28, 2014 by Rick Scully

If you’re like many homeowners, your garage may be more of a dumping ground for seasonal items, outdoor equipment and gardening tools and less of a haven for your vehicles. Whether you’re looking for a do-it-yourself option or a quick fix to tide you over until you can get a permanent garage organization solution, you can make space for your car this winter in three easy steps.

Step One: Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

We form an attachment to our things. Even things we haven’t used in years. This makes it difficult for us to face the ugly truth. Most overstuffed garages are harboring…junk. It’s a word we don’t like to use in reference to our own things. However, when stuff we aren’t using takes up valuable space in our garage, that’s exactly what it’s become.

Go through your garage and pull out anything you haven’t used in the past year. Ask yourself the following questions:

Do I need this item?
What is the likelihood I’ll use it again?
Why am I holding onto this item?
Would it be of more benefit to someone else?
Is it broken? If so, is it worth fixing? How likely is it that I’ll fix it (or get it fixed)?
Does it fit my current lifestyle?
Is holding onto this item more important than parking my car in the garage?

If your answers reveal that the item is sucking up valuable garage space, let it go. That includes those just-in-case items like old paint. After a year in your garage, especially through the winter, the paint is no longer good. Make note of the color, then chuck the can. Be sure to properly dispose of paint and any other household chemicals.

Of course, just because you can’t use your old items, doesn’t mean someone else can’t. If you have bicycles or other sports equipment that your children have outgrown, consider donating them to a local charity. Sometimes knowing that your things will be loved and appreciated by someone else makes it easier to let go of them.

Step Two: Group Similar Items

Once you’ve eliminated any items you don’t use, it’s time to do a little organizing. Start by going through your remaining things and grouping like items. Put all of the gardening tools and equipment in one part of the garage. Carve out another section for outdoor gear like camping or skiing equipment. Put the children’s sleds and other winter toys where they can easily access them.

Grouping similar items will give you further opportunity to purge. You’ll likely discover unnecessary duplicates and outdated items. These, too, can be tossed, gifted or donated.

Step Three: Arrange Items Along Perimeter

Once you’ve eliminated anything you don’t need, it’s time to carve out enough space in the garage for your vehicle. Arrange your remaining items along the perimeter of your garage. This includes bicycles and other bulky items like your lawn mower or snow blower.

While you’re organizing items along the perimeter of your garage, consider which items you’ll need to keep accessible during the winter. Make sure you’ll be able to quickly retrieve your snow blower, shovel, salt, window washer fluid and winter sports equipment like skis, ice skates and snowboards.

Create additional space by stacking or nesting similar items along the perimeter of your garage. For instance, nesting a set of flowerpots or stacking storage crates will reduce the amount of floor space they consume. With just a few hours of work, a space for your vehicle will begin to emerge.

If the thought of spending hours cleaning your garage is unappealing, take a moment to consider what you’ll gain by parking your vehicle in the garage. You won’t have to clean a mountain of snow off your windshield before work. It won’t take as long to warm your car in the morning. By saving time each morning, you won’t be rushed during your commute, making travel safer. Not a bad trade-off for a few hours of work on a Saturday.

Taking these steps will allow you to make room in your garage for your vehicle during winter. Come spring, you may be ready for a more permanent solution for your garage organizational needs.

The Value of a Custom Solution for your Garage Transformation

December 20, 2011 by Rick Scully

folding work bench - 1 car garage — Custom Folding Workbench for a 1 Car Garage

Once you’ve made the decision to transform your garage so it better suits your needs, you’re faced with a choice: Do it yourself or bring in a professional?

There are advantages to doing it yourself. You have the satisfaction of a job well done (if you’ve avoided the pitfalls I spoke about in an earlier blog post), and it will likely be cheaper because you’re not paying for labour.

However, when you’re installing an ‘out of the box’ system, you end up with something generic, but it’s unlikely they’ll fit perfectly. You’ll probably end up with some wasted space. We come in and build to the measurements of your garage, using the space from wall to wall.

Everybody has different wants and needs, whether it’s storage, garage size, lighting requirements or aesthetics. A professional may be able to come up with options that you’re not aware of.

For instance, several weeks ago I visited a client who had a one car garage that was too simply not wide enough to accommodate a car, but it was high and deep. I asked him if he had things he’d like to put in a garage. He told me he had Christmas decorations taking up space in the basement. We talked about building a shelf along the back wall for storage, which doubled the storage space available.

He’d hadn’t considered anything other than floor space. I find that overhead storage is the most commonly overlooked area. The space is ideal for storing things you don’t need more than once a year such as holiday decorations or snow tires.

For some clients, the way the garage looks is as important as the job it does, whether it’s keeping boxes and tires out of sight or incorporating more high-end finishes.

The flooring is where customization can really shine. Your floor can be anything from standard grey tiles to something with a granite look. I come prepared with 6 to 8 samples of what’s available, but if a customer doesn’t like those, they can select colours from the Sherman Williams colour palate for a completely custom job. No one else offers that.

We look for the right eyeline, so what we install fits in with the rest of the garage. For instance, when we choose a spot to install slatwall and hooks, we may keep it level to a door. We also incorporate existing features such as light switches. It’s a finishing detail that makes the job more professional.

For your shelving, we can give it either a rough or finished look.

Lighting is also a consideration. You may be using your garage for more than just parking after the transformation, but a bare bulb may not be enough light. We can install pot lights under a platform or in front of cabinets. We can even position small spotlights if you’ve got sports cars you’d like to feature.

Every customer we see and every garage we visit is unique. Garage Tailors Garage tailors the storage solution to maximize the space available, leaving you with a superior product and a garage that meets your specific needs.

Easy bicycle storage

June 8, 2011 by Rick Scully

With the rising prices at the gas pumps these days, there’s even more reason to pump up the bicycle tires and get out for a ride. But what’s the best way to store the family bikes in the garage?

You’ll want to make sure even the kids have easy access to their bikes without worrying about them scratching the car or the bike – two wheels don’t come cheap these days either.

Overhead storage makes use of unused space higher up in the garage without using that precious floor space. These systems use pulleys or motors that are easy enough for even a child to operate.

Wall-mounted bike storage racks are another option that also saves some floor space. They are easy to install and some come with shelves to store helmets and other bike-related stuff.

There are also floor stands that make it easy to just roll and lock your bike into place after your ride.

Before you make your decision on bike storage, get advice your local bicycle shop about the best way to store your particular model of bike. Some high performance bikes don’t like being hung by the wheel or at certain points on the frame.

Still competing with the car for space in the garage? Give us a call.

FREE IN-HOME CONSULTATION