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Prepare Your Garage for Winter

November 20, 2018 by Rick Scully

Now that the cold weather is setting in, it’s time to make sure the garage is ready for winter if you haven’t already done so.  There are ways we can make sure we’re not trying do minor repairs to our garage during the coldest days of winter.  It’s time to run through this handy checklist to make sure the garage is ready.

unique-tight-tall-spaces-contour-garage-cabinets-flip-up-top-doors-cars-parked-auto-lift-slatwall-tools-storage

With a professional garage renovation, several of these items will likely have been addressed. If you’ve not had a garage storage solution and garage floor installed then a garage renovation specialist would address them for you so you could easily prepare your garage for winter.  If it’s too late in the season, here’s what you can do to start addressing them today.

Insulate Exposed Water Pipes & Turn Off Exterior Faucets

Water is always the most challenging issue for any home.  In the garage where it is cooler than the home, water pipes are much more exposed.  They can run into issues during a colder winter where water might freeze and burst the pipes.  Use some simple pipe insulation to make sure any exposed pipes are given a little extra protection from the elements.

If you have an exterior faucet inside the garage to water your front lawn, assure you have an inside valve to switch off water to this faucet.  Protecting your water pipes means that you can avoid costly repairs to the home when spring finally arrives.

Store Spring and Summer Essentials Off the Ground

The garage floor is one of the coldest elements of the home.  The garage collects water and salt which can be quite damaging for any of our garden tools, kids toys, sports equipment and much more.  In a professional garage renovation, creating dedicated spaces to store family stuff on shelves, platforms, slatwall storage systems and in the overhead garage space means that everything will have a place.

Designing a way to have winter tools such as shovels, salt and snow blowers conveniently located during the winter months while storing away garden tools such as rakes, hoses, spades and lawn mowers and vice versa for summer are the keys to a professional garage storage system.

In the meantime, if it’s too late to get a garage storage renovation completed, there are a couple of ways to keep these belongs dry and free of salt damage.  One way to do this is by installing some Swisstrax Ribtrax garage floor tiles.  This will lift your belongings just enough so that water and salt will flow below the garage floor tiles instead of damaging household tools, kids bikes and toys or sports equipment. Or, a few bricks and a couple of pieces of plywood will be enough to keep your belongings off the floor for this coming winter. 

Starting late February or early March, contact a garage renovation specialist to start a discussion to plan and develop a garage renovation project that your whole family will appreciate.

Repair and Clean It Periodically to Avoid Salt Damage

Many people still have concrete garage floors.  As we’ve discussed in a recent garage floor blog, there are many ways in which concrete floors can be damaged by the winter weather.  The main culprits are water and salt dragged into the garage by the vehicles we drive and the small boots walking into the home via the garage.

If you’ve got the time before the cold weather sets in to make repairs to the pitting or cracks in the concrete floor, the local big box stores will have some DIY solutions. The best solution for a garage floor is a polyaspartic garage floor coating.  A garage renovation specialist will also prepare the concrete beforehand to make sure that your floor coating adheres properly instead of bubbling or lifting after one or a few years.

Of course, the Swisstrax Ribtrax garage tiles is a DIY install that you can complete any time so that you can improve the garage floor. 

Replace Weather Stripping

Keep the garage warmer. It will be more pleasant when taking the garbage or recycle out to the garage or when someone needs to dig out seasonal decorations or when airing out hockey equipment. 

The drafts from windows or a poorly sealed garage door will cause the garage to becoming cooler than it needs to be.  Replacing the seals around windows and along the edges of the garage door will mean that your family will be more willing to make those quick visits to the garage to do chores or put their sports equipment away where they belong.  And,it will protect many of your family belongings from premature wear and tear.

Prepare the Garage Door

Finally, make sure your garage door is ready for the winter.  Lubricate the moving parts,check to make sure the cables do not require replacement, tighten up loose hardware, inspect and replace the rollers for the door and make sure the door balance hasn’t shifted with the seasons. If you find some or all of this daunting, you can easily contact your local garage door installer to help you do regular checkups and maintenance.  It’s a good idea to make sure these annoying issues don’t crop up during the coldest days of the year.

Garage Maintenance and Storage

Having a well-designed and well maintained garage means that it will protect your family, your vehicles, your home and the many belongings we store in the garage from the damage of cold, water and salt of the typical winter season.

If you’re having a difficult time parking your vehicle in the garage, it may be time to get a garage renovation which will assure you can store your belongings safely in the garage while also being able to park each of your vehicles inside safely as well.

If this is a challenge for your family today, plan to speak to a garage renovation specialist in the early spring so you can design your garage to meet your family lifestyle needs all year long.

Filed Under: Garage Storage Systems Tagged With: garage door, garage floor tiles, garage storage renovations, polyaspartic garage floor coating, professional garage renovation specialists, professional garage storage system, protecting your water pipes, slatwall storage systems, Swisstrax Ribtrax

Five Ways to Maximize Space in Your Garage with Overhead Storage

July 12, 2016 by Rick Scully

There never seems to be enough storage space in our homes. When we exhaust storage space inside, the garage is the most likely space to fill the void. However, with a limited amount of space, the garage can quickly become a cluttered dumping ground for the entire family.

Our garages house important items like tools, lawn and garden supplies and sporting equipment. However, mounting garage clutter often includes items that are broken, outdated or no longer needed. If your garage is overflowing; you’re forced to park your vehicles in the driveway; or you haven’t seen your garage floor in years, you’re probably frustrated with your storage situation. Before you consider renting additional storage space, look for ways to maximize your available space.

The first step to reclaiming precious square footage in your garage is to annually purge unneeded items. Give new life to an old table or dresser by repurposing or donating it. Give away unnecessary duplicate items. Toss broken toys and furniture. Safely dispose of expired household cleaners. Once you’ve pared down to the necessities, you may discover that you still have more than you can fit comfortably in your garage. To find additional space, look overhead.

Overhead space offers an ideal way to store items while reserving premium floor space, maximizing unused space, keeping items stored out of sight and out of the reach of small children and pets. With a variety of overhead storage options available, let’s explore five ways you can use overhead storage to save space in your garage.

Store Seldom Used Items on Overhead Shelving

overhead storage - stainless steel, wall hooks, garage door, dark brownOverhead shelves come in a variety of options. Sturdy steel overhead garage shelves—secured to ceiling joists or to the ceiling and a wall—are designed to support several hundred pounds. For safety, overhead shelving should be installed by a garage renovation specialist or an experienced professional knowledgeable about how to properly install weight-bearing shelves.

Holiday decorations, camping gear and other seasonal, or seldom-used items can take up considerable space in your garage. Such items are ideal for overhead storage because they don’t need to be accessed frequently. A small step ladder provides access to overhead shelves. If climbing up and down a step ladder isn’t appealing, try hydraulic shelves. With the touch of a button the shelf lowers for loading. Another push of the button raises it overhead again.

Lift Ladders and Bulky Household Items Overhead

Large ladders come in handy if you own a multilevel home. Yet, they can be difficult to store. Even when stored along a wall, a large ladder consumes a lot of valuable real estate. Store bulky household items overhead using overhead shelving or an overhead rack made especially for storing such items.

Keep Kayaks and Seasonal Sporting Goods Overhead

overhead storage, kayak or canoe slingLadders aren’t the only bulky items that might be stealing space in your garage. Kayaks, skis, surf boards, snow boards, fishing poles, roof racks and other unwieldy recreational items can either be stored on overhead shelving, specialty hooks or a customized overhead sling. A made-to-measure overhead garage sling has the added benefit of making it easier to load kayaks and roof racks onto your vehicle.

Utilize Overhead Bike Racks

bike storage solutions - bicycle storage ceiling liftIt can be difficult to find just the right place to store your bicycle. A variety of vertical and horizontal wall racks are available. However, if there is limited wall space left or you already have a tight fit in your garage, overhead bicycle storage provides another good option.

Overhead bicycle storage racks operate on a pulley system that is either manual or motorized. A two-bike pulley system stores bikes flat against the ceiling and requires minimal clearance space. The five-bike pulley system, which requires 60-inches of clearance, is designed to take advantage of the generous height of tall ceilings.

Maximize High Ceilings with a Custom Built Mezzanine

Towering garage ceilings offer another exciting option for maximizing storage space. A custom-built mezzanine provides additional space ideal for storing seldom-accessed items. To accommodate a garage mezzanine, the ceiling must be at least 14-feet high and deep enough to accommodate the 8-foot depth of the platform, without obstructing garage door rails.

retractable attic ladder garage mezzanineMezzanines run the full width of the garage and can either be installed at the rear of the garage or over the garage door. The overhead garage balcony is accessible via step ladder, stairs or even a car lift. Light, bulky items—like seasonal decorations and off-season sports equipment—are ideal for storage in a mezzanine.

Overhead space is an untapped storage jackpot in most garages. Sturdy steel overhead shelving is the perfect place to store seasonal and seldom-used items. Specialty racks make light work of storing ladders and other bulky items overhead. Customized overhead slings make lifting and lowering kayaks, roof racks and other sporting goods a breeze. Overhead bicycle racks safely store multiple bikes while reserving floor and wall space. A made-to-measure mezzanine provides loads of overhead storage space for bulky items.

Need more storage in your garage? Contact a garage renovation specialist to discover how overhead storage options can maximize your storage space.

Filed Under: Overhead Garage Storage Tagged With: garage door, garage renovation specialist, garage storage, hydraulic shelves, kayak canoe storage, made-to-measure garage mezzanine, overhead garage balcony, overhead storage options, overhead storage racks, overhead storage slings, steel overhead garage shelves, storage space

Enjoy Outdoor Winter Activities in Toronto

January 19, 2016 by Rick Scully

When you live in a region known for long, cold winters, you can either hide out inside until the snow melts or learn to love all that the great outdoors has to offer during winter in Toronto. Whether you’re the adventurous type or prefer to be a spectator to the winter fun, Toronto has something to offer.

Perhaps you dread winter sports because kids and pets track snow, salt and grime onto floors and carpeting. Avoid the mess in the house by making your garage the launch pad for all winter activities. Maximize winter fun by first making sure everyone stays safe.

Colonel Sam Smith Park Ice Trail & Skating
Skaters at Colonel Sam Smith Park Ice Trail.

Attend to Safety First

While there are lots of fun things to do in the Greater Toronto Area during winter, it’s important to put safety first. That means wearing proper gear like helmets, mouth guards, and knee and elbow pads during sports like hockey or snowboarding. However, keeping yourself and others safe during snowy, icy winter weather begins by making sure the driveway and sidewalks outside of your home and garage are properly maintained.

Per Toronto Municipal Code 719-2, property owners have twelve hours after the snowfall, rain or hail ends to remove snow and ice from sidewalks surrounding their property. If the removal of snow or ice leaves the surface slippery, the property owner must put down sand, salt or ashes to cover the surface. Failing to comply with this code could lead to fines or slip-and-fall lawsuits, so stay vigilant about preventing ice and snow from building on sidewalks, driveways and around your garage.

Storing Winter Equipment and Gear

Create a zone in your garage where winter weather supplies and equipment are kept. The snow blower will likely fit best along a back wall, so it won’t interfere with parking your vehicles in the garage. However, shovels, salt and ashes should be stored near the garage door for convenient access.

A slatwall organization system, like slatwall, with its corresponding shelves, hooks and baskets, is ideal for storing winter weather items near the garage door. Garage storage cabinets offer another excellent option for storage.

A good wall organization system will allow you to easily configure hooks, baskets and shelves to accommodate your storage needs during the changing seasons. Hockey sticks, pucks, ice skates and other winter sports equipment can be accommodated during winter. Larger items, like skis, snowboards, sleds and toboggans can be stored using specialty hooks and shelves or on larger, made-to-measure shelving or platforms. When spring arrives, the wall organization system can be reconfigured to store summer sporting goods.

Toronto Outdoor Winter Activities

Now that you’re prepared for winter fun with the family, let’s look at a few fun outdoor winter activities:

  • Ice skating: Enjoy free ice skating at Harbourfront Centre’s scenic Natrel Rink, set on the shoreline of Lake Ontario. Skating is free and rental skates and helmets are available. New to ice skating? Child and adult skating lessons are available. Turn the fun up a notch with another free event, DJ Skate Nights on Saturday nights through February 20th.
  • Tobogganing: Ready to head down the slopes? Grab your sled (makeshift or store-bought) and head for one of the various toboggan hills located in neighbourhoods all over the Greater Toronto Area. See the downtown skyline from Riverdale Park East or check out Christie Pits Park where the hills come in different sizes to accommodate daredevils and more reserved sled enthusiasts.
  • Snowshoeing on Toronto Islands: Who says the beach is only a summertime destination? Enjoy the peace and quiet of the Toronto Islands without the busy summer crowds. Snowshoe or cross-country ski, then build a snowman with the kids.
  • Icefest on February 21 – 22: Head over to Bloor-Yorkville for the 2016 Icefest. This year’s theme is Frozen in Time. See magnificent ice sculptures inspired by Ancient Egypt and check out live ice carving competitions.
  • Bonus: Winterlicious on January 29 – Feb 11, 2016: This isn’t an outdoor event, but after all that ice skating and tobogganing, you’ll work up an appetite. Winterlicious offers a great opportunity to sample some of Toronto’s finest cuisine without breaking the bank. Try prix fixe, 3-course meals at more than 200 restaurants all over the city or take a cooking class during this yummy winter event.

Regardless of which Toronto outdoor winter activity you and your family enjoy, your garage can serve as the perfect launch and landing pad for your adventures. An organized garage with a wall organization system, cabinets or bins for specific sports or individual family members makes it easy to store and retrieve everyone’s gear. When you return home, you can clean toys, skis and sleds so they’ll be ready for the next adventure.

If your garage can’t accommodate all of your winter adventures, discover how a few renovations can make winter safe for you and your neighbours while making it easy to enjoy all the fun of the season.  With a little help from Garage Tailors Garage, planning and renovation during the spring and summer months can improve the layout and function of even the smallest of garages.

Filed Under: Garage Storage Solutions Tagged With: garage door, garage storage cabinets, Greater Toronto Area, hockey equipment, Icefest, Natrel Rink, slatwall organization system, snow removal equipment, snowboarding, toboggan hills, winter adventures, winter weather supplies

Prevent Ice Dams from Damaging Your Home and Roof

January 13, 2015 by Rick Scully

Snow and ice often make driving treacherous in winter. However, the danger these elements pose doesn’t end there. Snow and ice can also cause expensive damage to your home and roof. Let’s examine how ice dams form, how you can prevent them and what to do get rid of one before it causes serious damage.

The Formation of Ice Dams

During the winter, ice and snow build on the roof of your home and garage. When the layer of snow on the roof melts due to the heat rising in the attic of your home, water pools along the edge of the roof, where the temperature is much cooler. There, it refreezes, causing ice dams—a mound of ice that starts along the eaves of the roof and spreads upward.

snow-covered-roof-with-big-icicles-in-winter-day-ice-dammingThis formation of ice, which often traps pools of water underneath it, can cause substantial damage to the exterior and interior of your home. Gutters and downspouts blocked by ice prevent water from draining properly, causing icicles to form overhead, which pose a danger to people and property. The weight and expansion of the ice in gutters and downspouts can damage or dislodge them from the house. If the ice dam breaks free, shingles may be ripped off, along with the ice. Anyone or anything in its path below,including people, pets, shrubbery or fencing, may be harmed.

Meltwater trapped underneath the ice dam seeps underneath shingles, loosening them. Pooled water can penetrate the interior walls and ceilingsof your home or garage.Invading meltwater compromises insulation, stains and deteriorates drywall and causes paint to bubble and peel. If the leak is persistent, it can damage flooring, furniture and other items. Mold and mildew will form on drywall and insulation that stays damp for long periods of time. Affected wood may begin to rot, compromising the integrity of your roof.

How to Prevent Ice Dams

For a permanent solution to hazardous ice dams, address the primary cause—poorly insulated attic space. Install a ridge vent and soffit vents to circulate cold air beneath the roof.Cap the attic hatch and sealaround chimneys, exhaust fans, ducts and other spaces from which heat might leak.Insulate ducts, and use a fire-barrier sealant to caulk around vent pipes and electrical cords. In addition to preventing ice dams, proper insulation and ventilation will keep your attic warmer in winter and cooler in summer, reducing heating and cooling costs.

If your furnace is located in the attic, it may not be possible to permanently prevent ice dams. (See short-term solutions below.) Still, proper ventilation and insulation of the attic will reduce the likelihood of ice dam formation. Consult a contractor to insulate and ventilate your attic safely and according to code.

Short-term ice dam prevention begins before the first snowfall. Provide a clear pathway for melting ice in winter by clearing leaves from gutters and downspouts during autumn. After a big snowfall, use a snow removal tool with a long handle to remove snow from the safety of the ground. Removing snow from the roof will also help prevent roof collapses caused by heavy, wet snow.

Alternately, heat cables can be installed along the edge of the roof in a zigzag pattern and down the nearest downspout. From there, the heat cable must be plugged into a GFCI outlet.The heated cables melt snow and prevent ice dams. However, when snowfall is particularly heavy, heat cables can cause meltwater to pool, causing leaks. Be sure to install and operate heat cables according to manufacturer’s instructions and monitor their use carefully.

Eliminating an Ice Dam

What, though, if an ice dam has already formed on your roof?

  • Try aiming a box fan at the spot of the interior leak. This should lower the temperature of the roof and stop the leak.
  • If working from the inside doesn’t help, consider hiring an experienced contractor to remove the ice dam safely.
  • If hiring a contractor isn’t an option, be mindful that working on a ladder in icy conditions can be extremely dangerous. Wear shoes with rubber soles and proceed carefully. Make sure that people or pets are not underneath the ice dam while you’re working.
  • Melt the ice by filling the leg of an old pair of nylons with calcium chloride ice melter. (Do not use rock salt, as it will damage the metal, paint and shrubbery beneath.) Lay the nylon leg, filled with an ice-melt mixture and tied off at both ends, vertically across the dam. The snow and ice will melt, creating a channel for the water underneath.
  • Don’t use sharp tools like a pick or hatchet to chip away at the ice dam. There’s a good chance you’ll damage the shingles.

Ice dams cause millions of dollars in damages each year. Insurance can recoup some of the costs. However, prevention is the key. Insulate, seal and ventilate your attic. During fall, remove leaves from gutters and downspouts to give meltwater a clear path. Remove heavy snowfall from your roof to help prevent both ice dams and roof collapse.

Next time we’ll talk about how to prevent ice on walkways, driveways and around the door of your garage.

Filed Under: Environmental Responsibility Tagged With: calcium chloride ice melter, Eliminating an Ice Dam, garage door, Gutters and downspouts blocked by ice, help prevent both ice dams and roof collapse, how ice dams form, How to Prevent Ice Dams, ice dam formation, ice dams, ice in gutters, install and operate heat cables, keep your attic warmer in winter, permanent solution to hazardous ice dams, permanently prevent ice dams, poorly insulated attic space, prevent roof collapses, preventing ice dams, reducing heating and cooling costs, Removing snow from the roof, Short-term ice dam prevention, snow removal

To Insulate or Not to Insulate

December 17, 2013 by Rick Scully

When planning a garage renovation, customers often ask about adding insulation to the garage. After all, what better time is there to add insulation than while in the midst of a renovation? Yet, there is a more important question to consider.

 

Is insulating your garage a worthwhile investment?

 

Customers are often shocked by this question. The garage is one of the most insidious energy vampires in a home. Insulation, by its very nature, impedes costly heat loss. So how could adding insulation to your garage not be beneficial?

 

Assess the Benefits of Adding Insulation

The short answer is: adding insulation to any room does stem the loss of heat.  Therefore, it is beneficial. However, the cost benefit of insulating a garage is situational. To make an accurate cost benefit analysis of the proposed insulation of a garage, you must first consider:

  • The current state of your garage;
  • What you hope to accomplish; and
  • How the space will be used.

The age of your home and whether it already has some insulation is a primary consideration. Older homes tend not to have any insulation. Installing it requires starting from scratch—a costly prospect. Newer builds usually have some insulation. However, it doesn’t always extend to exterior walls. The effectiveness of the insulation is dependent upon the quality of the product used.

Next, consider what you hope to accomplish by adding insulation. If you anticipate that insulation alone will raise the frigid temperature of your garage to one comparable to the interior of your home, you’ll be sorely disappointed. If, however, you simply want to raise the temperature of the garage interior several degrees, fully insulating the space may be the perfect solution.

Lastly, there is the matter of how you intend to use the space. If you’d like for your garage to be a bit cozier because you’re housing a collection of vintage automobiles, insulation alone may do the trick. If the space will serve as an extension of your home’s current living space, more than insulation alone will be needed.

To get a better sense of whether insulating your garage would be a good investment, let’s consider the three most typical scenarios we encounter during garage renovation projects:

  1. There is a room above the garage that is consistently several degrees cooler the rest of the home.
  2. The homeowner wants to protect a collection of vintage or exotic cars from the harsh winter temperatures.
  3. The customer would like to expand the home’s living space by setting up a workshop in the garage.

Each situation must be assessed on the three criteria listed earlier: the state of the garage; what the homeowner wishes to accomplish; and how the space will be used. Let’s take a moment to break down each scenario.

 

A Cold Bedroom Above the Garage and The Battle of Thermodynamics

Take a moment and think about your garage space.  There are uninsulated exterior walls (including the garage door itself). Additionally, the garage door is opened several times each day, allowing any warmth inside the garage to escape and be replaced by colder air. As a result, the garage is nearly as cold as the outdoors in winter. How does this affect any living space over the garage?

garage insulation renovation projectsThe science of thermodynamics tells us that two spaces which interact will eventually reach thermal equilibrium, or equal temperature. In this case the two spaces interacting are the interior of your garage and the bedroom above it. The heat from the bedroom elevates the temperature of the garage while the chilled garage air lowers the temperature of the bedroom. Seems like an open and shut case for insulation, but is it?

Adding insulation will stem the loss of energy in the bedroom. However, insulation alone will not increase the temperature of the bedroom to the level of the other rooms in your home. The extensive scope of work required to fully insulate the garage must also be considered. This may include insulating all exterior walls; insulating the garage ceiling; replacing the drafty garage door seal; and replacing the garage door with a highly-insulated model. This all comes at considerable cost.

Insulating the garage offers marginal heat benefit to the bedroom above. On the other hand, installing a baseboard heater in the bedroom is typically more cost effective. Investigate other options that will reduce your overall heating bill, like replacing drafty windows in the bedroom and elsewhere in the home. These methods are more efficient and offer a larger heat benefit than insulating the garage.

 

Making Your Garage Habitable—For Your Cars

Frigid temperatures can be tough on your car. The vehicle’s paint is vulnerable in colder temperatures. When oil and other lubricants get extremely cold, the engine and other systems are negatively impacted. A warmer garage not only protects your vehicles, it makes starting them much easier on cold winter mornings.

Not surprisingly, classic car enthusiasts often insulate their garages. The cost of thorough insulation, as described above, can be substantial. However, when you have a considerable investment to protect, the expense is worthwhile.

What if your garage is only used to store lawn furniture, recreational equipment and tools? The expense of insulation may not add up. Whether it makes sense for you depends on the cost, heat benefit and the value that you place on warming your garage.

 

Insulation is Only the First Step in Extending Your Living Space

When you think of a garage renovation do you envision a handy new workshop or a man cave complete with state-of-the-art electronics? Extending your home’s living space not only provides enjoyment for you and your family, it can significantly increase the resale value of your home. However, insulating the garage is just the first step.  

Insulation is designed to retain heat, so the insulated space will be warmer. However, insulation alone won’t transform your frosty garage into a cozy living or work space. If you plan to convert your garage to usable living space during the winter, a more active measure is required. A heat source, such as an electric or gas heater, must also be installed to make the space comfortable year-round.

 

Decide What Works Best for You

The best way to determine whether to insulate or not to insulate is by doing a cost benefit analysis. A garage renovation specialist can help you estimate the cost of insulating and/or heating your garage and any adjacent rooms. An experienced professional will also help you assess other factors, like estimated temperature improvement and heating and cooling costs. Once you fully understand the realities of what insulation can and cannot do for your space, you can confidently make the decision that is best for you.

 

Related articles across the web
  • Saving money and the planet: Insulating your home this winter
  • Buying a Garage Door? Think Insulation

Filed Under: Garage Renovation Tagged With: adding insulation, baseboard heater, chilled garage air, classic car, Cold Bedroom, Cold Bedroom Above the Garage, cost benefit analysis, cost benefit of insulating, costly heat loss, cozy living, drafty windows, electric heater, engine, equal temperature, exotic cars, experienced professional, frigid temperature, garage ceiling, garage door, garage door seal, garage renovation, garage renovation projects, garage space, gas heater, harsh winter temperatures, heating bill, heating costs, highly-insulated garage door, home, homeowner, insulate the garage, lawn furniture, living space, loss of energy, loss of heat, lubricants, oil, recreational equipment, resale value, science of thermodynamics, scope of work, state-of-the-art electronics, thermal equilibrium, tools, uninsulated exterior walls, vehicle’s paint, vintage automobiles, vintage cars, workshop

Can you and your garage pass the squeeze test?

September 24, 2013 by Rick Scully

Is your garage causing you stress?

Back right 1 car central toronto garage 190x143 before

Before left wall 1 car garage nov 2011 190w

Thomas transformation 2 car garage beaches 190x143 slatwall organizers hooks garden tools before

As the season changes, many people find themselves faced with an unappetizing item on their plate, namely the garage and what could have been.  During the warm summer months the very best of intentions were always there.  Yet, somehow the task of organizing, of making sense of all that stuff in the garage never seemed to make it to the top of the to-do list.  This chore kept getting put off to the next weekend, the next available Friday afternoon.  Finally now we find the season change is upon us, and the garage is no better than it was at the start of the season.  The summer ended so much faster than anyone planned on.  Now you may very well feel like you have a monster on your hands. 

To help you come to terms with this, your friendly team here at Garage Tailors Garage put together a 7 point self-evaluation garage organization quiz.  You can use this quiz to help you figure out where you are and what your best options are at this point.  Relax, no one is going to grade this quiz so this is for your eyes only.  This is just a fun way for you to find out how much you can or cannot squeeze into your garage and whether you experience what we affectionately call Seasonal Garage Anxiety Disorder.

1. Do you feel your blood pressure rising if you pause to consider your garage, the things that need to be moved in, the things that need to be moved out, the things that need to be shuffled around to prepare for the upcoming season?

2. Are you embarrassed to open up your garage door in front of your neighbors for the mess that’s readily visible to anyone that takes a peek inside?

3. If your garage door happens to be open and a friend stops by to chat, do you find yourself apologizing for the mess?

 4. Does your car fit in your garage?  Seriously, if you have a one car garage, will one car fit in there at the same time as all your stuff you have strewn about?  Or, if you have a two car garage, can you comfortably park both cars inside without moving some of your stuff to one corner or the other?  Also, whether it’s a one car or a two car garage, if the car(s) are parked in the garage, can you safely get to your car without stumbling over piles of your stuff?

 5. Do truly know where your stuff is?  If you suddenly need a pair of shears to trim the bushes out front, can you locate them without hunting all over the garage?

 6. Do you actually know how much stuff you really have?  You may be surprised to learn that during organization storage solution installations the team here at Garage Tailors Garage often surprises homeowners.  These homeowners are shocked and amazed to learn there are duplicate or even triplicate tools such as snow shovels, rakes and the like strewn all over the garage.

 7. How much time would you reckon you spend moving piles of stuff around to get to the tools or materials you are looking for at the moment?

 Well, there are your 7 questions.  There is no real score per se, just a self assessment to help you figure out where you are.  As you might imagine, knowing where you are is the first step to moving forward and making a better choice.  So, take a look back at your answers.  Your answers are a big clue for the next step, which as you might have already guessed is better organization. 

 Of course, you are already aware of the value of a proper storage and organization solution since you’ve made it this far and to the end of the quiz.  Now, one last thing, look back to your answers and ask yourself one final question: Is now the time to take some action and get organized?

Filed Under: Before-After, Community involvement, Environmental Responsibility, Garage Makeovers, Garage Storage Solutions, Garage Storage Systems, Organizing Tips, Overhead Garage Storage Tagged With: blood pressure, Car Garage, garage, garage door, garage organization quiz, homeowners, Garage Tailors Garage, organization solution, organization storage solution, park in the garage, Seasonal Garage Anxiety Disorder, self-evaluation garage organization quiz, snow shovels, squeeze test, storage solution installations, two car garage

How to prevent garage and car doors from freezing

January 17, 2011 by Rick Scully

avoid frozen car locksIt’s a bitter cold day and you’re running late for work when you discover your garage door is frozen shut. In your haste, you’re forced to tug at the door manually, which aside from being hard work can actually damage the door’s rubber seal.

We specialize in garage storage, not garage doors, but this much we know: the solution to a frozen garage door is prevention.

Keep the area where your garage door meets your garage floor completely clear of snow and ice.  Sprinkle a little table salt over the entire length of this meeting point to prevent the rubber seal from freezing to the ground in the event any moisture freezes over. One treatment won’t last all winter, so store a tub of table salt in your garage for easy access, and reapply salt from time to time.

While we’re on the subject of frozen doors, you may also want to spray your car doors and trunk hinges with WD-40. Using the WD-40 straw, give the locks a liberal dose, too. Reapply periodically. While this will minimize chances of freezing, it’s no guarantee, so keep a small bottle of de-icer on you at all times.

Best of luck!

Filed Under: garage door, Garage Storage Systems Tagged With: de-icer, garage door, garage storage, rubber seal, winter garage

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