garage interior design Archives

Finishing Touches for Your Garage Project, Part 1

January 30, 2020 by Rick Scully

2 car garage willowdale showcase - 4 post hydraulic car lift, garage cabinets, polyaspartic garage flooring, overhead platform storage, tire storage, satinless steel work station, flatscreen tv fixture

Previous articles have addressed the refinishing of your garage floor. We covered everything from the fundamental steps required for proper floor preparation to the application of your new floor covering. Next, you will want to consider what is commonly referred to as the finishing touches. In this case, finishing touches can be separated into three key areas: drywall, painting and lighting.

Drywall is an established garage wall covering material found on both existing and newly constructed homes. Unfortunately, in many cases the drywall installation is only about fifty percent finished. That is, when the home builder was done with the garage, he may have left the drywall both unsanded and unpainted. Now understand this is a common practice and totally above board. The builder is simply following the building code and completing what he needs to do to complete the job.

Yet unfinished drywall is not just found in newer homes. Actually, there are quite a few existing homes out there where the garage hasn’t actually been touched since the builder left. That’s quite common, and now that you have decided to move forward and upgrade your garage you can be sure it’s done right, the way you want.

You see, the time you have set aside to refinish your garage floor gives you the perfect opportunity to take care of that drywall. Here are a couple of options for you to consider. First, imagine the scenario where the drywall is already installed and thoroughly covering your garage walls. With this scenario, the existing drywall might only need to be sanded and painted. Also, there may be a few areas where the existing drywall needs to be patched or repaired and then re-mudded. “Remudding” is just contractor speak for applying new joint compound to the seams between the drywall sections. Remember, the point of the “mudding” process is to make the joints invisible so that your wall looks smooth and uniform. Of course, at this point you will want to choose a paint color complimentary to your home exterior and garage floor covering.

1.5 car garage, etobicoke - slatwall, overhead platforms, polyaspartic floor coating, shelves bike racks - before

Another scenario is when the drywall installation doesn’t cover as many walls as you want or is damaged in one or more areas. When this is the situation, you can choose to install drywall over any other areas you want as well as replacing or patching any damaged drywall. One thing to keep in mind with new drywall installation is that the building code requires newly installed drywall to be at least 5/8 inch think and fire retardant. After the correct drywall is installed, the same “mudding” process, sanding and painting procedures needs to be completed.

Once you have addressed the drywall in your garage, now you will want to consider painting. Of course, if your garage walls are drywall, they will have been painted as explained above. But what about exposed concrete or exposed brick walls? You will be pleased to learn that both of these garage wall surfaces are prime candidates for a new coat of paint. There are combination paints that serve as both a sealant and paint. We’re experts at making your garage interior match your home’s exterior as well as garage flooring, so whether you already have garage flooring or coloured cabinets, we can recommend colours which will make your garage match the rest of your home when the door is open and being enjoyed by your entire family during the warmer months.

T8 LED tube light

Lighting is the third area I’d like to discuss when considering finishing touches for your garage. The typical garage lighting is modest at best. Often times, there are either one or two incandescent fixtures with a single bulb. While that may be all right for the builder, it may not look so good once you refinish your garage. In fact, most people who choose to transform their garage use this opportunity to upgrade their garage lighting.

There are three popular options available to you when you decide to upgrade your garage lighting. Your first option and the most popular choice is replacing the incandescent fixtures with LED lighting fixtures. LED’s have exploded in popularity and dropped in price. They consume far less energy, put out more light, last a lifetime, have controls over the color temperature, and come in a variety of very attractive fixtures. Fluorescent bulbs are still a good option, but one precaution to be aware of is to make sure your fixture includes T8 rated bulbs. The ‘T8’ rating indicates those bulbs are designed to work in colder temperatures. Fluorescent tubes do go out and have to be disposed of carefully as many contain elements that are not appropriate for regular landfills. LED lighting is the fast and economical upgrade recommendation to your existing garage lighting.

On the other hand, the alternate lighting option is to install recessed lighting or what the home builders refer to as “pot lighting”. Recessed lighting or pot lights need an opening or recess to accommodate the new fixtures and is most commonly found in garages with finished ceilings or often, under our custom overhead storage platforms where we again have the space to recess the pot lights and run the electrical wiring.

Next month, we’ll review additional finishing options such as baseboards, casings and doors.

Earth Day Canada 2019 – EarthPlay

April 7, 2019 by Rick Scully

This April 22^nd is Earth Day 2019 (https://earthday.ca/) and the Canadian theme has been EarthPlay. It’s about having outdoor play for children to foster social connection, a sense of inclusion, resilience, health and their interest in the environment. You can also foster a sense of community if you run a street party for all the kids in the neighbourhood. And, of course, it all starts at home, in the yard or driveway.

Getting the young ones involved in Earth Day activities is a great way to kick-start their interest in being and playing outdoors on a regular basis. Here are some ways to not only get your own kids outside but all the kids in the neighbourhood to enjoy play outdoors together.

Loose Parts Outdoor Play

Earth Day Canada is promoting adventure parks for outdoor play at local parks. It’s the latest design concept in outdoor parks where loose parts maximizes children’s creativity, communication and social interaction.

In 2008, an observational study provided research on loose parts playgrounds showing that all children like to act out little dramas with each other on the playground. When loose play parts where added to static parts of the playground, the level of play became more dynamic where the children used the loose parts to create new play areas together and then played out new dramas within the new spaces created.

This sort of open-ended self-directed play is something where all the kids in the neighbourhood could benefit. If an Adventure Playground with loose parts is something that would make sense for your neighbourhood, it can start with smaller steps this Earth Day to get the kids involved and the neighbourhood too.

Loose Parts Outdoor Play at Home

Hosting an adventure playground in your own front yard and driveway is the place to start. Now that it’s spring, it’s time to do some spring cleaning and the best place to find some of those loose parts would be the garage. It is a good way to both de-clutter the garage and start gathering loose parts for a play area in your yard or driveway.

Finding loose parts for your outdoor playground at home consists of recycled materials that you already have lying around the garage. They can be everything from old tires, wood blocks, cardboard boxes, pvc piping or cardboard tubes, plastic bottles & caps, old wooden spoons, old pots & pans and old plastic bowls. From the outdoors, fallen branches and leaves, pebbles, larger stones, pine cones, dirt and water. Reclaimed wood pallets, bamboo poles, old blankets or fabrics, buckets, some plastic planters and other non-recyclable items make for better loose play items than more garbage for the landfills.

For toddlers and pre-schoolers, keep the pieces larger so that it’s not something that they will swallow. Anything reusable, flexible and either unbreakable or harmless if broken would work well for the loose parts playground. Be prepared that loose play items typically get damaged during play.

When it comes to storage, some playground pieces such as the branches, stones and pebbles can be stored outside in a designated play area. Other pieces such as recycled household items can be stored in large rolling bins or toy trunks so the kids can roll out all the pieces to the driveway or play area. With appropriate garage storage systems, large storage bins and storage bags loose play items can be stored easily so the kids can pull or roll these things out to play.

Storage bins can be stored on platforms. Otherwise, slatwall organization systems with camlock hooks can hang large storage bags of loose play parts. On rainy days, the kids can return wet and muddy loose parts with a minimal of clean up. Especially when a polyaspartic garage floor coating covers the cement floor of the garage, it makes garage floor maintenance simple. If you don’t have some of these standard storage components in your garage, you may want to consider a garage remodel or renovation this spring so the garage has a place for your children’s outdoor play toys.

Outdoor Play on the Street

To get outdoors, combining loose parts play areas with other outdoor activities is important. Riding bikes, scooters, skateboard and more can be a big part of spending time outdoors. Also, road hockey on quieter crescents or streets as well as basketball and skip rope on sidewalks or driveways are great outdoor activities.

This Earth Day, you can get the families on the street together, get a street event permit and have a street party. During the day, multiple play stations for the children could kick-start play dates amongst the families on the street with evening events so the entire family can participate.

Garage Remodel, Reuse and Renovation

Earth Day is a great way to kick off good habits for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. As we try to get our families connected to the environment, we can also get connected to our neighbours and community while decluttering our garage and re-organizing it so that we can reuse items for our children’s playtime.

To help the kids find places to put things back, consider a garage remodel or renovation so appropriate garage storage solutions can be designed. Contact us for a complimentary in-home consultation early to plan the timing of your garage interior design.

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.

RibTrax Floor Tiles to Winterize the Garage

January 23, 2018 by Rick Scully

If you’ve had a cement garage floor, painted garage floor or an old epoxy garage floor, you may not have gotten around to that garage renovation you were hoping to do during the warmer months. All the while, you may be getting tired of the worn out look and how much maintenance it takes to maintain the garage floor while keeping winter out of the house.

Winter is a constant battle of snow, slush and salt being brought into your mud room via your garage. It’s the kids running in through the garage to the mudroom after school. It’s the vehicles parking in the garage after a drive through the city streets dragging all sorts of debris and salt into the garage.

It’s not easy to keep up with maintaining the look and feel of the garage in winter with all that gets dragged into the home. Here’s where the choice of garage floor can help reduce the maintenance of the garage floor while also minimizing the amount of salt and debris that gets dragged into the house.

We’re talking about RibTrax Garage Floor Tiles.

Good Looking Garage Floors in Winter

With a wide variety of colour choices, the RibTrax Tiles are easy to put together with a sharp looking design or pattern across the garage floor. The colours can be matched to integrate with the colour scheme of the interior design of the house. Or, the design can give the garage it’s own unique look and feel. Maybe, you’re looking for a sporty car enthusiast’s design that is reminiscent of an Indy Car race pit or garage. Or, maybe, it’s some other bold colour pattern that resonates with the family.

Either way, once it’s put in place, you won’t be seeing much more of the pitted cement floors or worn looking epoxy coating. In fact, even when looking down through the ribs of the tile, it’s still difficult to see the flooring below. That’s because the RibTrax tiles are ¾ of an inch thick so it’s difficult to see the floor below. It’s a true garage floor makeover that leaves homeowners with what people seek from a a new floor.

This is the thickest tile on the marketplace making them commercial strength. In fact, these tiles are so sturdy that they are used in airplane hangars and in warehouses or manufacturing floors carrying weights up to 70,000lbs and far in excess of a couple of family vehicles in a residential garage.

Minimize Slush and Salt in the Home

Also, the thicker ¾ inch tiles allow all sorts of debris to fall through the ribs and stay out of sight. Unlike thinner tiles, the RibTrax has space below the tile for salt and debris to stay in the channels built into the underside of each tile until it’s time to clean the garage floor at the end of the week. It becomes difficult for debris to find its way back on top of the RibTrax tile floor.

Typical uncovered cement floors or even old epoxy floors will have salt and slush sitting on top of the floor. Cement dust continues to build up on the floors. Salt stains continue to linger and get dragged into the house with every step of each family member walking through the garage. And, as vehicles drive in and out of the garage, salt inevitably makes its way onto the garage floor and back onto the vehicle again as well.

With the RibTrax tiles, all this debris stays under the tiles or falls below the tiles until it’s time to clean the garage floors. It protects the home, the family and the vehicles from salt.

Garage Floor Maintenance is Minimal

With RibTrax tiles, running a shopvac once a week over the tiles will keep the slush, salt and dust on the garage floor below from accumulating. It’s the best of all worlds. The floor looks great. The debris stays hidden and safely away from loved ones, the home and the vehicles. And, cleaning can happen once a week to assure there isn’t an excessive accumulation of slush and salt under the tiles.

The RibTrax tiles are so durable, they are resistant to UV, alkalis, acids, solvents, oils and other automotive fluids. As needed, a damp string mop run over the top of the RibTrax tiles will keep the tiles looking bright and sharp. It’s quick and easy to prepare for the most impromptu visit from good friends or neighbours without a big fuss.

DIY or Garage Renovation Specialist Installation

Even though a full garage renovation might not be practical during the winter, a quick DYI installation of RibTrax tiles is possible. Floor preparation is minimal or none at all if you choose. Runninig a shopvac over the garage floor is adequate preparation before applying the tiles.

Then, design the floor with the SwissTrax Floor Designer tool or if you’re unsure of a design that will leave you feeling like you’ve made the right choice for a savvy garage design which will endure the test of time, our garage renovation specialists can lend a designing hand.

Get a free in-home consultation to find out if RibTrax tiles would be a fit for your garage and family lifestyle needs.

Ribtrax Garage Floor Tile Colours

Black	Yellow	White	Red	Purple	Pink
Orange	Mocha	Light Gray	Green	Gray	Dark Brown
Dark Blue	Cream	Charcoal	Brown	Blue	Aqua

5 Tips for Squeezing Extra Storage Space Out of Your Garage

October 4, 2016 by Rick Scully

Your garage is stuffed to the max and you don’t think you can squeeze one more thing inside—including your vehicle. With cold weather on the horizon, it would be great to find space to store everything you need in your garage and still have room to park your car inside.

If your garage is like most, there’s a good chance you can maximize your garage storage space with a just a little creativity and the right tools. Let’s review five tips for squeezing extra storage space out of your garage.

Go Vertical

A garage–consisting of three blank walls and a door—lacks the built-in storage options found inside your home. Without storage options, we resort to stacking items on the floor along the perimeter of the garage. Only, this gives us a limited amount of space.

Once the perimeter space is taken, clutter marches toward the center of the garage. Before we realize it, the garage has been consumed by chaos, and we’re no longer able to park our vehicle(s) inside.

The key to maximizing storage while conserving vehicle parking space is moving storage off the floor. Instead, utilize the most plentiful area by storing items along garage walls.

Install a Garage Wall Organization System

Storing things along the wall makes sense, but you’re probably not thrilled about the idea of randomly hanging items all over your garage walls. Neither are we. Without a real system, randomly hanging items could leave you with a chaotic look and lots of unnecessary holes in the walls.

Instead, we recommend using a garage wall organization system. Comprised of sturdy PVC panels that come in a variety of neutral colors, this system will be your new best friend. The beauty of these panels is their flexibility. Each panel has slots which accommodate corresponding storage accessories. This includes a wide range of camlock hooks, shelves, baskets and specialized hooks.

Sturdy, lockable hooks and baskets stay put and are strong enough to hold heavy items. Rugged baskets and shelves come in multiple sizes, making it easy to find the right basket or shelf for the job. The system is scalable (start with one or two panels and expand later) and flexible enough to meet your family’s changing needs throughout the year. Just unlock baskets and hooks and take them down or move them elsewhere when the need arises.

Put Overhead Space to Work

For additional storage space that is easily overlooked, just look up. The overhead space in a garage is rarely considered usable space. However, with the right tools, overhead space can provide a wealth of additional storage space.

When installed by a knowledgeable, professional garage renovation expert, overhead garage storage racks provide a sturdy, safe place to store items seldom used. Accessible by step ladder, these racks are an ideal place to store seasonal items like holiday decorations.

Combine overhead racks with plastic totes and you’ll be able to safely store lots of items that are commandeering space in your garage. Overhead racks are also ideal for storing bulky items that take up a lot of space. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to be able to carry the items safely up and down the step ladder to access them.

Rack ‘Em Up

There are a variety of specialized storage racks that can help you maximize storage in your garage. Overhead or wall bicycle racks allow you to store several bikes with limited or zero floor space. Hydraulic lifts can suspend lawn mowers, snow blowers or motorcycles, providing space underneath to park your vehicle.

Snow tires, kayaks, snowboards, skis and rooftop sports equipment racks can all be stored overhead. Specialized racks get the items off the garage floor, yet make them easily accessible when needed.

Unique Solutions for Unique Spaces

Perhaps your garage has an odd configuration, a recessed wall or obstacles like a central vacuum cleaner to contend with. A professional garage renovation expert can assess the space with your family’s needs in mind and create a made-to-measure storage solution just for you.

Unique, custom storage solutions can range from made-to-measure shelving to accommodate tight spaces or a curved wall; an overhead sling to store a canoe or other sports equipment; or a custom-built mezzanine to take advantage of a tall garage ceiling.

Your garage contains a fixed amount of space. However, creative solutions and the right tools can help you wring every bit of available storage space from your garage.

Hanging items on the walls reserves precious floor space. A garage wall organization system is scalable and flexible enough to accommodate your family’s changing storage needs. Overhead space can provide a treasure trove of storage for seasonal items. Specialized racks allow you to store several items in the space of one or without using any floor space at all. Made-to-measure storage solutions provide extra storage even in the tiniest of garages.

Ready to squeeze the maximum storage from your garage? Request a free, in-house consultation.

Create Garage Storage Solutions in Time for Winter

September 28, 2015 by Rick Scully

The end of summer is upon us, and soon we will be bolstering for winter. For months, your garage has become a receptacle for sports equipment, camping gear, bikes, and more, leaving your car in the driveway. Before a snowy winter arrives, it is time to organize.

The best way to proceed is to determine your family’s organizational personality, and design storage solutions that will work for everyone. Determining your storage style is easy. Look inside your home, especially the kitchen and the bathrooms. Is everything hidden away in a cabinet or drawer? Or do you prefer to have everything in sight and within easy reach of where you will need it? Remember to consider other members of the household, too.

Young children may have one set of needs, while teens have another. Maybe your four-year-old won’t remember to brush his or her teeth, unless it is all laid out before them. Teens may feel the need for more privacy to store the items they use routinely.

As you set out to reorganize your garage storage system, there are three basic styles to consider. Here is a brief explanation of these styles. Pick the one that works for your family situation.

Open Storage

If you are a highly visual family, you may prefer to have everything on display. Imagine your belongings hanging neatly on a wall or visible on a shelf. You can simply walk in, spot what you are looking for, and then when you are finished, you know exactly where to return the item.

Nowadays, there are some amazing garage storage materials. Did you know you could hang your lawnmower on the wall? New technology has provided systems that accommodate tremendous weights using a simple Camlok^TM hook. Shelves or platforms offer a level storage area, ideal for books, bins or boxes. Make sure bins & boxes are well marked, however.

Garage interior design has become a myriad of choices and options. If you have 14′ ceilings, or more, you can even include a mezzanine to hold seasonal items that aren’t too heavy, like lawn furniture in winter, and holiday decorations in summer.

Open storage can be an efficient and easily maintained solution for your garage. You can get everything off the floor, and leave plenty of room to keep your car safe over winter.

Closed Storage

If the idea of open storage doesn’t appeal to you, closed storage keeps everything out-of-sight and sometimes, out-of-mind. If your idea of a garage renovation includes sleek lines, and a polished aesthetic appeal, cabinets may be the way to go. Your garage storage can go from chaotic to controlled using the proper choice of cabinets, in a layout tht suits your needs.

Closed storage is also extremely flexible, so if your hobby is woodworking, you could have small drawers to hold screws, nails, hinges, all within arm’s reach of your workbench. If you are an auto enthusiast, the drawers may be better placed next to the spot you will be working. The key is to organize your possessions in a way that actually works for you. Cabinets can come with drawers, shelves or countertops, all based on what you need.

Women may want a corner for craft items or sewing projects. Again, these areas can be organized easily with the correct choice of cabinets.

One more benefit of closed storage is that it can be lockable. Some of us store valuables in the garage, or we keep cleaning supplies and oils or windshield washer fluid for our vehicles there. Locked storage keeps children safe and protects your assets.

A word of caution, however, closed storage works great for organized people. If your family can keep a system going, terrific, but some families tend to start out with good intentions, but life has a way of distracting us and we end up creating chaos but behind a closed door. Be realistic when you choose your garage storage options. Can you see yourself opening a cabinet door and releasing a barrage of assorted items cascading over your head? If so, closed storage may not be the answer.

The Best of Both Worlds

Most families will benefit most from a combination of the first two styles. Garage renovation specialists can help you sort out your family’s storage needs based on your family lifestyle. Most of us do one major garage renovation in a lifetime. How are we to know the pros and cons, and anticipate what the future may hold? That’s why professional help, via a free in-home consultation, can be extremely helpful.

Closed storage is ideal for items you will not need frequently. There are even locker style cabinets for sporting equipment off-season. Having a dedicated space for the things you may use a handful of times throughout the year will provide better accessibility and convenience.

Things you use frequently can be stored openly on hooks, shelves, etc. so they are always within easy reach. You can also rearrange open storage as the seasons change. The lawnmower gets stored away and the snow shovel hangs in its’ place.

With some consultation, you can devise a garage storage system that will help your family stay organized, as well as giving your car (or cars) a safe, warm spot indoors this winter. Consider a free in-home consultation to discuss your options.

Freedom From Clutter: The Fall Clean Up

September 15, 2015 by Rick Scully

There is something almost instinctual about autumn, compelling us to clear clutter, repair damaged items, and discard what we no longer need. In short, we seem to share the desire to organize before the winter arrives.

Perhaps you are welcoming a parent or in-law to live with you, or moving your student out to the dorm. Maybe there is a home office in your dreams. Regardless of the impetus, fall is the time for storing our things to make room for growth. Our garage is the receptacle of things we want to save but without some organization, it becomes unbearable. De-cluttering first to make room for a new garage interior design can be the answer. If you’re aiming to make room for the cars and get everything off the garage floor, these tips should help you on your way.

Where to Start

This is usually the hardest part for most people. You look around and think it is too overwhelming. We have all been there. The car has been relegated to the driveway, while all the stuff that you moved out to make room for that in-law unit or the desk abandoned by your college bound student, has found a new perch in the middle of your garage.

Now it is time to allow the car to reclaim a spot where the overflow has been. Take a deep breath and clear out everything you do not want or need any longer. “Clear to where?” you ask. You might be surprised at how simple it is to put your old stuff to good use. Remember, someone else really needs what you no longer need.

Depending upon what you find, there are several outlets to consider. The Canadian Diabetes Association will pick-up clothes, including footwear, bedding, toys, and any small household items, including computers. The phone number is 1-800-505-5525.

Habitat for Humanity ReStore will accept windows, doors, working large appliances, toilets, vanity units, lighting fixtures, and more materials left over from home renovation projects. In fact, did you know they will sometimes arrange to have someone to dismantle / remove units that are to be donated? They offer that free service. ReStores also accept non-upholstered furniture, such as dining tables, desks, or dressers. You can even get a tax break, as the proceeds go directly to helping needy families secure homes.

Many charitable organizations will be happy to accept your lightly used items, as long as they are in good, usable condition. There are agencies that help so many worthwhile causes. The top three in the Greater Toronto Area are Value Village, Goodwill, and the Salvation Army, all of which work toward the betterment of our local communities. Most will not accept stained mattresses, broken items, or worn out clothing. Donations should be usable. If you would not use it, do not donate it.

Now what?

You probably are beginning to find a bit more breathing room by now. Look at the items that are left. If they are broken or dilapidated throw them in the trash. By now most of us understand the basics of recycling, but if you have questions about whether it’s possible to recycle certain products and where you can drop them off, you can check with the City of Toronto.

Eventually we all come to the corner or cabinet that has been housing left over paint, thinner, pesticides, motor oil, or other hazardous substances that cannot be thrown away in the conventional fashion. Thanks to Project Orange Drop, you can locate places to safely dispose of these substances, and still protect the environment. This agency accepts used batteries, pressurized cylinders, oil filters and the items listed before.

Now that you have not only decluttered your garage but supported the community and helped others to help themselves, it’s time to organize what’s left.

Assembling Your Garage Storage System

As you consider your options, you might want to consult a garage renovation specialist, who can help you determine long term needs, as well the immediate ones.

Your in-law may become your nanny or aging and in need of more care so moving in with your family may become one of the options. Realistically, you will probably re-arrange furniture and other items. Your empty nest may be revisited by your college grads in search of entering the full-time work force. You will want to be certain that your treasures are as safe as the day you stored them. You may want to reconfigure the storage on the walls from season to season.

Keep these things in mind as you work towards your renovating your garage space and storage. With the clutter gone, it’s time to store your things safely and securely while still get your car(s) into the garage.

Selling your house? Let your garage help set the stage.

September 25, 2012 by Rick Scully

When you’re thinking about putting your house up for sale, you can’t just hang out a For Sale sign, let people stroll through an open house and expect a great offer or incite a bidding war. Even though the current real estate market is overheated, the trend toward timed offers and increasingly savvy buyers combined with the popularity of interior design and home makeover shows have created new challenges to attract buyers willing to go the distance.

Houses are now staged, often by professional companies that remove your personal effects and replace them with stylish home furnishings and décor. Home staging, or fluffing as it’s sometimes known in the industry, might also include upgrading flooring, lighting and painting to give your home a fresh, new look. Since curb appeal is important, it’s not uncommon for agents to suggest some minor landscaping or at the very least putting out a large planter with flowers.

Generally speaking, when showing houses, real estate agents don’t spend much time in the garage mainly because they’re usually a mess. That’s unfortunate since a garage is another asset that adds value to your home. A clean, tidy garage with well-organized storage provides another feature for agents to point out to their clients. Not only does it highlight useful storage solutions, it’s also a place to show a home’s personality, utility and suitability for potential buyers.

While “garage staging” isn’t an industry standard yet, I have been called in to install slatwall and flooring by a contractor who was finishing a house on the Bridle Path. In addition to setting up a system for organizing the garage, I supplied bikes, golf clubs, tennis racquets and gardening tools to make it look authentic so that prospective buyers could envision how the space might work for their needs.

When you’re considering minor upgrades to make your home market-ready, don’t forget about the garage. It can be so much more than the place to stow packed boxes and Rubbermaid bins before your move and really showcase the flexibility and livability of the house.

One of the more popular upgrades we do is creating customized overhead storage shelves. Suspended from the ceiling the shelves create a half storey and increase the storage space footprint for items like snow tires and seasonal decorations that are only accessed once or twice a year. We can also paint and install slatwall, which can be outfitted with cam lock hooks to hang everything from shovels, rakes and power tools to skis and bikes. Flooring is another easy option. Unlike concrete, which soaks up oil and shows other stains, our low-VOC polyaspartic floors don’t absorb liquids and can be washed with soap and water. Plus, depending on the complexity, the renovation can usually be done in two days.

Buyers are critics. While they’re looking for reasons to buy your house, they’re also considering reasons not to buy it. One way to ensure good reviews is to put everything in its place. A garage upgrade is a cost effective, efficient way to increase the value of your property before you sell it.

A Brief History of Garages

February 21, 2012 by Rick Scully

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to discuss the evolution of garages: from sheds to what have been called ‘Garage Mahals‘, home extensions that contain everything from work stations to interlocking floor tiles to hydraulic lifts.

The word garage comes from the French garer – to shelter or protect. It’s an apt name because that’s effectively what garages do. They protect our cars from the elements.

During the early part of the 20th century, cars weren’t that common because they were expensive. The first garages were just converted carriage houses that were remodeled to fit cars rather than horses. Garages that were designed for cars didn’t become common until the early 1920s when car sales increase. However, demand grew quickly.

By 1925, in fact, garages were on people’s must have lists. According to the June 1925 issue of Atlantic Monthly, ” the first question asked by the prospective buyer is about the garage. The house without a garage is a slow seller.”

These garages were mostly stand-alone structures, built away from the main house. It wasn’t until the early 1950s that builders started to incorporate garages as part of the house design. Before this, drivers had to brave the elements when getting from their garage to their home.

Carports became popular in the 60s as a low-cost alternative to a garage – often just roof and four posts, they were popular in warmer parts of North America.

The next major change happened in the 80s. Garages were built to be conspicuous and large, to make room for families with multiple cars. Thankfully today they’re now being built to be less obtrusive.

The first patent for an automatic garage door opener was issued in 1937, but oddly enough, it didn’t really become popular until the late 1960s.

Fun fact: many businesses have been started in garages, including Hewlett Packard, Walt Disney, Apple Computers and Motown Records.