garage transformation Archives

Onex Cabinets

November 6, 2012 by Rick Scully

Any home renovation, no matter how big or small, requires a myriad of decisions. A great way to ease your mind is to hire a professional with specialized expertise. At Garage Tailors Garage, we’re experts in garage renovations that provide efficient organization, innovative storage and also look terrific. One of the main components of a successful garage transformation is the cabinetry so to that end, we only use products and suppliers with a great track record.

Last month, I talked about the family-owned Hercke cabinets and garage organization systems and next month, I’ll be discussing Ctech, a very sleek, high-tech system popular with high-performance car aficionados. The focus this time is Onex™, a sturdy, mid-range system constructed from steel that’s completely customizable and the ideal garage storage system for design conscious homeowners.

One of the most appealing features of Onex High Performance Steel cabinets is the expansive range of colours. The company offers 21 different colours that are easily coordinated with your car, mudroom or to complement the wall paint and floor. The Onex catalogue boasts 50 different cabinet options that can be configured in a wide range of ways to maximize the space and storage capacity in any garage. This includes base and wall cabinets, tall floor cabinets, tables and suspended cabinets.

Constructed from cold-rolled steel, the components have a barrier coating against moisture and corrosion, an ideal feature given the swings in the Canadian climate and our extremely cold winters and humid summers. Additionally, the customized colour coatings are produced on a thermosetting powder-coating system, a high temperature process, which irreversible cures polymers ensuring a high-quality finish with excellent scratch and chemical resistance. This finish is an important feature given the sometimes rough and tumble uses of your garage and means that the cabinets will look great for a very long time.

Another notable feature of Onex components is their consistency. The company is registered under the Switzerland-based ISO standard (International Organization for Standardization). ISO is a quality management system that measures the ongoing performance of products.

When we take on a garage transformation, we like to work from the outside in and blend the look so that it’s an extension of the house. Some clients like a serene, unified look and choose paint colours that blend and disappear. Other clients want something that really stands out and are more drawn to bold, vibrant colours. With the wide selection of colour options and configurations offered for Onex High Performance Steel Cabinets, it’s easy to create the customized garage storage system that suits your specific needs, tastes and style. Fully adaptable and flexible for any surface, the steel cabinets also have optional locks so you can safely secure dangerous chemicals or valuable tools and equipment.

Onex can produce a customized storage cabinet solution in about six weeks and Garage Tailors Garage renovations can be completed in as few as two days to ensure minimal disruption. I’d be happy to come over and give you an estimate.

Maximize the Effectiveness of Your Garage Sale

August 21, 2012 by Rick Scully

When people embark on a garage transformation, the question they’re faced with is “How do I make room for the cars and get rid of the mess?” In a previous blog post, seasonal garage anxiety disorder, I discussed an easy way to sort through the clutter. A lot of what you’re storing may not be of use to you, but it may be useful to someone else.

A garage sale can be an effective way to sell some of the stuff that’s in your garage and generate some money to put towards your transformation, but it has to be done right! Here are some tips on holding an successful garage sale:

Before the sale:

Advertise. Keep the posters simple with your address, dates and times. Many realtors will have signs they’ll loan out that you can prop up around the neighbourhood to direct traffic, but you can also put posters up on lamp posts. Don’t discount an ad in the paper – many people still check the local newspaper for garage sale listings.
Price your items in advance and keep the prices realistic. Often people think their stuff is more valuable than it is. The people that go to garage sales are mostly bargain hunters. For things that are clean and in good shape, try pricing it at about a fifth of retail value. If it’s new or almost new, the piece could command a third. Repair something if it needs it. Wash it if it’s dirty.
If you’re unsure about an older appliance or baby product, check with Health Canada’s Product Recalls
Be prepared for early birds who will arrive before the scheduled opening time!

During the sale

Be friendly. Nobody likes a silent shopkeeper.
Have lots of change ready (10 fives, one roll each of quarters, loonies and toonies should do).
Don’t use a cashbox, it’s too easy to forget. A money belt or fanny pack is better.
Designate one person as the cashier, that way there’s no confusion over what’s been sold and for how much.
Selling electronics? Make it easy for people to test these items by having an extension cord or putting in fresh batteries.

Exit Strategy

In the early afternoon, start reducing prices.
Have a plan for the items that go unsold. You can drop them off at a charity at the end of the day (some will do a pick up).

You’ve now freed up space in your garage, gotten rid of the clutter that’s been holding you back and the garage is now ready to do the job it was designed to do.

What to Expect When You’re Organizing Your Garage

November 22, 2011 by Rick Scully

In the last several blog entries, we discussed clearing the clutter out of your garage. In today’s blog, you’re going to find out about the process of a garage transformation, getting an estimate and what questions you should be prepared for.

When I’m called in, the decluttering should be nearly complete. Only the stuff you want to keep should be in the garage. When we can see the space we’re working with, it makes planning a whole lot easier.

You may also find that there’s stuff in the house such as seasonal decorations that you’d like to store in the garage as well as boxed items like clothes, or tools that are currently in the basement.

Some people have a good idea of what they want or need, such as shelves for storage, tools they want to hang on the wall, cabinets to keep things out of the way. Most people show me what they want to store and ask for recommendations.

The main questions I need answered are:

What’s your objective?
What do you want the garage to do that it’s not doing today?
How many cars do you want to fit in the garage?

The answers to these questions and the initial visit can last up to an hour. I get a sense of how the client lives and what they are looking for. I try and understand their aesthetic priorities versus their functional needs.

Some people like to be able to see everything at a glance. In this case it could be mostly hooks and shelves. Other people are a little messy, and I understand that. Cabinets are great for hiding messes, as well as keeping things like chemicals out of the reach of small hands, for people who have kids.

Within two days of the visit, I’ll send a detailed drawing, proposal and itemized estimate. It’s not something I can do on the spot as each job is custom, which is one of the benefits of using Garage TailorsGarage.

The transformation can be done in as little as two days, if all we’re doing is getting the garage organized. If we’re drywalling, that will add another two days and flooring will add a day.

Once you’ve had a chance to look over the proposal and estimate, you have a chance to ask any questions you might have, give me additional suggestions and make the decision to move forward and have the garage that you’ve always wanted.

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Onex Cabinets

Maximize the Effectiveness of Your Garage Sale

What to Expect When You’re Organizing Your Garage

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