made to measure overhead platform storage Archives

Garage Storage Solutions for the Avid Gardener

March 13, 2018 by Rick Scully

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

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

Workspace in the Garage

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

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

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

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

The Slatwall Organization System for Gardening Tools

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

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

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

Off Season Storage for Tools

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

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

Go Green with Garage Cabinets to Store Vermicompost Bins

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

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

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

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

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

Overhead Storage is Our New Year’s Resolution Friend

January 7, 2018 by Rick Scully

Each year, we wrap up the Christmas or Midwinter celebration with new festive decorations to our already extensive collection of decorations. They may be dishes, candelabras, stockings, outdoor lighting and much more. Once we’ve cleaned up from the extended family gathering, we realize that we’d like our living space to be less cluttered when we start the New Year.

At this time of year, we’re enjoying the beautiful winter wonderland as well. We’re enjoying having our kids and our own inner kids enjoy the snow of white slopes on snowboards, skis or even toboggans. Maybe, you’ve decided to break out the skates to enjoy the many outdoor ice rinks or surfaces around the city. Winter and the activities of the season get us hauling out all sorts of toys, decorative items as well as sports equipment.

Finding a way to organize the things we need to prepare for winter and all the great activities we enjoy, celebrate or do to adapt to the winter season can be daunting. A made-to-measure overhead garage storage system or garage renovation to create the space needed for these types of items is a great way to start off the New Year!

Why Consider Overhead Storage?

Eventually, our family lifestyles become so dynamic that it’s difficult to find a place to store everything. That’s when we encourage people to consider using the space overhead. A lot of the space overhead in the garage may often remain underutilized. If the height of the garage is 10 feet or higher, it’s a good idea to consider overhead storage systems.

Overhead platform storage may need a little more effort to use. People only want to access overhead storage from time to time since it may take a ladder, a set of stairs or a couple of people to store and organize the overhead space. That’s why overhead platform storage is ideal for seasonal storage where items are moved into the overhead space or out of the overhead space once or twice a year.

Overhead storage is out of the way so when we’re not using items for long periods of time, this type of storage works well. Platforms are also a form of open storage where we can see exactly what’s up there. When we’ve forgotten or we need to remember what we’ve got, an open platform storage system helps us find things easily.

What to Store in Overhead Storage Platforms

Seasonal items may include outdoor patio furniture or outdoor decorations. From lawn ornaments, outdoor patio lighting, BBQ or firepit accessories, there are a lot of warm weather outdoor items that get stored indoors for the winter. It may also include gardening tools and bags of soil, seeds or fertilizer. In the winter, it may be snow removal equipment, salt, sand, cat litter, antifreeze and other handy winter survival items.

When it comes to enjoying the lifestyle of the seasons, it’s sports equipment and toys applicable to specific seasons. Some of these sports may include hockey or snowboarding / skiing in the winter and cycling, wake boarding, kayaking and more in the summer. There are other storage systems ideal for keeping the sports equipment and toys easily accessible during the season but when it’s the off season, overhead can be a good place for keeping them out of the way.

Whether we celebrate Christmas, Winter Solstice or other seasonal festivities, we all seem to need a few decorations to honour the activities and rituals of the festival. These items are also used rarely so it’s handy to store them above where they remain safe from damage for the rest of the year.

Overhead Storage Platform Choices

There are a wide variety of overhead platform storage systems. Most of them are typically shelving units or platforms where we just place the items on top. This means, that our choice of shelf or platform can’t be too deep. After all, if our arms can’t reach far enough back to grab our stored items, it won’t be possible to retrieve items from their location. Some of the platforms have a 4×8 base platform. This means, it was intended to be mounted in the middle of the ceiling where it would be possible to place a ladder on any of the four sides of the platform to reach items from any of the four sides. This means that this type of option requires enough space on all four sides for a ladder and space for the item to leave the storage platform.

There are also shelves that are mounted against the walls of the garage. Typically, shelves are not more than a couple of feet deep so that anyone in the family can reach to the back and still access belongings that they want to retrieve from storage. This also makes it easy to take a visual inventory of where things are stored when standing in the middle of the garage.

All storage platforms are secured either from the top via the ceiling or from the bottom via supporting beams to the garage floor. When storage platforms are secured properly, they can easily hold a few hundred pounds worth of your belongings.

Whether you purchase the pre-manufactured metal platforms, build a wooden one yourself or have one of our garage renovation specialists build a made-to-measure overhead storage platform system as part of an overall garage design. Securing the platform is most important to assure there is no damage to the belongings, family members walking through the garage or the vehicles parked in the areas beside or below the platform storage.

Finished Platforms for a Finished Garage Design Look

Finally, making a choice of platform may depend on how finished a garage design may be desired. A barebones garage may be well suited to a pre-manufactured platform or a DYI platform made of wood beams.

On the other hand, you can get an overhead platform capable of holding several hundred pounds per square foot with a finished made-to-measure storage platform with a drywall finish, an under mount LED lighting system and minimal overhead structure from one of our garage renovation specialists. Contact us for a free in-home consultation to discuss your options.

Safe Use and Storage of Holiday Décor

November 26, 2015 by Rick Scully

We look forward to beautiful holiday light displays at this time of year. However, holiday decorations cause numerous residential fires each year, most of which could be prevented. So before you plot your head-turning holiday display, let’s review some best practices for installing and storing holiday décor.

Electrical Requirements

Verify that all outdoor electrical outlets are working. It’s best to plug lights directly into outdoor ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets. When extension cords are required, it’s safer to use a longer, heavy-duty cord than to string together shorter extension cords. The extension cords used must be rated for outdoor use by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) – ground fault circuit interrupter.

Don’t overload electrical outlets. According to the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs, no more than three standard-size sets of lights should be used per extension cord. If your garage and outdoor outlets are on the same circuit, you’ll need to take the lighting, garage door opener, outlets and other items plugged inside your garage into the equation as well. Lay out your holiday display with the location of electrical outlets in mind to reduce the temptation to use too many extension cords.

Examine Holiday Lighting for Damage

Examine each string of holiday lights for damage sustained during previous use or storage. Dispose of lighting with cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires and loose connections. Test each light string, then replace burned out bulbs. When buying new holiday lights, consider LED lights, which burn cooler and use less energy.

Safely Install Lighting

To reduce fire hazard, secure lights with insulated tape, insulated staples or hooks. Don’t use nails or tacks. Do not attach lighting over, under or along metal eavestroughs.

Securely fasten lights to the walls of the house or garage, trees, or other stable structures to avoid wind damage. Point bulbs toward the ground to keep moisture out of the sockets. Hang lighting and extension cords high enough above the ground so they won’t sit in snow and puddles.

Don’t block exits with holiday decorations. All exits must remain easily accessible, in the event of a fire. For added safety, turn off the lights at night or when you are away from home.

Storing Holiday Decorations

Safely storing holiday décor is the best way to ensure that lighting and other décor remains in good repair. Clear, stackable plastic containers provide excellent storage space for holiday décor. Contents remain visible, making it easier to find items. As you dismantle holiday light displays, note the length of each string of lights and where it was used. Include this info on or in the storage container. Eliminate tangling, which can damage wiring, by using a holiday lights storage reel or wrapping each string around a clean, empty cylindrical can or a piece of cardboard.

Dead space in the garage provides an ideal location for storing seasonal items like holiday lighting and decorations. How can you make the best use of what may seem like unusable space in your garage? Here are three options:

Overhead Storage Racks: Installing overhead shelving can be tricky, so consult a garage renovation specialist if you’re unfamiliar with how to safely install weight-bearing overhead shelving. Garage Tailors Garage offers metal storage shelving to make underutilized ceiling height functional. Metal storage units are made of durable steel and the largest units support up to 700lbs. Store lighting and other holiday decorations in stackable bins on overhead storage racks in the garage. Access the space using a step ladder.
Install a pulley-based storage platform. Accessing seasonal items stored on overhead storage shelves can be difficult for those with physical limitations. A pulley-based platform uses a crank to lower the items to the floor where they can easily be loaded or unloaded. This type of system is ideal for storing artificial trees and large outdoor displays. Consult a garage renovation specialist to determine whether this option is feasible for your garage.

Made-to-measure solutions. Made-to-measure shelving, platforms and mezzanines provide additional storage space for stackable plastic bins and large holiday displays. Made-to-measure garage shelving can be installed high on a back or side wall. Made-to-measure platforms provide additional vertical storage space high on a back wall. Tall garages with lots of wasted overhead space can accommodate made-to-measure mezzanines which provide considerable storage for holiday décor and other seasonal items rarely accessed.

Need additional storage space in your garage for seasonal items? Request a consultation with a garage renovation specialist and discover how Garage Tailors Garage can transform wasted vertical space into functional, attractive storage space.

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