slatwall organization systems Archives

Garage Storage for Spring Sports Equipment

April 7, 2019 by Rick Scully

After a long winter, everyone is ready for warmer weather and being able to spend more time outdoors. Spring means the start of summertime activities and sports such as cycling, soccer, baseball, ultimate Frisbee, kayaking, canoeing, stand-up paddleboards, skateboarding, scooters and so much more.

custom storage overhead of canoes & kayaks

It would be ideal if the kids could grab their bikes and other sports equipment without dragging it through the house along with all the dirt, gravel or water that the sports equipment collects. One of the best places to make it easy for children to use and replace their toys and sports gear is the garage. If you’re not currently storing the sports equipment in the garage, consider these garage storage solutions and how the garage can be remodelled and redesigned to accommodate all of these storage systems while having the vehicles parked inside.

Garage Storage Solutions for Sports Equipment

Storing sports gear in the garage is a good idea. Kids can run in and out of the garage during the summer days to find their toys without running through the house to return dusty or muddy or wet sports equipment to a location in the basement.

sports equipment storage slatwall camlock hooks baskets mesh netting bins surf boards skateboards rollerblades helmet

Using an open style of storage makes it easy for children to figure out something they want to do. By placing sports gear and toys at the right height for your child’s age, each family member can fetch and replace things on their own. Learning good organizational habits early helps children maintain good habits later in life.

Using closed storage solutions allows the family to keep expensive sports equipment such as golf clubs behind closed doors such as inside garage cabinets which lock up. This also helps keep a clean look to the design to the interior of the garage when cabinets are added to the storage system of the garage.

Of course, there is also sports gear which you might want to put away when spring arrives. These might include skates, snowboards, skiis, hockey equipment, toboggans and more. You may not have enough garage wall space to hang out the winter equipment as well as the spring / summer ones along with other tools which you may want to have handy during the summer. In this case, overhead storage would be a good way to store items which you are unlikely to use for the season.

Overhead Storage for Winter Sports Equipment in Spring

When you’re using overhead storage, you likely have your spring / summer equipment located in this area in the winter. If you haven’t already, you’ll want to pull out spring and summer toys or sports equipment from overhead storage so you can lay it out for easy access. At the same time, snowboards and toboggans can be returned to overhead spaces until next winter.

bike storage solutions - bicycle storage ceiling lift

Depending on the height of the garage, seasonal storage spaces may include made-to-measure platforms as well as mezzanines where they can be designed to fit the overhead space from one corner of the garage to the other corner of the garage. Mezzanines are typically built with glass railings to easily view what’s stored above and still prevent larger items from rolling off the edge. To get up to the mezzanine, a pull down attic ladder or stairs can be part of the installation although we’ve also used lifts and electric stairs.

Other off the shelf overhead storage solutions include platforms and shelves which come in standard sizes. Shelves which are less than 2 feet in depth can be mounted to the wall. Other platforms with a 4 foot depth would need to be mounted in the centre of the ceiling so someone can climb up from any one of the four sides to be able to reach items closer to the centre.

Overhead Storage for All Seasons

Certain sports equipment may be stored in the overhead space during all seasons even if we use them mainly through the spring and summer. For instance, kayaks and canoes are bulky and won’t easily store on shelves or walls. If you garage has enough space, floor standing racks may be an option but most people don’t have enough space available in the garage to do this.

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Instead, kayaks, canoes and even Thule cargo carriers can be stored away safely overhead with a sling. They can stay there whether it is spring, summer, fall or winter. Add a hydraulic lift system and it makes it even easier to mount or remove from the roof of your vehicle. With the touch of a button, the hydraulic system will do the heavy lifting.

Hydraulic racks for bicycle storage and golf club storage are also available. Even young children who wouldn’t be able to lift a bicycle onto certain wall rack systems would be able to use the hydraulic rack system. With the press of a button, they could have the hydraulic rack lower so they could position their bike into place and then push a button to raise the bicycle rack back into place in the overhead space.

Slatwall Organization Systems & Bicycle Racks for Sports Equipment Storage

A variety of wall racks for bicycles exist including fold away racks that tuck bikes flush with the wall like pages in a book. Other racks allow bikes to mount flush with the wall to maximize space for parking vehicles. Some racks are installed into the ceiling and some are mounted into the wall. For young kids who ride in and out all day, using a floor standing rack for kids to wheel their bikes into the gride and walk in for lunch without minimal fuss. This may not be an all season solution but in the summer when the kids are constantly on the go, this may be an effective way to keep their bikes from being left just anywhere inside the garage or on the driveway.

Finally, for most sports gear, a slatwall organization system would accommodate most equipment. They offer a variety of camlock hooks, baskets and bags to store a wide variety of balls as well as gloves, shoes and other types of sporting equipment. Scooters, skateboards, bats and other equipment can be hung from hooks. Balls can be stored in the storage bags which hang from the wall. And, baskets for baseball gloves, shin pads, helmets as well as other protective equipment can be mounted in a wide variety of configurations to suit the outdoor lifestyles of everyone in the family.

Remodelling the Garage for Sports Equipment Storage

If you’re looking for a better way to keep the kids playing without dragging in the dirt, mud and wet equipment of their favourite sports, consider contacting our garage renovation specialists for a complimentary in-home consultation today. Storing sports equipment in the garage makes a lot of sense.

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.

Preparing Seedlings for the Spring Garden

March 12, 2019 by Rick Scully

With the Spring Equinox on March 20, 2019, it gets us thinking of spring and the warmer weather ahead including sunshine and being outdoors in our gardens. As an enthusiastic gardener, you may be thinking whether you can start with planting seeds at this time of year. If you want to start your plants from seeds and grow your own organic vegetables or herbs, starting seedlings now is a great idea. Indoors somewhere or in the garage would be some ideal locations for seedlings.

Depending on how many seedlings you’ll be starting, either a workspace in the garage or multiple slatwall shelves will do the trick. This will keep the seedlings safely off the ground with a workbench or workspace to do transplanting as the seedlings take off and need to be transplanted into a large pot.

Choosing Seedlings to Start in March

There are a variety of seedlings which can be started in March so that they will be ready to plant in the garden by May. Here some seedlings which you might consider for the Southern Ontario climate in March.

Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery (April)
Leeks
Lettuce (April)
Pac choi & choi sum (April – cover well)
Peppers
Radish (April)
Spinach (April)
Tomatos (April)

With this variety of vegetables, one or two of your favourites are probably among these options. If so, it’s time to investigate starting a seedling system in your garage.

Containers for Seedlings

Seedlings need a lot of water as it grows. To grow seedlings, using paper containers is often the best way to grow seedlings. The containers will then biodegrade as the seedling needs to be transplanted into larger spaces. Use a clear plastic covering to keep the evaporation of water low and to speed the germination of your seedlings while providing some extra warmth. Seedlings seem to do best when they receive a lot of water.

A couple of dry days and your seedling efforts will be for nothing. It’s best to water your seedlings from both above and below. The condensation on the plastic covering helps prevent the escape of moisture from above while the condensation on the plastic covering will return some of the moisture back to the seedlings. Keep water available in the tray below the containers so that the seedling containers can soak water into the soil from below the seeds and remain moist at all times.

You can make your own containers using old newspaper which easily soak in water from below. These can be placed in plastic trays lined with a layer of water. Another alternative is to buy a reusable seedling system. These systems often come with watering systems built-in to help make sure that the soil is constantly moist. And, it may come with clear covers so the seeds are kept warm and visible. They can be used year after year instead leaving containers which may need to be tossed due to cracking or breaking.

Use a Homemade Liquid Fertilizer and Good Composting

Homemade liquid fertilizers are inexpensive and faster acting than some of the store bought fertilizer. Some of the things which can be used include fresh grass clippings steeped with equal amounts of water for 3 days. Seaweed can be used after it has been steeped for 3 days. And, urine with 20 parts of water can also be used as a liquid fertilizer.

Seedlings will need a little of this diluted liquid fertilizer twice a week to start. As time goes on, they may only need some fertilizer once every 7 to 10 days. Once you’ve added the fertilizer, if the plant starts to darken its leaves and growth, you’ll know that your seedling needed the fertilizer. If you don’t see any change, try lengthening the time between fertilizer feedings.

If you have a heated compost which reached 150 °F and killed off bacteria or a vermicompost with beneficial disease-fighting microbes at about 15% of the mix with soil, helps the germination process and has been shown in a study to do better than just soil alone. Seedlings are delicate so healthy soils and fertilizers with beneficial microbes will help them germinate into stronger plants before they get transplanted outdoors.

Lighting and Warmth

As the seedlings break through the top of the soil, they will now need a lot of light and warmth. Standard fluorescent lights which are placed slightly above the seedlings would be ideal. The slatwall shelving system would be ideal for both mounting the lights and adjusting the height of the lighting relative to the height of the new growth from the seeds. When the lights are just slightly above the height of the plant, there is enough warmth from the lighting to keep the seedlings warm. Using a timer, you can make sure that the plants receive 12 – 15 hours of light per day during these early days.

Most seedlings could use a differential in temperature of 10°C between the day and the night. If the garage is still a bit on the cold side during the night, use some heavy clear plastic to create an insulating barrier around each shelf.

As the seedlings start to grow in height, you’ll want to re-adjust the height of your shelves so they have more room to grow. The slatwall organization system and the shelving offers the flexibility to change the height between shelves quite quickly. The sturdy construction of the slatwall shelves and their mounting mechanisms allows it to hold even larger pots of heavy soil so as your seedling and soil requirements expand, your slatwall will be able to accommodate the growing weight demands of your growing garden.

Use an electrical source which has been installed to building code standards to provide a power source for your fluorescent lighting. During a garage renovation, not only can storage and workspace be created but adequate electrical supply and water supply can be made available to suit the family’s interests in gardening or other creative tasks. Garage storage and workspace solutions are available to suit a wide range of family lifestyles, hobbies and past times. The various rigours of gardening systems are no different in their demand for a space that can accommodate the various needs of your new plants.

Learn about the Germination Period of Your Favourite Garden Plants

In order to have a successful garden in the spring, timing is everything. Plants have various germination periods from 4 weeks to 11 or 12 weeks before they will be ready for the outdoor garden. And, the various climates from Southern Ontario to Northern Ontario will also affect the length and timing of these germination periods.

If you know neighbours who are avid gardeners, they may be able to give you a hint regarding some of the plants that you may have in common. Join gardening clubs in the neighbourhood or online so you can ask questions and get valuable hints and tips about your favourite vegetable crop or perennials. Timing the growth of seedlings and assuring a good germination period for them before they go outside can have a significant impact on the bounty you’ll get to enjoy as they ripen or become ready to pick.

Gardening in Your Garage

Not only is the garage a great place to start your garden, but it makes it easy for you to get your saplings out to the yard for planting. With a polyaspartic garage floor, small spills and mishaps are not a big deal and any water spills can be easily mopped dry. When spring finally arrives, you’ll be able to swap out seedling trays when they have been planted in the garden for slatwall space to hang garden tools and supplies which you’ll want to use regularly to tend to your garden throughout the growing season.

If your passion is the garden, we can help you make the most of your garage renovation to include work space as well garage storage space for your most valuable tools and growing systems.

Maintaining the Garage Floor During Winter

February 19, 2019 by Rick Scully

Not only are driveways, walkways and sidewalks of our homes cause for concern, but we can’t help but bring in snow, ice, sand and salt into our garages. From the little feet of young ones running in from school to the vehicles we park inside the garage at night, the garage floor can become littered with salt, sand and snow almost on a daily basis throughout the winter months.

Depending on the type of garage flooring in your garage, there will be slightly different methods of cleaning the garage floors. If you have a bare cement garage floor, the regular collection of snow, salt and sand will likely cause pitting, cracking and other damage. In the spring, consider a garage renovation to get both an effective garage storage solution as well as a long lasting garage floor coating. A polyaspartic garage floor coating will protect the floor and ease the care and maintenance of the garage floor.

Keeping Salt, Snow and Sand Out of the Garage

To be prepared to clean the garage floor in winter, you’ll need some supplies. Here are some things you’ll want to keep hanging on your slatwall and in baskets hanging on your slatwall for the winter season.

It’s always best to look after the snow and salt dragged into the garage immediately after the vehicle has been parked instead of waiting until everything has melted and the run off water washes and spreads particles over the garage floor. Brushing off your vehicle and knocking the snow and salt build up from behind the tires of your vehicle before you even entire the garage or drive minimizes what gets dragged onto the garage floor.

This may not always be possible or you may forget to take this step before driving into the garage. If that’s the case, as soon as you’ve parked your vehicle get the push broom hanging on the slatwall. As you step out of your vehicle, you can knock or brush off excess snow and ice build up and then push it out of the garage with the broom immediately before it has a chance to melt and spread over the garage floor.

Protect a Bare Cement Garage Floor

While the bare cement floor of a garage is not ideal, this winter you may not have a lot of choice. One of the temporary fixes for the winter is to lay down some cardboard on the cement floor. This will help absorb some of the excess water and prevent some of the salt and sand from seeping into the cement. This also helps prevent some of the moisture build up in the cement. Reducing moisture absorption by the cement floor will reduce cracking and pitting of the cement floor.

In the winter, garage floor tiles are something which can be purchased and become a DIY project over a weekend afternoon. It’s a more effective solution to protecting the garage floor in the middle winter as it will cause water and salt to sit on top of the floor whereas wet cardboard will eventually allow moisture to seep into the cement floor below.

2 car garage, stouffville, left rear door, pvc floor tiles, punched aluminum baseboard, slatwall, custom overhead platform, shelves, bike rack, bicycle storage

Floor tiles come in a variety of colours and they are modular so that a variety of floor pattern designs can be created. It’s also easy to replace or repair a section of the garage floor if some damage occurs to the garage floor tile. The grip of the surface makes it safer for family members to walk through the garage without fear of sliding or slipping unlike loose pieces of cardboard or wet slippery smooth cement floors.

Tiles can be mopped to remove any excess moisture from the garage. Removing the moisture from the garage is important so that belongings stored in the garage remain dry and this prolongs the life of any of our family toys or equipment or supplies.

Using a dry / wet vac, any excess melted snow or road salt which you were unable to clean as you parked or as the kids ran into the house can be vacuumed off cement, tiles or polyaspartic garage floor coating. Some people like to use a leaf blower as a dual purpose tool in the winter to blow out light snow which has drifted into the garage. This is possible before things have melted and an alternative to the push broom if that’s not something that you might own.

Keep the Garage Dry during the Winter

With a blower fan, you’ll be able to reduce the moisture level in the garage instead of having melted snow dissolve road salt all over the floor. It will also help prevent cracking of cement floor if there isn’t either a polyaspartic garage floor coating or a protective garage floor tile. If you’re using cardboard as a temporary solution, it will reduce the moisture in the cardboard before it has a chance to reach the cement floor below.

Cleaning a Garage Floor

Garage floors such as garage tiles and polyaspartic garage floor coating can cleaned with vinegar and water. The vinegar does lower the freezing point of the water and with a blower fan running for a while afterwards, it will reduce moisture and prevent freezing of any excess water. Especially, if you’re using this method to clean off a bare cement garage floor, the blower fan will become particularly helpful.

A more thorough cleaning in the spring would be the ideal when the wet floor will be easier to dry with a little bit of warmth and sunshine. In the winter, the main goal is to avoid moisture and salt from further damaging a cement floor.

Getting a Polyaspartic Garage Floor

Ideally, a polyaspartic garage floor coating project by a garage renovation specialist helps protect the foundation of your garage. Each project starts by assuring the moisture level of the cement is adequately low before the application of a polyaspartic floor coating. This step assures that excessive moisture is not somehow locked into the cement. Cement which is too moist will expand and contract excessively during the changing temperatures of the four seasons. In addition to damaging the foundation of the garage, moist cement will also ruin a polyaspartic floor coating application.

Starting with an adequately dry cement base means the finished polyaspartic floor coating will have a beautiful and long lasting life in the garage. The beautiful colours of a polyaspartic floor coating are UV protected from sun and other weather elements means it is one of the best garage floor investments for any home.

This spring, consider either a full garage storage solution or just upgrading your garage floor with a polyaspartic garage floor coating.

Making Outdoor Play Easy for the Kids

June 21, 2018 by Rick Scully

Now that summer is here, the kids will be home all day. Of course, they’ll want to be outside with all the warm sunny days ahead. Getting on their bikes, scooters, skateboards and other toys to get to the local park or their friend’s house is the typical response to enjoy a play day or play date with a friend. From the bikes and skateboards to the soccer balls, basketballs, water toys as well as strollers and other toys for the younger children, the garage soon becomes home base to everything the kids need to enjoy the outdoors.

For the active family, the garage renovation would provide garage storage solutions incorporating ways for the garage to be used by the entire family for a fun filled summer. This also includes the big kids in the family with places to access golf clubs, tennis racquets, mountain bikes and kayaks. Whatever your lifestyle, making it easy to access your outdoor sports equipment or toys is just as important as keeping them out of the reach of younger children.

Overhead Hydraulic Racks

With some of the bulkier outdoor equipment such as kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and mountain bikes, you’ll want them handy and easy to mount and dismount from a Thule or Yakima rack system for your vehicle. The overhead hydraulic racks or lifts are ideal for transferring these pieces of equipment to or from your vehicle with a minimal of effort. By positioning the racks at the right spot within the garage, equipment can be lowered directly onto the vehicle’s rack while it is parked in the garage.

Reduce the awkward movements and stress on your back or body needed to mount the cargo box and other gear within the confines of the garage space. Plan out garage storage systems that facilitate the packing and unpacking process of the vehicle.

Garage Cabinet Storage Systems

Now, for things such as an expensive set of golf clubs, you might opt to have lockable garage cabinets. They will safely and securely store more expensive items which cannot afford to be knocked about by the kids, their bicycles or other toys as they move about the garage accessing or putting away their summertime toys throughout the summer..

Slatwall Organization Systems

The slatwall organization systems are so durable, versatile and modular, not only are they great for garden tools and lawn mowers, but they can also be used for a variety of kids toys. For younger children, mount hooks at lower levels so they can mount their own scooters, skateboards, bats, racquets, clubs and bikes off the ground and out of the way of the vehicles which will be parking inside the garage at the end of the day.

Also, there are some great basket systems where all the basketballs, footballs, soccer balls, baseball gloves and other toys can just be tossed into mesh net or wire net basket. By evaluating the kids’ favourite activities and the space available in the garage, the right combination of hooks and baskets will make any slatwall space an effective storage area for everything your kids will want to do throughout the summer.

Bicycle Rack Storage Systems

Bicycle usage is back on the rise again these days for everyone in the family. Kids love riding their bikes to visit friends or to go on a neighbourhood adventure with friends. When all the neighbourhood kids ride back to your house for a lunch break, they just ride up, jump off and run inside to satisfy their hungry bellies after a fun filled morning of activity. Give kids a place to park their bikes. This helps them learn how to put things away in the proper place.

Overhead racks, slatwall hooks and other storage systems are great for the overnight storage of bikes. For summer, a floor rack where kids can park their bike means they leave their bikes standing. They can avoid having bikes strewn all over the garage floor. This keeps it easy to maintain the organization of the garage and prevents damage by vehicles driving into the garage . It also gives the kids a reasonable way of being able to put things away in the proper place within the garage.

Plan a Garage Storage System

When the lifestyle of the whole family is considered, we are able to design the right combination of storage options so that the space can be optimized and utilized fully. The garage spaces can accommodate both off-season storage and easy access to summertime toys and gear which are used regularly. When you need the entire garage space to work well for everyone, consider a garage design that allows the family to leverage the space for maximum enjoyment of the warm sunny summer days ahead.

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.

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.

Fall Gardening Prepares Our Yards for Spring

September 20, 2017 by Rick Scully

Even in late summer or early fall, avid gardeners are still keen on having slatwall organization systems installed in a typical garage renovation because they understand the value of fall gardening and the need to access garden tools well into November in the GTA. In fact, slatwall storage with its wide array of Camlock hooks, baskets and shelves make for the ideal way to make tools readily accessible and easy to swap out when the seasons demand it.

Taking our hint from Mother Nature, we see that she has many of its trees, shrubs and perennials shed leaves and drop seeds in the fall in order to facilitate a successful spring growth. Following the natural life cycle of these plants, fall gardeners will do several things throughout the fall months of September, October and November to ensure the best results in the following year.

Keep those Garden Tools on Your Slatwall Hooks

Fall is one of the best times to prepare the garden for the best results in spring. In fact, far greater success in the growing season comes from the things we do to prepare the yard during the fall. So, the question is what to do and what will we need to do a good job of preparing the yard and garden.

So, keep your tools on the garage wall organization system or if you don’t have one, then consult with one of our garage renovation specialists. Having a slatwall organization system allows people to adopt a strategy of swapping out tools between the seasons to maximize garage space. In this case, you might want to hang onto the garden tools just a little longer and wait a little longer to swap them out for snow removal type tools.

Fall is a Time to Seed the Garden

So, nature’s natural cycles means that many shrubs, trees and perennials drop seeds during the fall to incubate throughout the winter to develop into seedlings with the more welcoming spring conditions. Taking our hint from nature, here’s what we should consider seeding this fall:

Daylily, Hemerocallis spp.
Hosta, Hosta spp.
Daisy, Leucanthemum spp.
Lily, Lilium cvs.
Crabapple, Malus spp.
Peony and others, Paeonia lactiflora
Spruce, Picea spp.
Pine, Pinus spp.
Hawthorn, Crataegus spp.
Pinks, Dianthus spp.
Ash, Fraxinus spp.

So, spend some time planning your next garden starting this fall instead of waiting until spring. Prepare a list of plants you would like to see in the yard. Then, choose seeds which benefit from a fall planting.

Prepare your Fall Garden by Planting Seeds and Bulbs

Start this in September so there is time for seeds and bulbs for flowers which blossom in spring. Do it early to allow them to take hold before the frosts in November. Then they’ll be prepared to weather the winter and provide great blossoms and spring growth.

Also, if you have young trees or shrubs that need a new spot in the yard or garden, fall is the time to move them to their new location. Keep watering trees and shrubs until the ground freezes. Strong fall development means they’ll be hardy throughout the winter and into spring.

Clean the Garden and Yard

The best thing about fall gardening is that we can prepare the garden so that the ground is in much better shape in early spring. Here is a few things to do.

Fertilizing the lawn in fall helps to significantly reduce weeds. Also, pull out any existing weeds now before they seed. Doing these two activities in the fall will give your lawn a hefty head start in spring.

There’s debate as to raking leaves. Mother nature intended them to stay on the forest floors to provide protection to young seeds and plants throughout the winter. However, raking them, mulching them and then adding them back to your garden, compost and lawn are also good alternatives to feeding the lawn as well as the garden.

Adding compost or manure to the garden beds helps settle the mineral balance of the soil in time for a spring planting. If you have any annuals left from the current year, remove and compost them. Then, return the compost back to the garden beds. If there were any diseased plants trim the dying or disease sections. You’ll want to throw them out instead of putting these clippings back into the compost.

Take a look at perennials and the foliage. Cut back on excess foliage so there is less of a plant for your perennial to sustain over the winter. They’ll come back stronger in spring and less foliage means fewer pests will be hiding amongst the foliage during winter. Also, cut grass along the edges of your home so you don’t leave a place for rodents to build a home or nest beside or even inside your home.

For a more comprehensive list of things you can do to prepare your home during fall, consult the Landscape Ontario checklist.

Garage Renovations for All Seasons Landscaping

So, keep the hoe, rakes, trowels, clippers and garden gloves out and handy. If you’ve got one of our slatwall systems, you know you can even hang a lawn mower or a lawn fertilizer spreader. And, it won’t take long to swap out the various garden tools for the shovels, salt and snow blowers.

Just before the first frost hits the ground, you can be ready and organized quickly. If you’re interested in understanding how the slatwall storage systems we offer can help you stay organized and effective, ask for a complimentary in-home consultation today.

Prepare Your Vehicle for Winter

October 28, 2015 by Rick Scully

The Farmer’s Almanac predicts a cold and snowy winter here in Toronto. Yet, meteorologists are expecting a mild winter in Southern Canada courtesy of the worst El Niño we’ve seen in half a century. Either way, the first snow of the season has already hit. Perhaps this first blast of wintry weather caught you off guard. If so, now’s the time to prepare your vehicle and your garage for the winter ahead.

Make Room in the Garage

During warmer months it’s common to park in the driveway to make room for bicycles and other sports equipment that tends to take over the garage. However, to maximize the life of your car and minimize your morning prep time, park your vehicle inside the garage whenever possible. Faced with a sea of bicycles, skateboards and soccer balls, it may seem impossible to safely squeeze your vehicle into the garage. However, it can be a lot easier than you think.

First, sort through your things and edit anything you don’t need. Be brutal. That means ditching old tires, broken furniture and toys the kids have outgrown. If the item is still usable, donate it to a deserving charity or gift it to a friend. Rotate seasonal items.
Group similar items. Find anything you need in a flash by storing related items into specific zones. Create an area near the garage door to store winter weather items, like salt and snow shovels. Set up a zone for automotive fluids and supplies. Store fluids on shelves or in a garage cabinet, away from kids and pets. Place winter sports gear in a dedicated zone children can easily access. Eliminate any unnecessary duplicates discovered while sorting.
Arrange items along the garage perimeter. A wall organization system with movable shelves, baskets and hooks will maximize the items you can store along your garage perimeter.

Once you’ve created space, park your vehicles inside the garage to protect them from the harsh winter weather. Now it’s time to prepare your vehicle for the heavy snow and bitter cold that lies ahead.

Prepare Your Vehicle for Winter Weather Hazards

The contradictory predictions about what to expect this winter require cautious drivers to prepare for whatever lies ahead. Take a few simple steps now to prepare your vehicle for frigid temperatures and snowy conditions.

Stock up on automotive supplies like antifreeze, windshield washer fluid and wiper blades.
Store additional supplies in your trunk, including all three items listed above. Keep kitty litter or gravel on hand to create traction if you get stuck and a shovel to dig yourself out.
Get all-weather tires. Unlike all-season tires, all-weather tires carry the severe service emblem. An aggressive tread enables all-weather tires to bite snow and divert water and slush, so they handle better during perilous winter conditions. Another option is to get snow tires. Store the alternate set of tires on a tire rack to retain limited garage floor space.
Keep vehicles running in top shape. Don’t skimp on oil changes and other maintenance. Thinner oil performs best during colder temperatures, but check your owner’s manual to see what the manufacturer suggests. Top off fluids, including windshield washer fluid and antifreeze.
Keep the gas tank full. Don’t wait until your needle hits E. Fill your tank at the halfway mark so you’ll be ready if forced to sit in traffic for hours during a storm.
Use an engine block heater when parking outside in brutally cold temperatures. By keeping the engine warm, the block heater prevents damage to engine components that can occur when heating the engine in extremely cold weather. Your car will also heat up faster.

Whether we have a cold and snowy winter or a particularly mild one, there are sure to be plenty of days when winter weather will impact your commute. Prep your garage by reducing clutter, organizing the space and arranging items along the perimeter so you can park your vehicles inside. Ready your car for winter by stocking up on winter weather supplies. Store essentials in the trunk of your car. Invest in Ontario winter-worthy tires. Properly maintain vehicles, top off fluids and use a block heater to avoid starting an ice cold engine. Then you’ll be prepared for the winter ahead, regardless of what the weather may bring.

Open vs. Closed Garage Storage

April 30, 2013 by Rick Scully

We’ve talked about purging your garage and getting rid of what you don’t need to keep; now it’s time to think about how to organize what’s remaining.

This is when you really need to reflect a little on your storage personality: Is it open or closed? Take a look at your kitchen. Do you have open shelves with items stored neatly on display? Or is there a disaster lurking behind the closed cupboards? You might try to keep things neat and orderly, but maybe you’ve got teenagers who sabotage the organization. The same thing can happen in the garage. When we organize, we have the best of intentions to keep everything neat, but life gets in the way and we fall into old habits.

You need to look at the way you live your life and find a storage plan that fits every member of the family’s storage personality. With spring arriving, if you’re an avid gardener, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to walk into the garage and instantly find those pruning shears that always seem to disappear over winter? And you need a place to keep tools, soil, fertilizer and other gardening items. If you’ve been skiing all winter and now your thoughts are turning to golf, you’ll need a convenient place to store your equipment and switch sports with the seasons without a lot of effort. If you’ve got kids, You need a way to keep their stuff organized while keeping them safe when they’re you need to think about them running in and out of the garage with their bikes, toboggans or looking for toys. This calls for different types of storage solutions. To help you decide what will work best for you, let’s look at open shelves versus closed cabinets and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

When you think about things looking tidy, a cabinet with doors sounds appealing. Closed cabinets can work well for organizing in a garage. If you have small children, cabinets with locking doors,to keep small hands from being able to reach for toxic chemicals such as fertilizers and cleaning solutions, is a great solution. A cabinet with drawers is handy for storing small tools for the exotic car guy or DIY-er of the home so they can enjoy a professional-style environment in the garage.There are also tall, locker-style cabinets with shelves above and an open area below to store long tools or golf clubs. Storing everything in closed cabinets give an overall clean look to a garage. But do they really keep you organized? Unless you’re naturally organized (and can train the rest of your family to be the same), things that are hidden can end up messy after a while. And you’ll be paying a premium to hide all your stuff.

You might think that storing things in the open in your garage would make it look messy. But using the right sort of open storage system can actually help you get and stay organized, and potentiallymake it easier for younger members of the family to participate in keeping the space neat and organized. Hooks have a defined purpose and if you take a tool down from a hook, it’s easy to hang it back in its place when you’re done using it. If you’ve started by sorting your garage items into groups, you can then attach baskets and hooks to slatwall. Car cleaning items such as chamois, sponges and soap can go in a basket where they are easily accessible. Kids can have easily accessible baskets for balls, skipping ropes and water toys. Their bikes can also be placed on hooks low down. They’re more likely to put stuff back if it’s got a specific home. Open shelving or platforms can be placed higher on the walls or hung from the ceiling to neatly store seasonal or seldom used items away from eye level. Closed cabinets look a little neater at first glance, but open storage might keep you more organized. It’s also a less-expensive option.

Benefit from the best of both worlds and use a combination of closed and open storage. Hide the things that you know you can keep organized or need to be locked away, and have the rest out where you can see it. When you’re ready to design your garage storage, ask yourself, “Am I an open or closed door personality?”