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Do These Seven Things to Get the Best Results from Your Garage Renovation

March 22, 2016 by Rick Scully

Your garage should play an important role in the function of your home. A well-designed and organized garage provides storage space for your vehicles and items that are important to your lifestyle, like sporting goods and gardening tools.

In a previous article, we discussed five things to look for when hiring a garage renovation specialist. Now let’s look at seven things you can do to get the best results from your garage renovation.

Before You Hire a Garage Renovation Expert

The foundation for a successful renovation experience begins long before the workers show up on Day One of the project. Start your garage renovation off on the right foot by doing the following three things before you hire a garage renovation expert:

Honestly assess your needs and expectations. Look at how you currently use your garage. Now consider how you’d like to use it. Do you need space for specific sports equipment? Do you require a workbench? Are there items causing specific storage challenges, like a kayak or winter tires? Will an additional vehicle be parked in the garage in the near future? Discuss your needs with the garage organization or garage renovation expert. Any plan proposed should address your unique lifestyle needs.
Know your budget range. Before you meet with potential garage renovation specialists, decide how much you are willing to invest in your renovation. Come to the meeting with a low number (what you’d prefer to spend) and a high number (what you’re willing to spend to get your dream garage) in mind.
Purge. Your renovation should maximize the storage capabilities of your garage. However, even an organized garage will become cluttered again if you store too many items in it. Get rid of broken, outdated or useless items. Gift or donate duplicates, items the kids have outgrown or things you no longer use. The remaining items are those which merit space in your garage.

During the Renovation

Once you’ve engaged the services of an experienced, trusted garage renovation expert, here are three strategies to make the renovation go off without a hitch:

Find a new home for your stuff. During the renovation process, the garage must be cleared of all of your belongings. Items might need to be temporarily relocated to the basement or a storage container. Discuss the issue with your contractor beforehand. Be clear on who will move the items and when they must be moved.
Find alternate parking for vehicles. The garage and driveway will be off limits while the renovation is in progress. If street parking isn’t an option, a neighbor might allow you to park your car in their driveway during the renovation process.
Keep children and pets away from work areas. Kids are wonderfully curious about the world. The beehive of activity and the whirr of power tools are enough to draw the attention of any curious child. However, tools and other materials used during a renovation can pose a danger to children and animals. For the safety of everyone, be sure to keep children and small pets away from the work area, even if the crew is off-site.

After the Renovation

At the end of the project, the renovation crew walks away, leaving you to enjoy your clean, organized, renovated space with adequate storage for the things important to you and your family. Ideally, the credits roll, we fade to black and everyone lives happily ever after. On rare occasions there may be hiccups—small changes that need to be made. Don’t let this ruin your experience.

Continue honest communication with garage renovation expert. If something isn’t as expected, talk to your contractor about it. A good, reliable contractor will ensure that the job meets the expectations created from the outset. They use quality products, backed by a manufacturer’s warranty and they follow through on the project with outstanding service.

A well-organized garage serves as an extension to your home. Lay a solid foundation for the success of your garage renovation by honestly assessing your needs, knowing your budget and purging before you hire your renovation expert. During the renovation, relocate your belongings, keep the driveway clear of your vehicles and keep children and small pets away from the workspace. After the renovation, continue honest communication with your contractor about anything that doesn’t meet outlined expectations.

What to Look for in a Professional Garage Designer

March 25, 2014 by Rick Scully

You’ve decided that you’re finally ready to renovate your garage and you don’t want to do it yourself. How do you know which professional garage designer is right for you? Of course, you want to know that the person’s business is licensed and insured. However, there are several other factors that will help you decide whether a garage design professional will meet your needs. Here are a few to consider.

Experience

One of the advantages of hiring a professional garage designer, rather than trying to tackle the project yourself, is the knowledge, wisdom and experience that he or she will bring to the project. Every project is different. However, the more renovation projects the person has under his belt, the more scenarios he has encountered. This adds to the person’s overall knowledgebase, which is invaluable on a design project. Ask your potential designer how many projects he has designed. If he has a strong body of work, he should have a substantial portfolio that he is willing to share. Otherwise, your project could end up being where the designer cuts his teeth. Good for him; potentially disastrous for you.

Testimonials and References

If the designer has a large body of work, then he should also have several happy customers who have given him glowing testimonials. Look for testimonials on the designer’s website. If there are several, that’s a good start. However, how do you know that all of that glowing praise is from legitimate customers? Ask the design pro for references from past clients who are willing to spend a few minutes talking to you. A good designer with a solid body of work, and lots of happy clients, will likely have several.

Work Style and Reliability

When talking to references, don’t just ask about the design itself. Find out what it was like to work with this designer.

Was he prompt?
Did he deliver on his promises?
Was the owner/manager on site?
Was the project on time? On budget?
Did he clearly communicate about any problems or issues that arose?
Was he respectful of their property and that of their neighbors?
Did he follow-up promptly with any requests?
Have there been any issues since the completion of the project?
Would they hire the designer again in the future?

Detailed Proposal

Within a few days of meeting with you and seeing your space, your potential garage design professional should come up with a proposal. If you’ve wanted to renovate your garage for a long time, the moment you get that proposal can be truly exciting. You begin envisioning your new space. Take a hard look, though, at the proposal itself. Is it a simple sketch with few details? Did the person jot down a few ideas on the back of a napkin? A competent garage design professional will provide you with a detailed proposal that clearly defines the scope, timeline and estimated cost of the project.

Customized Solutions

Look closer at the proposal. Does it reflect that the designer took the time to get to understand your lifestyle and what’s most important to you in your garage renovation? Does the proposal make the most of your unique space? Is the designer simply planning to install “out-of-the-box” cabinets and shelves, or are you getting a space designed to fit your specific needs? An experienced design professional will maximize your space by building custom storage solutions that take advantage of overhead space and other areas of the space you probably hadn’t considered. A good design pro will ensure that the renovated space fits your lifestyle and specialized storage needs. For instance, if your family is active and has bicycles, kayaks and other sporting goods, the space will be specifically designed to house those goods.

Service Follow-up Spelled Out in Contract

You expect, of course, that everything will turn out well on a project. However, it is important to address what happens when things don’t go exactly as planned. What kind of follow-up does the garage design professional offer? Is a warranty offered on the materials that will be used in the renovation, like slatwall, shelving, cabinetry and flooring treatments? Does he guarantee his work? If so, for how long? While such scenarios aren’t pleasant to consider, the possibility of paying for an expensive renovation and being left with shoddy work or materials, and no recourse, is far worse.

Planning a garage renovation is exciting. A well-designed garage can organize your life and beautify your home. However, it is well worth it to do your homework when it comes to choosing the garage design professional that will transform your space.

Would you like to see what an experienced garage design professional can do for your space? Request a consultation today.

Make Your New Year’s Resolution a New Year’s Reality

January 15, 2014 by Rick Scully

As the clock strikes twelve, signaling the New Year, our enthusiasm burns bright. We’re excited about the possibilities ahead of us and all of the positive changes we’ve resolved to make.

If you’ve ever been in a gym during the first week of the year, you know that it’s brimming with people eager to achieve their New Year’s resolutions. By the second or third week, the crowd begins to thin. That’s because it doesn’t take long for that glittery excitement to fade.

Maybe you’ve begun to experience this, too. Your intentions were good, but you no longer feel motivated. Suddenly, those resolutions feel less like an opportunity for growth and more like a burden. One simple change will bring you closer to achieving your goals. Rather than making a broad resolution, like wanting to lose weight, travel more or make more money, create a step-by-step plan for reaching very specific goals.

The goals mentioned above are indeed worthwhile. However, my expertise lies with another common resolution—the desire to get organized. Let’s look at a few ways to ensure that you realize your intention of getting organized this year.

Get Clear About Your Objective

Start by getting crystal clear about what you want to achieve. Set SMAC goals. Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Compatible. A goal like, “I want to get organized,” is admirable, but not specific or measurable. It is therefore less likely to be achieved. So be specific.

“I’m purging my closet of anything I haven’t worn in the past year.”

“I’m donating all of the toys and clothing my children have outgrown to a local shelter.”

“We’re going to organize the garage so that we can finally park the car inside.”

Now you have specific goals that can easily be measured. If the project still seems overwhelming, don’t panic. My three steps to ideal organization will help you simplify the process and achieve your desired results. Let’s apply those three steps to organizing your garage.

Step One: Get rid of everything you don’t want or need.

This is the step that sometimes hurts. Many of the items stored in your garage have some sentimental value. They represent special memories from your past or optimism about the future. Approach each item logically. Ask yourself if you’ve used it in the past year. If you haven’t, chances are you’ll never use it again. It’s simply clutter, and it’s standing between you and your ultimate objective of organizing your garage.

Don’t be afraid to let go of unused items. If anything is broken, outdated or unsafe, dispose of it. For items that are still in good shape and may be useful to someone else, arrange for a spring garage sale or donate them to a local charity. Don’t hold onto things because maybe one day you’ll need them. Recall the frustration you felt when you made your resolution to get organized. Stay focused and be ruthless. Purge, purge, then purge some more.

Step Two: Divide your stuff into manageable chunks.

Have you ever tried to do a small house repair only to discover that your hammer, wrench and screwdriver were in three separate places? It makes what might have been a simple job frustrating and time-consuming. That’s why it’s important to group all of your tools in one central location, like a toolbox.

Now, take the same approach when it comes to organizing your garage. Separate items by category. Group holiday decorations, gardening supplies, power tools, sporting goods and automotive products. You’ll save valuable time (and prevent needless aggravation) throughout the year.

Step Three: Organize your things according to themes, seasons or purpose.

Organize the garage in a way that makes accessing items intuitive. Place items used frequently where they are easily accessible. Seasonal items like Halloween or Christmas decorations don’t need priority placement. Such items are good candidates for high shelves or overhead storage racks. Winter weather equipment like shovels, ice melting products and antifreeze should be placed near the garage door and given a priority space during the winter.

Once you’re done purging and organizing your garage, you may discover that your current storage options don’t accommodate everything you own. However, a well-designed garage, tailored to fit your lifestyle needs, will provide the storage you need. Simply contact a garage organizational expert to find out how quick and affordable a custom garage transformation can be.

Getting organized requires time, effort and a lot of hard work. However, when your space is organized and clutter-free it will be well worth it.

Resolutions / Get Organized

January 15, 2013 by Rick Scully

Garage Tailors Year Resolutions

It’s a new year and like many people, you’ve probably made, or are considering making, resolutions. Over the holidays, I did an unscientific survey of my family, friends and associates and confirmed some long-held assumptions – the most common resolutions are joining the gym, quitting smoking, eating better and getting organized. While the first three are out of my purview, in terms of getting organized, I can offer a lot more than moral support.

The trick behind getting organized is picking a reasonable objective. Blanket statements like, “I want to organize my life,” can be daunting. It’s like going to the gym for the first time in two years and insisting on 30 minutes on the Stairmaster. In theory it might seem like a good idea, but you’ll soon realize incremental steps are the best, and least painful, approach. That’s why I like projects that are SMAC – specific, measurable, achievable and compatible.

When it comes to getting your garage organized, it may seem like a big endeavour, but if you follow my three steps to ideal organization, it’s a lot easier than you think. And the results of a clean, tidy, organized garage are well worth the effort because it saves time and aggravation in the longrun.

1. Get rid of stuff you don’t want or need.

Purging is the hardest part, especially with things you’ve had for a long time. The garage tends to be the dumping ground for things in the house without a real home. Really consider if you need it or are hanging onto it for sentimental reasons. I call this “just in case syndrome.” Remember your objective and ultimate resolution to get organized. When you’re clearing your closets, you don’t want to look at the skirt or jacket that’s been hanging there for the past three years and say, “I might need it.” It’s the same in the garage. Be focused and ruthless.

You’ll be amazed how rewarding it is to give old bikes to programs that repair and recycle them, or if you have a variety of stuff, you can save it for a spring garage sale.

2. Divide your stuff into manageable chunks.

Separate items by category like gardening supplies, power tools, sporting goods and automotive products.

3. Now organize your things according to themes, seasons or the way it’s used, similar to the way you’d group cutlery, dishes, baking accessories and food in the kitchen cupboards and drawers.

Items that only are only accessed once a year like Halloween or Christmas decorations don’t need priority placement in the garage. Shovels, ice melting products and antifreeze are items you require frequently, so they should be stored in an easy to reach, logical spot.

The idea is you shouldn’t have to think a lot when you’re looking for something in the garage or anywhere else. It should be intuitive.

After purging and organizing everything in the garage, you might wonder how the standard four walls and minimal storage options can effectively make a home for everything. With a well-designed garage that’s custom tailored to your lifestyle needs, you’ll be able to sustain your organizing efforts and the garage will no longer be the dumping ground for clutter.

So if you’ve resolved to get finally get things organized in 2013, I welcome you to call me for a free in-home consultation on how you can take your garage to the next level.

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Do These Seven Things to Get the Best Results from Your Garage Renovation

Before You Hire a Garage Renovation Expert

During the Renovation

After the Renovation