Garage Storage Solutions

Professional Storage Solutions – Slatwall Organization Systems

June 18, 2013 By Rick Scully Leave a Comment

garden long handle tools storage - ladder, lawn mower, hose, plant clipper, slatwall, lockable hooks, custom platform, basket

Choosing the right storage products is essential to ensuring your possessions are kept neatly and safely. This is where the quality of the products you choose really matters. The last thing you want is to risk damage to your car or your family from tools or storage containers that might fall off improperly secured hooks or unstable shelving.

The first thing to look at when choosing garage storage is a way to hang things on the wall. As I’ve mentioned before, the secret to an organized garage is having a place to hang everything and get it off the floor. But not all wall storage is created equal. There are degrees of quality and unfortunately you just aren’t going to find top quality at a big-box do-it-yourself store.

Choosing quality slatwall storage

It’s difficult to tell the difference on visual inspection, but the slatwall that’s sold in retail stores is not built to the same standards as slatwall used by professional garage firms such as Nuvo Garage. Our slatwall is made of heavy-duty PVC, which holds a large amount of weight and stands up to moisture. The typical big-box slatwall is made of MDF, which is a wood fibre product. You can install it and hang your things on it and it will look good and work well for a while, but it won’t hold the weight and can’t withstand the moisture over time so it will eventually start to break down.

Advantages of PVC professional-quality slatwall

Our slatwall comes in 1 ft x 8 ft panels. This makes it much easier to handle as well as more customizable to fit your space. Sometimes you just need a small section of slatwall to store a few tools or to fit into a recess in the garage wall. It also comes in a variety of colours to match with shelving and floors. It also comes with matching trim to create a finished look and protect the exposed ends from nicks. The screws are even colour-coded to make for a more seamless look.

Hooks, shelving and baskets

Once the slatwall is installed you can think about what accessories you need to organize your items. The beauty of slatwall is you can add or change the amount of storage you have over time by adding more panels and adding or changing the shelving and hook options.

You can hang anything with a hole in the handle. That means gardening tools, sports equipment, recycling bins and even something as heavy as a lawn mower. Nuvo Garage uses the unique Camlok system. The hooks lock firmly into the slatwall and you don’t have to worry about them falling off. They’re also removable because they don’t screw into the slatwall like the big-box store hooks. This is handy when you’re rearranging your wall hooks to accommodate winter or summer tools and toys. You can easily remove the hook and place it somewhere else. Our shelves use Camlok too, as well as our baskets. Baskets are a great way to store things such as balls, sports equipment, car accessories and even antifreeze and heavy bags of salt.

If you’re planning to stay put in your home for a while and you want a garage renovation that will stand the test of time, consider investing in a quality product. I guarantee it will save you time and money in the future.

Open vs. Closed Garage Storage

April 30, 2013 By Rick Scully Leave a Comment

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?”

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Custom Fitting

March 19, 2013 By Rick Scully Leave a Comment

1.5 car garage, etobicoke - overhead platform storage, garage cabinets, slatwall organization system, camlock camlok hooks, polyaspartic floor, cement block coating - after

Off-the-shelf storage products are great as a simple solution to organizing your garage. But custom-built storage can turn your garage into a room with truly functional storage and workspace.

Just because it’s custom-built doesn’t mean it has to be more expensive. Having a storage unit designed specifically to fit an area of your garage often costs no more than buying a read-made product that may not fit as well in the space.

Custom-built is all about creativity and effective use of space. Here are some ideas:

Workbenches

If you’re a gardener, car-enthusiast or DIYer, a workbench is a nice addition to any garage. Workbenches can be designed to any size or shape. A workbench that folds up to be stored when you aren’t using it is a great space-saver for small garages.

Overhead platforms and mezzanines

As I wrote in my previous blog, overhead storage is a great way to create extra space in garages with high ceilings. It can be as simple as a plywood platform to store seasonal items or as elaborate as a full mezzanine, which allows for another level of storage and workspace.

Ladders

Ladders or stairs are useful if you have a mezzanine or just need an easy way to access overhead storage. They can be designed to save floor space by pulling down when you need them and retracting out of the way when you’re done.

Thule or canoe slings

The best place to store canoes, kayaks or Thules is overhead. We build slings out of sturdy foam-covered chain with loop-and-eye hooks to safely and easily hoist these bulky items up and down.

Baseboards

Having a custom-built baseboard in your garage not only looks good, it protects against water leaks and rot. Wood baseboards allow polyaspartic flooring to wrap up the sides of the drywall. Stamped aluminium is a great modern, industrial look and provides excellent water protection.

Custom-built boxes

There are often unsightly items in the garage that can benefit from being covered up. We’ve built boxes to cover irrigation systems, electrical panels and central vacuum canisters. They can be finished to fit seamlessly into the rest of the garage design.

Designs for irregular-shaped spaces

As mentioned before, garages are rarely standard squares or rectangles. By having something custom-designed and built, you make the best use of all nooks and crannies and odd-shaped corners. When I visit a garage to do a consultation, or often when I’m on the job doing the renovation, I spot areas that would really benefit from a custom-built solution so I’d be happy to make a few suggestions.

Custom finishing

Finishes really up the wow factor in any garage renovation. We’ve done everything from finishing slatwall panels in an oak stain, in keeping with the cottage-look of the house, to installing custom wood worktops. We can even custom-mix paint chip colours to make the perfect shade of polyaspartic flooring.

Have a look around your garage and see if you have any odd-shaped areas or things you want to change. If you do, a custom-built storage solution is what you’ll want to consider to maximize the storage capability of your garage.

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Overhead Storage

March 5, 2013 By Rick Scully Leave a Comment

A recurring theme in helping my clients with garage organization is getting stuff off the floor. Having hooks to hang tools and racks to store equipment keeps the garage neat and maximizes your space. But there’s often an overlooked way to get even more storage space from your garage. Overhead, there’s a whole new area for storage.

Overhead racks are an ideal place to store items that you use infrequently. It’s a great place for storing garden furniture in the winter, as well as camping gear, out-of-season sports equipment and seasonal decorations. Tires can also be stored on overhead racks, but it’s best for tires without rims. Tires with rims are heavy and you likely don’t want to lift that much weight over your own head.

Where can I place overhead storage?

Selecting the ideal area for ceiling storage depends on the height of your ceilingand whether you have an entrance to your home from the garage. Over the garage doors, for example, is an ideal spot if your ceiling is 10 feet or higher. The tops of the rear and side walls make excellent storage areas as well, provided that you leave enough clearance for parking and walking below.

Types of overhead storage solutions

Ready-made

There are ready-made durable racks made of steel with a scratch-resistant finish. The ceiling unit is 48 x 96 inches and is secured to the ceiling joists. The rack can extend from 16 to 34 inches from the ceiling and holds up to 750 lbs.

For ready-made overhead storage on the side walls, there are 24 x 48 inch cantilevered racks that can be attached to the wall studs with sturdy metal brackets. These shelves can hold lighter items of under 200 lbs.

Custom-made

Nuvo Garage can create custom-made overhead storage that opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Canadian garages are rarely a standard size or shape and this limits what is available in ready-made storage solutions. Having overhead storage custom-designed to fit your garage ensures you are making good use of every inch of available space.

Ready-made overhead racks come in limited sizes and are often wide and open on all sides, making it difficult to see and reach items stored in the middle. We can design and make overhead platforms out of wood to any shape, size or depth you need.

Nuvo Garage attaches custom-made overhead storage to the ceiling using aircraft cable. These sturdy cables can support more than 1000 lbs. And we’ll finish your platforms to complement the design of your garage. The possibilities are endless. We can even install pot lights underneath to create a lighted workspace or create something as elaborate as the mezzanine we recently built for a client, complete with a space-saving retractable ladder.

Often clients will choose a combination of ready-made and custom-made storage to make their garage space work for them. If you’re ready to get organized, consider overhead storage.

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Spring Purging

February 5, 2013 By Rick Scully Leave a Comment

Spring Purge

For many people, hanging onto the memories & sentiments of kids sporting equipment, science projects and bedroom furniture or pieces of wood from recently completed renovations is comforting. You just never know when you might need a piece of wood for a home project or an extra roll of insulation.

Purge before Adding Storage

2 car garage willowdale showcase 2 tn190w before Spring Purging

2 car garage willowdale showcase 2 tn190w after Spring Purging

Why bother getting rid of perfectly good things when you can always store things in the garage? But wouldn’t you like to be able to park both your cars inside during the winter, or not have to worry about your kids taking out their bikes and scratching the car doors? Maybe it’s time to purge.

Start with a manageable task. Just charging ahead and trying to tidy everything up sets you up for disappointment. Take a good long look at all the stuff living in your garage and divide it up into what you need and what you no longer use. Old bikes, skiis and other household items may be useful and valuable to other people so give them away. Give away online via freecycle, donate items to a charity, prepare for a garage sale or just leave things at the curb. It’s almost guaranteed someone will scoop them up.

The next step is to review what you need to store in the garage and organize it into groups by category. Decide how often items are accessed as well as their use & placement within the garage. For example, holiday decorations can be placed into a sealed plastic storage bin instead of a cardboard box in the corner of the garage. For seasonal items, the best place for them is off the floor and above in overhead storage where you will only be accessing them occasionally or once a year. If you don’t create a well thought plan for storage locations of items, you’re likely to resort to old habits and pile them up in the corner.

Creating designated storage areas in the garage is the key to good organization. Unlike your kitchen, which already has specific places such as a pantry for food or drawers for cutlery, a garage usually starts as a bare room with walls & doors. Create specific zones for items so they can be found when you need to use them, or stored safely away when you don’t. Imagine the ease of knowing where to look and finding your weed remover when you need it, or no longer tripping over your son’s skates on the garage floor. Clearing the clutter and a bit of organizing can do wonders for your state of mind. Start by deciding how you want to use your space, then transforming it to suit those needs.

Gardening equipment such as rakes, hoes and spades can be stored in one zone and can be hung from hooks. Shovels and ice breakers can also be hung on the wall. Sports equipment, such as hockey sticks and pucks can be placed on hooks or in baskets. And while you’re re-arranging your space, garbage and recycling bins placed near the entrance to the house makes for convenient access.

A happy consequence of purging the garage and getting it organized for spring is a sense of freedom or heavy weight finally being lifted. I’ve helped many people transform cluttered garages, where there wasn’t room to park the family car, into garages with the space to store family belongings, to become a workshop and to park the full number of vehicles intended. When the garage is no longer a dumping ground for things without a home, it becomes a functional living space and frees up room for tools, sports equipment, seasonal decorations and garbage and recycling bins. I can show you garage storage solutions and fabulous products to transform your garage into the envy of your neighbours.

My clients say they feel happier and uplifted when they are finally free of the shackles of a cluttered and dangerous garage. Organizing allows them to concentrate on things that really matter and to stop stressing about the mess hidden behind the garage door. If you’re interested in discovering your garage’s potential, start by purging.

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Winter Toy Storage

January 22, 2013 By Rick Scully Leave a Comment

garage entrance to home - effectively leverage space for sports storage

In the great Canadian tradition of celebrating winter, sports equipment that lets you face the elements for pure fun is crucial. From toboggans and skis to snowshoes, snowboards and skates, there’s a range of winter toys that can enhance your family life when you’re surrounded by snow and ice.

The types and amounts of equipment families have stowed away generally depends on their children’s ages. When kids are little, toboggans, sleds, crazy carpets and flying saucers are in abundance. As they get a little older, skis become the most common.

Creating a proper storage solution for your skis, boots and poles is a simple way to protect your investment. The better you take care of them, the longer they’ll last. You could store your skis in the house but if they’re not properly dried out, you might end up with wet carpets or slippery floors. If they are hung on hooks inside the garage, drips won’t matter. Wherever you decide to put them, the best reason to have a designated space is so you won’t have to look around to find everything when the snow beckons.

Hockey gear is another type of sports equipment that can be found in abundance in many households. Ideally, if you insist on bringing your hockey equipment into the house, the ripened under armour, long johns, socks and jerseys would immediately find their way into the washing machine while the pads, pants and gloves would dry out on a laundry rack. But since late-night ice times are very common, most of the time after the game is over, the sweaty gear gets taken inside the house and dumped in the basement. Admit it, you’ve done it at least once.

There is a middle ground. As long as you take your under gear inside, skates, sticks, helmets and pads can be dried out in the garage so the musk doesn’t infiltrate the house and potentially aggravate your housemates. True, your gear will be cooler when you put it into the bag, but by the time you arrive at the rink, it’s more than likely warmed up. And if you’re playing on a year-round league, for three seasons it’s not even a factor.

One family I worked with didn’t want their young boys bringing their hockey gear into the house. The optimal solution was to build a locker in the garage for them to hang their skates, pants, gloves and pads using a combination of baskets, shelves and hooks mounted to an end wall. All the washable stuff went inside with the kids for proper clean up.

Winter is an amazing time of the year. An organized garage where you can protect your car from the elements, while also accessing everything you need to play in the snow, makes it that much better.

Depending on your budget, needs and taste, I can recommend the perfect cabinets and garage storage systems to accommodate all the athletes in your house. Our suppliers Hercke, Onex and CTECH offer higher quality and more adaptable products than the typical garage cabinets found in big box stores. Or if you’d like to discuss a custom storage system for your family’s specific activities which can be a better fit as well as cost effective, I can assist you with a solution to make it easy for everyone to use your garage in a way that fits the lifestyle.

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Simple and Secure Tire Storage

November 20, 2012 By Rick Scully Leave a Comment

If you’re like most people, you might be pretending that despite the raked leaves, frosty mornings and occasional dusting of snow, winter is still far away. Or maybe you’re thinking that given last year’s virtually nonexistent winter and lack of snow, we’re in for the same this year. Either way, it’s hard to imagine getting excited about the task of hauling out the snow tires and heading to the garage for a changeover. But if your tires are stored properly and easy to access, this seemingly fraught task is simple.

At Nuvo Garage, our garage renovations are designed to maximize storage and organize your belongings efficiently. Tires require a designated space for safe storage. Many of our clients opt for wall tire racks, which can accommodate tires with or without rims. These racks are mounted securely to the wall and ensure that the tires don’t touch the floor putting unnecessary pressure on the rubber. This configuration is especially practical for people with physical limitations who are unable to lift heavier objects or for people who simply would rather not. Depending on what other items you want to store and the size of your garage, cabinets are another close-to-the-floor option that also keeps tires out-of-sight for a sleeker look. These cabinets must be at least 48 inches deep and 30 inches high to fit most tires.

For tires without rims, we often suggest overhead storage solutions that also include room for storing heavy-duty floor mats and other out-of-season belongings. One of our more common installations involves suspending steel racks from the ceiling. This system is both strong and secure while also being easily accessed by a stepladder when you need take care of the seasonal tire changeover. It’s also a good option for people with one or two sets of tires. Platforms can support more weight so I often suggest them for clients with multiple vehicles, sets of tires and other automotive accessories.

Of course for people with very large garages and a penchant for high-tech storage solutions, we recommend hydraulic lifts. These sit flat against the wall and lift the tires but since you can’t store items underneath, you’ll need space to accommodate the snow blower, bicycles, garden equipment and any other things that live in the garage.

Proper tire storage is easy and doesn’t require a lot of space or expense, just a bit of planning so you can transition effortlessly from season to season. Make your life easier with a Nuvo Garage transformation. That way you’ll always know where to find everything when you need it, and in winter you’ll even be able to park your cars in the garage where they belong and save time clearing snow off windshields in the morning.

To ensure minimal disruption, our renovations can be completed in as few as two days. I’d be happy to come over to discuss options and give you an estimate.

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Onex Cabinets

November 6, 2012 By Rick Scully Leave a Comment

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 Nuvo 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 Nuvo 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.

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Avoid Seasonal Anxiety Disorder with a Garage Changeover

October 2, 2012 By Rick Scully Leave a Comment

Spring cleaning has become a tried and true ritual, the ideal time to gather up unwanted things for a garage sale or trash haul. Fall is also a great time of year to consider a sort and purge to transition into winter and ensure your garage is ready to do what it was built for – protect your car from the elements. But for many people, the idea of saying goodbye to summer and getting ready for winter is so off-putting they avoid it. At Nuvo Garage we call this common condition, Seasonal Anxiety Disorder. And the best way to alleviate symptoms is to have an organized garage.

For people with existing garage storage solution systems, the time that it takes to do the seasonal changeover is usually less than an hour. The changeover typically involves transferring the items you won’t need for a few months to the back of your garage and the ones you will be using to the front for quick access. Shovels replace rakes, the snow blower gets more prominent placement than the lawnmower and you can stash the pink, bug-eliminating windshield fluid in a cupboard and break out the blue antifreeze. Any sand or ice melting products that keep your stairs, pathways and front sidewalk slip-free get moved to a basket, which is suspended just off the floor near the front of the garage to grab when necessary. Snow tires are removed from overhead platforms or secure floor racks to be replaced with your all-weather tires until the spring. Typically people power-wash the garage in the spring to remove any salt stains from the floor, but a good soap, water and brush cleaning in the fall wouldn’t hurt.

If you’ve accumulated stuff that you no longer need, get rid of it. Give it away to a charity, have a garage sale or throw it out. Don’t put yourself in the position that led you to organize your garage in the first place. Purging should be an ongoing activity. It’s impossible to keep everything and keeping things you’ll never use again is a waste of space. For example, when kids get older, strollers get replaced by tricycles, which are replaced by scooters and bikes. Unless you’re planning on having more children, don’t keep the stroller. That’s what Craigslist and Kijiji, or the curb with a “free” sign, are for.

However, if the very idea of going into your garage to dig out winter items makes you feel queasy, you might be suffering unnecessarily from a bout of Seasonal Anxiety Disorder. Chaotic garages can be scary, but the problem is easily remedied. If you’ve never organized your garage, or the last time you did was during the past millennium, the best way to tackle it is to start in reverse. First, you decide what you need to keep, what to donate and what to throw away and then organize your garage to make space for your cars. The process takes planning, time and money, but ultimately will save you valuable time and aggravation each time you realize snow is on the way.

You can pretend the good weather will last forever and then cuss and fuss every time you find yourself scraping snow and ice from your windshield in minus 30 degrees. Or you can transform your garage with custom-designed storage solutions that address your personal needs and get into a warm, snow-free vehicle every winter morning.

At Nuvo Garage, we’re hoping to eradicate Seasonal Anxiety Disorder so everyone can feel good about getting the garage winter-ready. If you’re interested in knowing what could be done with your garage, we offer free in-home consultations.

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

September 25, 2012 By Rick Scully Leave a Comment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Filed Under: Garage Interior Design, Garage Storage Solutions Tagged With: bidding war, Bridle Path, buy your house, challenges to attract buyers, concrete, consultation, contractor, cost effective, current real estate market, footprint, garage, garage interior design, garage staging, golf clubs, home makeover shows, home staging, home’s personality, house, increase the storage space, interior design, large planter, low-VOC polyaspartic floors, minor landscaping, minor upgrades, organizing the garage, overhead storage shelves, personal effects, professional companies, prospective buyers, real estate agents, real estate market, savvy buyers, showcase, skis and bikes, storage solutions, upgrading flooring, well-organized storage