Garage Makeovers Boost Style into Overdrive
Catching up to what used to be an afterthought in home decorating, businesses are revving up designer touches that transform garages into havens of order and style.
Think closet organizers ramped up to the scale of multi-purpose rooms. Picture designer cabinetry in sleek metallics and innovative storage suspended in space, complete with power lifts. Improvements range from a variety of flooring materials that disguise floor flaws and clean in a snap, to modular wall units that combat the chaos of daily living.
Hercke, a cabinetry maker, calls the trend “avant-garage.”
And when it comes to garages, cosmetic fixes can have long-lasting effects.
“The epoxy floors have a 100-year life span,” said Josh Steadman, who manages The Garage Store location at Design Pointe in Naperville. “You’re not tracking in dirt that has been ground down into the concrete.”
The retail shop, which offers full design services and installation for homes spanning the western suburbs to Chicago, has a second location at Lake in the Hills.
Tired of that old tennis ball hanging on a string? For $35, you can substitute a laser-guided “Parking Assist” system and follow the moving dot along your dashboard.
Plentiful add-ons include a car lift, vacuum system and powered screen door to turn your garage into an extra work or playroom with ample ventilation, sans bugs.
By the numbers
73 percent of people enter their home through the garage.
25 percent of people can’t park a single car in their garage.
Statistics are from MonsterRAX storage solutions.
The Ultimate Garage
At first, your garage is just a little cluttered, a tiny bit untidy. Then you hang the tennis balls from the ceiling in order to avoid running over some large plastic object your child hasn't used in three years. In the latter stages, parking your car becomes a high stakes game of "Operation." Finally, you find yourself brushing snow off your car in the dead of winter as you stand shivering in front of your nicely heated garage.
The garage has become the storage area of last resort for many families, but when there is no actual storage left for the intended object -the family car -homeowners increasingly are turning to professional storage design companies to remake clutter central into the ultimate garage.
In 2006, The Washington Post reported that retail sales of garage organization products had increased 38 percent over five years. Sales of such products reached $688 million in 2005, the paper reported.
Both epoxy and snap-together floor coverings provide a look that is neater and easier to clean than concrete floors, which soak up oil, dirt and grime. But perhaps the biggest trend in garage storage is slotted wall systems. The slotted or channeled systems create custom cabinets that often hang up off the floor and can be slid along the walls after they are installed.
Many custom garage companies, such as Garage Store in the Design Point Mall on Route 59, offer custom-installed car lifts. Such car lifts can double the car storage of garages by hydraulically raising one car, allowing a second to drive in under it. These systems generally cost under $4,000 and require about 10.5 feet of clearance. These lifts are best used for secondary or classic cars that are rarely driven. The lifts also can be used to store all-terrain vehicles or riding lawn mowers.
However much you spend, it's best to let the expert organizers see and evaluate your garage in its worst state. Don't clean up before they arrive to assess your storage needs. Also, experts advise getting as much storage capacity as possible behind closed cabinet doors to help hide clutter.