Garage Organization
By on Apr 16, 2008
By Kim Kuhteubl
In search of the perfect Father's Day gift? A Harris Interactive Poll found that the number one home improvement project on a man's wish list is a clean and organized garage. At least 28 per cent of men use their garage for storage, exercising, and hobbies, not just parking the car. In fact, garage remodelling and organization is the hot new category in home improvement.
According to the United States' National Association of Home Builders, garage remodelling and organization accounted for 2 billion dollars in business last year. In Canada, it's a market that is just beginning to emerge. "Now that people have done some work on their homes-finished their basements-their garage is an area that they're starting to better utilize," says Aaron Cash, partner in the Toronto-based firm NewAge Storage, one of a few companies that have sprung up to meet increased demand. "In newer subdivisions, the average garage is getting smaller so you don't have a lot of space to fit kid's bikes and two cars."
Adine Taveroff, a 36-year-old, Thornhill-based sales representative, hired OnWall Solutions to organize her family's two-car garage. "It was the best money I ever spent. I'm in the trading card business and I carry product on me. Without having done something to my garage, I would have product everywhere." Taveroff bought a PVC Slatwall system (polyvinyl chloride), similar to those used in some retail stores, to hang items on her garage walls. PVC cabinets and baskets are hooked onto the slats and accommodate not only her sales materials, but also the family bikes, rollerblades, skis, shovels, cleaning equipment, and even two cars.
"There is no reason to have anything on the floor," laughs Taveroff. "Before the renovation, we were only able to fit one car in the garage. With the winters, I didn't want to have to wake up earlier to clean the snow off, fitting two cars in was really important!"
Eventually, Taveroff would like to install red, PVC interlocking tile over the concrete floor to complement the grey and black Slatwall and baskets on her walls. PVC provides excellent acoustic and thermal insulation and creates a vapor barrier that greatly decreases the amount of rusting inside a garage. At $4.50 to $6.50 per square foot, these tiles are resistant to most solvents and chemicals and reduce the damage caused by impact, abrasion, and vibration. They are also easy to clean, quick to install, and come in a wide variety of colours to get a really customized look.
A less expensive alternative is an industrial-style floor coating called apoxy, often used in retail spaces and convention centres. When applied properly it does not peel or crack like paint and depending on the amount of work required to prepare the floor, a double car garage costs between $2 and $4 per square foot. The apoxy coating is also available in a number of different colours or decorative patterns.
On average, a 380 square foot garage renovation will set you back approximately $1,500 to $2,000, if you're primarily interested in increasing your storage space. Overhead storage units, on-the-wall cabinetry, and hanging baskets are the most common solution and all come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colours. The best are executed in PVC or steel, since wood or other natural materials expand and contract with temperature changes and deteriorate with moisture or potential leaks.
A Cadillac renovation could cost as much as $15,000 and would include additional elements like lighting, flooring, drywall, and insulation. OnWall Solutions even carries a line of infrared heaters.
"People want to make the garage look like a room," says Ron Einbinder, president of OnWall Solutions. "We want to motivate the builders to finish up their garages so the consumers get something nice. Garage organization is the new frontier."
