Garage Improvement

Lance Armstrong's Garage

2010-05-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

Priorities?

2010-05-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

We Loved This Job

2010-05-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

The very nice folks at Antone Ranch near Mitchell Oregon had us come out to fix up the ranch shop. With approximately 40,000 acres and 60 ranch vehicles, this shop is a busy place. We installed Gladiator Premier cabinets and tool boxes, a 16' workbench, wall storage systems, and an epoxy floor finish. It was a pleasure to work with such great people in a beautiful setting.

Antone Ranch website

Guess whose garage this is?

2010-05-04T20:04:00.000-07:00

Would you believe Jay Leno? Most people are familiar with the shop containing his huge car collection, however Jay Leno's personal garage seems to be just as messy as the average homeowner, filled with broken down furniture, piles of clothes and old memorabilia.

On the DIY Network show Garage Mahal, host Bill Goldberg worked with our friend and supplier Garage Envy to totally transform it into an amazing showplace. Unbelievable "his" and "hers" garages complete with technology straight out of a James Bond film!

You can see the DIY Network Garage Mahal episode here.

In Praise of Flickr

2009-10-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

I've recently spent some time setting up a Flickr account for Garage Improvement. It is a great organizational tool. I can have different sets to show photos depicting examples of solutions for various storage problems. What's also great is the ability to tag photos. So if you want to see all the photos of maple cabinets or grey cabinets, or overhead storage, they are easy to find with the tags.

It's still a work in progress. I'm so happy to finally have a place to hold all of our business photos and have an easy search process. I can easily upload slide shows on to our website too. Not quite as fancy as having Flash slide show done by a professional web designer, but I think it works fine.

2009-10-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

Yep, Garages and Closets

2009-03-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

National Association of Realtors (NAR) Research in 2007 have listed the following as the Profile of Buyers' Home Feature Preferences. The features are listed according to their rank in "importance" of the surveyed NAR Research home buyers with the least important being listed first.

Separate showers in main bath.
47% of buyers are prepared to pay more for a home that have a separate shower in the main bath. This is an indication that buyers are looking for luxury in their homes of choice.

High-speed Internet access.
The desire to have high-speed Internet access is a recent desire in buyers. Back in 2004, the desire to have high-speed Internet access did not even rank the top 10 important home features.

Cable/satellite TV-ready.
36% of buyers are willing to pay extra to have their home cable/satellite TV-ready. Again, this is another indicator of the home buyer's preference to have a home of luxury.

Backyard/play area, Patio.
In 2004, a backyard/play area did not even rank in the top 10 of importance in home features in a previous survey conducted by NAR. Of the buyers surveyed, 54% would pay a premium for a patio. When outdoor entertaining has become a common trend today, one can understand how this plays an importance for present home buyers.

#3 Walk-in closet in master bedroom.
Of all interior features in a home, 60% of home buyers surveyed state they would pay more for a home with a walk-in closet in the master bedroom.

#2 Oversize garage.
The second most desired feature in a home is an oversized garage or a garage with two spaces or more. 56% of NAR Researched home buyers are willing to pay a premium to have this feature in their dream home. Not only are cars requiring more space, garages are also utilized for another storage area for most homeowners.

#1 Central air-conditioning.
The top feature most wanted by home buyers is central air-conditioning which indicates home buyers desire for increased comfort in their home.

Other desirable features listed in NAR's 2007 Profile include hardwood floors, granite countertops, whirlpool bath, energy efficient features & fencing. By uncovering what home buyers believe are the most important home features, NAR's Research may help those currently in the process of buying a home by directing them on how to narrow their list of prospective homes by considering features that may have an effect on future resale value. This can also help sellers evaluate the pricing of their property as it gives insight on what home buyers are finding desireable when choosing a home.

A national garage franchise also states "A recent survey by leading real-estate brokerage Century 21 found that 74 percent of homebuyers cited the garage as the most important amenity - outranking a large kitchen, formal dining room or big backyard. And what they prize most about the garage is its storage capacity. Source: Century 21 Index."

Keeping Up Appearances

2009-03-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

Headache Free Extention Cords

2009-02-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

The Wonder Winder ends extension cord spaghetti for good. With the Wonder Winder, you'll never have to waste time untangling and coiling extension cords again. It comes with two twist-lock mounting plates that attach to a wall of your shop, garage, or basement, or outside of your house--anywhere you have an outlet. You can then just move the Wonder Winder from one location to another as you need it. The unit's basket holds up to 75 feet of 12/3 cord, 100 feet of 14/3 cord, or up to 150 feet of 16/3 cord. Simply plug your tool into the cord end, and as you walk to your work area the cord follows. When you're done, press the rewind lever, turn the handle, and your extension cord is stored quickly and neatly for future use.

Yikes!

2009-02-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Add Storage Space!

2009-02-10T13:10:00.000-08:00

One garage storage product that gives the biggest bang for your buck is our Onrax overhead storage rack. The Onrax units help keep wall and floor space clear so that cars, bicycles, gardening tools, and sports equipment do not have to compete for space. The most popular 8' x 4' can provide up to 112 cubic feet of storage! This is a great solution for Christmas Decor storage and off season tires. This industrial strength rack is superior to other racks found in home stores. It can hold up to 800 pounds. Another great feature is variable height adjustment to fit above your garage doors or anywhere in your garage or storage space. Call us to add extra storage to your garage today.

Batteries at your fingertips

2009-02-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a simple yet great product for organizing and storing batteries. It holds up to 66 different sized batteries along with a tester to figure out if your battery is usable. No more searching drawers or cupboards.

One way to use vertical space

2008-08-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

But we don't recommend it.