You may be thinking “Hey, it can’t be that bad. You can just put that stuff right back in the spot it sat before the holidays.” That may be an option for many but it turns out I couldn’t possibly put these items back where they originally were because other items had quickly moved into their place. I would need to spend at least 2-3 hours shuffling other items around the garage just to make room for the seasonal decorations. To top it all off, for the next eleven months my family and I would proceed to bury those decorations under piles of toys, shoes, winter clothes, sports equipment, and everything else one can think of that we could possibly fit into the garage.  By the time Christmas rolled around again all the decorations would have to literally be dug out of all the other mess that was overrunning the garage.

It was an awful experience to go through every year. Not to mention the whole process put a really bad taste in my mouth for the holidays. By the time I managed to sift through the clutter to just get to the decorations I felt pretty “bah humbug” about the holidays. After playing this game for years and years I finally decided that I’d had enough and was going to do something about the mess. I realized that I had a serious problem when it came to organizing the garage and I needed to do something about it.

While Christmas is now well over, many people may still have a bunch of holiday decorations that never quite made it back into the seasonal storage area of the garage. If you continue to display your decorations well after the holiday has ended because you lack appropriate garage storage solutions then it’s definitely the right time to organize your garage.

Consider installing a garage cabinet system and assigning one of the cabinets to holiday decorations. If you are an individual who enjoys decorating for holidays, a custom garage cabinet for all your seasonal decorations will keep everything organized and in the same spot. It will be far more convenient to swap things out this way as well.

Once you install new cabinets for garage you will be far more prepared to finally dismantle and store the Christmas decorations. If you happen to go the cleaner, artificial route when it comes to Christmas trees and wreaths, be sure to store them appropriately. Artificial trees should be kept in tree bags and wreaths should be stored in boxes that will preserve the shape.

Stop fearing the beginning and end of the holidays. Don’t let a cluttered garage ruin another celebratory event for you. Finally get the garage organized so you can store those decorations.

Not sure where to get started? Let us help you transform ideas and thought into action. Give us a call today (877) 624-2332!

That’s exactly what is believed to have happened to the home on the left in this photo. A family was apparently sleeping inside the home before being shaken awake to find their home caving into its foundations. It is believed that the damage was caused by a remodeling project taking place at the neighbor’s house on the right.

It looks as though it is too late to save the garage for this family. A home garage storage solution would have been powerless if faced with such devastation. Fortunately, you have decided to act and organize garage before things could get this bad.

There are several important lessons to be learned from this situation.

First, be sure to check the foundations of your home regularly for signs of instability and erosion. This can easily be done by looking for cracks or signs of pulling away in the interior walls of the home. On the outside of the house, check for cracks along the base. While smaller cracks can be cosmetic they can also be the start of something much worse.

Before beginning any home improvement project you will need to know if your work will affect the foundations of your house, the plumbing, or the electricity and power. Failure to do so could cause serious damages or injuries to you and people within close proximity. Clearly you will not need to do this for simple maintenance or cosmetic improvements, however, for major projects these factors will need to be checked.

Remember to involve neighbors who live in close range. Give your neighbors a heads up about any major renovations you have planned. Let them know how your project might affect them and their property. If your neighbors are also having major home improvements completed it may be necessary to work out a schedule. Planning ahead will give both work crews the space needed to complete their work. It also ensures that both projects run smoothly and are completed without interruptions.

Neighbors may also be willing to assist with you with your projects if you offer the same courtesy. An extra hand can definitely help get the garage cleaned out faster. You may also be able to organize a community tool swap. Exchanging tools between neighbors is a great way to save money on a tool that you would have otherwise had to purchase for your project. Keep a ledger near your work table of all the tools you lend and borrow. Try to automatically return borrowed tools after using them.

There are always plenty of projects to tackle around the house. The question is: Which projects will qualify as “home improvement” for tax purposes? The IRS doesn’t specifically outline what qualifies as home improvement. They do provide a list of examples, however, of projects that you might want to focus on.

Safety is paramount when doing home improvement especially for do-it yourselfers. Nothing could be worse than having to deal with someone getting injured working on your property or you sustaining an injury trying to be Mr./Ms. Fix-It. You will also want to be sure to plan your project out. Things done right the first time do not have to be done a second or third time.

Below is a home improvement “Things To Remember List” that will help you prepare for the coming home maintenance season. Start planning your projects out now so that you are ahead of the curve when spring and summer come around.

Home Improvement Thing To Remember #10 – Have the proper permits.

As with nearly everything else in life, you will need to get permission before beginning any major construction on your home. Building permits are usually handled through your local city or county government and will generally have a fee attached. Fortunately, only bigger home addition projects (i.e. an addition to the garage, a deck/patio, or an additional bedroom) and major landscaping projects (i.e. sidewalk and driveway repair) require permits. Nearly all other home improvements on the IRS list will not require a permit.

Home Improvement Thing To Remember #9 – Have the right tool for the job.

There are few things worse than getting excited and psyched to complete a home improvement project only to find that you don’t actually have all the tools you need for the job. Tools get misplaced, borrowed, and lost all the time. A tool cabinet can resolve the problem of lost and misplaced tools. This would be a small and wise investment compared to the money wasted replacing those items. Be sure to locate or purchase the tools needed for a project in advance to avoid such frustration.

Home Improvement Thing To Remember #8 – Prep the work area.

Before starting any home improvements you will want to prep the work area. Carpets or flooring that you want to protect should be covered with a paint cloth, tarp, or any other kind of covering that will not leak through or impede movement in the work area. If possible bring all of your tools to the same area as well. Having everything in the same place will save you energy in the long run.

Home Improvement Thing To Remember #7 – Save your pennies so you can buy quality products.

So maybe there is something worse than not having the right tool for the job. It is so much better to work with the best products available. Make the project worth your time by investing in solutions that actually work and will last for as long as you need or want them to.

Home Improvement Thing To Remember #6 – Pick the right project for you.

There is no point in starting a project that you are unable to complete and/or don’t have the budget for. If your time is limited, focus on projects that can be completed in one or two days over a weekend. If it helps you may want to schedule your project so that you truly commit yourself to getting it done. Folks on limited budgets should scale back their plans and focus on smaller projects. New windows and doors, a home automation system, an alarm system, new flooring, garage cabinet systems, and other built in appliances can be less expensive ways of improving your home.

Home Improvement Thing To Remember #5 – Take the proper safety precautions.

As previously stated, safety is very important when working in, around, or on your home. You will definitely want to have proper face masking when dealing with things like paint, lacquer, primer, stains, etc. Protective eyewear should also be considered when working on any project but especially with power tools and harmful chemicals.

Home Improvement Thing To Remember #4 – Find out what home improvement projects the neighbors are doing.

Collaborating with neighbors on projects can have many benefits. If any of your neighbors are working on similar areas of their homes, you may be able to pool resources (i.e. tools, supplies). Offer to assist your neighbors with their projects in exchange for assistance with yours. It may be appropriate to advise your neighbors of any major home improvement plans that you have planned. Warn the neighbors about noise that might occur because of a project and the anticipated start and stop time.

Home Improvement Thing To Remember #3 – Measure Twice, Cut Once.

This adage may be aged and over used but the truth of it still holds today. Taking a wrong measurement can leave your home improvement project spiraling. It is definitely better to measure correctly the first time to avoid such a catastrophe.

Home Improvement Thing To Remember #2 – Ladder Safety

You will most certainly want to make sure that your ladder is tall enough for whatever project you pick. It is dangerous and ill advised to exert one’s self past the limitations of the ladder. You may also want to recruit a “spotter” or someone to hold the ladder as you climb it. Remember, your safety and the safety of those assisting you or around the work area is most important.

And finally Home Improvement Thing To Remember #1 – Know when to ask for help.
Too often we get in over our heads when it comes to home improvement. We pick a project that should probably be left to professionals and end up making a bigger mess, getting stuck, or taking something beyond repair. If you happen to know what you are doing and are confident enough in your abilities then go for it! Have fun and be safe!

We love the spring cleaning/remodeling season here at RedLine Garageegar. It also happens to be the perfect time to clean out and organize the garage. Good luck with all your projects this season!

It seems that the garage storage space is often pushed to the fringes. It is left to be cluttered and unorganized while monthly, resources are spent to have a place to store more stuff. The garages in many homes have become useless due to clutter, disorganization, and bad garage flooring. Homeowners find themselves feeling helpless and frustrated looking for any quick and easy solution to the problem.

While quick and easy solutions will not fix the problem, it does not take a very difficult solution either. The first thing to do when beginning any organization project is to map out the solution. Questions like:

• What do I intend to store in the garage?
• Will I need a storage system complete with garage cabinets, slat wall, bike racks, and other garage storage accessories?
• If I need a garage storage system, will it have to be custom due to obstructions or odd shaped items/parts of the garage?

should be answered. You should also be considering what things can be thrown out or donated to local charity. When donating please remember that quality is more important than quantity. If an item is broken or would be of absolutely no use to anyone it is probably best to throw such things away.

Once the important “save” and “discard” decisions have been made, begin to put action behind the plan. Create three piles for save/store, donate, and discard. Once everything in the garage has been assigned to a pile, throw out everything in the discard pile, immediately take the donate pile to your local donation center, and organize the items in the save/store pile within your garage.

For further organizing it may be helpful to consider storage cabinets for the garage. There are lots of systems out there that claim to be for use inside the garage. It should not be too difficult to get past the noise, however, if you know exactly what to look for. If a custom job is needed you will want to find a manufacturer with hundreds of different configurations to be sure that something can be built to fit your garage perfectly.

Garage cabinets should be made of a strong, durable material that has been tested and proven to withstand the most extreme conditions of a typical garage. Powder coated medium density fiberboard should do the trick. The powder coat finish comes in many different colors, makes the cabinets resistant to temperature extremes and accidental spills, and keeps them looking factory fresh for a lifetime. For the best result the system should also hang from the wall. This prevents any water damage to the garage wall cabinets and to the items being stored.

Making the garage your first option for storage should be the goal of any homeowner. Why spend money elsewhere when it is possible to store everything on your own property? Anyone can organize a garage and then install a storage system to help keep things in place.

Need more help with organizing your garage? Let us help you get your garage storage space organized. Give us a call today (877) 624-2332!

Most homeowners treat their garage as a holding facility for various items. Things that are no longer needed, old and broken toys, appliances, clothes, and tools, or things that just cannot be kept in the house all find their way to the garage. Usually the idea is that these items will eventually be sold during a yard, garage, or rummage sale, given away to charities, relatives, or friends, or simply discarded.

As our lives grow increasingly busy, however, finding the time to get things done is becoming harder. Thus, jobs like organizing the garage, having a sale, and taking items to the curb or dump are pushed farther and farther down the list of things to do. The result then, generally, is that the garage is disorganized, cluttered, and in a state of disrepair.

The garage is the best storage space in any home. Not to mention it can be a great place to park the car. Why let that space go to waste when there are unlimited options for organizing a garage? Many homeowners are leasing space at a storage rental facility because nothing more can be fit into the garage. It is about time you made some changes.

If you’re really unsure where to start try looking for some garage organization tips online. There are also garage organizing books that are available for purchase on sites like Amazon or even at your local bookstore.

Here are four common sense solutions that anyone can implement:

1. Throw away things that are broken. It is time to face the facts. If you haven’t fixed that old lawnmower, washing machine, or toy it most likely isn’t going to happen.
2. Consider giving away or even throwing away things that have not been used in the last six months by anyone residing in your home.
3. If you are truly committed to having a yard sale then begin pricing items that you are going to sell and make all the plans necessary for putting together such an event. This option should only be used by individuals who have valuable items that they are serious about selling. Never have a sale just to create an excuse to put all that stuff back in the garage or put off organizing the garage.
4. Install a garage storage system to store seasonal clothes, outdoor toys, tools, and sporting equipment. A storage system can be made up of a combination of garage cabinets of various dimensions and workbenches. Some garages may require custom storage cabinets due to odd configurations or other obstacles that may impede installation. It is important to fully vet all the options prior to purchasing a new garage storage system as this can be a huge investment. Be sure to look for cabinets that are built specifically to withstand garage conditions. Many garage cabinet imitators are installing systems that will eventually erode due to the harsh elements found in a typical garage environment.

Need more help with organizing your garage? Let us help you get your garage storage space organized. Give us a call today (877) 624-2332!