Designing your Garage for the Mountain Lifestyle
By Brad Cusenbary of Garage Logic
At Issue
Living in the mountains with thousands of acres of recreational park in our backyard means one thing—toys. Raise your hand if you’re with me. You’ve got a mountain bike, road bike, town bike, skate skis, backcountry skis, on-mountain skis, car camping gear, backcountry camping gear, golf clubs, and kayaks. Multiply that by two if you are married and by more if you have kids. Where do you put it all? In the garage.
Living in the mountains, you have a beautiful unique home. What is the largest single adjunct you see attached to your home?—the garage. What is the single most affordable upgrade, per square footage, that you may purchase to increase its “curb appeal?” Same answer—the garage.
Solution #1: Garage Organization
You try to arrange your gear around your mountain vehicle because you want all of it out of the more than thirty feet of snow winter brings us in which to enjoy all those toys, but now you can’t get out of your mountain cruiser. Solution: garage organizational systems. Working in garages around Steamboat for the past ten years, I’ve seen it all. But what I have seen in the past few years that is new are organizational systems that work.
Organization manufacturers are starting to realize that garages are the primary access to the interior of the average household. According to The Wall Street Journal’s article “Curbing the Chaos in the Garage” (February 28, 2008, Peggy Edersheim Kalb) “National Association of Home Builders statistics show that 70% of American home owners now enter their homes mainly through their garages, so they want those garages to look more like entrances than dumps.” We’ve seen the exterior of the garages become a decorative addition to the house, now we see the interiors taking a direction toward decoration and organization.
Organizational systems for the garage abound. Home Depot and Lowes now have lines of products you may piece together that include hangers, rolling cabinets, tool chests and racks. The most economical solution is for do-it-yourselfers to put together a variety of products that accomplish the job. Expect to spend $500 to $2,500 to make a substantial organizational remodel. Keep in mind pricing is relative to the size of the garage and your needs.
If you are not interested in doing it yourself and don’t mind making the investment in your new living area, there are garage organizational companies that specialize in catering to organizing your garage lifestyle. Complete organizational systems for your skis, bikes, yard tools, mechanic’s tools and flooring can all be provided by a “garage organizational consultant.” It is not uncommon to spend between $8,000 and $12,000 for a full garage face-lift.
A full face-lift from some professional garage organizational manufacturers can include a siding application to the interior walls of the garage. Once in place, modular pieces can be acquired for specific uses and may be rearranged along the wall as your needs change. For instance, your ski gear racks and shelves may be moved to the back wall of your garage in the summer to allow easier access to your gardening gear. These systems are not limited to hanging toys and tools on the wall but organizational cabinets, work benches, bike racks, shoe racks and the like.
Because you use your garage for so much more than just parking the car, an up-grade is a logical way to invest in remodeling your home. According to SmartMoney magazine, (May 2007) “Garage renovations have become one of the fastest-growing areas of the remodeling business.”
Solution#2: Garage Flooring
The general idea behind all of these products is to get your tools and gear off the garage floor and, when practical, behind closed doors. Now that the floor is clear, suddenly you can see the cracks and chips in your flooring and the stains on the concrete. Therein lies the next solution: garage flooring. A good floor for your garage will help to protect and preserve the life span of your concrete and foundation. A variety of products will meet your budget and your needs.
The less expensive route will lead you to tiling the floor, floor mats or epoxy/paints. Tiles work well and are typically easy to install with a snapping grid system and a few cuts from a saw. On the low end, prepare to spend $3+ per square foot for the tile system. There are a large variety of floor epoxy/paints and several methods from do-it-yourself to the professionals.
If you decide to consult with professionals regarding your floor solution, expect to spend up to $7.50 per square foot. Products now have the ability to cover the cracks in your garage floor as well as expand and contract with our varying mountain weather. Lifetime warranties are not out of the question when acquiring the upper end flooring solution.
According to Realtor magazine’s article “Behind the Garage Door” by Dinah Eng, “More than just a storage area for cars and junk, a showcase garage can help you sell your listing faster and for a higher price.” So maybe it is time to make the move to make your life more organized and get rid of the eyesore behind the garage door. After all, your neighbors see it and it’s probably the entrance for you to your home.
Solution #3: Curb Appeal – Custom Garage Doors
Speaking of eyesores and curb appeal, how about the entrance—the garage door. Being in the industry of garage doors, I have noticed a drastic change in Steamboat over the past ten years. Custom wood doors that match the characteristics of the home have almost made steel doors extinct. According to ARA’s article, “Home Sellers Yield High Returns Investing In Curb Appeal,” “Realtors in a nationwide survey say replacing your garage door prior to listing your home can increase its curb appeal and the asking price.”
By design, many homes in the mountains have the garage doors facing the street for easy access in the long winter months of accumulating snow. Now the garage doors may blend into the overall look of the home. When replacing existing doors or purchasing new ones during the construction of your home you have a couple of choices. Have your door custom built by a local garage door company or order in from a large nationwide manufacturer of doors.
Local door representatives have an advantage over out-of-state large door companies when it comes to what works in the mountains. Also, local door builders may be less expensive and offer more design flexibility. For instance, if you want to match an existing arch in your framing a local manufacturer will be able to create a template from your home and replicate the arch on your custom door.
If you choose to go locally, make sure the company has been in the valley manufacturing doors for a while. Experience over time with garage doors definitely leads to products that will last in our climate.
Major manufacturers of wood sided garage doors offer a variety of designs and types of wood. Many of these designs may be seen on their web sites. An advantage of having a wood sided door pre-manufactured is that they are machined and ultimately provide a tighter look; however, character can sometimes be compromised.
When considering a paint or stain application for the doors, also consider the direction that the doors face. Southern exposure to wood products is extremely harsh at our elevation. Lighter colors tend to reflect better and will increase the longevity of the wood products.
Before buying a garage door do a little homework. A garage door professional will want to know the answers to these questions: What design do I want? What type of wood product would best match the house? Will I paint or stain the door? What size are my garage doors? How old are my existing overhead openers?
Go online or take a drive around the Yampa Valley to discover a look that you like. Feel free to make a hand sketch of the design to pass along. .
The price range for custom sided garage doors varies depending upon the wood product used, the complexity of the design, the inclusion or not of windows, the size of the door and your choice to have the door built locally or order through a major manufacturer. The price range for a single-wide sided garage door including the price of installation can range from $2,000 to $3,500 each. If you have a double-wide garage door (16 foot wide) you can count on a little less than double the price of the single-wide.
The price may go up if your current overhead openers do not have the strength required to help put the doors in motion. Overhead openers have upgraded over the past few years to include quiet movement for living areas above the garage. These openers through local dealers range from $330 – $425 depending on the manufacturer and the design. Local dealers typically represent models of operators that you cannot get from major hardware stores. You can expect to have the openers installed for a little over $100.
Now you have enough information to be dangerous. I’m sure that your wheels are turning because you’re in the process of storing the skis, dusting off the golf clubs, wondering where your bike pump is and realizing there has got to be a better way. There is. Regardless of the upgrade you choose, your home will be more functional and attractive to you and everyone who passes. 