4 Weakest Parts of Your Garage

We may strive for perfection just like what we believe to be as seen on TV and magazines, but in truth there is no such thing. Even if a building looks high-end, you will still be able to notice some parts which should still be improved. If you are planning a garage makeover, you may as well examine the weakest parts of your garage to focus your improvement.

Do not worry; once you have strengthened these weak parts, you do not have to do it yearly. It may even take 5 years or more before you can see the need to strengthen them again.

Below are 4 of the weakest parts of your garage:

    1.   The garage door

You use your garage door every day and definitely can’t live without it. Whether it is automatic or manual, there will come a time when it would be hard to open and close it. Can you imagine how much headache will you have especially when you are in the rush? Certainly, that is not a good idea in times of emergency.

The earliest signs of a broken garage door would be the squeaking sound once it opens and closes. Another would when it would become a little hard to navigate it. The problem lies in the hinges most of the time, so focus on them.

     2.   The flooring

The garage flooring is also constantly used. It is where all the oils, greases, harsh chemicals, and strong impacts from heavy objects go. These are the reasons why the flooring would look bad in few months’ time.

For your makeover, invest on materials that are oil and abrasion resistant just like resin. You will then have lesser problems when dealing with it. Also choose materials that will incur you lesser maintenance to save time and cost.

     3.   The ceiling

Because maximising space is now being prioritised in most makeovers, racks of different kinds are now also designed for ceilings. These should be sturdy to make sure that accidents are avoided. However, ceilings themselves can be the reason of accidents when they are weak.

To make sure they are equipped enough for your hanging racks, check the framing. If there are signs of it becoming weak like cracks, and chipping if made of wood, have it fixed right away. They may look okay from the outside, but when ceiling attachments are made, they break off easily.

4 Things That Would Make Your Garage More Convenient

Working in our garage may make us feel very tired or uncomfortable by the end of the day. This issue should be addressed by garage organisation, which maintenance and employing the needed tools are part of. It does not matter whether these tools are second-hand ones as long as they are still functional.

Below are some of the things that you might want to add to your garage to make it more convenient:

    1.   Exhaust and ceiling fan

The primary reason why garages feel uncomfortable is the atmosphere itself.  When the temperature is hot we feel like we do not want to continue what we are working on. To solve this, an exhaust and ceiling fans are needed.

The ceiling fan neutralizes the flow of the air to make the temperature better. The exhaust fan on the other hand would draw out the hot air from the garage and take in fresh air.

     2.   Multifunctional table

  These days, everyone wants to get everything in an instant. A multi-function table is ideal for one who is always on his tasks. This table is perfect for garages since one does not have to look into his storage units for scissors, tapes, pliers, and other items which he constantly uses.

   With a multifunction table, one can work on top of it, and at the same time store the items he will be needing either on the side or under it depending on the design.

     3.   Working chair

There are dirty jobs that have to be done in a garage and being conscious about damaging or staining your chair while doing them is annoying. Having a specific working chair would make it easier. You will not have to worry about having it poured on with greases, oils, and the likes.

It will also be easy to clean it because apparently you can use just any cleaning solution you would like to use. Your working chair should be comfortable and at the same time sturdy. Be concerned about its height for more workability.

     4.   Rubber mats

Greases and oils are both safety risks especially in the garage. Not noticing them might cause you to slip. This makes the work slower since you ought to be careful in all your movements.

But using rubber mats in the garage would do a lot of help in reducing the possibility of slipping. You may place your rubber mats under the vehicle, near the storages and other areas where you think spillages often occur.

Tips on Personalising Your Garage

If you are a creative person, you may have thought of personalising your garage. Most homeowners could not think of this idea not until their friends and family do it. With your scheduled garage makeover, you may want to incorporate the things which could personalise your garage.

That place ought to reflect you and your character because it is yours and not of magazines and traditional ones. 

Below are the things that you can do to give your garage a little bit of you:

     1.   Colour

Have you limited the colour of your garage with those which the contractor suggested? Your garage does not need to be serious and formal; you can add some touch of fun and creativity to make it more comfortable to you.

Let your contractor know what you want. If you are also to revamp your flooring, you may want to use resin as material because there a lot of available colours of it that you can choose from.

     2.   Garage items

If you are a crafty person, you can add a workstation in your garage. It should not just be about cars, machines, and greases. You can assign a small space in the corner for your workstation so as not to defer from the purpose of your garage in the first place.

     3.   Posters or frames

    Are there some posters, pictures, or pieces of art which inspire you in finishing your tasks right away? If yes, it would be a good idea if you post or hang them on your garage wall. This would add a little bit of life to that place especially when you are alone doing some vehicle stuff.

    Admit it or not, garages look boring, and they would feel boring if you do not do something about it. Just make sure that your posters and frames do not get in the way of your garage activities.

     4.   Give it a name

If your car can have a name just like your dog; why not your garage? This may be a little bit odd but it can help you feel more ownership to your garage, encouraging you to take care of it more.

Giving it a name would sound fun especially if you have kids. They would also feel more enthusiasm in taking care of that place. You can paint its name, right on its wall. You can even use your own name, too!

Welcoming the New Year with a Garage Makeover

This is the time of the year where you make your New Year’s Resolution. Hopefully, one of them would be that you would be more responsible in maintaining your properties, particularly those that are within your reach. Take for instance, your garage, maybe it is time that you give it some garage makeover, isn’t it?

It might be a good thing to do since most say that you will have a good year if you start it right. By properly planning how and when to do it, you will eventually finish it in no time. 

Here are some of the simple things you can do so that you can welcome the year right from your garage:

    1.   Paint the walls

The most visible sign that you care for your garage is if you paint its walls. Both exterior and interior, make sure that it will cover any sign of dirt and stain so that you would be able to readily see the transformation.

Painting the walls, should be done regularly like once a year, or once in two years, because the paint will eventually chip and fade. Once these happen, your garage will look abandoned or cheap.

    2.   Get the floor done

Do you see some imperfections that have to be corrected on your flooring? Stains, hardened gums, cracks if any, should be dealt as part of your makeover. If you do not have the financial capability to upgrade your flooring, dealing with its imperfections will be good and at the same time, get new accessories for it such as a rubber mat for your vehicle.

    3.   Secure its premises

Burglary becomes more potent during the holidays, when we are too busy and too happy. We can secure the premises of our garage by making sure that our locking system is still dependable. Check your locks if they are still intact.

If you see any signs of your locks getting compromised, replace them immediately or ask some locksmiths for suggestions on how to have a better locking system.

    4.   Make sure the lights are working

To start the year right, you have to see things clearly. That is through your lighting. Are your bulbs still bright? Do you have extra bulbs in your garage? You have to be ready for extra to make sure that you can have your garage well-lit in welcoming the New Year.

If ever you are seeing a dark build-up on your bulbs, that is a sign that it is starting to give up and you need to get the new one ready.

5 Things That Make Your Garage Ugly

As homeowners, our goal is to make our garage look good. Whenever we feel that it is beginning to look ugly, we think of having a garage makeover. To some, makeovers are not that special, instead, they are part of maintenance.

When you say maintenance, it is cleaning and mending if there is anything broken regularly. If your garage is not maintained properly, the following will happen to your garage:

1.    Stains on the wall and flooring

Stains on the wall and flooring can go unnoticed at first. However, if it sits there longer, dusts will stick to them and they will be hardened. Thus, you see ugly marks. This can be avoided if stains will be wiped off as soon as they are discovered.

You may also choose stain-resistant materials for your flooring next time if you do not have enough time for regular cleaning.

2.    Flickering lights
It is very common among us to wait for our lights to flicker before we buy replacement. Sometimes, when we are too busy with many appointments, we do not get time to buy one. The result is leaving our lights flickering longer until we forget doing something about it.

Having an extra bulb in our garage can help a lot when we see that our lights are starting to malfunction.

3.    Fading and chipping paint

Fading and chipping paint is usual especially in hot weather. But this is not an excuse to have this in your garage. This will make your garage look old and unpleasant.

You may want to switch to another brand of paint, or settle for wallpapers to avoid having chipped and fading walls.

4.    Insects
Cockroaches, spiders, and the likes should not be welcome in your garage. Their presence is a sign that you are not cleaning your garage well. This leads to bad impression to whoever sees it.

Using insect repellents can help you as well as making sure there are no food-bits that attract them to stay there.

5.    Falling gutter
During rainy season your gutter is very helpful. When you gutter starts to fall, you may have problems draining rainfall. The sight of falling gutter is associated with depreciation. If somebody sees it, he might think that your garage is non-functional already.

If you are planning to sell your house, the falling gutter of your garage will make potential buyers feel that you should sell it at a lower price.

Modern Garage Design

Modern Garage Design

Space is very important especially if you want to make a more organized life. This is the reason why people would tend to use their garage in a more functional way. Using it for parking cars and for dirty workshop is already a thing of the past.

There are more ways on how your garage can keep up with your lifestyle. Here are some ways to achieve a modern garage design that would increase its functionality and make you a happier homeowner:

1.   Increase your garage storage

You might be already satisfied with the kind of storage that you have in your garage. Don’t be limited to this by just dumping everything in one cabinet. You can make things more organized by actually adding more spaces for your grouped stuff.

Yes, you have to group your stuff according to their material and use so that you can easily find them. This way, you can decrease the chances of clutter.

You can also use garage storage which is colorful or with a more homely design to make you feel comfortable whenever you see it.

2.   Upgrade your garage flooring

Because you are doing most of your projects in your garage, there is a need for durable flooring. You may have already heard using some resin material to make your flooring free from abrasions and damages from chemical reactions.

But don’t settle for this. You can get durable flooring which is at the same time stylish. This would encourage you to add more functions to your modern garage.

3.   Proper lighting

Lighting plays a very important role in making the ambiance of a room better. Instead of using a lot of bright fluorescent lamps, you might also try to use those dim ones. You can have the bright and dim ones at the same time but make sure they have different switches so you can use them individually depending on your purpose.

4.   Add some comfortable chairs

You would normally find only workshop chairs in garages. This makes the function of your garage more limited since you do not have anything comfortable to sit on if you want to read some papers or books.

Some homeowners would even add a couch in their modern garage to make it accommodate more people inside in case they want to hold some group gatherings there.

This would also serve you best if you want to open a garage sale since you can use it every time you want to take a break.

7 Tips to Being a More Organized Person

It has been the struggle of many to keep up with the mess at home or even at the office. Being organized hasn't been rewarded to many of us thus we get extra reasons to be stressed, waste more time and exert more energy. A lot of people could live with disarray but many get frustrated with it and vow to be more organized individuals.

source: Officiency

Realizing that a disorganized place will only lead you to a lot of troubles will definitely help you in your goal to become a more organized person. It is important though to keep such goal. To help you simplify things, here are helpful tips that will surely make you a more organized person.

1.     Keep your sight on the goal.

Your goal must be to become a more organized person. That is quite a challenge for many especially those who have people who keep after them. But that is not an excuse. You must aim to be organized yourself. Once you have this in mind, you will become more conscious of what you do.

2.     Minimize clutter.

A mess can be summed up from a lot of individual clutter. Once you see a clutter, make sure to do something about it. Only keep those things that are important. The rest, store them on your garage or storage area. Start with your desk at the office for example. For sure, you will find things that you don’t necessarily need but occupying a space on your cubicle.

3.     Use the right tools.

Your house must have good storage units like cabinets, drawers and other things that could help you become more organized. Shoes must be in their right places like a shoe rack for example. Keys and small things must have their holders in places where you can easily access and find them. These simple things when done will save you a lot of time and frustration.

4.     Learn to prioritize.

You will see this in every shortlist of tips of becoming an organized person. You must prioritize which things and activities need your attention first, which comes second and so on. This will help you avoid missing deadlines and keeping your connections. Also, enjoying more time for leisure will be more possible.

5.     Teach the other members of the family to be more organized.

You cannot do all these things alone. You also need to make everyone at home involved. Teach your kids to look after their things when they arrive from school. Even putting their shoes in the right place can be a great time saver on your part. If you have a spare room, you can make it into your husband’s mini office. Every time he gets home, he can just go directly to his mini office and drop things there. It’ll be easier for you to sort his things later.

6.     Look after your health.

Can you afford to get sick? If you get sick, you know that nobody can work in your stead. Things and household chores will pile up. So take care of your health by getting the right sleep, exercising and eating a right diet.

7.     Reminders are good.

Sometimes, when a lot of things occupy your mind, you tend to forget them. Acknowledge this fact and do what you can to avoid missing appointments and activities. Make use of notes (stick-on notes are good or a small notebook you can carry) or your smart phone. Phones these days have calendars and alarm clocks or apps which is good for this purpose.