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Recent Blog Posts
Keeping Your Detached Garage Warm This Winter
Are you dealing with a drafty detached garage this winter? Making upgrades and improvements to detached garages is often on the bottom of most homeowners' DIY project lists, but a little winterization can totally transform a chilly detached garage into a perfect climate controlled space. If you are sick of getting into a freezing cold car every morning, or shivering while utilizing the workspace in your detached garage, try some of these winterization ideas. With just a little work, and a lot of insulation, your garage will be cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and comfortable year round.
Windows
Unless your detached garage is relatively new, your windows are likely the biggest culprits of letting heat escape from your space. As time passes, the wood around the doors and windows of your garage warps, creating spaces for air to pass through. If windows and doors are not sealed and insulated properly, heating the space is nearly impossible. Experts recommend a two part approach to combatting drafty windows. Step one is to caulk the outside of the windows. Second, use weatherstripping to seal the windows from the inside.
Icicles and Ice Dams: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Home and Garage This Winter
Though they may look beautiful, icicles hanging from the roof and gutters of your home and garage can spell serious trouble. Despite making your home look like it is straight out of a Christmas card, the picturesque icicles that hang from your roof each winter can cause major injuries or worse if they fall on somebody, and are also likely indicative of a larger problem: an ice dam. With snow starting to fall across the country, there are a few things homeowners should know about icicles and ice dams, including how to remove them and prevent them in the future.
Icicles
Icicles form as water drips down from your roof, hits your rain gutters or the edge of your roof, and freezes again in a downward formation. Small icicles do not pose much of a threat, but large icicles left to grow over time can be dangerous to you, your family, and your pets. If left hanging, large icicles can become unstable and will likely eventually fall. These sharp and very heavy objects can cause serious harm to any person or animal standing underneath them when they fall.
Get Your Garage in the Holiday Spirit with These Fun Ideas
Holiday decorating is no laughing matter. Each year, millions of Americans transform their homes into festive winter wonderlands. We put up trees, hang wreaths, string lights around our homes, and set up all sorts of holiday decorations. From the amateur decorators who keep it simple, to the seriously competitive decorators who strive for the best decorated house on the block each year, holiday decorating is a fun activity anyone can take part in. Unfortunately, as we all start decorating, one area tends to get missed on most homes. All too often, people forget to decorate their garages. An undecorated garage can look strange, especially when surrounded by decorations on other parts of a home. This year, include your garage in the magic of the holidays by trying one of these awesome holiday decorating ideas.
Light It Up
Wrapping lights around the frame of your garage door can really make your garage stand out, without distracting from your other decorations. You can choose to incorporate the lights with the rest of your holiday decor, or simply use plain white or colored lights to add a bit of festivity. There are a variety of different lights available to suit your household's needs. LED light strands tend to last longer and are more energy effective. If you life in a sunnier climate, solar powered lights are available for those looking to add an environmentally friendly touch.
Which Ice Melting Product Should You Use This Winter?
As winter gets into full swing, homeowners across the country are preparing for cold temperatures and snow. While shovels and snowblowers are a great place to start, especially for those living in snowier areas, you will likely need some type of ice melting product to keep your driveway and sidewalks clear, and ensure easy access in and out of your garage. With the myriad of de-icing products available both in stores and online, choosing the right one can be difficult. Follow our helpful product guide below to ensure you purchase the right ice melting product for your household this winter.
Calcium Chloride - Calcium chloride is a commonly used and widely available ice melting product. Calcium chloride will melt ice in temperatures as cold as -25 degrees, and will do little damage to your driveway or sidewalk. Calcium chloride works quickly, so it is a great product for anyone needing to clear their driveway in a time crunch. Be careful when using calcium chloride near your grass or plants, as too much of the product can do damage to your lawn, flowers, and shrubbery. Calcium chloride is also an inexpensive solution, with 50 pound bags running between $10 to $20 each.
Is a Fall Garage Sale a Good Idea?
With cold weather in full swing (and even snow!), many people would tell you that garage sale season is over. Spring and summer are both widely considered the best seasons of the year to host a yard sale for many reasons. Millions of Americans participate in "spring cleaning" each year and discover many unused valuables that they then sell at a garage sale. What if, however, you find yourself needing a garage sale in the fall? While fall may not be the most popular season of the year to host a sale, you should not be discouraged. A fall garage sale can have many advantages.
Weather
The first thing that typically discourages most people from hosting a fall garage sale is the weather. Fall weather is unpredictable, making planning an outdoor activity like a garage sale a little difficult. You may face snow one day, only to have a beautiful warm day the next. When planning your fall garage sale, checking the weather is important. Sure, on crummy fall days people typically tend to avoid outdoor activities. On those beautiful, blue sky, perfect fall days, however, people flock outside to soak up the weather before winter hits. When planning your fall garage sale, allow yourself a couple of different weekends to choose from. The more options you give yourself, the better your chances are of scoring a beautiful fall day. The more people out and about, the better for you and your wallet.
Thanksgiving Fun for Your Garage
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, now is the perfect time to focus on fun, family, friends, and giving back to your community. Did you know that you can use your garage for a variety of wonderful Thanksgiving oriented activities? Transform your garage into the perfect setting for your family's Thanksgiving meal, or set up a community fundraiser and give to those less fortunate in your area. There are endless possibilities for getting the most out of your garage each season. Here are a few amazing ideas for incorporating your garage into your Thanksgiving this year.
Transform Your Garage into Your Thanksgiving Dinner Venue
Thanksgiving is a time to come together as a family, enjoy traditions, and eat ridiculous amounts of food. Many people celebrate by getting together with friends and family, but inviting lots of people over can lead to space problems within your kitchen and dining room. If you are out of seats at the table this year, consider transforming your garage into a makeshift dining room for all of your Thanksgiving guests. Especially for families with smaller homes, or small dining rooms, the garage can be the perfect Thanksgiving party venue.
Replace or Remodel: Which Option Is Right for You?
Many people set aside time each spring to work on home improvement projects. As the snow melts and temperatures become more tolerable, millions of families embark on remodels, renovations, and all sorts of other household projects. If garage repairs are on your to-do list this spring, you may be wondering how to best go about them. Should you tear down and rebuild a new garage, or is remodeling your existing garage the best option? Based on your needs, we will help you find the perfect plan of action for your garage repairs this spring.
What Changes Need to Be Made?
First, make a list of the changes you would like to accomplish this coming spring. Are you hoping to improve the look of your garage? Replacing things like garage doors and windows is fairly simple, and if the overall structure of your garage is still in good shape, remodeling is likely your best option. If, however, you find structural flaws on your garage, things like cracks in the walls or floor, tearing down and replacing your garage could be necessary.
The Future Is Here: Amazing Garage Technology
Smart home technology is a rapidly growing industry in America. Over the past few years, many new products have been released that make controlling a home as easy as clicking a button. Using apps on smartphones and tablets, people can control almost everything within their homes; turn lights on and off, monitor their thermostats, lock doors and windows, and control music, just to name a few possibilities. Beds are now controllable with an app. Crock pots can be controlled from work. While smart home tech is still a relatively new industry, it is safe to say that American homes will continue becoming more futuristic. One of the most recent areas smart home technology has expanded into is garages. Make your garage the talk of the block by using some of these amazing new technologies.
Smart home tech has allowed people to monitor their home's security for years now. Apps allow homeowners to lock and unlock doors from a distance, monitor video feed of their property, and report any suspected threats immediately to authorities. Now, your garage door can be high tech too. WiFi compatible garage door openers are available for sale, and are typically not much pricier than unconnected door openers. If your door opener does not need replacing yet, adapters allowing WiFi capabilities can be retrofitted to unconnected door openers.
Keeping Water Away from Your Garage
Garages are easily susceptible to water damage. They provide many easy points of entry for water from a rain storm or flooding, and are often not as waterproofed as the rest of the house. On top of that, many households do not monitor their garages often, so extensive water damage can occur before the problem is even spotted. Do not let water invade your garage this year. Taking a few simple steps can help you prevent damage to your foundation, garage, and the items within it.
Water Damage Risk
Most garage owners have faced intrusive water at some point. Water can sneak into your garage in many different ways; through leaks in your garage floor or walls, under doors, or through holes in your roof. The biggest danger of water damage in garages is that it often goes unnoticed. Most household garages are used for storage. Stored items like boxes or unused furniture provide perfect hiding places for water to pool behind, underneath, or be absorbed. Many people do not spot the early signs of water damage, and end up noticing only after the water has pooled severely, leading to potential damage to the structure of your garage.
Ideas for Storing Your Yard Tools in Your Garage
Yard work can be an enjoyable, but often tedious task. As soon as one project is finished, ten more pop up in its place. Each new season brings with it a slew of new projects in your yard; raking leaves, pulling weeds, potting new plants, trimming hedges. When it comes to yard work, the list of projects is seemingly endless. The next time you are faced with a weekend of yard work, do not waste time searching through an unorganized garage for your tools. Many different storage options are out there to help you find a perfect spot for each of your tools within the limited space of your garage. Consider using any or all of these awesome storage ideas to find a comfortable home for all of your valuable yard tools.
When left on the ground, or strewn about your garage, yard tools become dirty and are easily broken. Unorganized tools, especially sharp ones, also pose a threat to children. For safety and cleanliness, organizing your tools is key. The market is flooded with thousands of garage storage options. In a sea of storage racks, shelves, and cabinets, finding an option that works within your garage can be overwhelming.
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