Before and After

Photos Courtesy of Garage Works Solution

                * GARAGE BEFORE *                                                *  GARAGE AFTER *

Don’t close the door on your garage. This project left one homeowner’s garage organized once and for all.

Shortly after Ralph Groen purchased his new North Raleigh home in the summer of 2005, something about it began to bother him: the cluttered garage.
 
“My concern was that when you drove into the garage, you saw all of this stuff sitting exposed in the back of our garage,” Groen says.
 
A messy garage is fast becoming a staple in the average American household. It’s where we put tools, seasonal items, bikes, lawnmowers, potting soil, Christmas things and—oh yeah—the car if it will fit. Many of us approach the cluttered garage with a familiar mentality. Just close the door. Out of sight, out of mind.

There are two problems with this train of thought. First, when you do open the door, everyone from the street can see the disaster lurking inside. Second, your space isn’t functional anymore. Suddenly, you can’t find a thing.

Groen was concerned with both issues. He first began looking at local hardware stores for organizing products, but says he was concerned with the durability of the items, most of which were made from plastic or particleboard. His next stop was the Internet, which is where he found the Whirlpool Gladiator GarageWorks products.

Durability and a lifetime warranty

Through the Gladiator Website (www.gladiatorgw.com), Groen found a local authorized distributor that carried the products that so impressed him. He called John Tucker, operational manager of GarageWorks Solutions, for a consultation.

“We sat down with John and reviewed our design thoughts,” Groen says. “John was able to optimize our garage design and together we detailed every piece we wanted.  We were looking for enclosed storage, shoe storage, broom holders, tool holders, moveable storage, and a workbench.  We were able to get all of that from John, as well as installation. John and his team came out later in the week and within a day he was able to provide us with the garage we were looking for.”

Tucker says: “They wanted to use a little alcove in the back that makes the garage a little deeper on one side. They wanted to use that to put away all of the stuff that they use in the garage by the wet sink or in the yard to do maintenance on the yard, in addition to all of the tooling they had for both the yard and inside the house.”

Tucker ended up outfitting Groen’s garage with a package that includes a six-foot work bench and modular units on wheels that store underneath, including a gear box with a fully extendable drawer. Next, Tucker installed a series of wall-mounting cabinets above the workbench and a tall gearbox that allows for everything to be stored in the cabinets, which are lockable. Additional gear track allows Groen space for hanging a variety of tools and household items. 

The Gladiator line is made of diamond plate steel and, under normal use, is warranted for life. “It has piano type hinges for all of the opening doors,” says Tucker, noting the line has also received full UL approval. “It has magnetic closers. It has a powdered paint finish on it.”

The countertop on Groen’s workbench is hard rock maple with an impervious finish on top. “It’s fine enough to be a dining room table,” says Tucker. “This is the Cadillac of the industry.”

The end result

The components of Groen’s new garage cost approximately $3,000, including installation. Both Groen and Tucker tout the durability of the Gladiator line.

The four mounted items in Groen’s garage come on five-inch industrial castors and can be moved easily for cleaning. And, Tucker points out, the whole ensemble fits easily in a moving van so, unlike many renovations, this is something you can take with you.  It’s exactly what Groen had in mind.

“A year later, the GarageWorks implementation of the Gladiator products has more than met our expectations,” he says. “We have been able to keep our garage clean and organized.” 

Step on It!

John Tucker, operational manager of GarageWorks Solutions, recently installed another Gladiator product he thinks garage buffs will love. It’s a slip-resistant flooring, also with UL approval, which meets the requirements for flame and smoke retardation, a big selling point considering a lot of house fires start in the garage.

The PVC flooring tile has a 10-year warranty and can be cleaned easily with soap and water.  It costs $6.81 per square foot installed. The floor tiles are installed directly on top of concrete. Another bonus: when you leave, you can take it with you. Try that with tile or hardwood!

Contact John Tucker at GarageWorks Solutions, for more information on this project or the products talked about in this article.

www.garageworkssolutions.com