The latest hot space has traditionally been one of the least finished and most disorganized—the garage. When homeowners grabbed onto the custom closet craze nearly 20 years ago, they wanted two things: an organized area with a place for every shoe and article of clothing and an eye-catching space that their friends would envy. That same mentality is driving the trend toward outfitting the garage for tool and equipment storage, sports gear, home projects, and hobbies.
“Right now the garage is the No. 1 environment in the home where people are spending organization dollars,” claims Mark Shuman, president of GarageTek, maker of the GarageTek wall storage system.
Because extra car bays frequently serve as workshops and storage areas, the garage must be flexible. Homeowners want their garages to be as organized and functional as their kitchens.
“The higher-scale purchaser doesn't want a garage that doesn't suit his needs. He wants to better utilize the space that's available,” points out Paul Richter, general manager of Vantage Pointe Group, the exclusive U.S. distributor of the Dura Fitted Garage System.
Organization fixtures and storage accessories are the newest way for custom builders to add functionality and style to the garage, maximizing under-used space and boosting the value of the home in the owner's eyes. In the past three to four years, a handful of manufacturers have begun offering modular organization systems designed specifically to withstand the rigors of fluctuating garage climates, caustic household chemicals, and the weight of tools and equipment.
Most garage organization systems that offer a complete solution are based around a wall panel that allows a variety of brackets, shelves, buckets, hooks, and lockable cabinets to hang from it and move around to accommodate the homeowner's changing storage needs. The wall panels are made from different PVC formulations that resist the damaging effects of hot and cold temperature cycles; they fit together using a tongue-and-groove locking system and can be applied over dry-wall or directly to framing studs. Other types of wall panels, such as perforated steel, are also used, but the main goal of all systems is flexibility. The components can be moved about and added to at will.
“The systems are attractive because they're flexible,” says Linda Mathis, vice president for Jacksonville, Fla.-based North Florida Builders. “You can rearrange them as your needs change, and you can get everything off the floor of the garage.” Durable work surfaces, lighting, and flooring are also part of most systems.
Although garage organization is functional at heart, homeowners also want a high-end look that complements the other products in their homes. Just as commercial-style appliances are now a must in kitchens, commercial-style organization components give the garage a professional appearance, even if the homeowner rarely touches his or her tools. Gladiator GarageWorks and the Dura Fitted Garage System, for example, both offer systems with distinctive commercial styles. Wall and floor cabinets are made of steel, use ball-bearing glides for smooth drawer operation, provide casters for floor cabinets, and come in stainless steel finishes that give the garage the gleam of a pro shop.
Many homeowners end up spending money on garage organization after they move into their homes, according to Chris Hubbuch, marketing director for Gladiator GarageWorks. Selling them a custom-installed system during design and construction allows the builder to recover the dollars buyers would spend at the home improvement center, as well as to provide a valuable amenity. Complete garage organization systems can cost as little as a few hundred dollars all the way up to and surpassing $10,000. While they might spend less on do-it-yourself organization systems, Hubbuch says, a completely coordinated, integrated solution that is ready to store their tools and other equipment as soon as they move into their home is beyond value to most homeowners, and the cost of the system is wrapped into the mortgage.
Estimating storage needs accurately and designing the optimal garage layout is important. Gladiator GarageWorks, storeWALL, and GarageTek all provide complete turnkey services, including evaluation, design consultation, and professional installation via networks of authorized dealer/installers. The U.K.-manufactured Dura Fitted Garage System offers design consultation services through its U.S. distributor and can arrange for installation, but says its system can easily be installed by a builder's crew.
The garage organization market is still small, but it grows every year, manufacturers say. Although many home buyers educate themselves on available options if they are aware of the product category, currently “the level of awareness in the potential market is probably less than 2 to 5 percent,” estimates Richard Eisenreich, president of storeWALL. “We're at the tip of this iceberg. The knowledge level on the part of the high-end home consumer won't be there for another two years or so.” So it's up to custom builders to educate clients on the possibilities and benefits of complete garage organization systems.
