“Thank you for the excellent job on our garage. Comunication was excellent, very clean job site. Attention to detail and care was evident at every stage. I have recommended your company to many at work. ”
- Chris M.
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Calgary Renovations: Home Improvement & Design JULY-SEPTEMBER 2010 Volume 8 Issue 4 Garages do a whole lot more than protect your family’s vehicles from the elements, so you need to think ahead when planning your garage if want it to meet your primary needs. According to The Calgary Foundation, Calgary has one of Canada’s highest vehicle ownership rates per capita, which means that a number of households have more than one vehicle. As a result, Amanda Lavigne, a sales and marketing manager with Calgary’s Carshacks, remommends a two-vehicle garage, even if your family just has one vehicle. Since 1999, CarShacks has built thousands of garages in Southern Alberta, and Lavigne notes that in Calgary the average, basic, double-vehicle garages averages close to a 100 per cent return on the investment at resale. According to the Appraisal Institute of Canada (AIC), a garage will typically offer a 50 to 75 per cent on the investment although it doesn’t specify the size of that garage. Lavigne suggests a two-car garage is worth the additional cost because some Calgary homebuyers will see a single vehicle garage as a teardown. The AIC also suggests that when beginning a garage project, homeowner should survey their neighbours to determine the most common types of garages. Are they attached or detached, one car, two cars or more? Will a carport suffice? The organization recommends that you not build above the neighbourhood norm, while ensuring that it is aesthetically pleasing and conforms to the surrounding properties and neighbourhood. “Calgarians are typically multi-car families and prospective buyers may automatically take the cost of tearing down a single-vehicle garage and building a two-vehicle garage off the asking price,” explains Lavigne. Typically, each vehicle require 10 feet in width and 20 to 22 feet in depth, but if, like so many Calgarians, you love your oversize pickups, you’ll need at least 12 feed in width and 24 feet in depth, as well as a door that’s right feet tall versus the standard seven feet. The building code requires both a vehicle and a person door, and CarShacks always makes the person door at least three feet wide, although some builders doors are 24 to 30 inches wide. “Homeowners don’t think to ask for the extra-wide door until they’re trying to wrestle a snowblower, wheelbarrow or patio furniture through it, so CarShacks made it a standard feature,” says Lavigne. Because so many Calgarians store seasonal items in their garages (i.e. lawnmower, garden tools, children’s playground sets, bicycles, canoes/kayaks, snowboard/skis), those additional space requirements must be factored into the design and layout. Since no formula or rule of thumb can accurately predict storage space requirements, Lavigne recommends considering the quantity and size of things you plan to store. You might also think about placing the overhead door off-centre to give you more uninterrupted space. In storage areas, homeowners may forgo windows as a security measure. “When you’re determining the size of your garage, ask yourself how much of your usable backyard you’re willing to sacrifice to the garage,” says Lavigne. “Do you want to give up a piece of your garden or your children’s play area?” While storage is typically the most common secondary need, some homeowners also create an additional furnished, heated room. However, a Calgary piano teacher had a small studio created in the garage to free up the family living room and give her family more privacy and quiet time. Windows are more common in these rooms where the natural light is more necessary and appreciated. However, Lavigne cautions homeowners that a live-in space over or inside the garage will triple and even quadruple the cost of your garage. “True living spaces are increasingly common, but still relatively rare because, according to building code, you’re building a house with a garage beneath it, not a garage with an apartment on top of it or in it,” says Lavigne. Make a wish-list, then use it to plan your garage based on your family’s needs and the return-on-investment that makes sense for you.
CarShacks was recently selected to be featured as one of the “pro’s” in the Mike Holmes magazine. Click on the link below to see the advice our expert gave. For many homeowners a garage is a central point of their home. It shelters vehicles, serves as a valuable storage facility, and houses many valuable seasonal items and tools. However, for many homeowners, their garage is also one of the most neglected spaces when it comes to cleaning and maintenance. Garages are very susceptible to the wear and tear of everyday life:
A garage is a large investment for a homeowner – If there is high usage and little maintenance, your investment will not withstand the test of time as effectively as it could. Performing proper maintenance on your garage periodically throughout the year will save you time and money in the long run. Weatherproof your Garage Evaluate when your garage door seal, located at the bottom of the overhead door, needs to be replaced. It is time to change the seal when sunlight begins to come through the bottom of the closed garage door. Bottom door seals keep out dirt, mice, water, insects and cold breezes. Seals are also relatively inexpensive, and are not difficult for an average homeowner to install. Garage door, window, and entrance door weatherstrips are also an easy install, as well as inexpensive. Overhead Door Maintenance It is important to service the door not only to maintain its life and operation, but for safety and convenience reasons as well. All rollers, hinges, roller tracks and latches should be cleaned off, and then have a penetrating solvent, such as WD-40, used on them. Pulleys and springs should be lubricated, and wiped down with oil, should rust begin to surface. Homeowners should exercise caution when considering the replacement of any worn springs, cables or loose brackets. Although the functionality of these parts are essential to the safe and efficient motions of the overhead door, replacing them should be a job for a professional only. Checking the tracks which the overhead door lowers and raises itself on should also be checked for any bends or fractures. If the overhead door is noticeably noisy, all nuts on the door, as well as on the track, should be tightened. It is not uncommon for metal rollers to make noise as they role up and down the metal track as they age. If this is the case, the rollers may be replaced. Rollers should be replaced one at a time, and nylon rollers rather then metal rollers may be used as an alternative. Nylon rollers are often quieter then metal, but are more expensive. If replacing the rollers proves to be too daunting of a task, soaking the rollers in kerosene using a small brush, and removing any rust with steel wool, may also lower the noise level. If your garage door has torsion springs, homeowners should not attempt to replace the rollers in the bottom bracket. Torsion springs are located above the upper tracks of both sides on both sides of the garage door, and are attached to the header above the closed overhead door. These springs are always under tension, and altering or moving the bottom bracket could prove to be potentially dangerous for the homeowner. Garage doors should also be checked for flaking paint and rust. If the door is displaying these qualities, the garage door should be sanded down in these areas and then re-primed and painted. The Garage Floor. Chips and cracks are bound to appear in concrete garage flooring. Although small chips and cracks are expected, and do not indicate structural problems, with the continued wear and tear on the floor, these imperfections could prove to become more serious in time. To avoid a potential problem caused by smaller chips and cracks in concrete flooring, it is best to clean out the imperfection and fill it properly with premixed concrete crack sealant. Cracks and chips on the larger end of the scale should be properly treated with concrete bonding adhesive and then filled in with a concrete mix. If cracks or other imperfections are growing exceptionally large and continually spreading, the homeowner should call a professional in for inspection and treatment. Cleanliness for Longevity General cleanliness in a garage is also important for its maintenance and longevity. Dirt, salt and other residue collects in garages during the colder months, and should be swept and washed off the floor surface on a regular basis. This not only improves the aesthetic look of your garage, but also cleans residue out of forming cracks and chips, which increases the lifespan of your pad surface, and will keep your items in storage cleaner. Concrete absorbs liquids readily, so washing the flooring and removing stains such as oil, will improve the health of your flooring and the sanitary level in your living space. Using hooks, racks and shelves, and avoiding placing objects directly on the floor not only protects items stored in your garage to a greater degree from dirt and living creatures, but also promotes a clean and safe environment as well. Washing the overhead door will also slow down its gradual wear and tear, but avoid using strong detergents as it may deteriorate the door’s finishing surface. Inspecting the reversing sensors on a regular basis is also a good idea as it promotes the safety of yourself, family members and vehicles. Providing your garage with the proper maintenance and service will increase its life and functionality as well as its occupant’s safety. Keeping a garage safe, clean, and functional is an ongoing task throughout the year, and should not be performed only once annually. A garage is often one of the most utilized living spaces in a home, and therefore is very susceptible to the effects of everyday life. Like everything else in a home, a garage requires attention and care to function properly. Garage doors especially are arguably the largest moving part in a home and require service to maintain a suitable level of safety. If a garage is properly maintained, it should run efficiently and prove to be a valuable asset to the homeowner for many years. |
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