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The final frontier: the residential garage

"To the conquest of the residential garage" - Espace Garage Plus

When we launched Espace Garage Plus in 2006, we wanted to offer the residents of the Greater Montreal Area turnkey solutions that would give them back their garage. All too often the garage is neglected space, it was the last space of the home to be conquered and organized. It was a constant battle between the vehicles that we wanted to park, and the numerous seasonal items we wanted to store there. First the closet became the walk-in, then the basement become the home theatre, now it is time to attack, and upgrade the garage.

With hundreds of makeovers under our belt, it is clear that Espace Garage Plus is meeting a real need for homeowners. Now, the dream of “more space in your garage” has become a reality for all those who have entrusted us to the design and makeover of their garage.

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The best season for a garage makeover

"La meilleure saison pour aménager son garage" - Espace Garage Plus

The truth is you can start your garage makeover any time throughout the year. There is no better season than the other, but we definitely see an increase of requests come in the spring, and even more in the fall.

Suddenly, you need to create additional space. You need a solution. Winter is almost at your door.

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Free up the garage

"Free up the garage" - Espace Garage Plus

The inside of your garage looks like a scrapheap on a bad day. There’s not even enough space for a stroller, let alone a car. The item you desperately need is hidden beneath piles of junk. The time has come to reorganize.

First, tackle the contents and make three piles, keep, donate, and toss. Once you’ve cleaned up the mess, sort the items you want to keep into different categories (sports equipment, DIY materials, tools) for easy identification and retrieval. The next step is crucial: Prepare a space that’s orderly, practical and multifunctional. Make sure that your reorganization plan incorporates all current and future needs. What’s your budget? Do you plan to keep your car in the garage? Will you need additional storage space? Would you like to have well defined areas for various activities such as gardening, DIY projects and auto repairs?

By Jacqueline Simoneau, originally published in CAA Touring, Winter 2013

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Park it! De-cluttering and organizing your garage

"Park it! De-cluttering and organizing your garage" - Espace Garage Plus

Do you drive into your garage and close the door behind you as quickly as possible to avoid humiliation? Are you missing out on physical activity for simple fact that digging out your gear is too hard, too much work and possibly dangerous due to stuff falling on top of you? It’s probably the most dreaded area of the home to tidy up: the garage. It’s the home’s junk drawer, with everything from lawn care tools to sports equipment, season items, kid’s toys, car tires, accessories and on-an-on. However, when properly organized, the garage can be one of the most functional areas of the house. Below are practical tips to help get your garage in tip-top shape. And who knows – maybe you’ll proudly keep the garage door up when you’re done.

Take inventory – The first step in organizing your garage is knowing exactly what it is you’re dealing with. What’s really in your garage? Despite the surface items you might see, there could be all kinds of stuff lurking behind it. So, the easiest thing to do is pull absolutely everything out of your garage. This will help you itemize as well as see the actual workable space available. Sort through it all, grouping similar things to make putting it all back a little easier. Then you can start to purge – what items are old, broken, or no longer used? Create two additional piles: one for donations and one for garbage. Toys that are still in good condition, as well as certain tools, old bikes, and even clothes can all be donated to charity. Meanwhile, trash can be brought to the local dump or you can call 1-800-GOT-JUNK to have them pick it up. Also, always remember to dispose of old paint, batteries, cleaners and other potentially harmful substances properly. Your town or city can provide more info. Once your garage is completely empty, come up with an efficient layout of the space.

By Jennifer Cox, originally published in The Suburban on March 17, 2010

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A perfect garage allows for more than just parking

"A perfect garage allows for more than just parking" - Espace Garage Plus

Every room in a house has a purpose, a raison-d’être that makes it as unique as it is essential. Some are set in stone (or marble), like kitchens and bathrooms, while others are more flexible, like the extra bedroom that doubles as an office. As for the garage, it’s a bit of a unique case.

Often overlooked, the garage can be an unexpected point of interest as well as a great investment when designed right. “A residential garage shouldn’t be overlooked as it, unfortunately, too often is. Homeowners tend to forget that they paid for it when they bought their house, and it’s also the largest heated room of the house,” says Roberto Wilson, co-founder of Espace Garage Plus, a custom garage designer in Terrebonne.

By Ursula Leonowicz, originally published in New Homes + Condos section of the Montreal Gazette on Saturday June 1, 2019.

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’Tis the season to get the garage organized

"’Tis the season to get the garage organized" - Espace Garage Plus

The garage is often the biggest room in the house, yet it becomes the catch-all for everything from tools, kid’s toys, seasonal items, bikes, yard and garden equipment and who knows what else. Often there’s hardly room for a car. It can quickly become a messy storage area that does nothing but raise your blood pressure. “People buy stuff over the summer and put it all straight into the yard. They don’t take into consideration that there isn’t room left in the garage to store those things so, come fall, they realize they have way more stuff than the beginning of the season,” said Roberto Wilson, co-founder of Espace Garage Plus.

“Fall is the motivation season because snow is coming and homeowners need to bring all of their stuff back inside, and that’s when panic sets in. They call us up and look for a miracle,” he chuckled. There are different options when it comes to organizing a garage. Today, consumers can find a myriad of systems and DIY kits that they can build and install themselves. These

By Jennifer Cox, originally published in New Homes + Condos section of the Montreal Gazette on Saturday October 12, 2019.

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7 Clutter-Busting Garage Storage Solutions

"7 Clutter-Busting Garage Storage Solutions" - Espace Garage Plus

Our garages play a very important role in our everyday living. Of course, they protect our vehicles from the elements. But more often than not, they also become dumping grounds for tools, cleaning products and seasonal gear.

These 7 tips can help you make the most out of this often overcrowded and underused space. Built-ins, slatwalls and other smart storage solutions can help you eliminate clutter and keep your garage tidy.

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Beyond the countertop

"Beyond the countertop" - Espace Garage Plus

Most countertops that we offer to crown our melamine or steel cabinets, which include a workbench, are made of either solid colored beech or stainless steel. Some prefer the warmth of wood to the coldness of steel while for others it is the opposite.

Both countertops will show wear and tear over the years as witnesses of the work you have done on it. On the other hand, wood offers the advantage of being sanded and refinished.

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The Beauty and The Beast

"The Beauty and The Beast" - Espace Garage Plus

This is the garage makeover story of a homeowner who wanted to completely renovate his single garage to make it the den par excellence for his high caliber sports car. The car was his prized possession which he affectionately called “The Beast.”  He liked to pamper it in his spare time and wanted to park it in an appropriate environment. The request was not overly complicated, basically he wanted us to do everything possible to make this garage a “Beauty” that would complement The Beast. He wanted a suitable home for his car with all the amenities for its pampering. Piece of cake.

Once the 2D modeling and budget were approved, we tackled the most difficult task of the project which was to finish the base of the walls. The project entailed subway-style ceramic tiles around the perimeter of the garage to protect it, similar to a commercial car wash.

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Not all cabinets are created equal

"Not all cabinets are created equal" - Espace Garage Plus

What characterizes a great garage cabinet? The quality of materials and hardware used to make it? The quality of construction? Its strength and durability? In fact, all these characteristics are what make a great garage cabinet.

It is not uncommon to see people, after a kitchen renovation, take their old kitchen cabinets and install them in the garage. In most cases, these cabinets survived a certain time but have lost their structural integrity and can no longer stand up to a heavy-duty application.

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