Episode 1623
We design the ultimate garage with Aaron Cash from Garage Living
Your garage is an extention of your home in many cases. Some people use it to store things and some people want it organized so that everything has its place and its also a place to work and live. We sit down with Aaron Cash from Garage Living and talk about how you can transform that space and in the last segment I dive into the many things you need to take care of in your garage to make it comfortable year round.
For more information about Garage Living head to: www.garageliving.com
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Information given on the Around the House Show should not be considered construction or design advice for your specific project, nor is it intended to replace consulting at your home or jobsite by a building professional. The views and opinions expressed by those interviewed on the podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Around the House Show.
Mentioned in this episode:
Baldwin Hardware
A new kind of decking and siding from Millboard
For more information about the latest in decking and cladding head to https://www.millboard.com/
Transcript
[00:00:12] Aaron Cash: Yeah, so assuming that the condition of the floor is good and there's no moisture issues and it's dry when we get there. A double car garage can be, um, completed start to finish in one day.
[:[00:00:43] Eric Goranson: And then you can get in and start taking care of the rest of the project while you're at it.
[:[00:00:48] Aaron Cash: Typically, unless it's a really cold stretch of days, we often will install apply the floor
[:[00:00:57] Eric Goranson: it comes to remodeling and renovating your [00:01:00] home, there is a lot to know. The we This is
[:[00:01:07] Eric Goranson: the house show. This is where we help you get the most out of your home through information and education.
[:[00:01:32] Eric Goranson: And today we've got Aaron Cash from garage living. com. Welcome to around the house, brother. Thanks for
[:[00:01:41] Eric Goranson: you guys are, what I love about what you guys do is you're located all across North America, and you guys are really taking that space at for. A majority of people is not used correctly or even designed out.
[:[00:02:33] Aaron Cash: And then obviously the resources, money to, to invest in the space and, and really bring that, uh. And that
[:[00:02:57] Aaron Cash: Absolutely. So I think, you know, obviously [00:03:00] giving us a call or going on our website and reaching out to us, uh, through the site or by email is, is a good start. But even before that, I would, I would encourage, um, um, homeowners to take a look at their space, uh, take a look at their lifestyle and really understand what they're looking to achieve.
[:[00:03:39] Aaron Cash: And from there, I would then recommend you having 1 of our design consultants come out to to meet you in your garage and talk through some of those questions. And understand what you're looking for, and then, you know, once we have that sort of needs analysis done. We can come up with a great plan to, to address all those, all those things that you want to achieve and, [00:04:00] and design the space uniquely for your home and your lifestyle.
[:[00:04:26] Eric Goranson: And the little town I had, there was not a floor finishing company out there that was doing anything that was Not a big warehouse. They didn't want to tackle any projects. So this was before a lot of the newer companies out there, but I'd tell you what, I thought I would go to the big box store and, um, you know, I let the concrete cure ride and did the surface prep.
[:[00:05:05] Eric Goranson: Absolutely.
[:[00:05:37] Aaron Cash: And, uh, quite bright and so just redoing the floor has a dramatic impact on the entire space. So people often think, you know, that's the easiest way to do it, um, is to go and get some product that at the, uh, home improvement centers. But the products they sell, there are often not the highest quality and that sort of matches with the price [00:06:00] point, which, um, which I understand, but this is 1 of those projects where hiring someone to use high quality materials and do the process right is, um, extremely valuable and.
[:[00:06:26] Eric Goranson: Yeah. I ended up with a bigger mess. I'd followed the directions, the company, which is a major retailer out there, their house brand. And so it's a big brand that everybody knows.
[:[00:07:05] Eric Goranson: If you're a Northern climate people, you've got all that road grime coming off the car in the winter time. Being able to clean that up and any oil spills or things like that, or any drips like that. It's nice to be able to get it without having to worry about the concrete. Always looking dirty, no matter how clean you try to keep it.
[:[00:07:48] Aaron Cash: Um, you know, it just sits there until you can clean it up. But, uh, with a good quality coating, it's very easy to either, uh, uh, sweep out or, uh, [00:08:00] wash out or even shovel out in the winter if it, if it actually falls off the car and it stays, uh, In a solid form.
[:[00:08:17] Eric Goranson: I think it just, it gives a different feel. And like you said, with the light and the cleanliness, it's easier to keep clean.
[:[00:08:45] Aaron Cash: High quality product absorbs into the pores of the concrete. And bonds properly, um, is really critical to ensuring that you're getting something that's going to last for a significant period of time without any. Any maintenance whatsoever.
[:[00:09:05] Eric Goranson: How much, how much time does it usually take for you guys to get in and do that? If it's all cleared out and, and, uh, fairly ready to go like that. Sit tight. We'll answer that question. We come back after these very important messages. If you want to find out more about the around the house show, don't worry.
[:[00:09:37] Intro: don't go anywhere.
[:[00:10:01] Eric Goranson: Steel Panther, and you are listening to
[:[00:10:07] Eric Goranson: We love
[:[00:10:09] Intro: too.
[:[00:10:39] Aaron Cash: Yeah, so assuming that the condition of the floor is good and there's no moisture issues and it's dry when we get there, a double car garage can be, um, completed start to finish in one day. Nice. Um, so, so we can get out there early in the morning. We'll do all of our prep work. We'll apply our coding and by the end of the [00:11:00] day, um, you know, we put up, uh, our caution tape and let it cure overnight and it's ready to go for walking traffic the next morning.
[:[00:11:09] Eric Goranson: that's quick and then you can get in and start taking care of the rest of the project while you're at
[:[00:11:31] Aaron Cash: So, uh, 1 of the great parts of of our business and the project for homeowners is that. It's very quick and it's not super disruptive to their lives. So again, we're not running through the house. We're, we're not bringing in materials. It's all through the garage. Uh, we don't require any of their power. So it's almost as if, you know, it's being done and they don't have any involvement and they don't have any frustrations caused by people sort of taking over [00:12:00] their the, on your
[:[00:12:05] Eric Goranson: And I wanted to talk about this before we get into storage. I think for so many people out there, this is such a cost effective storage, let alone way to work on your home on your car in your home to maintain it a car lift. If you've got the ceiling height, you could put twice as many cars in that garage and it makes a lot of sense.
[:[00:12:50] Aaron Cash: Typically, they're used for, you know, whether weekend cars or, um, prize possessions or things that are even used just in the summer. Um, [00:13:00] but, uh, they really like having them at home. They know they're secure. And it's really convenient when you do want to use it. So they're an excellent way to add that additional parking space.
[:[00:13:33] Aaron Cash: And, uh, can be can be put on onto a lift and put out of the way without without significant expense.
[:[00:14:00] Eric Goranson: Be nice to have it out of the way without taking up that real estate.
[:[00:14:16] Eric Goranson: Makes sense. Makes really good sense, especially when land is expensive and that addition might not even be possible depending on where you live. Exactly. So let's talk about storage because I know storage is big and, you know, you can go down and get your toolboxes that roll around, but I tell you what, there is nothing like having real built in storage that you can put things away permanently without having to worry about something that's kind of temporary and rolling around.
[:[00:14:45] Aaron Cash: absolutely. So, uh, it really all depends on what the client needs. Some clients don't have any tools, in which case they don't need drawers and things for that. Perhaps that's not the case with your garage. It seems like you have a fair bit of, uh, uh, [00:15:00] tools and the need for a tool chest there. But, um, you know, we really, we develop, um, a plan based on a needs based approach and, uh, really understand what the client needs.
[:[00:15:33] Aaron Cash: And then take the old kitchen cabinets and sort of just, you know, throw them up on the wall and, and make use of them. And, you know, that, that may be great for some people, but it, it may also not be functional for others because you essentially have a kitchen set up in your garage now. And that's not, you know, going to be conducive to what you need in there.
[:[00:15:55] Eric Goranson: but it's not really good for something that you're going to be using day in and day out. Quite frankly, by the [00:16:00] time I'm tearing cabinets out, I want to see him gone. I don't want to look at him again for another
[:[00:16:12] Aaron Cash: And it oftentimes is, um, you know, really not, um, a product you'd want to put in a garage environment, whether it's heated or cooled, uh, there's a lot of moisture. You said you're, you know, on the West Coast, um, you know, it's damp and, and those things type, you know, they tend to, uh, swell up with water and, and, and humidity.
[:[00:17:02] Aaron Cash: And, uh, then it functions and it, and it looks fantastic at the same time.
[:[00:17:23] Aaron Cash: and that's really what we do.
[:[00:17:44] Aaron Cash: Uh, not just one element, but many that brings it together into a completed space, and that's the magic.
[:[00:18:01] Eric Goranson: Sit tight. We'll be back with Aaron cashier in just a minute to talk garages. If you want to find out more about around the house, head over to around the house online. com. That is the official website. So you can grab everything there for the radio show, the podcast. And the television show as well, because that will send you over to our YouTube page, which we have over here.
[:[00:18:39] Intro: go anywhere[00:19:00]
[:[00:19:01] Eric Goranson: keel the metal cowboy from keel the ron keel band and stealer We are rocking around the house
[:[00:19:11] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the round the house show now we're going to wrap up here with uh, erin cash And then we're going to talk about some other things that you should be thinking about when you're remodeling that garage And it doesn't matter if you're in the South, the North, or anywhere here in the United States.
[:[00:19:55] Eric Goranson: Just kind of where you're at. And for many people up north. Finding a place to put [00:20:00] those. Cause I tell you what, I don't want to go taking those up the, up the ladder into my attic space and storing them out of the way, because those things are way too big and way too heavy to go lifting
[:[00:20:08] Aaron Cash: the set of stairs.
[:[00:20:32] Aaron Cash: Um, uh, it it's something that we have to deal with. So, uh, yeah, we have we have tire storage. And it doesn't have to be mounted very high. So it's easy to get the tires up off the ground because they're not usually very light. But they do create a lot of space rather than stacking them in a corner that takes up floor space where you may want to park, or you may want to install something else.
[:[00:21:12] Eric Goranson: Nice. Are there any other trends that you're seeing out in garages out there?
[:[00:21:26] Aaron Cash: It is, and I would say just about, you know, sort of EV charging is definitely becoming a trend. We're seeing more of pretty much all new construction builds that we see now are including at the very minimum, a rough in for a charger.
[:[00:21:57] Aaron Cash: Because doing it after the fact is a [00:22:00] lot more disruptive and a lot more, it's a lot, it's a lot more costly. So, you know, in new builds, they'll, they'll have the, um, the roughens for that in retrofits. You know, they're, they're coming to us to consider that as part of the planning process in order to do that for sure.
[:[00:22:39] Eric Goranson: Uh, that cable that, uh, I've seen in some neighborhoods in my area has been stolen a few times.
[:[00:23:03] Aaron Cash: Um, but not only that, it's just the convenience of having. You know, being able to plug it in out indoors without having to worry about a dirty, um, cord getting pulled through the driveway. Um, you know, people are really considering how they can make this as easy as possible for themselves. Uh, so that they can, you know, make an EV part of their life.
[:[00:23:28] Aaron Cash: No, just the, the, the overall trend is as we were discussing before is that people are really recognizing the value of the space and that they are dedicating the resources to extend their lifestyle and their design aesthetic into the space and really just make, make it a functional room in their home.
[:[00:24:10] Aaron Cash: You know,
[:[00:24:28] Aaron Cash: Absolutely, so if if there's not a garage living in your community, you can feel free to get in touch with us and we can explore that opportunity and see if there's a good fit. And, yeah, it's a, it's a growing market. And a fast growing category, and we like to always be the leaders in our, in our, in our industry and in our, in our markets that we operate in.
[:[00:24:58] Eric Goranson: All right, Aaron. What's the best way for [00:25:00] people to track you guys down?
[:[00:25:11] Aaron Cash: And has, uh, uh, all the ways you can get in touch with, uh, your local market, your local location, uh, in your local market.
[:[00:25:32] Eric Goranson: And have that, uh, kind of one stop shop garage makeover. So, uh, I think that is great for the people out there that, uh, don't want to go out and try to tackle themselves by hiring a flooring company and maybe a cabinetry company or buying stuff. I think that's a great option. I wanted to talk about in the rest of the show, some of the other problems that we're seeing in garages out there that are connected to people's homes, or even if they're detached.
[:[00:26:28] Eric Goranson: 5 to 2. 5 million dollar homes down the street by the lake by my house, and they're brand new attached garages, and in the winter months here when it's raining, you will see somebody, maybe they've got one car, maybe they got two cars, they will pull into that three car garage and shut the door. Well that space is warm, it's insulated, it has insulated doors that are glass.
[:[00:27:19] Eric Goranson: And now you've got high humidity. That's going to create mold everywhere in that garage. And so really what you need to do is either have ventilation or you need to have some kind of dehumidification in there to handle that. So there's a couple of different ways to do this. One, you could put in vent fans in there with humidity sensors.
[:[00:27:56] Eric Goranson: Well, you can't have in a garage because [00:28:00] of carbon monoxide and stuff, you can't be swapping air inside of the house. So you almost have to have a dehumidifier in that garage to help control that's that air or you'd have to come in and have its own mini split system to take care of that that would only be for that garage space inside.
[:[00:28:35] Eric Goranson: See if we can solve
[:[00:29:02] Intro: It's the end of the show now. Drinking
[:[00:29:06] Intro: It's sad time
[:[00:29:38] Eric Goranson: Air that is humid already that's outside because if you're driving in the rain, you've got a humid atmosphere anyway, but how do you keep that air moving? So you don't have mold and excess humidity. So really, if you get above 60 percent humidity in that garage, you are going to start growing mold. It doesn't matter.
[:[00:30:14] Eric Goranson: So have a humidity sensor outside in that garage. As well as a carbon monoxide and fire sensor out there. It's just smart to have it that way. If you do have issues, you can at least manage it and know what's going on, but really pay attention to the humidity out in that space. It's a big one. Now here's another one that has been, uh, as we build tighter homes has been an issue in all of us that had unconditioned garages with lots of ventilation.
[:[00:31:02] Eric Goranson: And a lot of them give off some pretty crazy chemicals that you don't want. In your home now, what can happen is, is when you have a very tight garage and there's nothing that is, um, you know, there's nothing in there that is swapping that air out. You can now be feeding that inadvertently back into your home.
[:[00:31:52] Eric Goranson: So these are things that you have to be really careful with, and it shows up if you do air tests inside your home. So these are things that I [00:32:00] really want you to be careful with, and I learned this from Caroline, you know, former co host here, Our Healthy Home. You know, she's America's Healthy Home Expert, and she really brought this to my attention of the different things that can be happening.
[:[00:32:37] Eric Goranson: Because the last thing I want to see is that happening. You know, I just don't want you to have to worry about. Any of these bad chemicals getting inside your home, because, as you know, that can lead to really unhealthy air and other health issues. So just be really careful of what's going out in that garage, because if it's given off.
[:[00:33:15] Eric Goranson: Might be a better spot for it. And it's amazing how much of that air sneaks inside. So if you've got an older house, it's not that big a deal. However, and I say this, depending on how it's sealed up, if you've got a firewall, which many people do between the garage and the house, that's not doing a great job of keeping that stuff out of there.
[:[00:33:54] Eric Goranson: I put a new one in and there are some great new products out there. You know, I just swapped out my garage door. I [00:34:00] put in that, uh, that clopay, uh, insulated garage door, the glass one. It really changed how much sound and how much heat was going through my old one because I had a 1977 wood door on there and it had a nice smile to it.
[:[00:34:32] Eric Goranson: And then the garage door opener is key. I swapped out when I first moved into the house, I had this Montgomery awards, 1977 original to the house garage door opener. And the first thing I did was snag that thing out of there because the problem with that garage door opener was just that it was brutal.
[:[00:35:15] Eric Goranson: And it's something if you're thinking about putting in a new garage door opener, you think about, you know, how garage door openers traditionally hang down in the middle of the garage. Yeah. It opened my garage up so much by putting it over because, you know, I've got your traditional coil spring, you know, garage door where it's got the big coil springs up there, and that's what helps and assists the lowering of the door.
[:[00:35:55] Eric Goranson: So you don't have any of the belts or the chains or the screws. Any of that stuff. [00:36:00] And for this heavy garage door, I needed it. Now, the important thing was, is that gave me all the new safety stuff, including a deadbolt. You know how people get concerned about how they can, I'm not going to tell you how to do it, but there's an easy way to snuck to slide in there and grab the rope and pull it and disconnect the garage door.
[:[00:36:39] Eric Goranson: So if you go to lift it up, you're not lifting that door up, you are going to have to destroy the door to get through it, which now makes a really hard place to do it on the front of your house in most cases. So it makes the garage door a place that someone can access. And so it adds that extra level of security.
[:[00:37:16] Eric Goranson: And so when the Amazon delivery driver comes up, they have access via their app to open your garage door enough to slide the boxes underneath. And the cool thing is, is that driver can't leave until the garage door is showing on their app that it's closed. Which means someone's not going to leave that door halfway open because they were in a hurry to their next delivery.
[:[00:37:59] Eric Goranson: So these are [00:38:00] all great things to think about with your garage. And make sure you've got it. And then of course, these days, there's all those led lights out there that you can put around that use little or no power, but you can give yourself a ton of great light with that. And if you want to see a review, I did on one of the garage lights that you could do just one of the screw install ones for an old garage.
[:[00:38:41] Eric Goranson: That boy, those things burned out pretty quickly and they got really hot. Like I was getting ready to let the smoke out of them, which is never good. So be careful what you buy on the internet. Not all those LEDs are good. Some of them, they get overheated easily and guess what? That's when they fail and it could cause other problems.
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