Garage Upgrades

Look at any home improvement or lawn and garden publication today, and you'll find numerous pages on garage upgrades and accessories designed to create the ultimate nesting place for both vehicle and human. It's true. Many garages have become an extended expression of one's individuality and skill in home design and all can be achieved with a little imagination, considerable patience and a fairly accommodating bank account. Probably need to add in an accommodating spouse as well.


Today's garage is as much a fashion statement as a place to house one's car. For the collector who is intent on protecting his or her cherished vehicles, which are in many cases worthy of such care and attention, a stylish garage is a necessity. Watch any high profile auction these days, and those muscle cars of the 1960s have entered the stratosphere in terms of pricing, taking a lot of questionable kinfolk with them. Many a collector has seen his or her pride and joy turn into a bona fide nest egg and, typically, everything is for sale. For many, this escalation in values has meant that these cars and trucks need to have a roof over their roof.

But therein lies the distinction. There are plain old garages with plain old roofs and then there are carriage houses, motor courts and auto villages all embracing automobiles as coveted and cosseted as a vintage wine or art collection. "Our Picassos are right inside here; their names are Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bugatti."


Whether it's a simple, conventional two-car storage facility or something approaching a stable for prized horsepower, the beauty is in the eye of the architect and contractor, as well as the home/garage-owner, and ultimately, what's inside. For purposes of this story, while there are so many options one can consider to dress up one's garage, the focus is primarily on the interior space.

Interior Motives
One thing many garage owners aspire to achieve with their garage is maximum space utilization. This enables many to acquire more stuff and cars and whatever can be crammed into their fortress. All this is best accomplished with the proper layout and installation of custom cabinets and shelves. In many cases, it takes a professional to survey what is needed and how best to design the storage units and cabinets so they will most efficiently occupy the space available—and hide a lot of the less than aesthetic components.