K+BB - September 2008 - (Page 70)

Additions Garage Sale This now stylish space can mean extra bucks for your business Once considered the most neglected area in the home, the garage has evolved into an inviting retreat, as well as a musthave investment for homebuyers interested in refinancing or selling their homes. In addition, a well-designed garage provides a beautiful entryway into the home and, for car enthusiasts, a handy amenity. “The garage is really the starting and stopping point for homes,” said Chad Haas, president and founder of Vault, a garage cabinet manufacturer. “It’s America’s front door.” The most important feature of a garage, and one that can make a statement, is its door. When done right, a garage door has the potential to enhance curb appeal while offering homeowners a welcoming sight as they pull into their driveway. Because it accounts for 20 percent of the visual impact of the exterior of the house, Haas advises selecting a design that complements the home’s aesthetic, instead of one in Designed for smaller garage spaces, PremierAccess cabinets from PremierGarage cookie-cutter style. (above, left) feature a bypass, sliding door system for maximum convenience. To cut More than just parking space, today’s garages reﬂect the down on energy costs from old, inefﬁcient refrigerators, Gladiator GarageWorks by lifestyle of the homeowner. “A garage is not just a garage Whirlpool offers the Energy Star-qualiﬁed Chillerator garage refrigerator (above, right), anymore,” said Karl Champley, spokesperson and home which keeps internal temperatures consistent regardless of external conditions. improvement expert for Gladiator GarageWorks. “It’s the man’s cave.” A garage can serve as a multipurpose space, game parked car, porcelain tiles are durable, dense and non-absorbent, room, entertainment room, workshop, children’s playroom and even making it easy to clean oil stains. PremierGarage also offers ecoa home ofﬁce. Champley recently remodeled a garage with a 12-ft.- friendly alternatives, including floor coating systems that use chemihigh ceiling. Taking advantage of the extra height, he added a mez- cal technology containing no VOCs and therefore are designed to zanine loft space with a staircase for the work-at-home client. be less hazardous than traditional ﬂooring systems. One of the most important functions of a garage is lessening the Having a refrigerator inside the garage has become a popular storage load in the rest of the house, said Champley. With cabinet trend in recent years. Refrigerators made specifically for the garage shelves, wall-mounted hooks and storage bins made specifically for are capable of relieving space in the kitchen refrigerator and providthe garage, homeowners have extra space for household items and ing storage for conveniently keeping snacks and beverages in the a safe place to store ﬂammable or hazardous materials. An efﬁciently garage. Homeowners, however, often make the mistake of putting organized space also enhances curb appeal, as most homeowners old refrigerators in the garage that cannot withstand the humidity of are afraid to open their garage doors, which would expose the clutsome locations. “A kitchen refrigerator would have to work overtime ter inside to their neighbors. to keep up with the hot temperatures,” Champley said. Whether for sporting goods or gardening equipment, a variety of But garages can be more than just stylish, multipurpose rooms that cabinetry choices are available in different materials to keep belong- otherwise have little to do with rest of the house. In fact, thanks to the ings secure and easily accessible. For a more industrial look, stainlessvariety of decorative hardware, floor tiles, cabinets and wall options steel and aluminum cabinets and bins are durable options heavyavailable (some dedicated, some not), more homeowners are requestduty enough for the garage, noted Haas. Units can also be speciﬁed ing garages that not only suit their lifestyles, but also seem more like in sturdy wood, offered in formaldehyde-free composites. Cabinets extensions of the home, reﬂecting its look and feel. Once neglected, and bins mounted on wheels are ideal for moving items and convertthese spaces now offer another opportunity for self-expression. “We’re ing the space for multiple uses. seeing customers become more creative with their garages while workIn addition to cabinetry, there is a wide range of flooring options ing with designers,” said Brad Randolph, VP of PremierGarage. s suitable for use in garages. Capable of withstanding the weight of a —Matthew Marin 70 + K BB September 2008 / www.kbbonline.com / The Ofﬁcial Sponsor of K/BIS www.kbis.com http://www.kbbonline.com http://www.kbis.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of K+BB - September 2008

KBB - September 2008
Contents
Online Contents
Online News
Editorial
Feedback
Dates
Digits
Focus
Consumer
Trends
Products
Options
Profile
Design
Hospitality Suite
Guest Appearance
Green
Access
Additions
Practice
Education
Editorial Index
Ad Index
Favorites

K+BB - September 2008