Garage Sales

Cliff James asked:


A detached garage with an apartment makes a great guesthouse. Garage apartments plans provide space for storage and add value to your home. You can also generate extra income from your garage apartment! Making a living space over your apartment is a great idea for extra income, or you can use it for a home office. In certain areas you must prove that your home office is separate from your home to qualify for tax purposes. Having the office over your garage with keep your home office completely away from the home. Suddenly your new garage apartment has become a tax write off.

Garage apartments also provide a new sense of independence for your college aged child, if they plan to stay home. Students are always on the lookout for housing that is affordable and garage apartments fit he bill perfectly. Other new members of the workforce may be interested in your garage apartment as well. The potential for this extra income can add value to your home if and when you decide to sell. Some older folks who have retired often decide to live in their garage apartment while renting out their older home that may now be too large for their needs.

For parents who need extra room

Garage apartments can add a new master bedroom for parents of large families who need an extra room. If your garage is attached to your house, a garage apartment can serve as a very large and airy extra bedroom for privacy starved parents. For this type of apartment plan, the extra kitchen may be left off or appliances not added until children have moved away and the parents decide to rent the garage apartment.

Before you start building your garage apartment or purchase new garage apartments plans, check your local building permits and requirements. If you plan on using the apartment as a rental unit, you might need to supply an extra parking space for the renter. You may also need to think of adding stairs to the exterior of the building for security reasons. Be sure to check the insurance requirements as well.

Where to find garage apartment plans

Two sources I like for garage apartment plans are a site called coolhouseplans and one titled archwaypress.

As an example of pricing, coolhouseplans offers plans for a 448 sq. ft. garage and garage apartment at 400 that range in price from a low of $375 for one set of blueprints to a high of $650 for a reproducible set of plans or CAD (Computer Aided Drawing) files on CD-ROM.

Coolhouseplans also has lower-priced plans for a garage and garage apartment that range in price from $220 to $550.

In comparison, Archwaypress offers a single set of plans for a garage and loft $115 or $215 for reproducible masters. It also sells a three-set package of plans for a garage and garage apartment at a cost of $165 for $265 for reproducible masters.

Whichever you choose, a garage apartment can make a lot of sense as either extra room or as extra income.



MARQUIS

josh webber asked:


Cleaning the garage is often a demanding task because of the clutter that builds up during the winter months. For those who lack help, or prefer to work alone, the solution is more difficult. The problem that comes with cleaning your garage is that you have a limited window of time to complete the job. Countless items always seem to end up in the garage and this makes organization is a true challenge. The garage is often used as a household storage room and anything can end up out there. This type of situation requires extra planning to figure out what is being stored in the garage and where everything is going to be when the job is complete. For example, a can of paint should not be stored beside scuba gear or ski equipment. Proper planning can prevent this from happening.

There are many ways to solve your cleaning needs in the garage, but the best way is to invest in the right types of storage products to easily and efficiently handle the various items that you are storing. Before you begin worrying about what kinds of storage to buy, take inventory of what is in your garage. You should ask yourself several questions before deciding on how to deal with a particular item: How often do you use the item? Is it something that is almost never used, and should just be thrown away or stored in a less accessible place? Remember, there is a good chance that you will be in and out of your garage often using the various items that are stored there. If an item that you no longer use is in the way, you should consider getting rid of it. You can either throw it out, or store it in a new location.

Another important issue to consider is whether the items in your garage are seasonal. Try storing summer items in an accessible location during the summer while winter items can be stored someplace out of sight. Then you can swap their storage locations when the seasons change. This simple practice helps remove substantial clutter.

If you have items that are used all the time, they must be stored in an accessible way, but also need to be organized logically based on function and size. Consideration must be given to chemicals, tools and other items that could be harmful if stored incorrectly. Having a can of paint spill can be a frustrating event. However, storing these items in a separate area can prevent future disasters. The process of taking inventory can be quite time consuming, but it can be spread out into short sessions over the course of a few weeks. This can help you avoid any scheduling conflicts, and it should be closely followed by the purchase of appropriate storage devices that meet your needs.

One of the best storage solutions for your garage is a rack that can be placed above the door. This area often has a lot of space that is left unused. By placing a rack above the door, you can easily hide items that are not often used. Placing a storage rack above the door also provides easy access to your items when the right time arrives.

An especially productive rack, at least for some, is a fishing pole holder. These devices can often hold six or more rods, while keeping them safely out of the way near the ceiling. Accompany this rack with a simple shelf, and all of your fishing items can be stored away safely in the rafters. You can easily reach those items with the help of a stepladder. Over the door racks can also be incredibly useful places to keep skis, snowboards, surfboards and other similar items.

Shelving is also a great way to keep everything in order. Simple shelves can have nets attached to them to conveniently store various types of sporting equipment that do not easily stay in one place. Pegboards are great for hanging certain items such as gardening tools. They also take up very little space. If you are concerned with having items stored on open shelves because of dust, moisture and general wear and tear, try stackable cubes with doors. These cubes can be moved around to fit within your space limitations, and can store almost anything very well.

Once you have a good inventory of your belongings, and have installed shelving and other storage products, you have taken the first steps toward organizing your garage. If you have planned well, this process can be finished quickly. However, some problems may still need to be resolved.

Awkwardly shaped items can be a problem when organizing your garage. Also, many individuals tend to underestimate how much stuff they have. However, if the most important items are stored well, solving these smaller problems should be relatively easy. Try thinking of other locations to store awkwardly shaped items, until you find one which works well.

By following these guidelines, your garage should be neat, organized and looking as good as new in no time. Also, creating a plan and utilizing certain storage products will help ensure that your system remains intact. This helps to keep further cleaning to a minimum, and can make your garage as organized as the rest of your home.



MIKE