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This is not the first garage that GarageTek has upgraded for Gabrielle and her husband, Ron, 46. In their last home in Howard County, Gabrielle surprised her husband with this garage system when he came back from a business trip. That garage attached to a smaller single-family home had a black and white floor system with red border. The same modular tile floor installed in their new townhome in Montgomery County comes in other cool patterns and motifs, says Peter Belman, general manager of GarageTek. The owners selected yellow and black with a red border this time because the yellow shows less dirt. Running water over the floor keeps it clean and it’s great when you have dogs, they say.
Getting Organized
Upsizing to a 3,700-square-foot townhome located closer to their jobs as well as to the Metro, Gabrielle and Ron say the neighbors stop to check out the efficient garage space. Equipped with TekPanels that anchor the wall system by allowing storage lockers and shelving to clip into grooves, the garage is just the right fit for their 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa and 2003 MINI Cooper S, which Gabrielle just purchased after trading in her two-seater Porsche Boxster for a little more interior car space.
Now the garage not only contains two sporty cars, but also holds tools, supplies, and camping and sporting equipment with ease. Being able to move items left to right and up and down with the TekPanels enhances this now organized space.
Does this garage system affect resale? Definitely, the owners say. The well-planned garage and other remodeled spaces contributed to a three-day sale of their last residence. During the only open house at that home, listing agent Lois Leahy, realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, commented that almost everyone who viewed the home said, “It is the most incredible, organized garage I have ever seen.”
The garage is one of the “dark closets” that home sellers often ignore, says Leahy, but a clean, well-lit and organized garage and a maintained deck indicate to the buyers that the overall maintenance of the home is high. “If someone has an organized garage, that’s their lifestyle,” Leahy adds. And for car buffs who spend hours in the garage, the modular floor tiles provide some insulation and are easy on the feet, while the wall system offers lots of versatility, she says.
If the owners decide to sell this home at some point, the new buyers can remove the floor tiles and the concrete will appear brand new, they say. But Gabrielle and Ron plan to stay put for a while and right now are busy unpacking and filling the garage’s storage system that took only one day for a GarageTek crew of four to install. This minimizes disruption, Belman says. The colorful floor makes the garage brighter and the walls give it a finished look, the owners add.
