[00:00:04] Eric Goranson: t's around the house! 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?

[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.

[00:00:24] Aaron Cash: 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 coating and by the end of the day. day. Um, you know, we put up our caution tape and let it cure overnight and it's ready to go for walking traffic the next morning. Nice. That's quick.

[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.

[00:00:47] Eric Goranson: Yeah.

[00:00:48] Aaron Cash: Typically, unless it's a really cold stretch of days, we often will install apply the floor

[00:00:56] Intro: coating. When

[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

[00:01:05] Intro: around

[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.

[00:01:12] Eric Goranson: Thanks for joining us today. We're going to talk here about one of my favorite subjects, the garage, and it is one of the many rooms in a home that gets forgotten. Many times things get stacked out there and it becomes the drop all store all. But then for some people, it is a massive extension to the house.

[00:01:32] Eric Goranson: And today we've got Aaron Cash from garage living. com. Welcome to around the house, brother. Thanks for

[00:01:39] Aaron Cash: having me. It's great to talk to you. And

[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.

[00:01:55] Aaron Cash: Absolutely. So we have, uh, just around 50 [00:02:00] locations, uh, both in the U S and Canada. Um, we, you know, work with homeowners in all different types of climates, types of spaces, size garages. And, you know, it's, it's really becoming a space that people recognize as valuable and typically it's overlooked. So, um, with that recognition of value comes the desire to spend, uh, some time first off to consider how they want to use the space and how they want it to look and feel.

[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

[00:02:41] Eric Goranson: is great. So if someone is thinking about, you know, tackling that garage project, you know, they've got their collector cars out there, or it's just a space that's not efficiently being used. What's the best way to start this process?

[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.

[00:03:17] Aaron Cash: Because to some homeowners, it may just be a really clean floor, um, nice, bright lights and and an empty space because they don't have gardening equipment and they don't have items they want to store. And so they don't need all of that. So. Um, you know, really understanding what you want to do with the space and what you need it to be functionally is a good start.

[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.

[00:04:04] Eric Goranson: Yeah, that is great. And I think one of the most important things that you start thinking about when you dive into this is not only, Hey, where am I going to put stuff? How's it going to look? And for instance, garage floor finishes is a big one. And, and I'll tell my horror story because, uh, 20 years ago, I, uh, built a garage at a, when I lived in another state and I said, I'm going to do my own finish.

[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.

[00:04:45] Eric Goranson: And that was a huge disaster of a DIY project. And from then on, I've said, Hey, don't try this at home, guys. This is left to the professionals. I know it's something that you guys do well. Let's talk about floor finishes. Cause this can be a big [00:05:00] DIY disaster when it's not done correctly. Even if you follow the steps on the can.

[00:05:05] Eric Goranson: Absolutely.

[00:05:06] Aaron Cash: So to start off, I would say the floor is 1 of those parts of any garage that dramatically changes the space. Um, you know, it's not necessarily functional in terms of, uh, anything else to store items, but it transforms the garage from what typically is a dusty and dirty. And dark, because light doesn't reflect off of bare concrete into something that's clean, very easy to keep clean.

[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.

[00:06:16] Aaron Cash: Uh, an area that you wouldn't want to save a few dollars in order to have done because you end up just redoing it or end up with a bigger mess than you started with.

[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.

[00:06:35] Eric Goranson: I'm not going to throw anybody into the bus here today because that's not what this show is about. They gave me my money back, paid me to go back and do it again. And it did the same thing. They hired a company to come out and do it under the warranty stuff, and it did it again. So, we finally, they paid to have it removed, and I just left a concrete floor that was there after the fact, but I tell you what, [00:07:00] um, having that finish on a floor Is a game changer, especially if you're bringing your car in.

[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.

[00:07:23] Aaron Cash: Absolutely. And concrete by nature is just a stone. So, the more you walk on it, the more you drive on it, the more dust is created. So, really finishing the floor with a good quality coating eliminates some of that dust production. And then, like you said, bringing in your cars or walking through the snow and slush and sand and the rest of it that comes off the cars in the winter.

[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.

[00:08:07] Eric Goranson: Nice. And that just, I think it's just such a, a beautiful piece that's functional for a garage, not even before you get into the, into the storage stuff that you're going to do in there.

[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.

[00:08:24] Aaron Cash: Absolutely. And then just, you know, like you said, the, the, the application is. Really the crux of of a good product. So having someone that has the proper know how in order to, uh, prepare the concrete using, uh, industrial strength equipment, essentially diamond grinding equipment that prepares the surface so that that.

[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.

[00:08:59] Eric Goranson: [00:09:00] Nice. If you guys come out and do a garage floor, like your traditional two car garage, you know, pretty standard across there.

[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.

[00:09:21] Eric Goranson: Just go over to around the house. Online. com and you can find out everything there about the radio show, the podcast, and of course the new TV show that's been airing this year. You can find out all the video over there. We'll be right back after these important messages. We'll be talking garages. When we come back,

[00:09:37] Intro: don't go anywhere.

[00:09:58] Intro: What's up, this is Dick [00:10:00] and Satchel from

[00:10:01] Eric Goranson: Steel Panther, and you are listening to

[00:10:04] Aaron Cash: around the house with Eric G.

[00:10:07] Eric Goranson: We love

[00:10:08] Aaron Cash: Eric G and you should

[00:10:09] Intro: too.

[00:10:21] Eric Goranson: Welcome back to the around the house show. We've been talking with Aaron Cash about garages. Now let's get back to that conversation. For more about us, head to around the house, online. com. Let's get back to the program. 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, barely ready to go like that?

[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.

[00:11:08] Aaron Cash: Nice,

[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

[00:11:14] Aaron Cash: it. Yeah, typically, unless it's a really cold, um, stretch of days, we often will install, apply the floor coating on the 1st day of the project and then come back the next day to start fitting out the rest of the garage.

[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

[00:12:02] Eric Goranson: guys's website that you guys do car lifts too.

[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.

[00:12:26] Aaron Cash: Absolutely. So, you know, depending on where you live, the cost of adding that square footage to the garage to park an extra vehicle. Would be many times the cost of installing a traditional 4 post lift to get 1 car on top of another. They can be used for light maintenance. But, uh, for most of our clients, it's about storage and it's about adding, adding additional parking space and it's not that they use them every day.

[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.

[00:13:11] Aaron Cash: Uh, you get the car up out of the way. And then if, you know, not only for for cars, but we've seen lots of other applications where people have used them. And the deck for storage of golf carts, or, you know, um. Or any type of other equipment that that sort of needs a space to go, but it's awkward and large.

[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.

[00:13:41] Eric Goranson: Yeah, it's something that I'm going to add to mine. We're going to do a garage addition, you know, in the next year or 2 here, and I'm going to put 1 in because my wife drives her drives her 70s little Mercedes 2 door convertible around and, you know, something in the winter time when we have bad weather, it goes in the garage and it's there for for a few months on [00:14:00] end.

[00:14:00] Eric Goranson: Be nice to have it out of the way without taking up that real estate.

[00:14:04] Aaron Cash: Absolutely. And then you can either park another car under it or you can put other items below it and not have to worry about bumping into the car or it, you know, being scratched or anything like that. It's safe and protected and out of the way.

[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.

[00:14:44] Eric Goranson: Yeah,

[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.

[00:15:11] Aaron Cash: And the great part of having us Come in, or having any professional come in and install, um, whether it's cabinetry or wall organizers or overhead storage is it it's all planned for your specific, uh, function and lifestyle. So it's unique to each 1 of our clients. Um, that being said, I mean, a lot of people will go in and do a kitchen remodel.

[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.

[00:15:53] Aaron Cash: So,

[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

[00:16:03] Aaron Cash: 20 years. Yeah, absolutely. And then, you know, the majority of the cabinetry and millwork inside the house is either wood based or particle board.

[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.

[00:16:33] Aaron Cash: And, uh, that's not great for, for a product that you want to hold a significant amount of weight and, uh, last a long time. So, you know, starting with products that are high quality, our company has a number of different exclusive lines of, uh, powder coated, welded steel cabinetry. Uh, we design, uh, systems and, and components that, uh, you know, are unique and will work for, for a homeowner, [00:17:00] regardless of, of their space.

[00:17:02] Aaron Cash: And, uh, then it functions and it, and it looks fantastic at the same time.

[00:17:07] Eric Goranson: Yeah, I think doing cabinetry and then a combination like with your guys slat wall system, I think it is such a, a beautiful, elegant, and smart way to store things when you combine those together and it makes for just a beautiful, well kept garage environment

[00:17:23] Aaron Cash: and that's really what we do.

[00:17:25] Aaron Cash: Um, you know, we're not a company that just comes and sells and installs cabinetry. We're really a design based company that will come in and create an entire solution that takes care of every 1 of your needs. So that typically involves a combination of flooring and cabinetry organizers, overhead storage.

[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.

[00:17:50] Eric Goranson: Yeah, and you guys also do some other storage stuff as well, right? Um, I think I saw on there that you guys had, uh, some custom stuff that you guys do depending on [00:18:00] what, uh, what the needs are. All right.

[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.

[00:18:22] Eric Goranson: You just find the TV station. That's KPTV Fox 12. So if you go to YouTube, you can catch that there. And then you can take a look over there at our playlist. Just look for around the house Northwest. And you'll see our 200 plus videos. We have heightened over there. We have so much more coming up on garages after these important messages don't

[00:18:39] Intro: go anywhere[00:19:00]

[00:19:00] Intro: Hey, this is ron

[00:19:01] Eric Goranson: keel the metal cowboy from keel the ron keel band and stealer We are rocking around the house

[00:19:09] Intro: with eric g

[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.

[00:19:23] Eric Goranson: I've got some great tips for you to think about outside of this episode. So we'll be back after this interview here in just a few minutes. Let's wrap this up and then we'll talk about some of the things that you might have forgotten about taking care of in that garage. Yeah, 1 of the things that I just grabbed my attention on your website that I saw when, when you and I were 1st, kind of talking is wall storage for those snow tires or those seasonal tires that you have because here on the West Coast, where I've got mountains and snow tires can be pretty important, depending on where you're at.

[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] up

[00:20:08] Aaron Cash: the set of stairs.

[00:20:10] Aaron Cash: Absolutely. And depending on where you live, snow tires are either, you know, wildly popular and everybody puts them on or usually no one does. Um, so, you know, uh, whether you get into Minnesota or, uh, some in North Dakota, like they're just, they're there all the time. Um, even places like Michigan and, and, and, uh.

[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.

[00:20:54] Aaron Cash: That's going to be functional. Um, they're often difficult to deal with, but, uh, yeah, a good, [00:21:00] solid, uh, tire rack that's high enough off the floor to, you know, create space, but low enough that they're not too awkward to get up there, uh, can be the perfect solution.

[00:21:12] Eric Goranson: Nice. Are there any other trends that you're seeing out in garages out there?

[00:21:15] Eric Goranson: I know it's, things are changing so much with electric vehicles and charging stations and, and, uh, you know, the automotive world is in a series of change right now.

[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.

[00:21:40] Aaron Cash: Um, and then, you know, garages that we do that are more of a retrofit after the, the, the home has been complete. Clients are often asking for us to help figure out exactly how that's going to work because, uh, the future looks like it's going to be electric and, uh, they want to be prepared for that.

[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.

[00:22:16] Eric Goranson: Yeah, I've noticed it's been in some communities and I've had these questions come in from the radio show here. And the podcast where people weren't using their garage, it was for storage only, but all of a sudden, they don't want to have this big, huge cord out in front of their house. And so now people that they've got the electric vehicles are redoing that garage just to get the cars inside where they can charge them easily without having to worry about that.

[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.

[00:22:46] Aaron Cash: Oh, I haven't, I haven't heard much about, about theft, but for sure people are definitely considering how they can use their garage space to charge their car. Um, you know, the, if the car can stay in a dry, warm, uh, [00:23:00] space, it'll charge faster and it'll retain the power.

[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.

[00:23:23] Eric Goranson: And that is great. Is there anything else we missed about garages that we haven't talked about today?

[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.

[00:23:46] Aaron Cash: And so the more that, that people recognize how, how much opportunity there is, regardless of what you want to use it for. Um, the, the more I think we'll continue to have discussions like this and, and we'll continue to build our business, [00:24:00] but also, um, the more people will start to realize, you know, this really has a lot of opportunity and, uh, I'm going to make decisions based on, on how I can maximize it.

[00:24:10] Aaron Cash: You know,

[00:24:10] Eric Goranson: and there's 1 of the thing I want to touch on 2 as well. And, and, you know, we have a lot of contractors that listen to the show is that you guys are a fast growing company going across North America. And you also have franchise opportunities. So, if there's not a garage living in your area, you guys are expanding out there across North America.

[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.

[00:24:52] Aaron Cash: So, uh, if that's of interest to some of your listeners, we'd be more than happy to have those conversations.

[00:24:58] Eric Goranson: All right, Aaron. What's the best way for [00:25:00] people to track you guys down?

[00:25:02] Aaron Cash: Uh, our website's the easiest for sure. So garage living. com, it has a large portfolio of our projects, our products, our services.

[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.

[00:25:19] Eric Goranson: Perfect. Thanks for coming on today, man. I really appreciate it. Thanks very much, Eric. Have a great day. Thanks, Aaron. You guys have some really good options out there for people that want to sit there.

[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.

[00:25:58] Eric Goranson: And there's some problems [00:26:00] that we're seeing out there that I think are a big problem and hear me out on this and this is one of the things that I've seen in my neighborhood because, you know, as we see homes being built out there, we have all these new homes that are built that are, you know, I've got all the best of building science, but the problems that we're seeing, and I think it's important, the problems that we're seeing here are big ones because If I go walk down these brand new, you know, 1.

[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.

[00:26:51] Eric Goranson: And when I walk the dog in the morning... I see water running down like somebody sprayed the inside of that garage door, [00:27:00] and I think that's a big one. I think that's a big issue. So, what I'm seeing here is big ventilation issues because somebody will drive in with a wet car or a hot car, and they pull into this very sealed up conditioned space.

[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.

[00:27:39] Eric Goranson: That would pull the air out, but the problem is when you do that, it's probably wet outside. So you probably have high humidity anyway, right? Because your car's coming in from the environment outside. So really you almost have to put in either dehumidification or pulling in air that is already conditioned from the living space.

[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.

[00:28:17] Eric Goranson: But the last thing I want to see you do is go in there and really. Have mold or any of those other issues inside the garage space because that's gonna be problem if you've got all your Christmas or holiday stuff in there. So let's talk about more of that when we come back just as soon is around the house returns.

[00:28:35] Eric Goranson: See if we can solve

[00:28:35] Intro: this.[00:29:00]

[00:29:02] Intro: It's the end of the show now. Drinking

[00:29:04] Eric Goranson: down people, it's time to go.

[00:29:06] Intro: It's sad time

[00:29:07] Eric Goranson: again, it's last call. Welcome back to the Round the House Show. This is where we help you get the most outta your home through. Information and education. Thanks for joining us today. We've been talking everything about garages and one of the problems I'm seeing in new builds right now is it's a big issue is that condensation from wet cars, pulling into brand new homes with insulated garages, and because you can't be swapping air with inside of the house, you either have to have vent fans, which might just end up swapping out.

[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.

[00:29:55] Eric Goranson: It's just going to happen. And so these are issues that [00:30:00] You can really see and cause really significant damage to anything inside the garage. So this is something that we're going to have to really pay attention to out there for all you people out there with brand new homes. This is something you should pay attention to.

[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.

[00:30:39] Eric Goranson: It wasn't that big an issue, but you think about all the different materials we have out there from paints to lawn care. To all the different things that we see out there that are typically in our garages. Now it could be cleaners. It could be, if you like to wrench on things, everything from break clean to paint strippers, to all the different [00:31:00] things, these are all toxic.

[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.

[00:31:27] Eric Goranson: So what I'm worried about is if you've got all these chemicals out there, and these are things that are really bad, you know, you've got all these different hydrocarbons, you got all these different things that are out there. In these chemicals from bug killers to paints to spray cans to, you know, your mineral spirits to any of this other stuff out there that gives off VOCs and there's a ton of this, right?

[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.

[00:32:15] Eric Goranson: So be really careful of what you're storing in your garage. Maybe a lot of that Is better to be have sitting there outside in a shed, right? Because if it's sitting outside in a shed, you know, as long as it's not freezing or getting too hot, these are things that can be best stored outside so they're not getting inside your home.

[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.

[00:32:56] Eric Goranson: Chemicals, then these are things that, um, you [00:33:00] don't want inside the air in there. So, you know, like I recommend, make sure you do some air testing. If you've got health issues, you want to know what's in that air. So, uh, make sure that you're including those things in the garage. If you've got those nasty chemicals, think about putting them outside.

[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.

[00:33:33] Eric Goranson: So make sure you're staying, um, you know, a little, little safer with that. That way you're good to go. And then really some of the things that I have really enjoyed. Um, you know, there's a lot of new safety things out there when you're talking about your garage. If you have an old garage door opener that doesn't have the safety lights across there, guys, just swap it out.

[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.

[00:34:13] Eric Goranson: So the, uh, the corners were raised up in the middle had shrugged down. So I had to put a little added pad underneath the seal to try to make up for that. And it just caused all these other issues. So really, when you take a look at this, it's Make sure that, uh, you know, you're taking care of that garage.

[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.

[00:34:52] Eric Goranson: If, if you put a, uh, a can underneath that thing. Like a soda can or a beer can that was full. It would [00:35:00] crush it. It just didn't have the safety sensors for anybody running in and out of there or that thing closing. So I put on a nice Chamberlain at that time. And then when I put, you know, a couple of years later, when I added the neuter garage door to it, I put in one of the shaft drive ones and that was a game changer to me.

[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.

[00:35:38] Eric Goranson: Well, these new garage door openers mount to the edge of the garage door on the side, so it actually hooks onto that shaft and turns the shaft instead. That opened up the entire garage door. And then this new one is quieter because you don't have the track and all that stuff. So it's just a shaft drive.

[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.

[00:36:19] Eric Goranson: And then somebody can lift it up. I've seen people do it within seconds that are good thieves, knock that out. Well, how do you combat that? Really easy. The rope isn't there, so there's nothing to grab. And then this has a deadbolt on it. So it takes a hardened piece of steel and jams it right behind one of the rollers.

[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.

[00:36:56] Eric Goranson: The other thing I thought was really cool too, which I really [00:37:00] thought was awesome, was that um, you can also with the Chamberlain through their app and it pairs through another app to get to Amazon. But if you have package thefts and you're worried about your Amazon deliveries going, you can actually give access to the garage by that.

[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.

[00:37:35] Eric Goranson: Or if there's some kind of error or fault, guess what? They have to wait there until a service tech shows up and looks at the door. Which I like. Now the other thing that it has is the battery backups. What's that mean? If I lose power and I want to get my car out of the garage, I can do that. Or another way of egress, if the power's out, I can open that a number of times and still get it open.

[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.

[00:38:18] Eric Goranson: I've got that up over on our, uh, Around the house online. So if you just go to around the house, online. com and go to the videos, and when you go to YouTube, just look at the playlist that all my videos there are attached to, and then you can find my review on the Amazon lights that I bought. That worked pretty darn well, but you should take a look at them and I'll show you what happens in the cheap ones versus the not so cheap ones, because I had a set.

[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.

[00:38:57] Eric Goranson: All right, everybody. That's the end of the show today. Thanks for [00:39:00] tuning into around the house. I really appreciate it. If you're listening on the radio, thanks for tuning in. And for you podcast listeners, I'll see you on Wednesday. Thanks for tuning in to around the

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