About Garages

Adrian B asked:


I’ve already marked everything low. I didn’t get many people last year and I live in a good neighborhood right in town. My garage is old and crappy, my house is new, was only built 5 years ago, but maybe they’re were scared away by that. Maybe it was that they thought we didn’t have a lot because I had everything packed inside. If you’ve had a GS or if you like going to them, give me a few tips on a good one.

Kohler Plumbing Fixtures

MJ Marks asked:


As people upgrade their homes or complete home projects, they are always looking for something else to improve. The latest trend is to spruce up their garage. The garage is slowly becoming more than just a place to store boxes and tools, or toss your recycling until your next trip to the recycling center. It is becoming a central place for activities. I think some of this has to do with the fact that a lot of new homes look roomy from the outside, but are not. They have small rooms, little storage and restrictive floor space. Enough for basic living, but not room for extra activities. People are looking for space for do-it-yourself projects, wood working, play space for the kids, a work out area or just some space for a bit of piece and quiet. So you don’t want it to just look like a garage with a concrete floor that has been framed in. Many people, and often new homes built today, do take the first step of putting up dry wall. This makes a big difference in the look of the garage, but the concrete floor still gives it a cold feeling. But you don’t have to settle for a cold concrete floor, there are other options in the form of easy-to-install garage flooring.

Garage flooring serves a couple of purposes. Not only do they make your garage look better by covering up old and cracked floors, but they also protect concrete floors from corrosive materials such as antifreeze, oil and salt. So even if you are just using your garage to store your car, dry wall and garage flooring can increase the value of your home for resale.

Some options to improve your garage floor is to paint or seal it with an epoxy coating. But these are fairly labor intensive, require prep of the floor as well as proper application - primarily for an epoxy coating. But one of the great thing about garage flooring is the ease in which it can be installed. Most garage flooring comes as interlocking or as peel and stick tiles. They can often be laid in just one or two days, and require a minimum of tools. Normally you just need a measuring tape, a utility knife to cut down any tiles that overlap and a pair of kneepads for comfort. And, you can lay them at any time of the year, you are not controlled by temperature like when you paint or epoxy.

Most tiles are either made of rubber or vinyl, both are durable and work well. The are resistant to cracking, chipping and pealing and are easy to maintain. You can sweep, vacuum or hose them down. The are also immune to the adverse affects of grease, oil, battery acid and other chemicals that can damage a concrete floor. They are designed to withstand the weight of even the heaviest vehicles, and securely stay in place.

Many come in a variety of textures and designs, including ribbed, diamond, levant and coin patterns. Or for a high end, professional look, you can use checkered tile flooring such as seen in some show rooms and high end mechanics. This gives you a real custom look, you can checker yellow and black, blue and white, red and gray etc. What if you have a drain in your garage floor that you need to which you need to maintain access? This is also not a problem. Drain tiles are available that have open grates to allow access to floor drains while maintaining a uniform surface height across the floor.

Garage flooring is a great way to spruce up your garage, increase your home value, and create a more comfortable living space that can be used for a variety of purpose. For a reasonable price, and a quick weekend project, you can accomplish much with by laying garage flooring.



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Emily Siliwon-Curb Appeal CSI Garage Doors asked:


We receive plenty of questions from homeowners in the greater Atlanta area about their garage doors and openers. While there can be wide variety of questions, most revolve around the following three issues.

1. Why does it reverse back up instead of closing?

Most likely, your safety eyes are out of alignment, or something is blocking the path of the garage door. The safety sensors/eyes need a clear line of sight between each other in order for the opener to travel downward. They’re usually black, and attached at the base of the tracks. Each should have a small LED light that remains lit when both sensors are properly aligned. If bumped out of place, they can be adjusted by hand so that they are pointing at each other again. It’s fairly common for the lenses on the safety eyes to become obscured by dirt or other debris, as well. Take a look at “The Garage Door Didn’t Close!” for more troubleshooting advice on garage door openers.

2. Why is it so heavy?

Garage doors are generally at least 8′ wide and 7′ high. That amount of material can really tip the scales, making it the largest moving piece of machinery in your home. That’s why there are springs and a counter balance system to take all that weight, and make it manageable. Remember manual keylocks, and doing things by hand? Openers don’t (or shouldn’t) pull any more weight than a person would when doing that job. That being said, springs can relax over time, making things heavier. Stripped gears, which are a very common repair, are caused by this type of problem. It’s generally a good idea to do some maintenance about once a year. Have a professional check for proper spring tension, and adjust them if needed.

3. Why won’t it go up? / Why is it stuck in the down position?

Take a look at the springs located on the wall above the garage door. There should be no break, or separation in the coils. Springs generally last for about 7 years, depending on the amount of daily usage. Again, these provide the force for balancing out all that weight. When one breaks, it can make things too heavy to lift, causing it to seem stuck in place. If one of yours is broken, you’ll probably need to call a pro. If you’ve seen no separation in the coils, try pulling the emergency release. This will allow manual operation, without the motor. It may be that they’ve relaxed to the point that the opener can’t lift the weight anymore. Hopefully, some of your questions have been answered. If you still have issues that weren’t covered here, you may want to take a look at our blog. We also have links available for manufacturer sites. Most manufacturers will offer online access to owner’s manuals. Manuals for your model product are the best source for learning how to safely troubleshoot, and maintain your system. For more information, including links to manufacturer sites, please visit our website CurbAppealCSI.com



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GARAGE DOOR asked:


Before I start I’d like to give an alert : when working with garage springs, be certain to hire a professional. Garage door springs are intensely dangerous and if you don’t know what you do the garage door can collapse on you causing serious bodily injury and in numerous instances, death. Many householders have been hurt or killed by garage door springs and I strongly suggest that you only allow garage door spring replacement to be adjusted by certified and experienced individuals.

Garage doors may not seem awfully threatening ; however, if you consider that they frequently weigh 300 - 400 pounds and are held up by few springs and cables, you may want to stop for a second and recognize the perils posed by your garage door. Although it is a great convenience to have garage door springs that open and close the garage door for you, garage door springs have to be correctly maintained and replaced. When your garage door is closed, the springs are really tightly stretched, and believe it or not, are in a very dangerous state. The giant tension that the cables and springs are under stores a large amount of potential energy. This can turn out to be awfully dangerous if that potential energy is all of a sudden converted to kinetic ( moving ) energy. Put simply, don’t loosen anything that may be attached to any springs or wires, whether or not the garage door is in a closed state. There’s still a high risk for danger.

Each time you open and close your garage, all of its components go thru wear and tear and occasionally work themselves loose and many people let their garage doors go for years or even decades without being properly maintained. I do not believe you would let your car go 100,000 miles without any oil changes or tune-ups and that same principle should apply to your garage door.

Something extra I would like to say : Even if you’re a handy-man or girl, and understand how to install an automatic garage door, I’d still recommend you call in a professional, especially for insurance and guaranty purposes. If you do not, it can’t be hard to claim damages if something had to go wrong. Also, children regularly like to play with garage door openers so it is smart to put them out of the reach of little youngsters and hide all remote garage door openers. Eventually, when you have everything installed, be certain to test the garage door and ensure everything works. Be certain to test that this works as it is one of the most significant safety parts of the garage door. You don’t require the door to close on someone or something accidentally - it may cause lots of damage.

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Kat asked:


All my searches just turn up lots of apartment complexes with bad reviews. Someone on yahoo answers mentioned looking for a garage apartment or carriage house at one of the nice historic homes in the east end near UTMB or the strand… There have also got to be rent houses in the same area and I am having trouble finding listings for anything but weekly beach rentals and apartments. Any help or suggestions appreciated. School starts the end of August!

Ande Fishing Rods

Jeff P asked:


I have installed entry doors, worked with drywall, done electrical work, and now am attempting to install a garage door. I have never done anything with a garage door and I have a person who wants me to install one for them. I would have to take the whole door off and replace it with a brand new one. I do not want to charge them too much, but still do not want to charge less then it’s worth.

Mitchell Fishing Rods

Emily Siliwon-Curb Appeal CSI Garage Doors asked:


Even the smallest and lightest of steel garage doors weigh in at about 100 pounds. Others are heavier, depending on the size, type of material used, different types of glass, etc. In order to make it operable by hand, or by an opener, it needs a counter balance system. That’s where the springs come in. They provide the force necessary to make such a heavy object functional. There are two types commonly used in residential settings: torsion and extension.

Torsion springs are usually installed on larger or heavier garage doors. Most models wide enough for two cars will commonly have this type. They’re found on the wall above the opening, and look like a long metal coil. Most people barely notice them until one breaks, and everything becomes too heavy to lift. When it has broken, you’ll see the separation in the coils. You’ll need professional service for this kind of repair. The counter balance system is under extreme tension, and for that reason, homeowners should never attempt to adjust or repair any of it’s components. Additionally, forcing the opener to pull too much weight can damage the opener, and the top panel where it’s attached.

Extension springs are usually found on garage doors that are wide enough for only one car. These can be found nearly parallel to the tracks near the ceiling, one on each side. Many times, the extension type will relax to the point that they need replacement, instead of actually breaking. When this happens you can usually see repeated gaps in the coils, and you may consider having them serviced or replaced. Extension systems, while more inexpensive to install and maintain than torsion, are not suitable for installation on models wide enough for two cars due to the lack of balance. Torsion systems use the shaft, along with the drums and cables, to provide equal amounts of lift on each side. Extension springs are independent of each other, and require proper tension to ensure level operation. One advantage of having extension, is the ease of replacement. Local hardware stores typically carry them, and a do it yourself job is possible for those who are mechanically inclined. Don’t forget to use caution, as the extension counter balance system is also under extreme pressure, and can cause injury or death.

For more information on garage doors, openers, and repairs, or for links to manufacturer sites, please visit us at CurbAppealCSI.com



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