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Garage Improvement owners Mike and Val Maxwell stand in their garage, their first project, while Mike Maxwell's brother, Jim Maxwell, background, reviews plans Thursday afternoon.
Andy Tullis / The Bulletin
Bend firm makes space in your garage for car, more
By Katie Brauns / The Bulletin
Published: November 07. 2006 4:00AM PSTThe saying goes: Home is where the heart is. But in the case of one family-run business, the heart is in the garage.
Garage Improvement began with Mike and Val Maxwell's own garage, a space immaculate enough to walk through barefooted and so organized that finding a particular staple or nail in a cabinet is easy.
The floor has a smooth epoxy surface and includes a checkered patch with raised bumps for traction in front of a workbench.
Garage walls are grooved to accommodate sliding hooks that can hold everything from a dustpan to a kayak.
The garage's components make a package resembling a neatly stacked Lego set, where all the pieces fit perfectly and nothing is out of place.
About a year ago, the Maxwells were searching for a solution to their cluttered garage. It was so bad that they couldn't fit either of their cars inside.
They discovered a company called Garage Envy in Pasadena, Calif., which provided them will all the components they needed to organize and remodel their space.
The makeover spawned the idea for Garage Improvement.
In business for a little more than a year, the Maxwells distribute Garage Envy products and several other lines of garage-organization products. They complete about five large projects per month.
A garage remodel takes brothers Mike and Jim Maxwell about one to four days, depending on the project's detail. The hard part is getting homeowners to rid themselves of garage clutter.
Mike Maxwell remembers a client breathing deeply and pacing over which items to eliminate.
Anyone who's lived in the same place for a long time is likely to have separation anxiety about parting with some items - whether it's those old jeans saved for yardwork, that broken rake needing fixing or the exercise bike for which there are good intentions.
"You really (have) got to be willing to get rid of some stuff," Mike Maxwell said. "Some people can't part with their things."
The Maxwells contend that organization cannot completely happen without some elimination.
On the flip side, there are many shelves, hanging systems, wall grids, lofts, electric lifts, overhead storage systems, cabinets and drawers available to organize a garage. The devices allow people to save a few of those hard-to-part-with items and easily store awkwardly shaped belongings like golf clubs, kayaks and bikes.
The Maxwells will do just about anything for the garage, from installing a few shelves to creating an entirely new space, like the garage-party venue they created at a house on the Oregon Coast - complete with a maple bar/workbench, cabinets and walls and soft lighting for ambience.
They will finish floors, too, with a five-layer epoxy or Flexi-Tile, topping it with ribbed parking mats.
The Maxwells believe garage remodeling is the next wave of home improvement.
Explain what your business entails ... what do you do?
Val Maxwell: We help homeowners make their garage a useful and pleasant place by installing various organization systems made for the garage and finishing floors and walls.
How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Val Maxwell: We knew very well our own need to make our garage work better. Cleaning the garage meant just rearranging the mess because there wasn't really any place to put things away. We found that there are lots of products being made for the garage now. We have lots of construction and remodeling experience so we thought we could specialize in the garage.
How long does one project take roughly?
Val Maxwell: The average job that includes doing floors and cabinets would take about four days.
How much are people willing to spend to improve their garage?
Val Maxwell: Our jobs have ranged anywhere from $350 to install overhead storage to $15,000.
What is the average cost of a project?
Val Maxwell: An average total garage makeover is about $5,000.
How far would you travel to do business?
Val Maxwell: Throughout the state and the Boise, Idaho, area.
Can you explain the steps in a project?
Val Maxwell: We usually meet with the homeowner at their garage to talk about what they need and want for their garage, and take measurements. We then come up with a design and a bid. We are happy to meet them again at their home or we can post their CAD soft designs on our Web site for them to look at. We then schedule a time to come in and do the work. We also work with the homeowners if they need help preparing their garage and storing belongings elsewhere.
What is CAD soft design?
Val Maxwell: A computer aided drafting program that allows us to show garage designs to our customers so they can visualize the finished product.
What is your goal when you begin a project?
Val Maxwell: To help the homeowner make their garage just as nice and useful as the other parts of their home.
What are the goals for the business?
Val Maxwell: To be known as the business that is a "one-stop shop" for the garage, have a reputation for excellent workmanship and, in the near future, to have a showroom.
Katie Brauns can be reached at 617-7815 or at kbrauns@bendbulletin.com.
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