Garage organizing expert, Gus Gougas, describes how to add more space to a garage without making expensive changes.

Did you know that garage organization has become the fastest growing segment in the multibillion dollar home improvement industry? "The garage is the new frontier," says Barry Izsak, author of Organize Your Garage in No Time.

The average American home with a two-car garage has so much stuff in the garage they don't have room for their cars. While millions and billions of dollars are spent every year on the inside of the home, the one room in the house with the biggest opening, showing all your neighbors your unsightly mess, gets a fraction of the remodel budget. It has become the family dumping ground, the place to put your stuff you don't know what to do with. However all that is changing. The garage organization is now a $3billion dollar industry. And one of the hottest garage-organizing products on the market is overhead storage racks.

For those homeowners in need of more storage but who don't want the hassle of a major remodel, the perfect solution is the existing ceiling in your garage. Almost every homeowner has wasted space in the garage that is not being utilized, their garage ceiling. Garage overhead storage racks take advantage of this wasted space and can provide and abundance of storage space.

These racks are perfect to store seasonal items, holiday decorations, legal boxes, suitcases and bulky items that won't fit in cabinets. Made of high-quality industrial steel, the racks are depth adjustable to maximize ceiling space and come in a variety of sizes and colors to meet your needs. The largest units measure 8' x 4' and can hold upwards of over 100 cubic feet storage and upto 600 lbs of weight. The better racks are framed units with 12 points of attachment to the ceiling to prevent the units from falling or sagging in the middle. 

Most units are powder-coated to protect against rust and corrosion and have a lifetime warranty. They even have wire-grid decks to help see your items from below. Some have add-on accessories to hang items from underneath; e.g., a ladder, folding tables, bikes and skis. Be sure your overhead racks come with safety/cargo netting to wrap the racks and keep your precious items from falling out. The last thing you want is a $20 suitcase falling on your $100,000 Mercedes.

Here is a list of things to look for when buying and overhead rack.

1.    What is the weight capacity of the overhead rack? They will range from 200lb to 600lbs. The heavier the better.

2.    Is the overhead rack depth adjustable? They better units are depth adjustable from 12” to 40”.  The more depth, the more storage.

3.    What is the gage of the steel the overhead rack is made from?  The lower the gage metal the thicker and stronger the overhead rack.

4.    How many points of attachment to the garage ceiling does the overhead rack have? Most units are attached to the ceiling by the four corners.  However, the better have center support attachments on the long side, which prevent against deflection or bending.

5.    Are the units painted or powder-coated?  Painted racks will scratch easier than powder coated racks and thus have a greater chance for rusting.

6.    What is the total cost of the overhead rack, including installation and all necessary hardware?  Some companies advertise a low price but then charge extra for things like harder instalsl, extra ceiling brackets and cargo netting.

7.    Finally, check to see that the company you hire to do the installation is a licensed contractor?  The state of CA requires that any permanent home improvement over $500, must be done by a licensed contractor. You can check the standing of any contractor at the following site: http://www.cslb.ca.gov/.

So the next time you need of more storage, just walk out into the garage, look up, and think "overhead storage racks!"

About Gus Gougas:
Gus Gougas is presently an partner and president of OrganizIT!, a Chatsworth based business that provides products and services within the garage remodeling/organization industry.

After 20+ years in Corporate America in outside enterprise sale/marketing/management for companies like; Symantec, Unisys, Logica, Lanier, Gus started OrganizIT! Inc. Gus has appeared on TV programs about garage organization on NBC, HGTV and KCAL9. Gus published numberous articles on garage organization and has recently been featured in new book, "Big Book of Garages", by Tina Skinner. You can contact Gus at gus@organizitco.com or 818-232-7683 or for a free design consultation, go to; http://www.organizitco.com/