Month: January 2018

It’s that time of year again!

It’s that time of year again!  The urge to purge takes over and we find ourselves looking over our homes to decide what needs organizing and revamping. As we sweep through each room, often times we look at the accumulated stuff and wonder…where am I going to put this now? Then the a-ha moment comes and the answer is “stick it in the garage.” While your garage is a great spot to store certain items, changes in temperature, exposure to the elements and a nosy critter can make it unsuitable for some belongings. Let’s go over some of those items and offer a better storing solution.

                 Paint


Changes in temperature can lead to discoloration as well as clumping and possible separation. Plus, the moisture of a cement floor can encourage cans to rust. A better solution would be to transfer a portion of paint-for touch up purposes- into a tight sealed container with the color mix noted in case a full can is needed in the future. Store in a closet that maintains an even temp all year round. 

 

Canned Food

 

Again, varying temps in your garage can lead to a shorter shelf life and alter the taste of some foods.  In Winter, you risk the chance that a frozen can could explode.  Reexamine your pantry for areas where storage could be gained. Employ new shelving or an over the door rack that can accommodate cans. 

  

Paper Goods/Fabric

Storage of these items may encourage a family of mice to make your garage their home. Moths and other bugs love to nibble on certain types of fabrics. If you must keep these items in the garage, make sure they are placed in quality, air-tight containers. Keep them off the ground on a higher shelf if possible.

 

Propane Tank

No one wants to run out of propane during a back-yard barbecue. Keeping a spare in the garage is hazardous.  Tanks need to be kept in a well-ventilated area free from fumes or materials that could ignite it. Best to keep this item stored outside away from any structure.

 

A Refrigerator

 

 

 

It may be tempting to purchase a spare to keep drinks and stock up on frozen items but the unit will actually work harder trying to maintain an even temperature in the summer and winter months, thus increasing your electric bill. There are insulation and heating coil kits available, but do some math first to see what these will cost you over time. The price to store that great sale on frozen food may not be worth it.
 
Photos/Important Documents

 

That photo album you inherited from your grandparents, when exposed to fluctuating temperatures could grow mold over time and pages can get stuck together.  The same applies to any document that may be difficult to replace.  Set aside some time to scan important documents to your computer or invest in a fireproof box. Many stores offer photo-scanning services that compile all your cherished memories into one DVD. 
 
 
As you continue to freshen up your homes this year, take care where you store items in and around the house as well. If reorganizing your garage is in the future, refer back to our blog to learn all the best tips and tricks to reclaim that space for your car again! 
 

This post first appeared on https://www.abedoors.com

2018 Home Exterior Design Trends

The world of outdoor design doesn’t move quite as fast as interior design. However, it’s still best to be on the edge of the trends if you’re making new changes to your home, in order to keep them relevant to the marketplace and raise the resale value of your home.

Here are a few design trends that we predict for the year 2018:

  • Texture: A few different elements are combining to feature texture as a way to add visual interest over other things (like bright color.) This means that houses are more likely to feature stonework, brick, shiplap, or stucco as opposed to generic acrylic siding. Texture is contrasted in different exterior surfaces to create layers and dimension.
  • Neutral Color: It may seem easy to state neutrals as a trend in home exteriors. After all, aren’t neutrals always “in”? That’s why you picked something bland! But 2018 is going to see a lot more thoughtful and specific gradients in the way neutrals are treated. Anticipate high contrast in how neutrals are handled on a home’s exterior, with subtle gradients of grey used in the majority of cases. These neutral colors help to accentuate the texture use in revived home materials.
  • Featured Extras: There are a lot of things that go into the design of your home’s exterior that you might not think about while you’re first considering the color of your house’s walls and trim. For example, soft and hardscaping garden elements that surround the house, fencing, garages, and even the front door. Instead of downplaying these elements and simply planning them to match with the home’s featured design, we’ll see a lot of these extra home elements being showcased. For example, there will be a lot more featured garages, statement landscaping pieces, and elaborate designs on fences.
  • Strong Accent Colors: A favorite from 2017 that will continue is a strong accent color in the design. This might mean a spanish orange door, an accent wall in the garden, or a bold color for the shutters.
  • Natural Elements: Another factor that supports the influx of texture is the re-incorporation of natural elements. Rather than using sleek plastic acrylics, people are craving raw natural wood and stone. Even red brick is seeing a dramatic comeback.
  • Eclectic, Mixed Styles: More and more people are deciding to throw out the rulebook for their chosen style. That means that you’ll see divergent philosophies like Mid-Century Modern and Cottage Style coming together. For example, you might find a rustic bench placed in a geometric yard. People are gathering together their favorite parts of different eras and creating new fusions.

There are also some trends that we’ll continue to see progress from last year, namely an emphasis on durability, ease of maintenance, and eco-friendly materials and techniques.

A Plus Garage Doors offers a variety of materials, styles, and colors so that you can adopt the best of the new trends whether you’re putting in a new garage door or updating an old one. Browse our gallery of new garage doors here.

The post Blog first appeared on A Plus Garage Doors. This post first appeared on https://utahgaragedoors.net

Garage Door Problems That You May Experience, and How To Troubleshoot

Garage Door Problems That You May Experience, and How To Troubleshoot

You might think of the garage like any other doorway into your home; it’s easy to forget how complex this system is, until you’re having garage door problems, that is. The system pulling that massive door open and closed when you leave in the morning and return at night does a ton of work.

How much do you know about that system? Did you know that some have chain belts, while some are made of rubber…What kind is yours? Your neighbor told you that he was experiencing garage door problems and had a spring replaced…Do you know what purpose those springs serve on your door? Or just how dangerous those springs can be to a DIY-er, and why? While it may be difficult to understand the working parts of your garage when you aren’t a professional, you can always do some simple troubleshooting when you’re experiencing issues. Today, we’re going to give you a few tips on checking out minor garage door problems.

You press the button, but the garage door doesn’t open

First, let’s check the power sources to the garage and your remote. Your remote has batteries (this includes the keypad on your wall as well), and the opener itself on the ceiling of your garage, that moves the door up and down, should be plugged in. Assuming it is all plugged in and your batteries are newer…

Check the garage door opener for a lock mode

Make sure the garage door isn’t in its locked mode. If you aren’t sure how to check this on your control panel, look up your model online. This button is usually hard-to-miss, and typically held down for a few seconds to activate and deactivate. You may have accidentally turned this on. If this is the case, your garage door opener should work as expected after you turn off the lock. But let’s say you find that you are not in locked mode…

Troubleshoot your garage door sensors

We’re talking about those sensors near the ground that prevent the door from closing on anything or anyone. A beam of light is shot from one end of the sensor to the next, and when this light is cut off, your garage door won’t operate. If the sensors are working, they’ll typically show you a small indicator light. Make sure nothing is blocking the sensor and that it’s clear and clean. Additionally, the system will behave as if it were being blocked if there is damage to either end of the sensors. Verify there is no damage to either sensor or its wires. If you do find damage, give us a call. We can get that sensor, or both, in working order.

Now, say your sensor is fine, nothing is blocking it, but you’re still having trouble…

Pay attention for anything out of the ordinary with your garage door, anything that could be a more problematic symptom

We have listed any possible, small scale issues that you could test for and fix at home, but what if you haven’t found the solution here? There may be a bigger issue with your garage. Visually inspect the system, tighten any loose bolts. Does anything seem out of place or misaligned? Do you hear any strange noises? Is your chain less taut now? Does the door pause while opening or closing? Or fall closed when you try to leave it half open? Does it reopen while you’re trying to close it?

If you are experiencing any of these garage door problems, or you simply cannot find a single cause to the issue you’re experiencing, feel free to give us a call. We service homes all around the Valley, Queen Creek, Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Phoenix and beyond! We would love to get your garage door up (and down!) and running once again.

This post first appeared on https://triplebgaragedoors.com/

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