Garage Reorganization Part of U.S. Trend

Robin Levinson shows off her recently renovated garage by HouseWall Garage System, Monday, Sept. 11, 2006, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Companies such as GarageTek out of New York and HouseWall Garage Systems in South Florida are helping people get the junk out of the way and let homeowners put the car back in the garage. These companies seek to help people get the stuff off the floor with specially designed wall paneling that makes for easy installation for hooks to hang bikes and ladders. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee) (Wilfredo Lee - AP)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Golf bags, bicycles, old trophies, power tools, boxes of moldy books _ Americans' garages are filled with stuff, stuff and more stuff.

Just one thing is often missing: cars.

Several companies, including GarageTek in Syosset, N.Y. and HouseWall Garage System in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. are helping people get the junk out of the way so the cars can come back in. These companies also are taking advantage of the multibillion dollar home remodeling industry, and the trend of turning garages into multi-use rooms.

These companies offer specially designed wall paneling that allows easy installation of hooks to hang bikes and ladders, and elevated cabinets for storage. Flooring, lighting, workbenches and other accessories make the garage a place for work, play, and entertaining, with projects ranging from the high hundreds to thousands of dollars.

"It's ironic that the one room of the house where the door is open daily for the whole world to see tends to be the most unsightly, poorly utilized and neglected," said Barry Izsak, president of National Association of Professional Organizers. "The garage becomes the family dumping ground ... I kind of liken the garage to purgatory, in a way."

Robin Levinson chose to spend money on her home garage in swanky downtown Fort Lauderdale. The floor is clean, except for a motorcycle and two kayaks. There's bikes, ladders and tennis rackets hanging on hooks attached to the attractive light brown paneling.

"It's an extension of how you live; when I show the house I make sure people see the garage," said Levinson, who hired HouseWall for her garage remodeling but wouldn't say how much she spent.

The National Association of Home Builders reported in 2004 that 91 percent of new homes have garages and 83 percent have a two-car garage or larger.

Meanwhile, garage organization is a fast-growing segment within the $7 billion home organization sector, according to statistics provided by Peachtree Consulting to GarageTek. HomeWorld Business' Houseware Census published annually in January show retail sales of garage organization products increased an estimated 38 percent from 2001 to 2005, from $498 million to $688 million.

"People don't want to do it themselves anymore," said Michael Dagen, who started HouseWall two years ago. "They don't have the time or the effort or the skill."

Early fixtures in the garage reorganization industry include Coleman garage furniture _ currently licensed from Jarden Corp.'s The Coleman Co. by O'Sullivan Furniture _ and Gladiator GarageWorks by Whirlpool Corp. Coleman provides workbenches with power outlets for the garage and Gladiator offers sleek-looking refrigerators and a trash compactor.

Another prominent company is GarageTek, which has reached 50 markets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom since 2001. It has a goal of eventually reaching 110 markets, said marketing director Barbara Butensky.