j 14 - Real Estate: The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday A pril 5, 2006 Preparing your garage for springtime With spring comes spring-cleaning, and with that dreaded chore comes the ritual of cleaning and organiz ing the garage. To most, this is an arduous task that is avoided at great lengths, but it shouldn't be. Organizing a garage is a simple job that can improve a household's life in many ways. For instance, if your house is on the m arket or may be shortly, a clean garage can improve the selling process. Many buyers have a large garage space on their wish list, and an organized garage can make the area look m uch bigger than it really is. A well-structured garage also reduces the risk of a home fire, since most fires begin in the garage. By having inflammables and storage m aterials tucked safely away, the risk of fire is greatly reduced. A clean garage also provides you with options in term s of how the space is used. Rather than using the garage as a room to store junk, a garage can easily be made into a workroom, a workout room, a laundry room or even a playroom. Organization is key. The best way to get started is with a reality check. Determine how m uch room you have to work with and what your budget is. This is also a good tim e to research building code and perm it requirem ents. You also need to decide if this is a task that you have the time and skill to undertake yourself, or if you'll have to hire a contractor. A contractor can be hired for any type of garage assignment, from an addi tion to simply organizing your boxes. If you decide to go at it alone, the best way to start the process is by holding a garage sale. Plan your sale for two weeks from the time you begin the garage cleanup, this way you'll have a target date in which you m ust have everything sorted and cleaned. A spring garage sale is also a great opportunity to earn some spare cash by selling those trinkets that have been tak ing up valuable room. To determ ine what should be sold, discarded, or kept, set up four different boxes during your cleaning marked, keep, sell, throw away and hold on for one year. Try to-sort one section at a time, which will make the job much easier. Now that you know what you'll be storing, you should purchase shelving, cabinets, pegs, hooks and plastic storage containers. Also, make room for future storage from the area you've just cleaned out. For the items you are sure you will keep in the garage, decide where and how you want to store them . For example, all gardening tools and paraphernalia should be stored in one place, next to the door nearest the yard. Keep a bucket of sand in the. garage to stick your tools is after using, this will clean the dirt off the tools and keep them from rusting. If you have a workbench, hang your tools on hooks attached to a pegboard above the bench. On FRANCES WEDLAKE About Your Home your-shelving, store paint, gardening supplies and other small items. Remember to utilize hanging space; this serves as a good place to hang sporting equipm ent such as bicycles and large items such as a ladder. Since a vehicle is stored in m ost garages, make sure you leave space on either side of the garage so you can open your car doors w ithout suffering an unwanted scratch. Keep a bucket in the garage where all car care products such as rags and sponges can be stored. If yoil have kids, it is a good idea to have a sage area in the garage designated to storing toys and equipment. Make sure it is a nice place th at your kids have easy access to. By following some of these simple tips to cleaning and organizing your garage, you can ensure that once sum m er arrives, you will already have one job off your "to do" list. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this article. However, the information provided is gen eral in nature and those with specific questions should seek professional advice that meets their particular requirem ents. Frances Wedlake is a Sales Representative with Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd. She can be reached at 905-845-4267. Visit her website at www.franceswedlake.com. w w w. relocationplanningservices. com . . . . We take the stress out of moving · Prepare your home for Resale · Room sorting and packing · Donate & dispose of items · Arrange for movers or storage · Estate Clearances Call for a FREE CONSULTATION! Sylvia Christie 416-996-8621 Gail Jefferies 416-528-4398 Oakville-based company HOME Come and attend ` BUYERS G reg Lyons - SEM INAR e is ill Are you thinking of buying a home but are unsure of where to begin?? f/7/s-FH EE Home Buyer Seminar to obtain valuable and useful information to get you started! This seminar will include presentations from the following: Sutton Group Realty Systems Inc. Sales Representative & Accredited Buyer Representative Bryan Guertin - Mortgage Intelligence, Mortgage Consultant Gregory Brechin - Brechin and Huffman, Barrister, Solicitor, Real Estate Law Daniel O'Brien - President of Canadian Home Inspectors This seminar w ill include short presentations by the above speakers followed by a Question-and-Answer period. Topics w ill include: assessing what you can afford, working with a real estate agent and lawyer, arranging a mortgage, making an offer and the importance o f a home inspection. FREE DOOR PRIZE FOR ALL WHO ATTEND DATE: Wednesday, April 12th , · 6:45 p.m. - 8:45 p.m. Oakville Public Library 120 Navy Street (at Lakeshore Rd.) Plenty of free parking in the lower lot at the library To book your space... View my website at gregiyons.info or E-Mail at glyons@sutton.com or call Greg Lyons at 905-334-6999 SPACE IS LIMITED SO BOOK EARLY!! 1. Latex paint is water-based and gallon) can of good-quality eggshell dries fairly quickly. Use soap and paint will cover 400 to 450 square feet (approximately 41.7 square water to clean up. 2. Alkyd paint is oil-based and metres) of properly primed and pre takes somewhat-longer than latex to pared surface. Remember this when you are calculating the am ount of dry. Use mineral spirits to clean up. 3: Glazing liquid is a colourless paint you will need to complete a oil paint. Added to opaque oil paint, ,, project. 5. When creating decorative fin it becomes translucent, which allows some of the base coat to ishes, the term "positive" refers to show through, creating nuances of the application of paint to a surface lights and darks on any surface. Be with a tool which will leave a visible sure to add oil paint when tinting texture behind, e.g., sponging. The term "negative" denotes the applica glazing liquid, never latex paint. 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