Some can simply be old-school easy. Some take advantage of the newest garage technology. But, see if one of these 5 are on the list of things you’d like in your garage and if the solution would work for you.
1. Making Parking Easier. You’re worried. It seems like your car or cars just barely fit in your garage. You don’t want to hit the wall and you don’t was the garage door to bounce off the bumper of your new truck. The old-school fix? There’s the hanging tennis ball. When it touches the windshield, it’s time to be sure you’re stopped. You can even give it some old-school backup with a pool noodle just in case you gently nudge the wall. The new technology solution? Laser beams! Available online and inexpensive. These devices give you a laser light to guide you to exactly the right space. They’re made for both one and two car garage parking!
2. Emergency Lighting. The power’s out and that garage is so dark that you’re afraid you’re going to knock something down before you can get the car door open. Old school? Grab your flashlight before you head for the car. Another old school solution is a flashlight that plugs into a plug and come on in a power outage. Both of those will work, but they probably don’t compare to today’s emergency lighting with adjustable fixtures to put light where you want it and a charge that can last up to 20 hours. Still, even the new emergency lights are a bit old school – just a better power-is-out light fixture.
3. Keeping it Comfortable. OK, you can turn on a fan or, even, a portable A/C or cooler in the summer and a space heater in the winter and you’ll just have to wait for the garage to cool down or warm up until it’s comfortable enough to break out the tools and work at your workbench. Or, go with technology. Did you know there’s a programmable thermostat that works with a wall socket? You can set a schedule so that garage will be cool – or warm – when you arrive home. No waiting to start your favorite project in comfort. You can even program in weekend times that are different from the weekday schedule.
4. On at Sunset. And, off at the hour you set. You can buy a programmable light bulb that works with your smart phone or a programmable light switch that does the same. You can probably figure out a IFTTT answer, too. Or, go old-school and make it simple with a switch available at the local hardware store. It will turn on when it gets dark and turn off when you set it.
5. On Vacation. You’re worried about the safety of your home while you’re away. You can buy a new opener or an accessory for your existing opener that works from your smart phone. Some will tell you when the door is opened. Or, go old-school. That’s as simple as unplugging your opener, securing the door into your home with a deadbolt, and using another deadbolt to lock that door from the garage to the backyard.
You want to make your garage as comfortable and safe as possible. A big part of that equation is having a yearly garage door maintenance and safety check by a licensed garage door repair and replacement company. They’ll make sure that all those springs and cables that are under high-tension are secure and safe and that your garage door is going to operate smoothly. Because, what you want most is a trouble-free garage door that goes up and come down on your command.