About 7 years ago, Mom and Dad purchased a beautiful older home in Smyrna, GA an Atlanta suburb. The home was absolutely spacious and well kept, but they had an immediate bill. Actually, that is why their offer was immediately accepted: the garage. It was a three-car garage that had great possibilities, but it seemed like no effort whatsoever had been made to improve it. Over the years, it just started looking dumpy. Mom has a great eye for turning the ugly into most eye pleasing and useful spaces, and Dad gave her the oars. She promised to get the job done at a surprisingly low cost and on a quick deadline. With Dad helping marginally, we waited with anticipation. There were some improvements needed for the house, but the near perfect wood flooring throughout removed a sizeable carpeting bill from the expense list. The plumbing was in great shape. So, Mom headed for the garage.

First, she found a garage door repair/installation company that offered an immediate discount to new customers. They were so confident their price quotation was attractive, they offered to meet any competitive price. Mom took them up on it and did some shopping around. They came down a bit, plus she got her discount. Good work, Mom!

Work Ahead

This is what Mom envisioned and made happen. She steam cleaned the garage floor and applied a black gloss interior floor paint. The garage did not have an automatic roll-type door which gave mom an easy job with the garage ceiling. It was painted matte black, and the garage professionals would install three modern light fixtures when they installed the garage door, with its own automatic light. She and Dad then visited a lumber yard and purchased a load of birchwood planks. After the walls were covered with the planks, they applied a primer then a rustic stain. Good thing about this old garage, there were ample outlets on each wall, and a friend of dad’s came in and made sure when the planks were installed, exact openings were cut for the outlets. Mom found outlet covers that matched the rustic stain on the planks. Gee, this looked absolutely great! The finished product turned the garage interior into a rustic looking live-in-type barn. Dad got a nice long wall countertop work space that was formerly the third parking spot. There was enough room left along that wall for the refrigerator freezer we brought along from our old home.

The Final Touch

The garage door will be installed today. Mom selected a rich merlot color. It’s steel with a wood composite overlay and brass rings on each side. Believe it or not, this is a high security garage door installation. When one or both sides open, an overhead light on the other side of the threshold engages. As you drive in, the installed ceiling lights engage. We got a discount on our vehicle insurance because of the door mom selected. Mom came in several hundred dollars below budget on this project.

Well, there you have it. Our very own Martha Stewart!

Thanksgiving Offering

Because Thanksgiving’s only a couple of weeks away, I pitched mom and dad to let me hold a Thanksgiving garage sale on Thanksgiving Eve. They reluctantly agreed because of the traffic through the newly rehabbed garage and congested parking street side, but I posed this thought to them: It’s either 2 cars sitting in there doing absolutely nothing -or- holding a very worthwhile event to help others make their Thanksgivings more meaningful and, perhaps, more affordable.
How would I do that? Well, I will visit the thrift shop circuit and purchase twice and thrice-sold items like tablecloths, candleholders, and folding chairs for those extra guests. Dishware, platters, bowls and flatware always sell really reasonable. Then, Dad can help me (Did you hear that, Dad?) with a visit to a thrift grocery store so we can pick up canned vegetables, including cranberry sauce and boxes of stove-top dressing. I will purchase two bushel baskets and fill them with spiced apple scented pine cones to place on each side of the opened garage door. I can tie wide pumpkin-colored velvet ribbon on each door handle, loosely curled downward about fifteen inches, with a large plastic turkey charm affixed to each end. Rented tables to hold the items for just one day will be quite affordable – I’ve already checked; five should do it. I will post announcement signage in several key areas in a couple of days for enough notice.

What am I going to do for capital? Well, I live with two great investors! What will I do with the proceeds? The investors will be repaid from the proceeds. What’s left can be donated to a soup kitchen – a Thanksgiving Offering from me on behalf of my family.

It’s a done deal!

Get a GREAT deal at All Four Seasons Garage Doors, Smyrna GA! Is your garagae door the first thing that visitors see when they arrive at your house? spruce it up for the holidays. Call 678-981-8454 or visit All Four Seasons Garage Doors, Smyrna GA