Jennifer J. Bush
Orange County Register

If you rush to shut the garage door before your neighbors can see inside, then have to suck in your gut to slink out of a 6-inch opening between your car door and a stack of boxes along the wall, maybe it’s time for a garage makeover.

Once reserved for excess junk and rarely used sports equipment, garages are not only becoming organized, they’re the new frontier for home remodeling, a $2.5 billion a year industry that’s growing, according to the National Association of Home Builders.

Neighbors say Debbie and Geoff Sampson’s newly remodeled $12,000 garage looks like a showroom. With 12-by-12-inch charcoal gray floor tiles and white paneling along the walls holding strategically placed bikes, tennis racquets and garden tools, their two-car garage in Turtle Rock is cleaner and better organized than many family rooms.

“We had slowly renovated the inside of the house and finished the yard,” Debbie said. “So we figured it was time to tackle the garage.”

To start, the Irvine couple hired a contractor to reinforce the ceiling and install pull-down steps to create attic-style storage for seasonal and seldom-used items. Then GarageTek came in to organize and beautify the space.

“I was afraid that we would have to replaster the walls,” Debbie said. Clanging collections of sports equipment and gardening tools had created a few dings over the years.

Instead of repairing the walls, GarageTek’s glossy slat board-style panels cover unsightly blemishes and serves as an organizing system. These panels fit together with tongue and groove joints for a seamless finish. They allow the Sampsons’ belongings to be stored on specialized racks, keeping the floor open for visual appeal and easy cleaning.

“Instead of using it as a dumping ground, many people are turning their garages into a room,” said Barry Amster, owner of the GarageTek franchise in Irvine. By adding multifunctional spaces such as gyms, hobby rooms and play areas, garages have become an extension of the home. The company’s interlocking polypropylene modular floor tiles can be customized with hopscotch, chess boards or a shuffleboard pattern that helps turn the space into a playroom.

“People even hold birthday parties in the garage,” Amster said.

The average two-car garage remodel by GarageTek runs $9,000. The Sampsons’ space is a little more “tricked out” with customized lighting, cabinets, workbench and hobby racks, Amster said.

Getting your garage organized doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Do-it-yourselfers can find organizational components at major home improvement stores that can be mixed and matched to suit your needs.

All-steel, wall-mounted wire grids from GarageGrids, which start at less than $500, can help keep many items off the floor. Take advantage of all vertical space by adding overhead storage for seasonal items such as Christmas decorations you’ve just boxed up. SafeRacks provide a variety of configurations that fit above the car, starting at less than $300.

Modular systems by Gladiator GarageWorks offer optional casters that allow you to rearrange the garage or take them with you when you move. They also let you bring tools or materials to you as you work. Ready-to-assemble cabinets start at about $200.

While cabinets and overhead wire grids can keep the space tidy, an oily cement floor still screams garage.

“Surfacing the floor completely changes the look and turns it into a room,” said John Nickerson, owner of Eagle Garages in Costa Mesa.

His company offers a range of epoxy floor coatings from solid colors to those with acrylic flakes or quartz-like crystals.

“The garage is the entryway to your home,” Nickerson said. “It makes sense for this space to look great.”

With space at a premium in Orange County, an organized and finished garage may add value to a house.

And the bonus: When all the gadgets and gizmos have a place to call home, the cars may actually fit inside.