VERO BEACH — American families almost universally have too much stuff, and when it overflows, it ends up in the garage, often taking over the space where the vehicles are supposed to go.
“We work with clients to get their cars back into the garage,” said Zachary Coletti, co-founder the Garage Enhancement Company headquartered in Sebastian.
Coletti started transforming garage floors six years ago as part of his decorative concrete business.
The application of a patented, durable multi-layered surface with a lifetime guarantee grew into the Garage Enhancement Company when Coletti partnered up with family friend Grant Orton and the pair began designing and installing whole-garage remodel projects.
“The garage is the largest room in the house, but it’s the most underutilized,” Orton said.
A standard two-bedroom garage can be resurfaced for less than $2,000, with custom renovation packages starting from about $3,000 and up.
“We only use products that we trust and we know. Our manufacturer offers a lifetime warranty on the products,” Coletti said of the floor coverings. The warranty protects the client against the surface peeling or bubbling under normal wear and tear.
The epoxy compound is “tough as nails,” according to Coletti. Plus the preparation the company does prior to pouring the first layer makes it actually wick into the concrete below. “Most people are going to go to a big-box store and get paint that’s made for concrete and put that on, but after about a year, the paint chips and peels up,” Coletti said. “The product that we apply is going to be the last floor you put down.”
Coletti, Orton and their team can complete a floor resurfacing in one or two days and a complete garage renovation in four or five days. They even move everything out of the garage and then move it back in.
Coletti and Orton recently completed projects in John’s Island, Sea Oaks, Riomar, the Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club and Windsor.
They’ve established relationships with many of the local architects and custom home builders who do the bulk of the construction on the island.
Homeowners who want a custom garage from the get-go can have the flooring and cabinets designed and installed with a new home or with a whole-house renovation.
Orton and Coletti meet with the owners to get a feel for their needs, and take measurements of every part of the garage.
They then offer a menu of options from shelving and siding to coatings and cabinets and develop a rendering of what the new garage will look like before they leave a client’s home.
Ordering the custom cabinets, countertop surfaces, SlatWalll panels and other products used in the transformation takes three to five days. Orton and Coletti say they can work with a plumber or electrician the client hires if the family wants a work sink or extra outlets or lighting installed.
The company still has a few spots open in its schedule before Christmas in case clients want to surprise Dad with that new garage as a gift.
The company’s website www.enhanceyourgarage. com shows samples of the color schemes for the garage floor coverings and examples of some of the cabinetry and rack systems that can be installed to handle tools, bicycles, camping gear, holiday decorations, hurricane panels or anything else that’s currently stuffed in a client’s garage.