Grand Forks Herald Spring Home Improvement: Spring means busy hours, garage renovations

The winter ice is thawing and the spring cleaning will soon be here. And for many, this means more than just dusting the shelves – it also means renovating the house or garage.

When it comes to garages, there are many options. The internet is full of ideas – a car lift! A new workshop! – But Jared Langenstein, general manager at PS Garage Doors in Grand Fork, said there are many easy ways to improve a garage without reinventing the proverbial wheel.

And spring, he said, is a very popular time for it.

“The winter time for services is a very busy time,” said Langenstein. “But in spring people look at their garage doors and see torn seals … or dents in the garage door. Maybe someone slipped into a disguise in winter or stepped back into a door when it’s freezing outside. So people start replacing the stuff around this time of year. ”

And there are many improvements a homeowner can make. According to Langenstein, PS garage doors can add insulated doors – good for adding a stove and turning a garage into a meeting place. Or they can add a window section or screen, or change the color or even vents. For example, engine heads can work in a place on a car in winter where the vapors are still well vented.

“We find a lot of people out there remodeling some of those freestanding garages in Grand Forks and adding stoves to them.” Said Langenstein. “They turn into meeting places there – you know, human caves or whatever you want to call them.”

And last year there has been a huge rush for all types of home improvement. The COVID-19 pandemic has kept people at home for the past year, turning commuters and other chores into downtime for additional projects or close up a catalyst for home expansion.

And if homeowners are still interested in new ways to improve, there are plenty of options. Some trends include built-in workshop cabinets and a smooth, finished floor or space for a home gym. Improvements can be as laborious as adding a stove and a new space to hang out. It can be as simple as an overhead, hanging shelves, or a new workbench.

Grand Forks’ Dakota Mud Jack specializes in floor repair and lifting of solid and cracked concrete. The same busy spring schedule applies to them too – with thawing usually meaning settlement sites and suddenly a problem with a concrete floor.

Taylor Azure, a co-owner of Dakota Mud Jack, said that’s where they come in. He shared photos of fresh epoxy floors – a sleek, patterned upgrade over drab cement.

“There are a lot of people preparing for graduation,” he said, and often people want to spend more time there – hanging out, watching TV, or whatever. “They want their garage to feel like an extension of their home. ”