2018 Garage Makeover Contest Winner

Matt Joseph

For Vernon Hills homeowner, Matt Joseph, winning the annual garage makeover contest, sponsored by Garage Store and the Daily Herald, was a dream come true.

Matt was already familiar with Garage Store because of the great results his mother experienced when she had a floor coating added to her garage and front porch.

He said that the beauty, durability and easy clean surface was exactly what he wanted for his own garage. So, when he visited the Garage Store booth at the Auto Show, he was quick to enter the contest.

He was amazed when he won, saying that he had never won anything – not even a $1 scratch-off lottery ticket! (The $5,000 makeover makes up for that!)

After only 18 months in their new home, Matt and his wife, Leena, feel enormously lucky that they have not only added value to their home, but also have a place for Matt to work on his 2007 Subaru. According to Matt, “with the garage floor coating, I don’t have to worry about surface stains, damaging the floor from dropping tools or worry about using harsh chemicals for cleaning up messes.” Finally, Matt and Leena have the peace of mind that their three-year-old son, Isaac, will be safe when running around on the non-slip floor.

After removing the rusty shelves that were in the house when they moved in and adding a fresh coat of paint to the walls, the Jospeh’s were ready for the Garage Store crew. When the job was done, Matt admitted, “I am really nit-picky and I had absolutely no complaints. That kind of quality and attention to detail is hard to find these days and I really appreciated it.”

Besides the flooring, the prize also included a new work bench, two large powder-coated steel cabinets, one overhead storage cabinet and two overhead storage racks. This will make Matt’s habit of fixing things around the house instead of buying something new easier to accomplish.

Matt confessed that he does not consider his garage to be a storage room, but as a normal room in his home. He also admits to being a bit OCD about organization. The Gladiator organization system is exactly what Matt needed to make his garage the place where he will spend even more time. He is also happy that the system will keep harmful tools out of the reach of his toddler. Leena is happy that Matt has a place to work, and that he continues to keep things running smoothly in their home.

Garage Store has been helping homeowners like Matt reclaim their garages and transform them into another “room” of their house since 2007. Whether homeowners want a full garage makeover or a minor tweak, Garage Store is the place to go.