How to Make your Garage Green

Are you looking to build a LEED certified home? Or do you simply want to renovate your own garage to make it a little more eco-friendly? There are several things you can do to make your garage “green” and they range from features that improve the interior air quality of your home, to choosing high-quality, durable residential garage products that keep you from repairing and replacing the garage door and hardware, reducing demands for energy-consuming product manufacturing.

Also, green upgrades have a positive return of investment because they make your home more attractive to future homebuyers.

7 Things You Can Do to Make Your Garage More Green

Here are seven things you can do to make your garage more green.

1. Make it detached. If you are building a new home, consider detaching the garage. In the National Institute of Building Sciences’ Whole Building Design Guide, “avoiding detached garage if possible” is one of the top recommendations for building a green home. This is because even with a well-sealed access door, it’s almost impossible to keep car fumes and other toxic chemical fumes (depending on what you store in there) from permeating the home. This leads to compromised interior air quality, which can cause respiratory problems and low-grade symptoms that many homeowners are oblivious to unless the toxicity is so severe that the CO detector goes off.

2. Insulate the garage. In an effort to save money, and because garages were never considered “livable,” most contractors avoid insulating the garage. The problem with this is two-fold. First, if your garage is attached, an uninsulated garage can keep the temperatures lower or higher in the rooms adjacent to the garage, depending on the time of year. Second, if you work or hang out in your garage often, odds are you use some type of portable heating or cooling system, which increases your home’s energy consumption. An insulated garage mitigates these issues and you can even include an HVAC system vent - or set your garage on its own zone - that can be adjusted for when the garage is in use.

3. Select an insulated garage door. The cost difference between uninsulated and insulated garage doors is negligible, but the benefits are multi-fold. An insulated door will maintain a more consistent temperature inside the garage – better for occupants and your attached home’s interior.

4. Up the daylighting ante. Use solar tubes, a skylight and ample windows, especially if your garage serves as a shop, hobby or hangout spot. This will decrease the amount of energy used to illuminate the space during daylight hours.

5. Invest in durable products. Compare lifetime costs, in addition to first-time costs, when selecting a new garage door. While it may be tempting to choose the cheapest option, odds are this will require more maintenance, repairs, repainting and replacement over the years. All of those things use more energy and resources. Choosing a higher-quality, durable garage door means you can enjoy a single garage door for a lifetime, and that’s a very eco-friendly step to take.

6. Use weather stripping and sealing products. To prevent drafts, which cause temperature fluctuations and the accumulation of dirt and debris inside the garage, make sure your garage door has adequate weather stripping and sealing products in place. Inspect them annually and repair or replace them when they are notably damaged or worn.

7. Choose eco-friendly products. Some garage doors are considered more green than others. If you are purchasing a wood garage door, make sure the wood used by the manufacturer is FSC certified, meaning it was harvested sustainably. You can also specify paint and finish products that are low-VOC, so they don’t release as many volatile compounds into the environment or your interior living spaces.

Contact R&S to discuss green options and upgrades for your residential or commercial garage door. We’re always happy to go over your options and can provide a free estimate for your consideration.

What 5 Upgrades Can You Make to Your Garage to Make it More Appealing to Buyers?

 There’s curb appeal and then there’s home appeal. Your garage sort of straddles both worlds. The exterior is usually visible from the curb and the interior will be viewed when potential buyers tour the home.Thus, we’ve put together a list of 5 simple upgrades you can make to your garage in order to sell your home faster, and to help get the price you want.

Keep in mind that in many cases, the garage is to the man what a nice kitchen remodel is to the woman, so your home will be more attractive to at least 50% more home shoppers if you do a mini-makeover.

5 Garage Upgrades to Impress Future Buyers

1.      Replace the garage door. If your door is damaged, dented or scratched beyond what a fresh coat of paint can handle, consider replacing the door. Base model garage doors are a small investment that will improve how your home shows on the exterior and will prevent a potential buyer from thinking, “well, we’ll have to replace the garage door ASAP….” If it needs a new coat of paint, read Painting Your Metal Garage Door for quick tips. Replace any obviously worn or torn weather stripping to maintain a clean look. Buyers these days want automatic garage doors – period – so replace your door if you have an outdated, manual version.

2.      Organize it. Even if buyers know that the clutter in your garage will go with you, it’s not a good selling point. You want the buyer to open the garage door and think, “aaaaah….look at that nice clean space,” rather than, “eeek! What a nightmare to clean this junk out of here…” Organizing your garage will help your garage show better and it will also simplify your own packing and moving process when you sell your home. If your realtor is staging your home, resist the temptation to move the boxes of stuff into the garage. See if a friend or relative will store them for you for a couple or months or load them into an affordable storage unit.

3.      Clean it. As long as your organizing the garage, clean it up. Get all the dust, grime and cobwebs cleared from every nook and cranny. Try to get rid of the oil stains and hose/soap the floor down with a cleaning agent designed to get rust and oil stains off garage floor concrete. If certain, stubborn oil stains won’t come out, cover them up with a basic oil drip pan from a local hardware or auto parts shop – it shouldn’t set you back more than $15 or so. Wash the windows to increase natural lighting. You’ll be amazed at what a difference it makes when a garage is organized AND clean.

4.      Throw in a few cheap extras. There are some garage organization tools that don’t cost much but add a whole lot of panache to the space. While investing in a full set of metal storage racks might be a bit much (unless you plan on taking them to your new space), you can screw a few hooks into the rafters to hang bikes and lesser-used kid toys, which looks like an added perk. If you have a tool bench that isn’t used, make sure it’s cleared off - with unused tools organized above it on a cheap peg board – to show the work area off.

5.      Add some lights. If you only have a single, florescent strip – consider adding another light fixture or two, or put a decent floor lamp in the corner by the workbench. If the garage looks like a gloomy cave, it’s not as enticing. If it’s well-lit – homeowners can start imagining themselves working out there and tinkering on their own, future hobby projects.

Need a little help upgrading your garage door and operating system? Need some new garage door weather stripping? Contact R&S and we’ll hook you up. 1-925-671-7606.

Maintaining Rolling Aluminum Grilles

Rolling aluminum grilles are a simple solution to keeping merchandise safe while still allowing visual access to those inside the building. While high-quality products should require very little maintenance, all doors need occasional TLC to operate smoothly and reliably day-after-day, and year-after-year.

Tips for Maintaining Your Business’s Rolling Aluminum Grilles

The following tips will ensure your doors are well taken care of to maintain optimal performance.

1. Work with a reliable installer. The quality of the product and its installation has everything to do with how it performs. Make sure you work with a licensed and experienced commercial door installer so you purchase the product that is right for your application. Not every business – or business location – is created equal, and doors should be designed specifically for their location, climate and use. This is a huge first-step in enjoy the low-maintenance attributes these doors are known for.

2. Keep the tracks (guides) clean. Any dirt, grime and debris that builds up in the door’s guide (commonly referred to as a track) will affect how it opens and closes. Over time, accumulation of debris in the track can lead to the breakdown of the door’s mechanical parts or can prevent it from opening, closing and/or locking completely. Remove larger debris by hand. Use a soft brush or broom to sweep smaller debris out and away from the track. A damp, wet cloth can be used for very small particles or more stubborn debris.

3. Use the doors regularly. Some rolling aluminum grilles are used on a daily basis, others are used less often and that can become a problem. A door that is left unused can begin to stick as the result of settling dust or potential rust or corrosion. It’s best to open and close the door at least once a week to keep things moving fluidly and to address any problems that arise before they become more permanent.

4. Be mindful of excessive elements. If you have a door that receives more sun exposure, is constantly faced with high winds or is the focus of driving rain in the wintertime, give it a little extra attention. Speak with your commercial door installer to make sure there aren’t any additional maintenance measures that should be taken – such as the addition of an awning, a specialized protective coating, and so on.

5. Refresh paint/coatings as needed. Metal is susceptible to moisture damage and the elements. For this reason, most metal doors are sold and installed with a protective coating suited to their environment. If you notice any peeling, scratching, bubbling or gaps in the coating, it needs to be replaced. Refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations in regards to approved coating products. Failure to adhere to their guidelines can compromise your warranty, not to mention the well-being of the door.

6. Make immediate repairs. If you notice rust, corrosion, breaks or the door isn’t working properly, schedule repairs ASAP. The longer you wait, the more damage can be done. This results in more expensive repairs or, potentially, an unnecessary door replacement. Also, holding off on a necessary repair may void your warranty.

7. Schedule annual inspections. It’s a good practice to schedule annual or bi-annual inspections with a local commercial door company. This small investment will pay off in preserving the durability and longevity of your rolling aluminum grilles as well as other commercial and personnel doors. Invoices from these inspections are excellent proof to have on hand should you need to process a warranty claim in the future, and routine inspections and maintenance will help to prevent potential code violations for hardly-used doors that aren’t functioning up to local building code requirements.


Have a rolling aluminum grille or service door that’s giving you problems? Looking to schedule annual door maintenance? Give us a call here at R&S - 1-925-671-7606 - or contact us online. We’ll send someone out to visit the first chance we get.

Replacing Weather Stripping on Service Doors

Weather stripping seems like a small detail, but it can make a big difference in your building’s interior comfort, not to mention temperature regulation, energy efficiency and even theft control.

Did You Answer Yes To These 5 Questions?

Here are 5 questions to ask yourself and/or your employees to determine whether or not it’s time to add – or replace – your service door’s weather stripping.

1. Do your exterior service doors have weather stripping? When were your service doors installed? If you’ve recently taken ownership or moved to a new commercial space, inspect the service doors to see if they are currently equipped with weather stripping. If not, consider installing it or hiring a professional to do it for you.


2. Is there an obvious draft? Weather stripping serves a variety of purposes but one of its most important roles is to prevent air leaks. Air leaks can increase utility spending considerably (more on that below) but they also interfere with interior comfort and/or maintaining a consistent temperature. If employees notice a draft, take a look around the service doors to see if there is a perimeter edge that lacks weather stripping, or if the weather stripping around a particular door seems worn, cracked or corroded.

3. Is climate control an issue? If you have a building with an HVAC unit, climate control should certainly be a focus. The more you can maintain a consistent interior temperature, the lower the energy bills will be. Weather stripping seals air leaks and also helps to insulate exterior doors, preventing undesirable heat gain and loss as exterior temperatures fluctuate. Take a look at the heating/cooling bills for the past several years and perform a month-by-month analysis. If you feel like costs are increasing, taking fuel price hikes into consideration, inadequate or poor-performing weather stripping could be a contributing factor.

4. Does water leak into the building when it rains? Do rainy days and nights mean employees have to get the mop bucket out? Not only is this a nuisance, it’s not a good idea to have moisture inside the building. The more moisture there is, the more difficult it is to control temperature and humidity. In addition to interior comfort for staff and clients, excess moisture also threatens the structural components in the building (especially metal doors that are more prone to rust and corrosion). Accumulated moisture also makes it easier for mold and mildew to develop, which compromises interior air quality.

5. Is there visible wear and tear around the edges? If your doors lack weather stripping, or your current weather stripping is outdated, you may notice extra wear and tear around the edges of the doors. In addition to helping with air leaks and insulation, weather stripping also works as a buffer, keeping the perimeter of the door from unnecessary scraping that can slowly wear down the materials.

Replacing Weather Stripping on Service Doors

Installing and replacing weather stripping is a fairly simple DIY task. That being said, there are a few things to consider:

1. Manufacturer’s Recommendations. Get out the service manual that came with the door and read the manufacturer’s recommendations. They will probably list specific products that are recommended/approved. Always invest in the products they recommend because veering from these recommendations could potentially void any existing warranty.

2. Read the Warranty. You’ll also want to read through the warranty stipulations. Sometimes, manufacturers require their doors to be serviced by a licensed, approved vendor and any DIY work you perform on your own may compromise the warranty.

3. Use a licensed commercial door supplier. Don’t have time to be bothered with maintenance requirements? That’s where a reputable, licensed Bay Area commercial door supplier comes in. Research online or call the door’s manufacturer to connect with preferred vendors in your area. Scheduling routine inspections and warranty work is a smart way to keep your doors functioning as reliably and efficiently as possible.


Have a questions about the service doors at your place of business? Contact R&S and we’ll be happy to schedule a service call or answer any questions you may have.

7 Tips for Storing Holiday Decorations Safely in Your Garage

Holiday decorations are like a beautiful fungus, they seem to multiply year by year. The problem is that while boxes of holiday decorations may multiply, your home’s storage space does not. That means you need to get creative about where and how to store them.

Rather than using interior storage space, which is best left to the things you use on a more regular basis, we recommend storing your holiday decoration collection in the garage. The trick, however, is to store them safely.

Too many boxes stacked one on top of the other pose a hazard to both the people and pets who traverse your garage, as well as the possessions stored around them.

1. Organize your garage. If your garage is already too-crowded-for-comfort, make a New Year’s resolution to organize it. Use one of the bay area’s beautiful, crisp, clear winter days and haul everything outside of the garage so you can assess what needs to stay and what can go. Read or post, 8 Tips For Making Space in That Cluttered Garage for more detailed instructions on a simple, no-nonsense approach to de-cluttering and adding storage space.

2. Ditch the cardboard boxes. Cardboard boxes are fine for moving and temporary storage but not for permanent collections – like holiday decorations – which are used every single year. For one thing, cardboard has a tendency to collapse – especially when stacked - which can mean breakage of valuable or sentimental ornaments and decorations. Also, cardboard boxes harbor pests. Spiders and cockroaches are particularly drawn to them, and rodents will happily chew their way in if they smell a hint of anything edible or sense there is potential nesting material or space inside. Instead, upgrade to durable, plastic storage containers in uniform sizes.

3. Opt for clear containers. When you go to select your new storage containers, spring for the ones with clear plastic and red or green tops. The colorful tops are indicators that holiday decorations are stored inside. The clear plastic allows you to get a better idea of what is stored inside so you have quick access to the tree stand, for example, and can leave the wrapping paper or table setting boxes alone until you’re ready for them.

4. Purchase high-quality shelving. If you haven’t done it already, invest in high-quality metal shelving that is easy to assemble and high storage options. The shelves should be wide enough to accommodate the depth of your boxes with only a very minimal amount (if any) of the box bottom extending over the edges to avoid toppling. Use the top and corner shelves, the most difficult to access, for holiday boxes.

5. Test and wrap lights. Get rid of any light strings that don’t work. Then, wrap each strand of your holiday lights around a section of cardboard to avoid the frustrating tangle that always ensues, regardless of how carefully you wrap them in loops. Then store the lights in plastic tubs as well to prevent breakage or exposure to moisture and/or cord-chewing rodents.

6. Utilize the rafters. If you aren’t handy, hire a local handyman to use plywood and/or 2x4s that can be installed to reinforce the rafters. The “shelf-space” you acquire this way will become invaluable extra storage space and makes an excellent spot for storing decoration boxes, the artificial Christmas tree and so on.

7. Heavy duty hooks. Does your artificial tree come with a sturdy bag? If so, you can use heavy-duty garage storage hooks and suspend the tree from its bag handles. This can be an easier option if lugging it into the attic or into the rafters is too cumbersome.

Safe storage of your holiday decorations will pay off in a more organized home and garage space, and the assurance that your favorite decorations and ornaments will be protected from breakage, pest damage and dust.

What is a Personnel Door?

If you own a business, odds are you have at least one or two personnel doors in your office or establishment. They are a type of commercial door but – typically – rather than serving the public’s needs, personnel doors are used most often by the employees who live and work in the building during normal business hours.

Examples of Personnel Doors

These doors are built much differently than the ones you use in your home for several reasons.

They are more heavily used. Doors that are used internally by employees experience more rigorous wear and tear than a bedroom or bathroom door. Consider the hundreds of times a day the door leading from a doctor’s or dentist’s office to the waiting room is opened and shut, for example. This level of use requires heavier-duty hinges and hardware than a residential or small office door might require.

There are building codes to consider. For health and safety reasons, personnel doors can have very specific design requirements. For example, depending on the building design and use a door may be required by law to have:

• An automatic closer.

• A fire rating for 30, 60 or 90 minutes (or more).

• Special sealing or insulation to keep chemicals or toxins confined.

• Other specialized features that increase the health and safety for both employees, customers and/or other building occupants.

• Panic hardware that allows a door to be pushed open rather than requiring a harder-to-use handle.

These specialized versions of commercial doors may also require specialized security features preventing them from break-ins, vandalism or broken glass.

Door designs may be more varied. To accommodate larger or more unique design dimensions, a personnel door may not fit the standard commercial or residential door dimensions, requiring special sizing and parts accommodation.

Examples of personnel doors include doors that:

• Swing

• Slide

• Revolve

• Include extra-large double-door systems

• Provide style and security to an exterior entrance/exit

• Offer corrosion resistance particular to their environment and daily exposures.

How to Choose the Right Personnel Door For Your Business

Choosing the right personnel door for your business can be tricky. Here are a few questions to consider:

What is required by code? The first step is to bring your building plans to your local building department to have them reviewed. Working with an experienced commercial architect and a licensed commercial door supplier can also benefit you as they are typically familiar with the commercial door codes in your area. This can ensure you install doors with the legally required fire rating, egress considerations, panic hardware and so on so you don’t have to replace anything you just installed as the result of a code violation.

Is the door visible to the public? Consider the huge glass revolving doors popular for big swanky banks and law firms. Even if these buildings are largely used by employees, rather than the public, these doors are still highly visible to passersby and can make a positive impression of the company. In this case, in order to add curb appeal, style is important. 

Will it be exposed to the outdoors? Personnel doors that are exposed to the exterior of the building will experience more dramatic temperature and humidity fluctuations, as well as serious weather depending on your geographic location. Even things like wind direction and sun exposure should be considered to ensure your door is designed to handle its environment.

What style is your commercial design? Personnel doors come in a wide range of materials and styles. Most doors are made from commercial wood, hollow metal, fiberglass, aluminum, glass, herculite glass and even bullet- and blast-proof materials. However, fabrication has come a long way so most of these “tougher” door types can be customized to blend with your business’s interior design.

For professional assistance designing, repairing or replacing personnel doors for your business, give us a call at R&S Erection. 1-925-671-7606. You can also contact us online to schedule an onsite consultation.

8 Tips For Making Space in That Cluttered Garage

Are you having to suck in your belly every time you squeeze between the tool bench (or that stack of boxes) and an open car door? Sounds like it’s time to buckle down and create a little more space in the garage.

Driving into a clean, organized garage is good for the soul and makes coming home from work that much more pleasurable. Plus, it can open up room for your favorite hobbies or the design of your dream man cave. Most people find that spending a weekend or two adding more efficient storage also opens up closet and storage space in the home as well.

So, let’s get started.

1. Take it all out and analyze it. Regardless of which tips you opt to implement, you need to analyze/organize what you have - distinguishing between what’s needed and what needs to move on out. Put on your favorite music and start clearing everything out. Designate “trash” and “donate” piles and get rid of anything you haven’t used in a year or more. Odds are those items won’t be used this year either, and they can always be rented or purchased if you need them down the road.

2. Utilize the rafters. Are you using all that available space between the rafters and the underside of the roof? Throwing a large piece of plywood up there - creating a horizontal platform - is a cheap means of gaining accessible “attic”. It’s an ideal space for storing the holiday tree and decorations, suitcases, childhood mementos, sleds, seasonal sporting gear and so on. 

3. Make use of the high spaces. Continuing along this vein, install shelves up high on the walls so you aren’t wasting that last 12- to 24-inches between the ceiling or rafters and the highest shelf on standing storage racks. This is another place where you can store items you don’t use as often, things like serving platters and other rarely used dishware, camping gear or blow up mattresses for guests.

4. Install wire storage shelves. We love the stainless steel, wire storage racks and shelving units because they don’t collect dust and are less pest- and rodent-friendly. Maximize your mounting opportunities by first installing a layer of 3/4-inch plywood over drywall or bare studs. Now you have a continuous, reinforced surface for mounting uninterrupted shelving, and it will also come in handy for hooks to hang bikes and other tools or toys.

5. Suspend bikes, toys and ladders. The more bikes and toys that are parked on the ground, the less surface area and more cluttered your garage will be. Use designated hooks to suspend these items, the higher the better of course. Adult bikes can be suspended from the rafters. Ladder(s) can be stored out of the way there as well. Even low suspension hooks will be helpful with the kids’ bikes. While it doesn’t get the bikes very high off the ground, it does give them a designated place to be, and this goes a long way towards an organized garage.

6. Invest in a storage shed. If you have the space in your backyard, even a small storage shed can make a big difference when it comes to storing items that have filled up the corners of your garage. If you’re a gardener, make the storage shed your potting shed. If you are an avid camper or hunter, it might be a designated, weathertight location to store items related to those activities. It’s also an ideal place for kid’s toys, preventing the all-too-common occurrence of the runover bike or trike.

7. Neaten up the wires. Do areas of your garage look like a thick and colorful spiderweb, laden with criss-crosses of extension cords and other wires. Neaten those up by running them along your garage wall and/or ceilings by mounting metal or plastic wiring channels and outlet boxes right on the wall or a series of open studs.

8. Utilize unfinished walls. Use the consistent spaces between exposed studs in a garage’s unfinished walls to your advantage. You can connect bungee cords from the top of one section to the bottom, spaced a few inches apart to store balls and miscellaneous sporting equipment. Cover the back of any number of sections with plywood and then screw angled, 6-inch PVC pipe sections (between 4- and 6-inches high) to store shovels, rakes and other long-handled outdoor tools. 

Now that your garage is all tidied up, you might notice it’s suffering from random debris - in the form of dirt, leaves and miscellaneous litter. That’s a sign your garage door seal needs to be replaced. Not only will this keep your newly-organized garage a little cleaner, it will also enhance its insulation and interior comfort. 

Now your goal is to train the family with the idea that “there’s a space for everything, and everything in its space!” If you can do that, you’ll enjoy a spacious and organized garage for years to come.