If I were a poet, I would write an ode to the garage. Given that I am lyrically challenged, I shall instead dedicate a blog post to this humble backyard storage vessel. When I purchased the house, the garage was structurally sound, but ugly and underutilized. A former owner had bolstered the structure and added an automatic garage door, overhead lights, and more outlets than a professional woodshop would necessitate.
I therefore dedicated myself to the aesthetics. We painted the garage to match the rest of the house. And the garage served as my testing ground for removing the vinyl covering over the original vents. A wooden slat was missing, so when I had my handyman on site with his saw, I had him cut a piece of wood from scraps to fit into the sunburst. I then removed nails, sanded it down, filled in holes with wood putty and applied a fresh coat of white paint.
For all of the starbursts, I was sure to apply critter protection to the interior of the starburst. I opted to use two layers of wire mesh, a thicker wire to prevent larger creatures and a thinner, tighter metal weave to keep out smaller pests. I used wire cutters to trim appropriately and employed a staple gun to secure behind the starbursts. I love these original craftsman details and found this effort to be deeply worthwhile. At times I expect the house to break into a chorus of “I feel pretty, oh so pretty…” as we reveal all of her original beauty.
I have also discovered wreaths. My NYC buildings never allowed exterior decoration, so I didn’t give much thought to these glorious floral displays in the round. Oh, I have realized the error of my ways. I am already collecting a burgeoning seasonal wreath collection, which my garage supports with its incredible storage capabilities. I have furthermore learned that wreaths are ideal for any exterior door, including on the garage. The end result is a structure that resembles the house in miniature, which absolutely tickles me.
In addition to being adorable, the garage is also functional. It allows me to store the many toys that homeownership necessitates. For example, I have a new collection of battery-operated machines, including a lawn mower, weedwhacker and blower. I can even plug the batteries into the garage outlets in preparation for the next round of yard beautification.
The garage is my storage unit, shop, gardening shed and holiday staging area. At the risk of this post going beyond mere quirkiness, I will end my dedication here. That said, I won’t swear that the garage postings will permanently cease, as I’m contemplating some exterior string lights along the top…