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BLOG (RETIRED)

FOLLOW ALONG WITH WHAT I GOT GOING ON

Orland Park Audi Oasis

2/9/2019

 
I have met a lot of guys through the garage and Audi worlds and while everyone has their own unique personality and story, everyone I have come to know demonstrates a high degree of attention to detail. This garage story is no exception. Located approximately 40 km southwest of Chicago, this Orland Park triple garage demonstrates how a well organized and executed garage can enhance life in the 'burbs, and support the activities that come with raising three active kids. My thanks to this garage owner for allowing me to share his garage story with my audience and for approaching my questions with such attention to detail. 
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My wife and I purchased our home in Orland Park, IL, USA in 2006. It was a spec house that was already built, but never occupied, so we got to start from scratch, but that also meant that there were certain things about the garage that I couldn’t build in, like I might have wanted to.
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The garage is a 3 bay and is attached to the house. Unfortunately, it did not have a floor drain or a water run, so I’ve had to make do without those things, since I didn’t think to address these needs before I finished it. I’ve outfitted the back wall and one side wall with SlatWall that I purchased from Menard’s in a slate gray color. This has proved to be durable and quite versatile over the last 10+ years. In the time since, various modular wall storage slats from Gladiator and others have become popular, but these were not widely available when I finished mine, so I went with the melamine slatwall. No big regrets here.
Since my house serves my wife and I and our 3 children, as well as various extended family at various points, we knew that having a lot of storage in the garage was key. My dad and I installed 6 Gladiator wall cabinets across the back wall, in conjunction with a workbench, with two tool carts that slot into it. I then got two large cabinets and another tool cart that I’ve fashioned into an island of sorts to block up the space, as we only use 2 of the bays for das autos.
Sometime after initially outfitting the garage, I added Gladiator’s garage fridge/freezer, which both ties in with the cabinets and is generally awesome. I also added another later-model Gladiator XL floor cabinet in the corner next to the fridge.
As you can tell, I have a lot of storage in the garage. While I envy Rick’s and other setups that I have seen on the RAD Garage site and others, my needs really focus more on ultra-practicality and maximization of storage potential. That may not always be the case, but it is for the foreseeable future.
Regarding flooring, shortly after moving in, my dad and I applied a Home Depot-purchased floor epoxy from Rust-o-leum, I believe. This was a consumer-grade product and lasted a couple of years before it started flaking off, particularly in areas of heavy tire rotation (I have a side-entry garage) and where the engines were when parked, likely due to heat. Again, at the time, some of the awesome garage tile solutions, like Swisstrax and Racedeck, were not around or as widely available (or known to me), so I decided to go with a professionally-applied commercial-grade epoxy floor treatment. I am very happy with the look this gives the garage and the protection it affords the concrete. That being said, I do have to deal with water build-up in the garage when washing inside in the colder months, which is a bit annoying. Have thought about potentially getting a floor tile solution to avoid this, but I’m not crazy about leaving standing water around in the garage or about having to periodically clean the tiles, so still thinking about this. I have augmented some black mats near the door to the house to deal with wet conditions and dirt, particularly in the winter/spring.
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Since one can never have enough storage, at some point I added a shelving unit to the far wall to hold some large plastic storage bins with detailing supplies and other miscellaneous stuff. NOTE: The black thing on the floor is a ‘Quick Dam’, which I got on Amazon. It is used in quantity to help control flooding. I use it to control water that accumulates when I wash the car in the garage in the winter.
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In the summer, my family loves to go to the beach in Indiana and once we got up to three kids and all of the stuff that comes with them to the beach, I was finding that I was going to kill myself if I didn’t find an efficient solution to carry all of that stuff. Enter the monster beach cart! I love this thing and it is a story all to itself for another time, but the major issue then became where to store this huge thing? The answer turned out to be a Garage Gator ceiling-mounted winch system with the optional 3x5 storage rack. And since we have a lot of stuff to store, I went all out and got two of them. These things are well-built and I use them to store all manner of large and small items year-round. I will admit that after we installed them, I was very hesitant about putting a car under them, but they’ve proved to be very reliable and sturdy and I have no complaints!
Lighting is another area that I’ve augmented a bit, but may still think more about future improvements. The garage originally had a couple of simple fixtures when I moved in, coupled with the garage opener lights. I’ve augmented this with four 5-foot fluorescent lights, with two centered over the main parking area to provide illumination during detailing and the other two going horizontal across the back half of the garage, with them being more for lighting when doing non-car activities.
I have thought long and hard about adding a built-in heating solution to the garage, but have not gotten to that, as of yet. For the time-being, I have two space heaters that I picked up on Amazon that do the job. I don’t spend a ton of time in the garage in the winter, so I just fire these guys up a few hours before I plan to clean the car and they get the garage into the low 60’s (F), which is fine for me. Not sure I really need more than this, at least at this point.
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Somehow, I’ve managed to get all this way and not manage that I’m an Audi fanatic! I’ve owned a few gen-1 Q7’s and now have a gen-2 Q7. I also own a Q5, and have also had a couple of A7’s that I previously leased. But my baby is a ’15 Audi R8 v8 coupe. This was the ‘dream car’ that I purchased in mid-2017 and I’ve pretty much been obsessed with it since picking it up. It has fueled my interest in detailing and has driven me to make additional tweaks to the garage to support this hobby / addiction. To this end, I’ve adorned the garage with various Audi banners & signs, as well as some framed R8 pictures.
That’s my garage. It works for me now, but it’s never really done. I continue to tweak things as I get new ideas and am always on the lookout for something new that will increase the usefulness of the space.
As you can see, this garage serves its owner and family in a number of important ways and plays a crucial role in allowing this busy household to navigate the rigors of family life. I am curious to see what new innovations make their way into this space over time. If you would like to see more photos of the Audi stable, including the sweet R8, be sure to follow @jrg_chi on Instagram.
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If you would like to see your garage featured on my blog, feel free to contact me. 

Comments are closed.
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    RAD GARAGE is my personal detailing theatre. I am a teacher who finds immense pleasure in completing deeply therapeutic, thorough and highly satisfying detailing projects in my residential garage. I have converted my suburban double car garage into a world class detailing environment and I enjoy caring for my own car and select cars belonging to others. The garage and the work I complete in it have allowed me to connect with other detailing enthusiasts from around the world. ​
    Contact me

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    I have teamed up with Teespring to offer viewers an opportunity to grab some RAD gear! Click here to see the current inventory of RAD merchandise available at my Teespring store! 
    Use "RAD10" to save yourself 10% until the end of March, 2021. 
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    Carzilla is a local detailing store that caters to the North American community of professional and enthusiast detailers. I have been a longtime customer and I am fortunate to call the owner a friend. Besides stocking a vast quantity of top quality detailing products, the owner has supported various garage and detailing projects of mine over the years.

    5 %   d i s c o u n t   c o d e
    "RADGARAGE"

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    I am able to offer all Canadian detailing pros and enthusiasts a 5% Carzilla discount code. Check out the awesome Carzilla online store here.

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    The team at Annovi Reverberi North America reached out to me and commended my work. They generously offered to supply me with one of their pressure washer systems. I can't express how satisfied I am with the performance of my AR630TSS pressure washer and highly recommend this machine to all enthusiast and professional detailers. If you are considering upgrading your existing pressure washer system, I highly encourage you to price things out over at the Obsessed Garage website. 

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    I have equipped my garage with a variety of LED lighting systems from this family-owned company out of Saskatchewan. They have a variety of garage lighting solutions to fit every need. Be sure to visit their website and use "RAD10" at checkout to receive a 10% discount on your order.

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    I am proud to rep Obsessed Garage. Click on the banner below to explore the complete OG inventory. By using my affiliate link, any purchases you make will help me equip and enhance my garage. 

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    25¢ per sq ft discount
    "RADGARAGE"

    Swisstrax manufactures the highest quality modular flooring system you can get for your garage. I am able to offer a 25¢ per square foot discount to Canadian friends wanting to install a Swisstrax floor in their garage. Simply reference "RAD GARAGE" in your email or phone call correspondence with the Swisstrax Canada sales staff. 

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    The  expert team at Glove Box curates boxes of high quality products that work together towards a common goal. I highly recommend you check out their website to see the various boxes and purchase options they offer. You can make a one-time purchase of any past or present boxes, or opt for a 3, 6, or 12-month subscription. Whatever option you decide to go with, use "RAD20" to receive 20% off your introductory order. 

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    Adam's is one of my all-time favorite brands of car detailing products. I have made friends with a number of team members and I appreciate the support I have received from them over the years. I have also been fortunate to meet many other Adam's fans from all over the world. Check out the Adam's website here. 

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    If you are in the Calgary or surrounding area and you are looking to have some concrete work completed, I highly recommend reaching out to the team at Concrete Innovations. They did a tremendous job on my garage drainage system. You can save $300 on your own double garage drainage solution by contacting them and telling them I referred you.

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    Tim and his team at Ethos have been hard at work bringing innovation to the detailing industry. I have been fortunate to have received a number of high quality Ethos products and I have found all of them to be highly satisfying. I am a huge fan of this company and their "Defy" ceramic protectant spray is one of my all time favourite products. 

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    Tunerworks is a performance-minded automotive service centre located in Calgary. It is my go-to source for wheels and tires and all other things automotive. If you are interested in connecting with the team at Tunerworks to see how you can improve your car's appearance and/or performance, give the team a call at 403.398.9833 and tell them Rick sent you. 

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    A few years ago, a Quickjack representative reached out to me because I had mentioned on this blog that I was looking for some sort of lift system. We corresponded back and forth and I ended up receiving a sweetheart deal on a QuickJack BL-5000 SLX lift system. I immediately fell in love with it. I sent the team at Ranger Products a variety of photos of the lift in action in my garage and they have featured them in various online ads, including the US and Canada Costco websites.
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    TRITON DOOR SERVICES
    Triton is owned and operated by Mike Awada and he is a highly skilled and experienced garage door technician. I highly recommend reaching out to Mike if you have any garage door concerns or if you are interested in upgrading your home's garage door and/or door opener system. 
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    The team at Auto Shield Canada has been extremely supportive of me and my detailing pursuits. They have provided me with samples of their graphene coating and even gone to the lengths of helping me apply it on a friend's 2008 RS4. I look forward to watching this company make deeper inroads into the market with their high quality coatings. 

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    The team at Lithium Auto Care has been highly supportive of me and my detailing hobby by sending me a number of samples in exchange for my feedback. I have been very impressed with the products I have tried and I have been even more impressed by the quality of service they have provided me. 

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    Extra Tough is a highly effective and versatile all-purpose cleaner. The team at Extra Tough sent me two complimentary gallons of this cleaner and I have used it in a variety of jobs around the garage. Most famously, I used it to deeply clean the carpeted wheel arches of a pristine Misano Red RS5. It is available through their website. 

    CROWN RALLY 8
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    I was fortunate to have been invited to participate in the 8th edition of the Crown Rally. This is a high octane car rally that explores some of the most amazing drives in the Untied States. Click the image above to learn more about this amazing adventure. 

    OTHER RAD FRIENDS

    ​Custom Decals YYC
    Geoff Wilkings Photography
    Glenmore Audi
    ​Kaizen Foam
    Space-Ray Heaters
    ​Tire Rack
    Trek Bicycles
    ​TSW Wheels

    OTHER RAD GARAGES

    In addition to showcasing my own garage, I enjoy sharing other amazing garages. Here are some spaces that I have featured on my blog: 
    Tavin Garage
    Tyson's Acura Museum
    Larry's Charlotte Showroom
    dubber's double
    Chad's "Next" Makeover
    Gully's Dream Garage
    Orland Park Audi Oasis
    Cory's Industrial Arts Studio
    Brynjar's Icelandic Garage
    Pat's Controlled Chaos
    ​Greg & Nancy's Place
    ​Brandon Burrell's Toy House

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  • Home
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    • 2009 Q7 S-Line (Previous)
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