Heat, humidity and hail: planning garage storage for a North Texas garage

What North Texas weather changes about garage storage

In North Texas, garage storage has three jobs that matter more than in milder places: keep a clear bay so the car can come inside when hail is forecast, keep chemicals and heat-sensitive products in closed storage and within their label instructions, and use materials that tolerate humidity, dust and wet cars. That means wall and ceiling storage that frees the floor, closed cabinets for anything hazardous, regular wipe-downs of steel surfaces, and a design that accounts for sloped slabs and the garage door.

I run the Dallas Proslat Garage Store, and weather comes up in a surprising number of design conversations, usually right after a storm sends people scrambling to clear a space for the car. None of what follows requires special products. It is about planning a garage for the conditions it actually lives in.

Hail season makes the parking spot the most valuable space in the house

When storms are forecast, the people who can pull straight into the garage do not think twice. The people with a bay full of boxes spend the evening moving things into the driveway, or leave the car outside and hope. A garage that keeps at least one bay clear all year, not just after a cleanout, is the simplest hail protection a household has.

Planning for this is mostly a layout decision. If every bike, cooler and box has a place on the wall or overhead, the floor stays clear without anyone having to think about it. If a single wall of shelving is doing all the work, the overflow lands in the parking bay every time. When I design a garage, I treat the parking bays as off limits for storage and build everything else around them, including the swing of the car doors.

If a car does get caught, the Texas Department of Insurance says that if you have comprehensive coverage on your auto policy, your insurance company should pay for hail damage, and it advises taking photos or video of the damage and filing as soon as you can. The house usually takes a hit in the same storm, so a roofer's guide on checking a roof after hail and filing the claim is worth reading too. Insurance helps after the fact; a clear garage bay helps before.

Heat: what belongs in closed storage

A garage here in summer gets hot, and many garages sit under an attic that holds that heat. Pool chemicals, pesticides, paint, solvents, fuel and cleaners all end up in the garage, and many carry storage instructions on their labels. The Environmental Protection Agency advises following label instructions for use and storage, keeping household hazardous products in their original containers with labels intact, never storing them in food containers, and never mixing leftovers.

In the designs I draw, these products go in closed cabinets, low and away from the water heater and any spot where sun hits the wall through a window. Closed storage keeps them organized, keeps the labels readable, and keeps them out of reach of children and pets, which the EPA also flags as a hazard. If a label says a product should not be stored in high heat, believe it and find it a place indoors.

• Keep chemicals in original, labeled containers
• Read the storage instructions on each label, including temperature limits
• Store hazardous products low, in closed cabinets, away from the water heater
• Never mix leftovers or decant into food or drink containers
• Keep anything a label says to protect from heat inside the house

Humidity, wet cars and steel cabinets

Humid weather and cars that come in dripping after a storm put moisture into the garage. That matters for steel. Proslat's cabinets are 18-gauge steel with a powder-coated finish, built for garages, but the cabinet warranty excludes corrosion due to humidity and surface damage from chemical interaction, and the care instructions specify indoor use only. In other words, the finish is tough, and keeping it dry and clean is still your job.

The habits are simple. Wipe up spills, especially chemicals, promptly. Clean surfaces periodically with a soft rag and water, as Proslat's care instructions recommend. Do not let cabinets sit in standing water from the cars, which is one more reason to place the cabinet run on a wall away from where the cars drain, or to raise it on the right feet. And check screws and nuts periodically for tightness, which the same instructions call for.

Slatwall that shrugs off water and dust

Dust is part of garage life, especially with the door open on windy days or after yard work. Proslat describes its PVC slatwall panels as very durable and water resistant, and its care guide allows cleaning them with a pressure washer on a low setting or with a soft cloth and mild detergent. Abrasive cleaners and sharp objects should be avoided.

That makes open slatwall a practical choice for gear that comes back wet or dirty: yard tools, coolers, beach and pool gear, muddy cleats and bikes. Things hang where they can dry instead of sitting damp in a closed bin on the floor, which is where mildew and rust start.

For the same reason, I like to put a short run of slatwall near the door you use most, with hooks for wet jackets, umbrellas and the dog leash. It keeps the dripping things off the floor and away from the cabinets, and it makes the garage easier to sweep after a storm.

Sloped slabs and stem walls

Garage slabs are typically built to slope toward the door so rain and car drip run out. That is good for drainage and a challenge for a long run of cabinets. Proslat's cabinet guide requires the feet to be leveled before cabinets are connected so the doors close properly, and Proslat sells raised feet in several heights for sloped floors, plus special feet for garages with a stem wall along the base of the walls.

I check slope and stem walls at every in-home visit. Getting this right means the kick plates line up, the doors meet evenly, and the bottom of each cabinet stays clear of water that runs along the floor.

The ceiling over a hot garage

Overhead storage is ideal for seasonal items, but what is above the drywall matters. Proslat's instructions for its Garage Gator motorized lift call for lag bolts in the center of wooden joists that are at least 2 x 6 and no more than 24 inches apart, or a 2 x 4 bottom chord in a truss ceiling, and they tell installers to visually inspect trusses for damage before installing. They also say to let the unit cool down after use.

Lifts plug into a standard outlet, preferably one on the ceiling near the motor. If there is no outlet, adding one is a job for a licensed electrician; in Texas, electrical work must be performed through a licensed electrical contractor. For bins and heavier seasonal gear, a wall-mounted ProRack is often simpler, and Proslat rates it at up to 800 pounds when installed directly into studs.

Heat also argues for keeping items you need often at reachable height rather than overhead. Nobody wants to climb a ladder in a hot garage in August to reach the cooler. Overhead space is best for things you pull down a few times a year, such as holiday decorations, camping gear and seasonal clothing in sealed bins.

Keep the garage door in the plan

The garage door is the largest moving part in the house, and storm season is the worst time for it to fail. Overhead storage must stay clear of the door's tracks and opener, which is why I measure them on every visit, and nothing should be stored where it could fall into the door's path.

Think about the door when you plan the walls too. The wall beside the opening takes the most weather when the door is up during a storm, so it is a better place for slatwall and rugged gear than for a cabinet holding paper, electronics or anything that should stay dry. Keep the area right inside the door clear as well, so the car can pull in quickly when the sky turns.

If your door is noisy, slow or has recently stopped opening, deal with that before adding storage overhead. A garage door specialist explains the most common failure in what a loud bang and a stuck garage door mean.

A simple seasonal routine

A garage system needs very little maintenance, but a few checks timed to the local calendar keep it working. None of it takes long, and most of it is simply looking with fresh eyes at a space you walk through every day.

• Early spring, before storm season: clear and keep clear at least one bay for the car
• Start of summer: check chemical labels for heat limits and move anything sensitive indoors
• After big storms: dry anything that came in wet and wipe down cabinet bases
• Fall: check cabinet screws and nuts for tightness and rotate seasonal bins overhead
• Any time: test that overhead storage still clears the garage door

Planning a garage that works in this climate

Estimates are free, and I visit homes across the Dallas area to measure, check slope, studs and ceiling framing, and design the garage with renderings before you order anything. A first order placed through an in-home quote carries a 5% discount, and the showroom in Richardson is open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM and Saturdays by appointment.

For more on keeping the system in good shape, read what garage cabinet and slatwall warranties cover and the garage storage myths that cost homeowners money. If you are starting from a garage that is too full to park in, begin with turning it into storage that works.

Questions people ask me