This page is the stuff people ask me, written down. Some of it comes up on the video call. Some of it arrives by email at 10 at night. A fair bit of it is the question somebody clearly wanted to ask and did not, so I answered it anyway.
None of it is a pitch. A couple of these pages will talk you out of hiring me, and that is on purpose. The comparison guide says plainly where a rack from the big box store is the better buy. The worth it page hands you a rule you can apply to your own wall without ever calling me. I would rather you get the right answer than the one that suits me.
There are 2 kinds of pages here. The guides are longer, for when you are trying to understand something before you spend money on it: what actually drives the price, why a loaded shelf bows in the middle, how to get a basement floor clear when the room has been closed for 3 years. The quick answers are 1 question each, with the answer in the first sentence and the reasoning underneath in case you want it.
All of it comes from real jobs in Munster, Highland, Dyer, Schererville and the rest of The Region. The measurements are the ones I build to. The numbers are the ones I check on site with a tape and a stud finder. Where something depends on your house, I say so instead of rounding it off into a rule.
The long ones
7 guides for when you want to understand the job
Each of these is a few minutes of reading. They are the pages to sit with before you spend money, whether you end up hiring me or building it yourself on a Saturday.
How Much Does Custom Garage Shelving Cost?
The 6 things that actually move the price of a built run, plus honest market context for doing it yourself, hiring it out, or buying a cabinet system.
Read the cost guideGarage Shelving That Actually Fits Your Storage Totes
Why a factory rack will not take 2 large totes across, how to measure the bins you already own in 2 minutes, and what depth and tier spacing do to the same wall.
Read the guideHow to Keep Basement Storage Off the Floor
Why cardboard on a concrete slab fails long before there is standing water, why sealed bins win, and how far up off the floor is far enough.
Read the guideWhy Garage Shelves Sag, and How to Build Ones That Do Not
Sag is a distance problem, not a strength problem. The span numbers that decide it, what creep does to a loaded deck over a winter, and why drywall anchors let go.
Read the guideCustom Wood Shelving vs Store-Bought Metal and Plastic Racks
A full side by side on cost, tote fit, load behavior, anchoring and lifespan, ending in a rule you can apply to your own wall without calling anyone.
See the comparisonHow to Clear Out the Basement You Have Been Avoiding
A method with no judgement in it: short sessions, 4 boxes, sentimental things last, and the floor cleared before you decide on a single shelf.
Read the guideGarage Organization in Northwest Indiana: Where to Start
Zone the room by how often you touch things, protect the walk path to the door, and build for the twice a year lake effect swap.
Read the guideIf you only have a minute, skip the guides entirely and start here. These are the 7 questions that come up on almost every first call, and each one leads with the answer instead of making you scroll for it. Between them they cover the 3 things people are really asking: will it hold, will my bins fit, and what is this going to cost me in time and money.
Quick answers
7 questions, answered in the first sentence
These are the ones that come up on almost every first call. No preamble. The answer is at the top and the reasoning is underneath if you want it.
How Deep Should Garage Shelves Be?
About 18 to 20 inches for large totes, 12 to 16 for tools and paint, and why past 24 inches you cannot reach the back.
Get the answerHow Much Weight Can Wood Garage Shelving Hold?
Capacity comes from the load path, not the lumber. What a bracket rating really means, and what gives out first.
Get the answerDo Garage Shelves Need to Be Anchored Into Studs?
Yes, for anything carrying real weight. How to find your framing, what fasteners to use, and what to do on a block wall.
Get the answerHow Long Does a Shelving Install Take?
Most garage and basement jobs are a single day. What pushes one into a second day, and what you need to clear beforehand.
Get the answerIs Custom Shelving Worth It Compared to Buying a Rack?
Not always. When the store-bought rack is the smarter buy, when a built run pays for itself, and how to tell which one you are.
Get the answerWhat Shelf Size Fits Standard Storage Totes?
A large tote wants roughly 19 to 20 inches of deck and about 18 inches of clear height between tiers. Where those numbers come from.
Get the answerHow Does a Free Virtual Estimate Work?
About 10 minutes on a video call. You show me the space, I give you the price before we hang up. Nothing needs tidying first.
Get the answer
Skip the reading
Would rather just ask a person
Reading is fine. Asking is faster. If your question is not on this page, or the answer is yes but only for your particular wall, call or text me at (219) 209-2484 and just ask. You get me. There is no call center and no one else to pass you to.
If what you actually want is a number, that is a free virtual estimate. You pick a time, we get on a quick video call, you walk your phone along the wall and give me rough measurements, and I price the job before we hang up. About 10 minutes. Nothing needs tidying first, and I have seen worse than whatever is in there right now.
Still working out what you need built? Start with custom garage shelving, or basement storage shelving if the water is the worry. If you want to know who is showing up, that is me, and these are the towns I work in.
How it works
When you are ready, this is the whole process
No salesman in your house. No week of waiting on a proposal. 3 steps, about 10 minutes, and you hang up knowing the number.
Pick a time
Tell me your town, what you want shelves in, and a couple of day and time windows that work for you.
Quick video call
We hop on a short video call. Show me the space and rough measurements on your phone. That is the whole visit.
Get your price
I price the job right there on the call. No salesman in your house, no waiting a week for a proposal.
Book it
Done reading? Let me price your shelves
Pick a couple of windows that work for you, show me the space on your phone, and you will have a real number before we hang up.