My own town
Munster is not a service area to me, it is where I live
I have lived in Munster for years. When somebody in town calls about a wall, I usually know the house before I see it, because Munster only has so many kinds of house.
There is the older half of the housing stock: mid century ranches and split levels off Ridge Road, with a full unfinished basement, poly wrapped insulation on the walls, a steel column somewhere near the middle of the slab, and a garage that was sized for a 1960s car. Then there are the newer subdivisions, which have the opposite problem. Big clean two car garage, drywall, high trusses, and absolutely nothing on the walls.
Different houses, same ending. Bins go along the wall, then more bins, then the car lives in the driveway. The floor is doing all the work and the wall is doing none of it.
That is the whole job. I take the wall and make it carry everything. One person quotes it and the same person builds it, so you are hiring the person who shows up.
Real work, real basement
The before and after on this site is a Munster basement
BeforeAfterSame wall, same column, same afternoon, and the pile in the corner is still in the shot. This one is in Munster. Drag the handle.
Munster housing stock
Built for the houses that are actually here
Two kinds of house in one town, and a short list of things I end up building over and over because of it.
The wall behind the poly
Most unfinished basements here are framed and insulated with poly wrapped batts. The studs are right there behind the plastic, so a 2x4 ledger has real framing to bite into.
Sized to the totes you own
A store rack will not take 2 large totes side by side. I set shelf depth and tier height around the bins already sitting on your floor, not around a catalog number.
Up off a slab that gets damp
Older basements around here take on a little water in a wet spring. The bottom deck sits high enough that a damp floor stays a mop job instead of a loss.
The twice a year rotation
Lake effect winters mean everything swaps. Snowblower and salt out, mower and coolers in, then back again in April. Shelving is what turns that into a swap instead of a project.
Around the column and the panel
Steel columns, electrical panels, the water heater, low ductwork, the garage door track. Building around the awkward things is most of the reason people go custom.
Same town, same number
I quote it, I build it, and I answer the phone when you call. You are not going to meet a crew you have never spoken to.
Garage or basement
Two rooms in the same house, two different builds
Most Munster calls are about one of two rooms. They are not the same job, and I do not build them the same way.
The garage side
Garage walls give you height and often open framing, and they take abuse: salt in February, heat in July, and things you would rather not set down inside the house. Floor to ceiling runs, front uprights carrying all the way to the slab, plywood decks, and leveling feet where the slab falls off toward the overhead door. If the garage is an older narrow one, depth becomes the lever instead of height. Here is how the garage build works.
The basement side
Basements are about getting everything up off the floor and keeping a clear path to the mechanicals. Shorter runs in more places, the bottom deck set high, and nothing boxing in the furnace, the water heater, the sump or the panel. Here is how the basement build works.
Plenty of jobs in town are both rooms, and both usually go in on the same day.
Why the estimate is still a video call in my own town
I could drive over. From anywhere in Munster that is a few minutes. That is not the point.
The video call exists to remove the part people actually dread, which is booking a stranger into the house, taking an afternoon off work, and tidying up the room before the guy who is coming to fix the room arrives. Nobody cleans the basement for me. Show me the wall on your phone exactly as it sits, pile and all. I will ask for a few rough measurements, and you will have a real number before we hang up.
Then, because I live here, install day is a short trip with a loaded truck instead of a route. Most Munster jobs are a single day. You park in the garage that night.
Munster sits in Lake County, right up against the Illinois state line, so a lot of people here drive out of The Region for work and are only home on evenings and weekends. That is fine. Evening and Saturday call windows are normal for me, because they have to be.
How it works
Munster is never a scheduling problem
Three steps and about ten minutes. Video call or onsite, your choice, and no waiting a week for a proposal.
Text me
Text me your town, what you want shelves in, and a couple of day and time windows that work. Texting is the fastest way to get hold of me.
Video call or I come out
Your choice. Most people do a short video call from their phone. If you would rather I came and stood in the space, I will do that too.
Get your price
I price the job right there, on the call or in your driveway. No waiting a week for a proposal.
Straight answers
Munster questions I get asked
Do you actually live in Munster, or is it just on the service list?
I live here. I have lived in Munster for years, and it is the first town on the list for that reason. When we get on the call, you are talking to the person who will be standing in your basement, not to a scheduler who passes it along.
My basement walls are that poly wrapped insulation. Can you anchor into them?
Yes. The poly is wrapping insulation batts in a framed wall, and the framing behind it is on normal stud spacing, usually 16 inches on center. I find the studs, lag the 2x4 ledger into them, and the load goes into framing rather than into plastic or drywall. If a wall turns out to be bare poured concrete with no framing on it, I will tell you that on the call and we build it a different way.
Our basement takes on a little water in a heavy rain. Is wood shelving a mistake?
It is a common situation around here and it does not change the build. The answer is height, not material. The bottom deck goes up off the slab so a damp floor never reaches your bins, and the load is carried by the wall studs and by uprights standing on the floor. If the basement has a real standing water problem, get that sorted first. Shelving is storage, it is not a drainage plan.
How soon can you get to a job in Munster?
The calendar moves, so I am not going to print a lead time that is wrong by next week. Munster is the shortest drive I have, which helps. Call or text (219) 209-2484 and I will tell you honestly what the next open day looks like.
My garage is an older one and it is barely wide enough for the car. Is there room for shelves?
That is the most common garage in the older part of town, and yes. Depth is the lever. A shallower run down the long wall holds far more than people expect and still leaves you room to open a car door. We set the depth on the call, using your mirrors as the limit.
Which towns around Munster do you cover?
All the neighbours. Highland and Griffith are right there, Hammond is on the other side, and Dyer, Schererville, St. John, Crown Point and Merrillville are all on the list. The service areas page has the full rundown.
Related reading
More on this, in plain English
The questions I get asked most, written down so you can read them before you ever call me.
How Much Does Custom Garage Shelving Cost?
What custom garage shelving really costs: the 6 things that drive the price, honest market context for DIY, custom builds and cabinet systems, and how.
Read itHow to Keep Basement Storage Off the Floor
How to keep basement storage off the floor in a basement that takes water: why cardboard on concrete fails, why sealed bins win, and why elevation bea.
Read itIs Custom Shelving Worth It Compared to Buying a Rack?
Is custom garage shelving worth it? Not always. When to buy the rack instead, when a built run pays for itself, and a decision rule you can apply your.
Read itGo deeper on Munster
The two rooms people call me about
This page covers Munster as a whole. If you already know which room you are dealing with, start here instead.
Custom Garage Shelving in Munster, IN
Attached two car garages, the step up into the house, and the winter gear swap. Everything I do on a Munster garage wall.
Munster garage shelvingBasement Storage Shelving in Munster, IN
Full unfinished basements, poly wrapped walls, lally columns, and getting everything up off a floor that sometimes takes water.
Munster basement shelvingBook it
Let me price your Munster shelves on a quick video call
Pick a couple of windows that work, show me the garage or the basement on your phone, and you will have a real number before we hang up. Most Munster jobs go in and get done in a day.