You book a time, we do it whichever way you prefer, a short video call or I come out and stand in the space, and I give you the price there and then. On video the whole thing takes about 10 minutes. If I drive out it takes a little longer, because I have to get there. Either way there is no proposal in the mail next week and nothing to sign at the end of it.
That is genuinely the entire process. Most people expect something heavier, because everywhere else in the home improvement world an estimate means a folder, a kitchen table and two hours of pitch. You will not get that from me in either version. Most people pick the video call because it is quicker, and you can do it from the garage floor in whatever you are already wearing.
If you already know you want one, book your free estimate here and pick a couple of windows that suit you. If you would rather know exactly what you are walking into first, keep reading.
What you need to have ready
A phone and a tape measure. That is the whole list. You do not need a plan, a drawing, a Pinterest board or a decision about what you want. Bringing those things helps, but I have priced plenty of jobs for people who opened with "I have no idea, look at this."
Before the call
Three numbers make the call go quickly
How long the wall is
Run the tape along the wall you want shelves on and write down the feet. If there is a water heater or a panel partway along it, tell me roughly where it sits.
How high the ceiling is
Floor to joist, or floor to drywall. This is the number that decides whether you get 3 tiers or 4, and it is where most of the value in a build hides.
What is going on the shelves
Totes, paint, coolers, camping gear, tools, the holiday bins. Grab one tote and measure it if you can. The bins you own set the shelf depth and the spacing.
Rough numbers are genuinely fine. Within half a foot is plenty for me to price the job accurately. I bring a tape on install day and confirm the exact figures myself before a single board gets cut, so nothing rides on your measuring. You are giving me the shape of the job, not the cut list.
Please read this part
Do not clean up before the call
I want to say this plainly, because it is the thing that stalls people for months. You do not have to tidy the garage before you show it to me. Not a corner of it.
Seeing the room exactly as it is right now is the useful version. The pile against the far wall tells me what you actually store and how much of it there is. The stuff that cannot move tells me what I have to build around. A swept, staged garage would hide both of those from me and I would price it worse.
And nobody is looking at your room and forming an opinion about you. I spend my working life in garages and basements that got away from people. It is the most normal thing in the world, and it is the reason this business exists. Point the camera wherever it needs to go.
What actually happens during the 10 minutes
You pick up, we say hello, and then you turn the camera around and walk the wall slowly while I watch. I will ask you to hold on something now and then. Usually it is the ceiling, the wall surface, or whatever is parked in the way.
- I look at what the wall is made of, because wood studs and poured concrete are different installs.
- I look for the things that have to stay: the panel, the water heater, a lally column, the garage door track, a hose bib, a window, a door that swings in.
- I ask what you want on the shelves and how often you need to reach it, because the stuff you touch weekly belongs at chest height and the holiday bins can go up top.
- I tell you what I would build there: how many tiers, how deep, where the run starts and stops.
- Then I give you the number.
You get a real figure on the call, not a range and not a follow up. If you want to understand what moves that figure before we talk, the page on what custom garage shelving costs lays out all 6 drivers. And once I have given you the number, you are free to go away and think about it. Say yes, say no, say you want to talk to your spouse first. You will not hear from me again unless you want to.
Video call or onsite
Pick whichever one suits you
Neither one is better. They are just different trades, so here is the honest version of each.
The video call is quicker. It takes about 10 minutes, you do not have to find an evening or wait on a window, nothing needs tidying, and you get the number the same day you asked for it. Most people pick this one, and for a straightforward wall it tells me everything I need.
Me coming out makes more sense when the space is awkward. A basement that turns a corner, block walls I want to tap on myself, a room where what stays and what goes is genuinely unclear, or a ceiling with pipes and ducts running through the bays. It also makes sense if you would simply rather have a person there. That is a fair reason on its own and you do not have to justify it.
Whichever you choose, the same thing is true: you are talking to the person who will be standing in that garage with a drill, not a salesperson who hands your job to somebody else. I am the whole company, so the answers you get are the ones that hold. Tell me which you want when you book, and if you change your mind we can switch.
What happens after you say yes
We agree a date that works for you. On that day I show up with the material, measure everything properly, and build it. Most jobs go in and get cleaned up inside a single day, so you leave for work with a stacked garage and come home to a wall of shelves. The build itself is 2x4 ledgers lagged into your wall studs, doubled where the span needs it, front uprights carrying to the floor, cross supports and plywood decks. It is the same system whether it ends up in a garage or a basement, and it is backed by a workmanship warranty.
If you want the long version of what gets built, read custom garage shelving or start at the home page and drag the before and after slider on a real Munster basement. Then book the call.
How it works
Get your price on a video call or an onsite visit
Your choice, either way. Text me and I will confirm a time, usually the same day. Three steps, about ten minutes.
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.
Still wondering
The small questions people ask me about the call
Do I have to be standing in the garage while we talk?
For a video call, yes, for the few minutes I need to see the wall. That is the part that cannot happen from the couch. After that you can walk back inside and we can finish the conversation anywhere. If the space is not accessible right now, either book the call for a time when you can get to it, or ask me to come out instead and the problem goes away.
What if my measurements turn out to be a little off?
It does not cause a problem. I ask for rough numbers on purpose. Half a foot either way on a wall length does not change the price of a run, and I measure the space properly myself on install day before anything gets cut. If something turned out to be meaningfully different from what we looked at, I would tell you before I started building, not after.
Can you price 2 rooms on the same call?
Yes. Plenty of people want the garage and the basement looked at together, or a garage wall plus a utility room. Walk me through both and I will give you a figure for each so you can decide whether to do them at once or one at a time. It adds a few minutes to the call, not a second appointment.
What if the video drops out partway through?
Basements eat signal, so this happens. If it goes choppy, step to wherever your phone behaves and call me back, or we finish it as a normal voice call and you text me a couple of photos and your numbers. If it keeps dropping I will just come out and look instead. Either way you still get your price that day. Text or call (219) 209-2484 and we will sort it out.
Book it
Ready to see what your wall would cost?
Tell me your town, the room and 2 or 3 times you are free. About 10 minutes, nothing to tidy first, and you get a real number on the call.