BENTON HARBOR, Mich., May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Home is where the garage is, literally. Do-it-yourself (DIY) expert and television personality Karl Champley lived in his garage for three years while building his dream home in Los Angeles.  

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"I've built other people's homes for nearly 30 years, but in this case I was the owner and builder which meant I saved costs and literally lived on the job," said Gladiator® GarageWorks spokesperson Champley. He added, "I love the garage and this situation forced me to make it functional and keep it organized before my home was even completed."

Before Karl could move his family into the garage-home, he needed to fit the space with a bathroom, full kitchen, two sleeping quarters and closet space.  This required equipping the garage with temporary water, gas and sewage lines.

"Our garage was our home. My son loved living in the space and it allowed me to step right out my front (garage) door onto the jobsite," said Champley.

As with any garage organization project, Champley knew he was dealing with limited dimensions and needed to utilize wall space. When organizing the layout, he built a file system on the wall to organize his building plans and used a Gladiator® Workbench as a kitchen island to separate the living space and double as an eating surface.  

After three years, Karl finished building his permanent home and turned his attention to outfitting the garage for its intended use. "I followed my own advice on taking over the garage," said Champley.

After clearing out the space, Karl used Gladiator brand's Blueprint Estimator to lay out a plan that included Gladiator brand shelves, hooks and tool chests to get organized. He knew the dimensions of the space and how his family wanted to use it for woodworking, sports storage and tool organization.

"Only the garage – with its size and functional versatility – could serve as a temporary home for my family and me," said Champley. "Now, our garage is 'home' to the sports equipment, tools and other items that fuel our daily passions."

About Gladiator® GarageWorks

Gladiator® GarageWorks is the leader in garage organization delivering innovative solutions that allow garage owners to organize their space in a way that suits their individual storage needs. It is the only garage organization system to offer coordinated appliances designed for the harsh garage environment.

Gladiator® GarageWorks offers a Premier pre-assembled line and Ready-to-Assemble line for do-it-yourselfers. Products are available through local garage dealers, retailers including Sears and Lowe's or via www.GladiatorGW.com.

SOURCE Gladiator® GarageWorks