Franchisor reacts to rising home remodeling needs

Garage Living opens five more franchise locations to match demand. 

TORONTO — The number of U.S. homes that have reached the age at which they typically need renovations — between 20 and 39 years old — may increase to about 24.2 million in 2027, up from 20.5 million in 2018, according to an industry report from the National Kitchen & Bath Association. This means lots of bathrooms, kitchens, and garages need remodeling.

To accommodate, one of North America’s largest garage renovation companies is expanding. Garage Living opened five new franchise locations this summer, bringing their total franchise count to 37 sites in the U.S. and 44 overall, including locations in Canada.

Garage Living successfully opened locations in Richmond, Virginia, Columbus, Ohio, and Ottawa, Ontario, in June. They followed that up with two more store openings in July in Boston and London, Ontario.

“The needs of our aging housing stock are only getting more pronounced,” said Aaron Cash, Garage Living’s president of franchise systems. “That’s why we couldn’t be more excited about adding these new branches to our growing family tree. We know each franchise owner will use their business experience and passion for renovations and construction to deliver Garage Living’s custom solutions.”

• Chase Schmidt, the site owner in Richmond, Virginia, brings over 20 years of construction industry experience to his role — from building homes from the ground up to executing renovations in residential and commercial properties.
• Brian Schepman has over 20 years of experience in finance that he’ll use to oversee Garage Living’s Columbus, Ohio, location.
• Ryan Waterman is a veteran of the garage transformation industry, having successfully operated his own company, Ottawa Garage Makeovers, before opening the Garage Living location in Ottawa, Ontario.
• Rich Cunningham is no stranger to Garage Living’s success. He already owns Garage Living of Connecticut and Ed’s Garage Doors.
• Todd Hynes, the owner of Garage Living’s London location, has firmly established himself as an exceptional and driven executive with over three decades of experience in the Canadian financial services sector.