NEED A LIFT? Despite limited space in his garage, Pat DiFiore won't put his Dodge Viper in storage for the winter. The Kleinburg man installed a hydraulic car lift from Garage Living so his two-car garage now has room for three. Photo by Flo Da Silva/Vaughan Today

Before Pat DiFiore bought his Kleinburg house last year, the first thing he wanted to see was the garage – his red 2004 Dodge Viper was in need of a good home too.

However, there was something wrong – the garage would only fit two of his three cars.

His solution was to install a hydraulic car lift from Vaughan-based Garage Living six months after he moved in, allowing him to stack his Viper above either his Honda CRV or Honda Element.

“It’s amazing,” says DiFiore, treasurer of the Viper Club of Ontario. “It converts a two-car garage into a three-car garage.”

Garage Living’s hydraulic car lifts are rapidly becoming the only solution to similar quandaries across the GTA, says Frank Spano, the company’s co-founder and vice president of marketing and sales.

“A lot of people have that summer sports car or that hobby car that they don’t use everyday,” he says. “The beauty of the lift is that you can park your everyday cars underneath it … and you can have your hobby car up top.”

Spano and partners Parag Shaw and Aaron Cash started Garage Living three years ago after identifying a need for garage organization, he says.

“People have organized closets, beautifully done lawns and landscaping and kitchens are done up so well,” Spano says. “But the garage is really the last part of the house to be spruced up.

“We saw that need and opened up the showroom here in Vaughan.”

The hydraulic lift entered into his company’s product lineup roughly two years ago, he says, and the demand has steadily grown, partly because customers understand how cost effective they can be.

“The cost of the lift is $3,600,” he says. “To change your garage door tracks, that usually costs about $1,500.

“To get the whole thing done, it’s under $5,000. In the long term, that’s a lot cheaper than putting your car in storage.”

Located at 201 Chrislea Rd. in Woodbridge, Garage Living’s showroom features seven fully furnished garage layouts displaying the company’s cabinetry and flooring products, an “excellent” base from which to offer full-service garage organization options.

“The location here is great for all the GTA,” Spano says. “We’re close to the major highways here, but there are a lot of people in Vaughan that, I’m sure, are very proud of their homes and want the garage to be a part of that.”

For DiFiore, the push-button convenience of his car lift has allowed him to dream of a second Viper to keep the first company.

“I’m planning to get – in the spring – another Viper,” he said. “It’ll house two Vipers: one on the top and one on the bottom.”

While Garage Living’s first goal is organization, Spano says, the outcome is a space to be appreciated.

Besides by keep your car in your garage, he adds, “You get to enjoy your toys that much more.”

Vaughan Today
Online: November 9, 2007
Byline: Philip Alves
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