Time was when people refinished a basement to provide extra room in their homes.

Only a relative few homes in the Valley have basements. However, with the advent of larger garages (three, four or more-car sized), that extra space not holding an automobile has evolved in to a great place to hang out, as well as a deluxe room to park your wheels.

Fountain Hills resident Michael Rhodig figured out some five years ago that “The garage is the final frontier of home improvement.” With that in mind, Rhodig began the concept of GarageMahals. He launched the business in September 2005 and began offering design services for everything from one-car garages to huge, multi-purpose private facilities.

Rhodig says that space created by GarageMahals is “not inexpensive, but you are guaranteed a jaw-dropping environment with lots of ‘wow power.’”

Car collectors make up the bulk of Rhodig’s clientele, but he also has designed garages for motorcycle, aircraft and boating enthusiasts as well. A large portion of his work to date has been for individuals, but he recently has embarked on an automobile condo project in Irvine, Calif.

A facility designed “to enhance ownership of rare and exotic automobiles,” Luxury on Main has units of various sizes capable of housing from two to 25 vehicles. Each unit will be custom designed, which is where Rhodig comes in.

“This is a strategic partnership, so we have an opportunity to produce as many as 85 unique garage environments under one roof,” Rhodig said.

He also has done work throughout the Valley including Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Peoria.

“I haven’t done anything in Fountain Hills, but I would sure like to,” he said. “An opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet.”

Rhodig offers three classes of interiors, each providing a unique service to the customer at varying prices.

The average cost for a Collector Class GarageMahal is $60 per square foot. The next level, the Supreme Class is about $85 per square foot, while the Empire Class starts at $130 per square foot. Rhodig says the options and enhancements are “virtually limitless” in the Empire Class.

He said when a client comes to him, he is ready to put together a full plan.

“You don’t have to come to me with an idea,” he said. “The client relies on me to generate these ideas.”

Rhodig discusses what the client would want to see in the way of a custom garage, and he will create the space.

“A complete environment is developed around a central theme,” Rhodig said. “You can have a lounge area, wet bar, audio/visual entertainment systems and automation. Nothing’s off limits.”

Rhodig creates lighting, fixtures, walls, architectural surfaces.

“I’ve done embedded lighting, graphics, custom elements,” he said. “There really is no end to the possibilities.”

Rhodig earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Oregon State University. He did research at Lawrence Livermore (Calif.) National Laboratory and worked in finance for G.E. Capital for some 15 years. He also has a number of years working in construction and is a licensed remodeling contractor in Arizona.

“I have a lot of facets in my background that have helped me develop GarageMahals,” he said.

He came to Scottsdale in 1999 and has been in Fountain Hills for about 3 ½ years. For more information, visit www.garagemahals.com, or call (480) 315-4473.