If you’re like most people, the garage becomes a catch-all for a multitude of items. Here are some storage solutions that will help you make the most of your garage space.
Prep Work – Sorting & Purging
Before the real organization can begin, we highly recommend that you go through all the contents of your garage. Step one is to purge all unnecessary items that you no longer want or use. Set those all aside and either sell them, donate them or take them to your local dump if it’s seen the end of its life cycle.
The second step is to sort every and group like things together. By putting all similar items together it will help you visualize how much space you will actually need to allocate for each grouping.
Plan, Plan, Plan
It may sound like a no-brainer but your next step should be to map out and sketch out how you’re going store everything. This will help you visualize and maximize your storage and help you make the most of your garage space.
If you rely on being able to park a vehicle in your garage, tape out and measure all storage solutions or potential areas for built-ins so that you can test park your car and make sure that it will still fit once all is said and done.
Built-Ins
Built-ins are a smart, beautiful and functional way to maximize the storage space in your garage. For this project, you can use a mixture of cabinets and open shelving with bins. When trying to maximize space, opt to go with shallow cabinets that are about 10-12 inches deep. The added bonus of close storage means you can child-proof it if storing cleaning products or chemicals – plus, it looks simple and tidy.
Next, for the open shelving, you can go with small storage bins to house frequently used items, sports equipment (helmets, elbow pads, baseballs and gloves) and you can keep all your small garden utensils neatly storage for easy access.
Bonus Tip
Don’t install the cabinets all the way to the roof. Instead, build a shelf right about a ½ inch above it. Now that space can be used to move lighter storage totes up and out of the way.
Low Profile Wall Storage Systems
Nowadays you can find a low profile racking or storage system for just about anything. Whether you want to install a bike hanger or racking for all of your lawn care items – the world is your oyster.
Although we don’t want you to think that you have to spend a lot of money. A cheap and easy trick for wall-mounted storage is to secure a large pegboard to the studs in your garage. Next, customize it with different pegs and hooks to hang everything from hammers to rakes and hand saws. You’ll be amazed at how little space it takes up. Plus, you can now mix, match and move items whenever you want without having to purchase more racking.
Storage Loft
Now, this solution is entirely dependant on the height of your garage ceiling. If you have the room we highly recommend doing a little DIY to make one for yourself. The idea behind a storage loft is that you are building a sturdy platform above the tracks of your garage door. Not only will you make the most of dead space, but this is a prime storage location for all of those bulky holiday decorations that you only need to access once a year.
Bonus Tip:
You want to make sure that it can support your body weight in the event that you need to crawl up there to get something that has been pushed to the back. Make sure it’s secured to studs and top with plywood. You can reinforce where needed.
Garages with a multitude of storagewill not only maximize your enjoyment for the time that you are in your home, it will wow buyers should you ever decide to put your home on the market. Looking to see what your home is worth? Give us a call today!