There’s a statistic that says one-quarter of Americans with two-car garages have so much stuff in their garage that they can’t park a car. I believe it.
My husband recently overhauled our garage and turned chaos into a space where projects can be completed, gear can be found and… a car can actually be parked.
We evaluated our priorities, the space we had to work with, and our budget for improvements. Then (being in my third trimester of pregnancy) I brought him cold beverages and made myself available for verbal processing while he did most of the actual work. Thanks, dear.
Priorities
When approaching the task of garage organization and improvement, it’s important to start with clearly addressing your family priorities. This is one of the biggest keys to making the space truly functional and easy to maintain the hard-won organization. These priorities need to be clearer than just “less crazy” or “more organized.”
If everything technically has a place, but that place doesn’t actually make sense in terms of when and by whom items are used, things will not get put back. Example: don’t hang your 4 year old’s scooter from the ceiling. He won’t be putting it away when he’s done.
These were the priorities that affected our garage organization project:
- We wanted to easily access gear needed for an active lifestyle (camping, beach, pool, hiking, bikes, etc.).
- We wanted space for creative projects (his wood working, my art projects) and just as important, equipment and systems in place for easy clean up.
- We wanted the organization systems to be adaptable so that things could be restructured as our family’s needs change over the years.
- We wanted to reduce waste by being able to temporarily store and re-use items like giftwrap and hand-me-down clothes for kids.
- We wanted the garage to be secure to avoid theft.
- We wanted to reduce stress and clutter so that it would be easy to find things when you need them and easy to put things back when you’re done.
Preparation
Before we got started on the garage improvements, we had a garage sale to get rid of stuff we didn’t want or need. Next, my husband sorted everything we were keeping into the following categories.
- Garden/Yard
- Outdoor/Camping
- Sports/Bikes
- Memorabilia
- Office Supplies/Electronics
- Holiday
- Extra Pantry / Paper goods
- Baby/Kid Stuff
- Cleaning Supplies
- Tools (further broken down into automotive, wood working, general, etc.)
Then we evaluated frequency of use and my husband made a sketch of the garage to determine how we would subdivide the rafters and walls by category. He also had to remove the 1970’s acoustic tile from the ceiling because it was crumbling, not healthy to breathe, and we needed access to the rafters for more storage space.
Implementation
Here are the items we used to implement our garage improvement project:
Shelves and Bins
We chose adjustable steel shelving units because we wanted sturdy shelves that can adapt to changing needs. The shelf height can adjust and we can move them around the garage one day if needed. We used some clear bins we already owned, but we also purchased some new ones to supplement. We wanted to invest in something that will protect what’s inside from the elements and last a long time, rather than get a cheap item we have to replace in a few years.
Wall storage
My husband installed peg boards above the work stations to organize cordless tools on the wall. And he put up a hang rail & hooks on a different wall (see before and after photos above) to get sports equipment, scooters and yard work paraphernalia up off the floor and each into a specific spot. He also put some basic utility hooks up to help attach things to the rafters.
Cleaning
To effectively remove the debris from the acoustic tile removal, we needed a shop vac. It’s already been a worthwhile investment because the broom just wasn’t cutting it for cleaning up saw dust from wood working projects. We also got a few other basic cleaning supplies to support cleaning up after creative projects that are done in the garage.
Security
Our garage door opener wasn’t working well and at the place we lived prior to this, we experienced a heartbreaking garage theft that left us without a bunch of special camping gear and more aware of the value of a secure garage.
For this improvement project, we installed a new Chamberlain garage door opener that we can control from our smart phones (and get notification if it’s left open). This will be extra handy after the new baby is born, because sleep deprivation won’t be an excuse for accidentally leaving the garage door open.
Sometimes living simply means frugality, and sometimes it means buying something quality that will last for years and truly benefit your family. I’m not one for getting every new gadget on the market, but for us using the Chamberlain MyQ system makes a lot of sense because we do store valuable items in our garage… and I can be forgetful. Protecting the investment we’ve made in our camping gear especially is important to us.
Let’s be honest. The only real credit I can take for our now impressively organized garage is that I may have motivated my husband to get all this done… by contributing to the previous chaos. Once again, thanks Honey. I promise to put the hammer back in its place next time.
Disclosure: I acknowledge that Chamberlain is partnering with me to participate in the Real Simple 2015 marketing program (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting Chamberlain. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.
