Garage Organization Project
Garage Organization
Our new home is almost 3 years old and I’ve severely neglected the garage since we moved in. I have lots of projects planned and ideas so I finally decided this weekend that I needed to get the garage cleaned out and organized before I start anything else.
One of the problems that I have is a lack of shop space that I can unpack all my tools. In our first home I had a nice big shop with a work bench, peg boards and even old kitchen cabinets. My plan in this house is to build a workshop in the garage attic. I built the garage with attic trusses so I could have my own personal workshop space without fouling up the basement or garage.
So I decided to build some shelves in the garage to temporarily hold some of my tool cases above the table saw so I can find things. In addition to that I built some shelves for my wife just outside the mudroom so she can store summer drinks and other things up out of the way.
Besides cleaning out the garage and throwing out lots of junk I did the following things to help organize the garage:
- Screwed 1/2 inch plywood to the stairwell framing members to create a storage area.
- Built heavy duty shelf over the table saw storage area to hold tool cases. This is were I store all my power tools until the new workshop is finished.
- Created wood brackets on the garage wall to hang my extension ladder and two steps ladders from. This clears
up a tremendous amount of floor space and keeps them up out of the way. - Built two heavy-duty shelves to store summer drinks and overflow from the mud room. I used some 3/4 inch melamine shelf stock left over from another project.
Future Garage Projects
The real reason I started cleaning out the garage is really two fold. First of all I plan on finishing the garage floor with an epoxy paint. A client of mine had some extra epoxy garage floor paint left over from his garage and he asked if I’d like to have it. I of course said sure! The epoxy floor paint will help protect the concrete and keep the surface much easier to clean.
I’m also hoping to finally start working on my workshop this summer. Last summer I built the stairs up to the workshop (if you’re interested in building your own stairs then I recommend you read: How To Build Stairs). Before I start that project I need to finalize the workshop design. Once I finalize the design I’ll be ready to do the framing, electrical and insulation. If I can get that done this year then I can focus on the work bench and storage shelving over the winter.
So if you’re at all interested in building a small workshop then stay tuned as I build mine over the coming months.
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If I had a garage that was half as organized as that then I would be proud. I am tempted to take a picture of ours at the moment and send it to you. I have three kids …bikes and toys everywhere, dirt from the car on the floor, tools laying around etc. You have given me some motivation to get it organized.
The garage is sometimes relegated to a junk pile, but that’s a shame. It’s a real living space!
Our new home will have a three-car garage (one for bikes and sporting equipment–with six children, we have plenty of that) and a workshop/lab UNDER two of the garages. That should give us plenty of room for the tools!