Below is how the garage looked earlier this summer. It actually got worse, but I never took another "before" picture, so you'll just have to take my word for it!
{Before}
We didn't think our neighbors would appreciate it if we emptied the entire contents onto our driveway for a week, so we decided to take it one wall at a time. We would clear the clutter away from the wall, then paint, & finally put that section back together. By the time we were finished we had purged, organized, painted, & cleaned the entire garage! Whoo hoo!
{After}
This was the first section to get finished since there wasn't much resting against it. My husband just hung the camping chairs & ladder. He also added some shelves in the corner, by the door which leads to the mudroom. These will hold the kids play shoes & most of my husbands shoes, since they are too big to fit on most standard shoe racks. (Obviously, we haven't added all the shoes yet, just the ones that were in my way on the mud room floor!)
{After}
Next, Mark created an elaborate pulley system to hang the kayak & canoe on the ceiling. (I say "elaborate" because it took a couple of days for him to get it right! Thankfully, he got them raised high enough that he no longer hits his head on the canoe & both vehicles fit underneath!) He also rearranged how the bikes were hung.
When we built our house, we had the option of extending the mudroom/laundry room into the bump out area of the garage. We knew we would need that space for garage storage, so we decided to keep it as such. It makes a great space for Mark's workshop & thanks to some clever organization (& the storage closet in the back) he now has plenty of room for all his tools and more!
{Workshop After}
This was my husband's area to organize & decorate, hence the rim & license plates. Sadly, we never even took the stickers off the storage cabinets once they were built!
The ceiling in this area of the garage is at least ten feet tall. We decided to utilize that extra space & make a loft above it. This is where we store our camping equipment, golf clubs, & a few other items. We actually have plenty of space for more storage up there & it makes the attic very easy to access.
{Loft-- the ladder is just 2x4s nailed to the studs}
The next part was the most exciting for me! We used to store all of the kids sport equipment & outdoor toys in crates lined against the wall, which made it very hard to get out of the truck on the passenger side. One day, I had the bright idea to utilize the space between the studs. I took inventory of all the toys & equipment we needed to store & designed shelves, slats, & storage solutions to accommodate our needs. One of the best things about this idea is that it doesn't really take up any extra space in the garage (except the ball holder) since most of the equipment is stored between the studs. Anyway, without further adieu, here is what I came up with...
{Stud Storage}
Basically, I had Mark nail slats against the studs to store the fishing poles & boat oars. We just hung the tennis rackets up with nails.
Next up, was the ball storage. To build this, Mark nailed wood to the studs on both sides and then added another piece to each of those to form a "U" shape. He did this at the bottom of the ball section & also four feet higher. He drilled holes into the "U" shape & then added three foot bungee cords. He put the hooks from the bungee cords into the drilled holes. We added a shelf on top to hold some cones & a couple of other toys. Now, when the kids need a ball, they just take them out from between the bungee cords.
On the other side of the ball storage, we added a slat to hold the baseball bats. Above that, we added a shelf with a slat to hold some plastic bases & baseball gloves. On top of the gloves, we added two more shelves with a slat in front of it to hold baseballs.
The final section of stud storage has a couple of shelves to hold bubbles and chalk. Below that is a shelf with a slat to hold Frisbees. We have one more shelf to hold some water balloons & water toys & finally, a slatted section for the much needed water guns!
{The Final Product}
This may not be a Garage Mahal, but it works so well for us! The kids can get to their toys, we can fit both vehicles in the garage again, & we have plenty of room for additional storage. I'm pretty sure the neighbors are happy we finally cleaned up this eyesore, since our garage door has been open a lot this summer!
Well, what do you think? How have you made extra space in the garage?
Organize It Party at Our Fifth House
A Thoughtful Place
