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5 Tips for Squeezing Extra Storage Space Out of Your Garage

October 4, 2016 by Rick Scully

Your garage is stuffed to the max and you don’t think you can squeeze one more thing inside—including your vehicle. With cold weather on the horizon, it would be great to find space to store everything you need in your garage and still have room to park your car inside.

If your garage is like most, there’s a good chance you can maximize your garage storage space with a just a little creativity and the right tools. Let’s review five tips for squeezing extra storage space out of your garage.

Go Vertical

A garage–consisting of three blank walls and a door—lacks the built-in storage options found inside your home. Without storage options, we resort to stacking items on the floor along the perimeter of the garage. Only, this gives us a limited amount of space.

Once the perimeter space is taken, clutter marches toward the center of the garage. Before we realize it, the garage has been consumed by chaos, and we’re no longer able to park our vehicle(s) inside.

The key to maximizing storage while conserving vehicle parking space is moving storage off the floor. Instead, utilize the most plentiful area by storing items along garage walls.

Install a Garage Wall Organization System

Storing things along the wall makes sense, but you’re probably not thrilled about the idea of randomly hanging items all over your garage walls. Neither are we. Without a real system, randomly hanging items could leave you with a chaotic look and lots of unnecessary holes in the walls.

Instead, we recommend using a garage wall organization system. Comprised of sturdy PVC panels that come in a variety of neutral colors, this system will be your new best friend. The beauty of these panels is their flexibility. Each panel has slots which accommodate corresponding storage accessories. This includes a wide range of camlock hooks, shelves, baskets and specialized hooks.

Sturdy, lockable hooks and baskets stay put and are strong enough to hold heavy items. Rugged baskets and shelves come in multiple sizes, making it easy to find the right basket or shelf for the job. The system is scalable (start with one or two panels and expand later) and flexible enough to meet your family’s changing needs throughout the year. Just unlock baskets and hooks and take them down or move them elsewhere when the need arises.

Put Overhead Space to Work

For additional storage space that is easily overlooked, just look up. The overhead space in a garage is rarely considered usable space. However, with the right tools, overhead space can provide a wealth of additional storage space.

When installed by a knowledgeable, professional garage renovation expert, overhead garage storage racks provide a sturdy, safe place to store items seldom used. Accessible by step ladder, these racks are an ideal place to store seasonal items like holiday decorations.

Combine overhead racks with plastic totes and you’ll be able to safely store lots of items that are commandeering space in your garage. Overhead racks are also ideal for storing bulky items that take up a lot of space. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to be able to carry the items safely up and down the step ladder to access them.

Rack ‘Em Up

There are a variety of specialized storage racks that can help you maximize storage in your garage. Overhead or wall bicycle racks allow you to store several bikes with limited or zero floor space. Hydraulic lifts can suspend lawn mowers, snow blowers or motorcycles, providing space underneath to park your vehicle.

Snow tires, kayaks, snowboards, skis and rooftop sports equipment racks can all be stored overhead. Specialized racks get the items off the garage floor, yet make them easily accessible when needed.

Unique Solutions for Unique Spaces

Perhaps your garage has an odd configuration, a recessed wall or obstacles like a central vacuum cleaner to contend with. A professional garage renovation expert can assess the space with your family’s needs in mind and create a made-to-measure storage solution just for you.

Unique, custom storage solutions can range from made-to-measure shelving to accommodate tight spaces or a curved wall; an overhead sling to store a canoe or other sports equipment; or a custom-built mezzanine to take advantage of a tall garage ceiling.

Your garage contains a fixed amount of space. However, creative solutions and the right tools can help you wring every bit of available storage space from your garage.

Hanging items on the walls reserves precious floor space. A garage wall organization system is scalable and flexible enough to accommodate your family’s changing storage needs. Overhead space can provide a treasure trove of storage for seasonal items. Specialized racks allow you to store several items in the space of one or without using any floor space at all. Made-to-measure storage solutions provide extra storage even in the tiniest of garages.

Ready to squeeze the maximum storage from your garage? Request a free, in-house consultation.

Using Baskets, Hooks and Shelves to Transform Your Garage

February 23, 2016 by Rick Scully

If garage organization is one of your goals this year, keep two essential principles in mind. Adequate space is required, and each item should have a designated storage space. Taming the clutter in your garage might seem like a monumental task. However, integrating simple elements like baskets, hooks and shelves can increase the available storage space exponentially, providing a designated spot for each item.

Whether you choose to do a full-scale garage renovation or a mini, do-it-yourself one, these tips will transform your garage into an organized storage space.

Eliminate the Unnecessary

A garage consists of three walls and a floor, providing very little storage. With no defined organization system, items are stacked on the garage floor. Eventually, these items take over one of the garage bays. In many cases, the entire garage is consumed as garage becomes a dumping ground for old furniture, broken toys and a host of unused items. The first order of business is to eliminate the unnecessary.

If possible, start by removing everything from your garage. This serves two purposes. First, you can see everything you have stored there. Second, you have a clean slate to work with.

Group similar items, like gardening tools, hardware and sporting goods. Now you can easily identify duplicate items. Sort through everything. Assess whether each item is needed and if the garage is the ideal place to store it. Create piles for items that will be discarded or relocated. Donate old furniture, appliances and clothing and housewares to local charities or to a friend.

Once you are left with only the essential items to be stored, decide where each group of similar items would best be stored in your garage. Now it’s time to use vertical space to create task-related zones for each group.

Use Vertical Space

Vehicles consume most of the limited floor space. Few garages are designed to tap into the wealth of vertical space. Maximize storage space storing items on the walls and overhead.

Shelving units from local box stores can provide additional storage space. However, these units tend to take up considerable floor space. This is problematic for storage on side walls, where space is already limited. A sleeker option is a wall organization system.

Slotted wall panels are attractive, waterproof and mold and mildew-resistant. Available in a variety of colours, the 1 x 8 foot panels are super strong, engineered to meet heavy-duty industry standards. They are attached to wall studs for additional strength. Slatwall panels are sturdy enough to hang bicycles and other heavy items.

Hang one or two panels or an entire wall of them to create the base for your vertical organization system. Then use the vast array of corresponding accessories to maximize storage.

Accessorize Your Walls

The real beauty of slatwall lies in the countless corresponding accessories designed to meet a wide range of storage needs. Wall organization system accessories include baskets, bins, nets, hooks and shelving. These receptacles provide a tidy place to store items like gardening supplies, household chemicals, hardware and more.

Is sports equipment littering your garage? Sport-specific specialty hooks and racks are perfect for avid sporting enthusiasts. Magnetic strips and specialty racks can corral an assortment of tools.

Wall organization systems are highly-configurable. The corresponding accessories are quickly and easily interchangeable. This creates a system flexible enough to meet your family’s changing storage needs from one season to the next and throughout the years.

Go Above and Beyond

Storing items in baskets and on hooks and shelves is ideal for frequently used items. To find the best place to store lightweight, seasonal items, just look up. Overhead shelves and platforms convert wasted space into a convenient place to store stackable plastic bins.

Overhead storage racks should be installed by a garage renovation expert, or someone who understands how to safely install loadbearing overhead shelves. Prefabricated steel shelving, like Strong Racks, provides strong, sturdy overhead storage that is easily accessible with a step ladder. For something tailored to your unique space, hire a garage renovation expert to build a made-to-measure overhead storage shelf that will allow you to maximize the space configuration in your garage.

An overhead shelf can provide additional storage near the back of the garage or above the garage door. Do you have a high ceiling in your garage? Turn the wasted space into a storage treasure trove with a custom built mezzanine.

Like the idea of overhead storage, but don’t relish the thought of trudging up and down a step ladder with bulky holiday decorations? Hydraulic overhead lifts provide push-button access to overhead storage. Hydraulics lifts come in a wide range of options. They provide raised storage for everything from seasonal items to lawn mowers, bicycles, motorcycles and cars.

Whether you’re ready for some do-it-yourself garage organization or a full-scale professional garage renovation, a local garage renovation expert can help you use baskets, hook and shelves to transform your garage into a neat, organized space.

Create a Gardening or Craft Station in Your Garage

August 7, 2014 by Rick Scully

During summer the typical garage is a hub of activity. In addition to being the primary storage space for most outdoor sporting equipment, your garage also houses gardening tools and supplies.

Many homeowners look forward to working in the yard. After all, gardening can be relaxing and enjoyable. However, hunting through a disorganized garage for gardening supplies is exasperating. Doing so leaves one exhausted before the real work has begun.

Has this ever happened to you?

If so, you know how frustrating it can be. Locating essential tools and supplies is just the first step. Finding a suitable workspace is quite another. Gardening, bike repair, crafts and hobbies all require a flat work surface. Yet, few garages have dedicated workspace for gardening or other tasks.

Such tasks are handled easily and efficiently in a designated workspace. A reserved workspace also eliminates the need to attempt messy gardening jobs, like planting seeds or re-potting plants, indoors.

A dedicated workspace for gardening and other hobbies can be created in your garage, even when space is at a premium. Like landscaping, it’s a project that homeowners can tackle themselves or hire a professional to handle. A garden workspace can be achieved relatively inexpensively by re-purposing old furniture, cabinetry or reclaimed wood. However, if you require a more comprehensive solution, a garage renovation specialist can help you achieve your vision.

Planning Your Gardening Workspace

As with any project, it’s imperative to have a concrete plan before work begins. Start by assessing your specific needs for a gardening or craft workspace. Ask yourself:

What tasks will be performed in the workspace?
How much flat surface area is required?
What tools and supplies are needed? Where and how will they be stored?
How much wall space is necessary to house workspace and supplies?
Is the current garage lighting adequate? Is special task lighting required?

If this level of planning is more work than you’re willing to take on, consider hiring a professional to create the space for you. A few of the workspaces Garage Tailors Garage has created for our clients are pictured. However, if you’re thrilled by the idea of creating your own garage workspace, let’s look at some inexpensive options for doing just that.

Create a Gardening Center in Your Garage

With your plan in hand, you’ll have an idea of how much wall space is required to create your gardening workspace. Reclaiming this space should be part of an overall garage organization strategy which relies on zones for the storage of related items.

To create a workstation for gardening, or your hobby of choice, you’ll need a flat work surface. Here are a few options for creating one:

Get a no-cost work surface by reclaiming an old desk or dining room table taking up space in your attic or garage.
Acquire a used table or desk from a garage sale or resale shop.
Purchase two relatively inexpensive base cabinets (with doors or drawers for storage). Space them apart. Then lay a flat piece of wood, an old door or a purchased countertop across them to create a flat work surface.
Buy a modular or pre-made workbench with space for storage underneath.

Your flat work surface will be the foundation of the space. Next, consult your plan to see what additional storage is necessary.

There are a variety of creative ways to address storage needs. Shelves, baskets and hooks can hold everything from flowerpots and gloves to assorted gardening implements. When coupled with a professional garage wall organization system, shelves, baskets and hooks can be easily moved or adjusted to accommodate any season or craft.

Need to store small items that are easily misplaced? Clear plastic boxes or reclaimed jars provide storage that is easily accessible while keeping contents clean and dry.

All you need is a small space, a well-thought out plan and a few pieces of equipment and accessories to create an organized and highly-functional gardening center in your garage. Creating your own gardening workspace in your garage can be a fun, do-it-yourself weekend project. However, such a space can be part of a larger garage organization and renovation project.

Not quite sure how to make heads or tails of the collection of belongings in your garage? Contact your neighborhood garage renovation specialist for a no-cost, no-obligation estimate.

Five Ways to Maximize Garage Storage

May 27, 2014 by Rick Scully

There are a few basic steps that will help you create a neat, organized garage. Last time we discussed the first step, creating related zones in your garage. We discovered why it makes sense to create separate zones for auto accessories, household supplies, garden tools, garbage and recycling bins, tools and workstations and sporting equipment. Now let’s discuss how to keep the items in each zone neat and organized by using a variety of tools and accessories designed just for this purpose.

Slatwall – The Key to Getting Everything Off of Your Garage Floor

Maybe you’ve never heard of slatwall, but you’ve probably seen it in your local retail store. It wasn’t the item being sold. However, it was likely used as the base for the baskets and hooks that held merchandise. Slatwall (also called slotwall and slat board) isn’t limited to use by retailers anymore. It is frequently used in garages as a hanging system that enables homeowners to get everything off of the garage floor.

Slatwall comes in panels which are installed on the walls of the garage. The grooves in the slatwall hold hooks, baskets and other organizational products and give the homeowner the freedom to easily move these items as needed.

Your local big-box store might sell a basic slatwall system. However, slatwall sold there is typically composed of MDF. It doesn’t have the durability and weight-bearing capacity of sturdier, PVC-based slatwall available to professional garage renovation specialists and other contractors.

Getting professional-grade slatwall installed provides the base for organization in each zone of your garage.

Baskets and Hooks

Once professional-grade slatwall panels are installed on your garage walls, corresponding baskets and hooks can be inserted into the grooves. These baskets and hooks will provide wall storage for everything ranging from garden tools and sports equipment to snow shovels and bicycles.

Just think of all of the possibilities!

Rather than the garage being a dumping ground for everyone’s in-line skates or softball equipment, each item can be hung neatly in its designated spot. You won’t spend half an hour searching for your snow brush when the first snow of winter hits unexpectedly. Instead, you can walk right over to the automotive zone in your garage and take the snow brush of its hook.

Best of all, since the hooks and baskets can be easily moved, you can adjust the configuration to better accommodate the items you’re storing at various times of the year.

Shelving

Slatwall can also accommodate shelving. Like the corresponding baskets and hooks, the shelving used with slatwall can also be relocated at any time. This provides endless possibilities for storage on your garage walls.

Shelving can be particularly useful when it comes to storing window washing fluid, automotive fluids, household chemicals or flower pots. Create shelves high on the wall to store items that should be kept out of the reach of pets and children. Create low shelves for items that should be easily accessible to children.

Overhead Storage Solutions

One area frequently overlooked for garage storage is the space overhead. However, with a bit of imagination and essential expertise, the overhead space in your garage can safely store household items that aren’t frequently accessed, like seasonal tires, holiday decorations or roof racks used for carrying luggage or sporting equipment. Bicycles, kayaks, leftover wood or siding and other large, bulky items can also be stored overhead with the right custom solutions.

Overhead storage solutions can be tricky to handle on your own. A variety of factors must be considered: height, clearance and weight-bearing capacity, to name a few. If you aren’t completely confident about designing and installing heavy overhead storage solutions, contract a professional garage renovation specialist to handle a job of this magnitude instead.

Custom-built Storage Solutions

You can purchase any number of pre-built storage cabinets, workbenches and overhead shelves for your garage at your local big-box store. However, you’re limited to the sizes and configurations that they have available. If you have unique challenges in your garage, like curved walls or odd spaces, you might find it difficult to incorporate pre-made storage cabinets into your space. However, a garage renovation specialist can assess your space and custom-build cabinetry and workbenches to perfectly fit your lifestyle as well as the unique spaces of your garage.

An organized, functional garage is only a few steps away. Start by creating related storage zones. Then, give everything a specified place within its zone. And finally, be sure to return items to their designated spaces after each use.

Want the gorgeous garage, but don’t quite have the time to make it happen? Contact a professional garage renovation specialist to explore the possibilities.

Organize Your Garage with Dedicated Zones

May 14, 2014 by Rick Scully

This time of year our garages can easily descend into a den of chaos. The kids are digging out the bikes and rollerblades. You’re sifting through sleds, snow shovels and Christmas decorations in search of your garden tools. Meanwhile, one (or both) of your vehicles is stuck outside because there’s never enough room to squeeze it inside the garage.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Creating some level of organization in your garage doesn’t need to be a complicated or costly affair. Optimize the space in your garage by creating related storage zones. Why are dedicated zones essential to a well-organized garage? Let’s reconsider the scenario above.

If your winter tools and sports equipment, holiday decorations and garden tools are all stored in the same area, it makes life difficult, especially when the seasons change. You’ll have to search through the winter items in order to reach the garden tools which are now in the back. This type of system breeds chaos and makes us less inclined to do the yard work.

Now, close your eyes and envision your garage as a well-organized space with separate zones for related items. The effect is similar to what you experience when you go to a hardware store. The shovels and winterization items are in one section. The garden hose and tools are in a separate location. You can easily find either type of item with minimal fuss or confusion. With that in mind, let’s apply that same system to your garage.

Like that hardware store, there are a few basic zones into which the items in a garage can typically be categorized. Let’s examine each zone and what items would best fit there.

Automotive Accessories

Create a small section to store items used to maintain your vehicles. In this zone, organize items like car wax, motor oil, windshield wiper fluid, a bucket and chamois cloths for cleaning the car. Group tools used during winter months, like snow brushes. If you keep an additional set of tires in the garage for the winter weather, these might require a separate tire storage solution.

Household Supplies

Perhaps you keep items like household cleaners and paint thinner (but not paint!) in your garage. First, be sure to safely store household chemicals in your garage. Create a dedicated zone for these items. Use a cabinet or shelf that will keep these items out of the reach of your children and pets.

Garden Tools & Supplies

Homeowners often hire a company to maintain their yard and keep it looking beautiful. Others find great pleasure in maintaining their own yards. Planting flowers and shrubbery requires lots of hard work (and tools). The last thing you want to do before a long day of work in the yard is to spend an hour raking through your garage to find your garden tools.

Don’t let this happen to you.

Instead, create a zone in your garage dedicated to storing your yard essentials: hoes, shovels, trowels, fertilizer, garden gloves, flower pots, potting soil and other yard accessories. Then you’ll be able to put your time and effort into making your yard gorgeous, rather than searching for your gardening tools.

Recycling & Garbage Cans

Garbage cans and recycling bins are frequently stored in the garage. It might be necessary to keep these items in your garage. However, if not stored properly, waste bins are open invitations to vermin. They can also detract from the aesthetics of your garage and cause unpleasant odors.

Keep recycling and garbage cans together in a single zone. Store waste in cans with lids that fit tightly. This discourages smells from escaping and pests and vermin from entering the waste cans.

Tools & Workbenches

The garage is often home to a workbench and a variety of tools. Perhaps you’ve always wanted a workstation in your garage, but don’t believe you have the room for it. Even smaller garages can accommodate a custom-built workbench or workstation. Keeping tools organized is made simple with the right toolbox, pegboard or more sophisticated storage solutions. However, recycled items are also useful. For instance, an old muffin tin makes a good place to store nails, bolts and screws. You’ll be helping the environment and organizing your garage.

Sports Equipment

Most garages are brimming with sports equipment: bikes, skis, kayaks, rollerblades and balls. If you have school-aged children, you know how quickly these items accumulate and overtake the space that was once reserved for your car. When spring comes everyone starts digging out their sports equipment. Any semblance of organization you once had descends into chaos.

That’s why sports equipment requires its own separate zone in the garage. Use hooks, baskets or other organizational tools (which we’ll discuss more next time) to organize sports equipment.

Bicycles are large and bulky, usually requiring a separate storage solution. There are a variety of solutions for bike storage ranging from a traditional school yard-style bike rack to sophisticated overhead pulley systems.

It’s clear why separate zones in your garage make life easier. Now that we’ve reviewed each zone, you might be wondering how to keep the items in each section neatly organized. In the next post we’ll discuss all of the neat solutions that will keep each section of your garage looking its very best.

Do you want an organized garage, but just don’t have the time to do the work yourself? Consider hiring a garage renovation expert to organize your garage.

Spring Cleaning

May 21, 2013 by Rick Scully

Over the winter months you likely don’t spend a lot of time in the garage. Your main goal is to get from the car into the warmth of the house as quickly as possible, or grab the skis or hockey equipment you need and go. Now the weather has finally warmed up, you might be a little more interested in spending time in the garage doing a little spring cleaning. But more than just a sweep and a mop, you need to switch around the winter stuff to make it easier to access gardening supplies and summer recreation equipment. If your garage is already organized, this becomes a much easier task.

The stage of life you are at will determine the level of organization and the type of garage storage you need. A couple with no kids around will have very different needs to a family with young children. Let’s explore some different scenarios:

The no-children or post-children-at-home couple

This is my situation now, and boy it sure makes a difference to the amount of clutter in our life. I’ve either given away or sold anything that I no longer need and there’s not a lot of new stuff coming in to be stored. I’ve organized my garage into zones for gardening supplies, seasonal decorations, car supplies and my golf clubs. When the season changes I just have to switch the things I’ll need to where I can find them easily. Slatwall with hooks and baskets makes this easy. And anything I won’t need for the next six months I can store away in overhead bins. I then just have to give the flooring a wash with soapy water and a mop and I’m done.

The family with growing children

This is the most challenging stage for garage organizing. There’s bikes of varying sizes, sports equipment, maybe some boxes of old clothes and toys, as well as gardening tools, car accessories and other treasures you just haven’t been able to part with. It’s time to take stock of what you need and what you can get rid of. A little cash to be earned from having a garage sale or listing items on Kijiji or Craigslist is a great motivator for kids to help sort through their stuff. Once you’ve gotten rid of what you no longer need, you can organize the rest. Hooks, baskets, overhead containers and bicycle racks make it easy. And before you store away the hockey equipment for the summer, treat it to a professional washing. Most sports stores offer this service, and you can also check out ProCleanGear and Fresh Gear for more information.

The family with aging parents and children away at university

They don’t call this the sandwich generation for nothing. In the garage, it can feel like your car and your stuff is literally sandwiched between your kids’ and your parents’ stored furniture. Granted, it’s difficult to part with furniture that has sentimental value – but there are solutions. Take an honest look and decide if you’ll really ever use it again. And ask your kids. Most of us gladly furnished our first homes with our parents’ old furniture, but today’s generation seems less willing to. Sell what you can and look for ways to re-purpose the rest. An old wooden coffee table or chair could have new life inside your house with a coat or paint or a faux finish.

No matter your age or stage of life, an organized garage can make spring-cleaning a simple task. For more ideas on how to create a garage that fits your life, have a look at my website.

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