The end of summer is upon us, and soon we will be bolstering for winter. For months, your garage has become a receptacle for sports equipment, camping gear, bikes, and more, leaving your car in the driveway. Before a snowy winter arrives, it is time to organize.
The best way to proceed is to determine your family’s organizational personality, and design storage solutions that will work for everyone. Determining your storage style is easy. Look inside your home, especially the kitchen and the bathrooms. Is everything hidden away in a cabinet or drawer? Or do you prefer to have everything in sight and within easy reach of where you will need it? Remember to consider other members of the household, too.
Young children may have one set of needs, while teens have another. Maybe your four-year-old won’t remember to brush his or her teeth, unless it is all laid out before them. Teens may feel the need for more privacy to store the items they use routinely.
As you set out to reorganize your garage storage system, there are three basic styles to consider. Here is a brief explanation of these styles. Pick the one that works for your family situation.
Open Storage
If you are a highly visual family, you may prefer to have everything on display. Imagine your belongings hanging neatly on a wall or visible on a shelf. You can simply walk in, spot what you are looking for, and then when you are finished, you know exactly where to return the item.
Nowadays, there are some amazing garage storage materials. Did you know you could hang your lawnmower on the wall? New technology has provided systems that accommodate tremendous weights using a simple CamlokTM hook. Shelves or platforms offer a level storage area, ideal for books, bins or boxes. Make sure bins & boxes are well marked, however.
Garage interior design has become a myriad of choices and options. If you have 14′ ceilings, or more, you can even include a mezzanine to hold seasonal items that aren’t too heavy, like lawn furniture in winter, and holiday decorations in summer.
Open storage can be an efficient and easily maintained solution for your garage. You can get everything off the floor, and leave plenty of room to keep your car safe over winter.
Closed Storage
If the idea of open storage doesn’t appeal to you, closed storage keeps everything out-of-sight and sometimes, out-of-mind. If your idea of a garage renovation includes sleek lines, and a polished aesthetic appeal, cabinets may be the way to go. Your garage storage can go from chaotic to controlled using the proper choice of cabinets, in a layout tht suits your needs.
Closed storage is also extremely flexible, so if your hobby is woodworking, you could have small drawers to hold screws, nails, hinges, all within arm’s reach of your workbench. If you are an auto enthusiast, the drawers may be better placed next to the spot you will be working. The key is to organize your possessions in a way that actually works for you. Cabinets can come with drawers, shelves or countertops, all based on what you need.
Women may want a corner for craft items or sewing projects. Again, these areas can be organized easily with the correct choice of cabinets.
One more benefit of closed storage is that it can be lockable. Some of us store valuables in the garage, or we keep cleaning supplies and oils or windshield washer fluid for our vehicles there. Locked storage keeps children safe and protects your assets.
A word of caution, however, closed storage works great for organized people. If your family can keep a system going, terrific, but some families tend to start out with good intentions, but life has a way of distracting us and we end up creating chaos but behind a closed door. Be realistic when you choose your garage storage options. Can you see yourself opening a cabinet door and releasing a barrage of assorted items cascading over your head? If so, closed storage may not be the answer.
The Best of Both Worlds
Most families will benefit most from a combination of the first two styles. Garage renovation specialists can help you sort out your family’s storage needs based on your family lifestyle. Most of us do one major garage renovation in a lifetime. How are we to know the pros and cons, and anticipate what the future may hold? That’s why professional help, via a free in-home consultation, can be extremely helpful.
Closed storage is ideal for items you will not need frequently. There are even locker style cabinets for sporting equipment off-season. Having a dedicated space for the things you may use a handful of times throughout the year will provide better accessibility and convenience.
Things you use frequently can be stored openly on hooks, shelves, etc. so they are always within easy reach. You can also rearrange open storage as the seasons change. The lawnmower gets stored away and the snow shovel hangs in its’ place.
With some consultation, you can devise a garage storage system that will help your family stay organized, as well as giving your car (or cars) a safe, warm spot indoors this winter. Consider a free in-home consultation to discuss your options.
Start by assessing your garage in its current state. Is it neat and organized or is it a hodgepodge of items not easily found? Now consider how you would like to use your garage. Most homeowners want to achieve one of the following three goals:
Open storage makes retrieving items quick and easy. Your family can see exactly what is stored there and access it. Open storage typically incorporates shelving, hooks and baskets as part of a 
