Garages

The garage is home to so many different things—yard and garden equipment, bikes and sports gear, workshop tools and materials, and vehicles of all descriptions, not to mention overflow storage items from the house. Ideally, your garage storage strategy will create a place for each group of items while leaving enough room for your essential garage activities.

Once you’ve completed the dirty work of weeding out the junk and inventorying the stuff you’re keeping, arrange everything by category and frequency of use. Plan to keep all of the gardening stuff in one place, the car maintenance supplies in another, etc., and plan to stow the seasonal and long-term items in the least convenient locations. Next, determine where, and how much, space is needed for everyday functions. For example, if there’s not much room for opening the car doors, don’t plan on crowding the side walls with floor-standing shelves or hanging tools. Instead, think about overhead shelving along the side walls and a tool organizer tucked into a corner. The goal is to utilize every available space without impeding movement or access to stored items. Here are some other options to consider:

• Most garages have relatively high ceilings, and this, combined with the dead space we leave open for parking vehicles, means that much of the garage area is available for overhead storage.

• Prefabricated racks are great for loading up with large plastic bins full of seasonal stuff.

• Pulley systems provide safe storage and easy access for unwieldy items like canoes, extension ladders, or even small trailers.

• Simple screw-in bike hooks are ideal for hanging bikes or just about anything else.

• A built-in storage deck or loft (see pages 184 to 189) adds considerable storage space without limiting parking areas; or, you can use the underdeck space for additional storage or a small work station.