One of the biggest time-wasting procedures carried out around the home on a daily basis is looking for things. This is especially frustrating when you are doing a small renovation project and need most of your tools and resources to carry out the task. This could include painting or replacing hardware, up to installing new garden doors or replacing a small bathroom.
Whatever the size of the project it becomes a huge job when the proper tools and the materials are scattered around the home. This is not to say that you are extremely messy and that boards are being stored in the linen closet. It is the tiresome job of rooting through drawers and boxes in three or four areas to find things you need right now. That wears a person down and makes the job drag on.
The other annoying problem is not finding what you are looking for and having to go out and buy another one, probably at a higher price than you bought it for three years ago. This includes washers, paint rollers, sandpaper, copper fittings, deck screws and other things. Whatever the item, even a piece of sports gear like a ball, not having it close by is the same as not having it.
Step 1: The Purpose
Most businesses have a “mission statement,†a one or two sentence explanation of what they are and where they are going. Since your garage is a working entity - whether it is used as a workshop or for storing cars - you should be able to come up with an idea of what it should do. This will determine what kind of storage you need. For example, a car enthusiast will have a different workshop than a woodworking buff, and an avid fisherman may not like working on the home and so hires a handyman for that and takes his car to the service station. A sports enthusiast must have four or five different types of sports gear that he or she wants stored.
Step 2: The Drawing
Now that you know what you want to do in this space, get a piece of graph paper and start drawing the rendering. Use 1 square + 1 foot to start and draw out the floor plan with your vehicle in place. Using this piece of paper as a guide visit the home stores and look at their storage items: shelving, hooks, cabinets, benches. Imagine your possessions, tools and materials being stored.
Step 3: Boxes
There are two ways to do a rough sorting. One is with similar-sized cardboard boxes and the other is with plastic storage boxes. Since you might be buying the storage boxes anyway you can just go with them but boxes will work until you see what you've got. Also get a good, black labeling pen. This is only temporary so that you can take stock of what you have.
Step 4: Clear the Garage
Now comes the fun part. Park you vehicle, or vehicles, outside for a few days. While you are working on the garage put the lawnmower, snowblower, etc. outside. You can always bring them in at night but yo want the garage space clear so that you can move around.
Step 5: One Wall at a Time
Start at one of the garage walls, like the left side by the garage door, and begin to take things off the wall, shelves and bins put them on the floor. With the labeling pen start marking boxes: plumbing, electrical, tools, rags, garden, cleaners, car, oils, etc. As you take stuff down put them in the appropriate boxes. Shovels, rakes and other long-handled items can be put in the backyard or basement for now. Clean the wall off.
Have three bags handy: a black bag for garbage, blue for recycling and green for garage sale or give-away.
Step 6: Painting the Wall
By now you should have an idea of what you want to do with the garage for long-term storage so carry on with your plan: take down old shelving for repainting or disposal, put up new shelves, etc. Now you paint.
Why paint? Well, think of it this way, not very many actually paint their garages (and when you go to sell the hone buyers will impressed). Usually the walls are left with the sheetrock and taping done. By painting you get a clean surface to put up your shelving and the place will look great afterward. Make it a light, pastel color but not a beige or cream. Make it brighter! But just do one wall at a time and then put up the storage as you don't want to get ahead of yourself. In addition, this is a good time to start thinking about painting the garage floor if you want.
Step 7: Put Up the Storage
If you are using new racks, cabinets and shelving put them up now and don't worry about finishing the entire garage first. Take you time to measure and see how everything fits before installing. If you are going to use your old steel shelves spray pain them outside first. Another option is to build “ladder-type†wooden shelving out of studs and strapping. This is very effective if you have the room.
Now start putting your boxes on the shelves with the labels facing out. As you do the other parts of the garage you will find more fittings, screws, tools and other items. Place them in the appropriate boxes until they are full. If need be, start another one.
Pretty soon you will see some order come from the garage. The front of the garage will be the most work because you may want a workbench. But it's amazing what you will find and what you will get rid of. And for tools, sometimes just a new sheet or peg-board can make the world of difference.
Posted by: TrustedProsSuggested Reading For You
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