Is it Friday again? Gosh how did that happen? I only found about 2 hours this week to work on the garage but was still able to make quite a few changes in that time. Let’s recap shall we:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Tackled this week:
1. My husband put together his workbench
2. We concentrated on the corner you see in the above photo…purging and rearranging
Still to do:
1. Still need to return the sound board to its original owner
2. Make a decision about what to do with extra empty totes
3. Would like to figure out some sort of bike rake…currently they are just leaning up against one another
4. Label, label, label
So if you have been following along with Sharon and I as we tackle our garages, you’ll know we are making progress using the PROCESS steps I put together to take the guess work out of it all. This week is all about containerizing. My favorite!! Containers are super functional in that they help you create limits and boundaries. A very important tool to help you keep your space organized and chaos free.
For my garage, we’ve purchased a new shelving unit for the back right hand side by the door. It was $40.00 from Canadian Tire. This is where I store my picnic bags and coolers, misc kid stuff, my husband’s work boots and other odds and sodds. Still working on tweaking it a bit.
The other item we purchased was a new work/hobby bench for my husband, also from Canadian Tire.
To store the kid’s hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks, bats, etc I simply use a big cardboard box. I like it because it’s inexpensive and it’s tall so nothing falls out or gets tippy on me. It works great.
If you have any questions about anything you see in the pictures, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll also post more detailed pictures next week once it’s complete.
Sharon has really been hard at work. I am so so amazed at how gung ho they are to get it done. I am also so impressed with something else they have done that is such an important part of this containerize step.
CREATING ZONES
Zones help you create designated areas for everything so all like items are together. Look at how Sharon has divided her garage loft area into sections:
She gives detail on each in her post this week so be sure to check it out. I was also thrilled to see how creative they were with shelving. They had extra doors lying around so her husband added some legs and now they are awesome tables. Love, love, love that!! I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, containerizing doesn’t have to be expensive. Use what you have and get creative with it!
Remember we aren’t creating show rooms here, we are creating functional spaces we can actually use not just look at.
Sharon’s question for me this week is this:
How do I maximize this wall space with regards to all of the kids toys and equipment?
Sharon has about 14 bins of kid’s stuff currently on the floor that could definitely be stored more functionally by making use of all that vertical storage available.
My recommendation for Sharon would be to either add some shelving to the existing studs or add some stand alone shelves in front of the wall. The shelves should be large enough to accommodate her tote sizes. Immediately I thought that a few of these inexpensive Gorm shelving units from Ikea would work well. This is what I would have preferred for my space if I happened to live closer to an Ikea rather than the flimsy resin one I purchased.
It’s hard to tell but I think she might be able to get two totes per shelf side by side. Of course before purchasing any containerizing system please always measure first! I would put the totes used by the younger kids on the bottom shelves and move up from there. These Gorm units also have baskets you can add for even more storage for just $4 each.
Sharon is doing such a great job that I just know whatever she comes up with will be awesome. I can’t wait to find out!
I also can’t wait to see your garage updates. If you would like to share where you are with your garage makeover please link up below. We’d love to have you join us!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
WorkingMom says
Cleaned out and organized our garage last weekend. Last fall’s major Yard Sale, as well as some renovation work to the garage (new rear door, two new windows added on the side for sun and air) left disheveled piles of stuff everywhere. 6 1/2 hours, two bags of trash, and five items that we had no use for put on the curb with “Free” signs (which were all gone at the end of the day!), and I can now fit both cars in it, as well as knowing where the beach stuff is, the camping stuff, and the gardening bench. It’s already doubling as a clubhouse for the Middle Child and friends…
More Than A Mom says
I keep piling like with like in the garage and I’m getting a wee bit overwhelmed. I really need the hubby to help me with the ladder and getting things off the high shelf we have so I can get a lot of it off the floor. I also want my van back in it’s rightful space!
Susanne says
The bikes is always a dilemma. And we’ve got four adult sized ones. My son was telling me about an electric rack that raises and lowers them up into the ceiling. I might be checking that one out.
hurley thurston says
I am definitely looking for the great “bike storage solution.” I blogged that I would like low cost, minimal space coverage and easily accessible by both adults and kiddos. Anyone? Anyone?
Liam Bayer says
I like this challenge a lot. In fact, we just cleaned out our garage and I’ve got to say that I think that I might win… We got some help with customizing everything and really got some unique solutions where I feel like we can fit two cars in the garage again.