Garage Organization

[MikeYork5]

3 car garage --- no room for any cars - BUT

5 Motorycles

5 Bicycles

Kendon trailer

2 dogs and their cage

and a ton of shit----

Organization? We don't need no stinking organization.......

 

[brazos parker]

We went to Lowes last night and they’ve got ready made cabinets, etc, but they’re made out of pressboard and are fairly crappy construction and weigh a ton.

Jim, when we moved in to our current house, the previous owner had built some wooden shelves but time and weight caused the pressboard shelving to sag. We went to Lowe's and got some chrome, open shelving, metal racks. They're light weight and look good. We even put some casters on one so we could move it to clean the "critters and things" from behind/under it. Now we have a place to put all those plastic storage boxes. :yahoo: I can take some pics, if interested.

And, I also installed pegboard several places in the garage and hang garden tools and misc thingies there...keeps it off the floor.

Good luck.

 

[mindtrip]

So the whole street has rednecks with cars and trucks in the driveways, lawns and sidewalks. Looks like crap.

Street?? Is that a typo? You live in Florida.

Certainly you meant 'state'.

 

[huchieglide]

Here, does this help?

Take the contents of the red container in front of the bicycle and dump it on all that shit, then strike a match. Instant organization.

 

[dbvolfan]

In my last house, which I donated to my ex-wife, I had the walls lined with kitchen cabinets that I picked up from someones remodel. It worked out very well. I took the doors off some of the cabinets and just had open shelves and left the doors on cabinets that I stored my powertools, etc...that I didn't want getting all shitted up with dust. You can usually pick up decent cabinets for cheap or even nothing if you look around a bit.

GUNNY!!!!

Did the same thing and it was relatively cheap. Put an ad on craigslist for free and someone renovating a 15yr old house sold me cabinets for next to nothing. Primed and painted and the system looks brand new.

In my basement shop I bought that "Coleman" storage system from Lowes and it sucks big time...too flimsy. Have since added two Gladiator Cadet Wall Cabinets that are all steel and they rock...will likely add on to that set over time.

 

[SPORT]

Lorie and I spent this last weekend painting the inside of our garage. Now I don’t want to shove all the crap back into the nooks and crannies where it lived before the paint job. Anyone out there done a garage reorganization that they’re happy with and would like to share? Here are the basic facts:
2 x car garage with 2 x cars and 1 x FJR (FJR rests in-between the 2 cars at the garage entrance side. 2 x garage doors. In the back left corner I built shelves 2’ x 8’ (half a sheet of plywood) – 3 shelves high + the floor. Have a moveable Snap-on tool chest next to the shelves. That takes up about half or maybe a little more of that back wall (back being the wall you’d hit if you drove the car into the garage too far – no, we haven’t done that yet).

My lovely wife loves, absolutely loves, plastic containers. I think it started when we were stationed in Hawaii with all the little critters there. We basically put everything in plastic containers from food to, well, just about everything. On the other hand, I absolutely hate, yes, hate, plastic containers. We have some that are clear and some that aren’t. They’re good for some stuff like the 10 – 15 bottles of trannie fluid we have from when our son worked at Honda. On the other hand, digging thru these damn containers looking for stuff I use on a fairly routine basis – sucks!

My plan is to:

A. Determine what goes into our backyard shed and what stays in the garage (garden tools, etc). And organize the shed.

B. Do the same for the garage and here are some thoughts:

- Both cars are, and will remain, in the garage.

- Lorie parks on the right side and her door opens in the center of the garage. The wall on her right is therefore open for “stuff.” Note – already have a 24’ ladder hanging sideways on that wall.

- My door opens into the left wall. Therefore “my” wall is available for “stuff” from roughly my back door to the garage opening. I don’t want to have to fight thru stuff when I get out of the car.

- Did I mention I hate plastic containers, tubs?

- The top level of the shelves is for longer term storage

- The bottom (floor) is for floor jacks, oil pans, etc

- Second shelf is for Givi Top Box and 2 x sidebags

- Need a place to hang our bike gear – helmets, jackets, trou, boots, etc (2 x sets)

- Floor – we bought the epoxy with “sprinkles” stuff a couple of years ago and will put it down one of these day. Anyone have any experience with that stuff – sorry, I forget right now who makes it. Anybody have experience with other floor coverings? I’ve seen some various materials that you lay down like a rug, etc.

- I’m a pretty decent woodworker and don’t mind making stuff for the garage. I visited the “Garage Store” and I am not paying what they want for garage cabinets, shelves, hooks etc! Great looking stuff, but holy crap!!

Well, that’s about it. I’d actually just like to know what you all have tried and what has worked/not worked for you.

As always, thanks for your time!

I didn't read anything about hanging shelves?

The shelves you mentioned along the back wall...I did something similar but made them hanging so that I had room to place things like a lawn mower,edger,Hi Pres Sprayer...or maybe a motorcycle. That is, if you trust your wife not to run it through the wall when she parks her car

Also, have you considered other hanging shelves for above your vehicles? You might even be able to hang that 20' ladder above your car? My previous house I created an adjustable metal frame (4 - 'Eye hooks' for the rafters; 4 - Turnbuckles; 4 - 3/8" x 3' threaded shafts; 2 - 1.5" x 1.5" x 4' & 1/2" Right angle galvanized pre-drilled steel; and 1 - 4' x 8' x 3/4" plywood)

and then hung it above the vehicles.

I have a similar hanging shelf system for my back wall... it too is 3 levels high.

Just a thought.

 

[git-r-dan]

We went to Lowe's and got some chrome, open shelving, metal racks. They're light weight and look good. We even put some casters on one so we could move it to clean the "critters and things" from behind/under it. Now we have a place to put all those plastic storage boxes. :yahoo: I can take some pics, if interested.

Yes, pics please.

 

[JimLor]

Well, here's what we did:

Lorie bought 2 x wire racks from Target - 1 for each of us, helmets on top and jacket/pants hanging from shower hooks below:

Closer view of the racks:

Here's a picture of the shelves I built years ago. 2 x 3 framing with each shelf a 1/2 sheet of plywood (2 x 8 shelves):

Here's Maxine calmly watching what's going on:

And here's July:

Funny how sometimes after all the thinking and plotting and planning, the solution turns out to be pretty darn easy!

 

[dbvolfan]

If any of you have a Meijer's nearby check them out. They were clearancing out their "Gladiator Cadet" cabinet systems a little over a week ago...these are the next notch down on the ladder from the full Gladiator system but still made of all steel. adjustable shelves and locks.

Got the one with the pull out drawer for $49.99 (Was $159.99) and one for $11.75 (Was $129.99)...it was the demo in the store but in really good shape!

 

[Checkswrecks]

Good job, look at all that space to stuff.

Here're the van, son's SAAB, FJR, and Kitfox Vixen airframe:

or

https://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa87/Ch...ks/P1030755.jpg

Bob

 

[odot]

Wow, after seeing all these incredibly messy garages I don't feel too bad off.

 

[CraigRegs]

Looks like you've already accomplished your goals, but I thought I'd share my gear locker that I built. I prefer to have my stuff enclosed to keep the spiders, moths and other creepy-crawlies away. There's cedar planking on the bottom of the main area where my jackets hang to help with that. The three drawers down below hold maps, earplugs, battery tender, and misc. crap. The full width drawer has full-extension shop-made drawer slides. The lower two have commercial slides as they carry a bit more weight (all that misc. crap).

Craig

 

[evilmedic13]

This is ours, not so bad. All the shelves are behind her Highlander and made outta some spare boards I found in the basement. They fit between the 2x4's w/o a problem. The Feej is between the cars due to a ride earlier that day, it was usually behind her car in winter due to the impossibility of anybody pulling it out from that spot.

 

[Grumpy]

Of course there are exceptions, but it seems to me that the folks that are the most organized are those who live where they are unable to ride in the winter!

Anyone available to organize me?

Jim

 

[Bounce]

Good point. All that free time and a need to burn off that pent-up desire to ride. Hmmm...

 

[evilmedic13]

Good point. All that free time and a need to burn off that pent-up desire to ride. Hmmm...

Nah, that's why/when I build these

and play w/ these guys

and can't forget about my favorite hobby of all

All the energy is definitely not for organizing, that's like having a clean bike. The only reason mines even close to organized is because I can't stand not finding what I'm looking for and then finding it after I've crush tested it w/ the Tahoe or the toyota :glare: If she does it I get yelled at, she hates the cold. Plus, winter isn't what it used to be around here :yahoo: . Hell, I got to ride on christmas day and new year's this year. Didn't see >0 weather til feb/mar, if it wasn't for ice and the friggin piles of salt I still woulda rode.

Besides, I'd miss all the weight loss from playing hockey and shoveling. I swear I'm the only person I know that gains weight in the summer! This years an exception, w/ all the stupid that follows me lately.

 

[CraigRegs]

Of course there are exceptions, but it seems to me that the folks that are the most organized are those who live where they are unable to ride in the winter!
Anyone available to organize me?

Jim

Astute observation! I finished my locker in March of last year, just before the season began!

Craig

 

[JimLor]

ChecksWrecks - nice job stuffing all that stuff in there. I don't live that far from you, if you need someone to help with the Vixen let me know. After you do a few test flights of course!

CraigsRegs - nice job on the cabinets. Almost too nice to stuff dirty, smelly biking gear in.

Nice today screwing up my steering head maintenance in a clean, uncluttered garage. Didn't help me find a damn ball bearing, but was nice anyway.

 

[DaSpyda]

I don't get he 'garage full of shit' either. It's like that around my neighborhood. Us, and our next door neighbor who's 85 are the ONLY ones on our street, and almost block, that park in the garage. Our neighbor on the other side has so much crap, they can't shut the door all the way, it stays angled down.
So the whole street has rednecks with cars and trucks in the driveways, lawns and sidewalks. Looks like crap.

Americans are the only people in the world that will keep crap worth $250 inside while the stuff worth $40,000 stays outside...

 

[jestal]

For a quick and easy "rack" to organize and hang up all the shovels and rakes and hoes and such find yourself an appropriate length of 2x10 or whatever. Lay out a pattern, lay the board on the grass and pound 20 penny nails thru it in the pattern you marked out. Turn the board over and all those nails make nice hanging "pegs" that are strong and pointed to make them easy to engage. Drill a hole in the handle of the garden tools and stick them over the nails...after you mount the nail filled board to the wall. In case of emergency turfing incidents said board can also be painted green and laid on the grass to stop miscreants.

The old kitchen cabinets cannot be overrated for the garage. With a quick coat of paint even the worst old cabinets look great in the garage and just being the same color makes all sorts of cabinets match.

Shelves made to fit the plastic tubs are an excellent space saver.

Don't forget the old ball-on-the-string-touching-the-windshield trick to help maximize space utilization without risking the car bumper crushing things. Keeps the car in the same spot for parking so ALL the space around the garage walls can be used. If you use some screw eyes in the ceiling and run the string to the top of the garage door the ball will rise when the door is closed so it doesn't hang and get tangled when the garage is used with the car outside.

The epoxy painted floor we did 15 years ago has been excellent. Some minor popping of the coating in small spots over time but very very minor. Makes the floor easy to clean and virutally dust free. I keep a mop bucket in the garage to clean up after wet/slushy cars come in. Takes just a moment with one of those yellow commercial mops and wringers and really keeps the floor clean and mess free. The key to the success of the floor is the prep. Different coatings call for different things. We actually ground the floor with a carbide grinder/vacuum to open the pores in the concrete. Don't skimp on the prep as it is harder to get the coating off to do it right the second time.

If you can use the attic space at all it is not too hard to buy a folding ladder kit at HomeDepot/etc. and mount it in the rafters. Pull down the ladder, climb up and put the really seldom used things up there. Even with trusses you can build some shelves along the trusses and use the space even though it is hard to walk around up there.