My garage is out of control and I want to improve its layout…Where do I start?

You’ve had enough of your cluttered garage… The next step it to clean it up, but where to start? Don’t worry – you are far from alone in this situation. Here are some websites that will help lead you out of your predicament.

Interior view of a garage

Do you know what is in your garage?

Before sitting down and drawing up a plan, it’s important for you to take an inventory of what is actually in your garage.

Ask yourself:

  • What do you want to use your garage for?
  • A place to park your car? (all year long or seasonally)
  • A location for a freezer or second refrigerator?
  • A workshop as well as a place to store your most useful home tools?
  • Which stored articles do you use occasionally, such as sports equipment (skis, bicycles) or gardening tools?
  • Lastly, while we’re at it… are there things that should be given to charity or simply thrown away

Good start! Now you know the purpose of your garage and what you want to keep handy without confronting a huge unorganized mess…

Is there a way of visualizing a layout for my garage?

There’s at least one, that of Gladiator. What makes this site interesting is that you can build your plan in 2 or 3 dimensions. You can start from scratch, just like you have an empty garage. Next, you enter the size of the garage (width, depth, height) and the other objects that make up the space: the access door to the house, any windows, lighting, etc. Then you add the items or articles that you want to have, using their actual sizes.

Alternately, there are companies specialized in storage systems, not only for garages but also for houses. They have home design software for you to prepare 3-D plans that could also be for your garage. These sites are easy to find by “entering garage + storage + your city name” in the search field of your search engine.

Viewer to convert your garage
Viewer to convert your garage

Cabinets, shelving, hooks – what are the possibilities?

There are quite a few… No doubt once you have made a list of the items you must have, a workshop area, and the appliances you must, by all means, keep in the garage, you’ll have to be imaginative and use each square inch to place everything. On these websites, you can find prices, and based on the budget you’ve planned, it will be easy to set up a list of priorities.

There is no lack of websites. Here are some of them:

Hooks and wall hangers
Hooks and wall hangers
Shelves and storage boxes over the garage door
Shelves and storage boxes over the garage door
Brackets for hanging a bicycle from the ceiling
Brackets for hanging a bicycle from the ceiling
Metal or wood shelving
Metal or wood shelving
Hooks for hanging garden tools
Hooks for hanging garden tools

Don’t forget to think in 3D!

If your garage has a 10-foot ceiling (3 m) and your garage door is 7 feet high (2.1 m), there is about 22 inches (56 cm) available over the door left for storage.

If your garage ceiling is really high, say 14 feet or about 4.3 meters, you also think about adding a loft or mezzanine.

Maximize each square inch of your garage
Maximize each square inch of your garage

If you have stairs leading from the garage to the basement, properly analyze how you can use this space for storing things you use only once or twice a year, like tires.

Store tires on a rack
Store tires on a rack

Your garage door…

Your garage layout and list of storage accessories to buy is done…. But don’t forget your garage door. Contact a garage door professional in your area. Or even better, why not go and meet them at their showroom. It will be their pleasure to explain their whole range of doors they carry as well as guide you on the best choice to make. You can also send them a request for an online quotation.

Set aside a little time to use a design center like Garaga’s, and create your own personal garage door. You can also view their image gallery.

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