My Garage Goes GlamPosted On: 12/03/2008Several years ago I invested in built-in storage cabinets for my garage. Two walls were outfitted with sturdy closets with shelving (you can see one of the white cabinets in the left of the Before photo). I was able to organize and stash records, power tools and other items that needed clean, long-term storage. Unfortunately, one wall of the garage had not been outfitted like the others, and instead we had installed our old kitchen cabinets there, thinking they might still be useful. Wrong! I loved everything about the new built-in storage system: It was well made and tidy-looking, had adjustable shelves, helped me keep organized, and hid unsightly items. But I hated the "undone" part of the garage. The old kitchen cabinets were just plain irritating. They had impossible-to-adjust shelving, so stashing tall things was a pain and the doors didn't close properly anymore. Every time a certain someone (not me!) took out a tool, he wouldn't put it back; he'd just leave it out on the makeshift counter (an old board I painted to match the floor color). As an avid gardener I accessed the tools almost daily, and I was constantly bumping into the debris cans to get to them. And, this zone was just plain ugly: The wood cabinets clashed with the new white ones, and although I had painted the rest of the garage, I had, for some reason I can't remember, not painted around the cabinets. I got a quote from a garage-cabinet company and was shocked to discover that the system I wanted would cost more than $2,300. I didn't want to spend that kind of money, so I began my search for an economical and functional system I could install myself. In order to design my own system, I first I took out everything from the cabinets, and purged and organized the contents. I determined how many linear feet of shelving space I needed. I then went through my hanging tools and determined how many hanging devices I need. I wanted several big tools to stay on the ground, and I also wanted easy access to the bins, so I lined them all up and measured how much floor space I needed, and how tall they were. All of this helped me figure out the height at which to start the shelving, the space between each shelf and how long one could be. I knew that open shelving made it easy to find things and put things away, but it can look cluttered. To cut down on the visual static, I figured matching plastic containers and nice labels would help. I grouped small items - such as screwdrivers, painting stuff and wires - into piles and figured out how many and what sized containers I would need. I did a scale drawing and took it with me as I shopped at several hardware stores for materials. Before• Ugly, ill-functioning cabinets occupied important wall space in this busy garage. It was too much effort to open the doors and put things back where they belonged. • The unpainted section of the garage adds to its ugliness! • Debris bins and bags blocked access to tools. • The whole zone looks cluttered and messy. • I wanted an efficient, attractive storage system at a reasonable price. After• My husband and I removed the old cabinets, dragged them out to the curb and attached a "free" sign to them; they were gone in two hours! I purchased plastic-coated, pre-cut shelving in the lengths I needed, shelf supports and a variety of hooks and hangers, along with plastic bins. • I had several quarts of leftover paint from various projects that I combined and applied to the wood walls. Even though it turned out a different color, it is still bright and cheerful, and it was free! • The cans and floor tools no longer blocking access to my hanging tools. • Installing the shelving only took about two hours and it was easy to organize my tools by type and frequency of use. Using similar bins and labeling the boxes also help cut down on clutter. • The total for the new system, including the tubs: $200. Now that my garage looks and functions better, I enjoy gardening and repair work much more. My husband actually puts the tools away when he's done with them. Plus, I feel smug about how much money I saved! View Foreclosure Article Archives
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