Small garage storage and tool organization ideas

[Big A]

As the saying goes, "happy wife, happy life." To that end, the house we settled on has a standard (small in my opinion) 400 sqft garage, which is just wide enough for the two vehicles, with ever so slight room to spare. There is just enough space up front for my tool box and a smallish workbench, which is okay, there's just no room to work when the vehicles are in there. Se la vie, the next house will have an acre or more, and a shop.

I was already intending to build shelving, what some other tricks and ideas you guys are using to capitalize on garage space? I am asking about specific organizers for tools for example, maybe a specific highly efficient cabinet system, I;ve seen racks for shovels and the like, and as another example I saw a huge shelf that winches down from the ceiling. Not to convenient for tools used daily or often. Lots of options, but I want to know what you're using that works well for you.

The other need is to replace a decent-sized shed, though the new HOA doesn't allow anything to be higher than the fence line. What are you guys using that are relatively low? Preferably something I can put a mower in rather easily. Again, I can browse Lowes and HD's options, I'm looking for real-word recommendations from fellow gear-heads.

To that end, moving to a new neighborhood without an HOA, and building out the garage aren't viable options (yet).

[slow84lx]

Wide shelves up high on at least the 2 side walls with about 20" clearance (I used 16"wide), another row of shelves below that (12" wide), hanging hooks for everything that can hang, ceiling hooks for bikes, over the garage door storage racks, high mounted wall cabinets, a rolling work bench w/ lockable casters, get everything wall mounted in a way that doors can still be opened and walk by, etc.

Costco had overhead storage racks on sale not long ago. Sgt Beavis posted a thread about it. http://www.dfwmustangs.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=69400

French cleats are a great idea to create modular shelving / storage. There are systems that you can purchase but it is easy to make your own w/ plywood. Search "French cleats garage journal" on google for examples. I'm doing a variation of this in my garage as it is being transformed. Same size as yours.

Stuff stacked on the floor makes the space seem tiny, keep things our from underfoot. When mine gets out of control and I have to walk over or around things constantly I stay constantly pissed off about it.

If your garage has fire sprinklers make sure to leave clearance for them to spray if there is ever a need. You'll have to work around keeping access open to electrical, water shutoff, fire sprinkler testing panels, incoming cable connections, and irrigations sprinkler controls, if such is located in your garage as in mine.

[yellowstang]

I got a 6 foot tall Tuff Shed for the back yard. Going on 11 years old, and is in great shape still. Home Depot has them available, but I got a better deal from the Tuff Shed dealer on 121 in Ft Worth.

[juiceweezl]

I got a 6 foot tall Tuff Shed for the back yard. Going on 11 years old, and is in great shape still. Home Depot has them available, but I got a better deal from the Tuff Shed dealer on 121 in Ft Worth.

The house I'm in now (8 years) had one of these in the back. It still works great. At our other house (now a rental), we couldn't have anything higher than the fence. I put the fence in and used metal poles. To keep mower and tools under cover, I went from a corner of the fence and installed a second row of poles inside the yard. Then I framed around the top just below the fence line with a slight slope. We covered it with metal roofing. It's about 16 feet long and close to 5 feet deep. For half of it, I put 2x6's around the bottom to make a box. I dug out and put a drain box in it with pipe to where the gutter drains are. Then I put sakrete in and raked it smooth to the slope I wanted before just wetting it and letting it cure. It'll be easy to bust out if I ever want to move it. The other half of the covered area has a shelf built in to it. Weed eater, chain saw, shovels, etc. go there all above the ground level and covered. The mower, 4 wheeler, etc. go under the roof on the concrete part. None of it is visible from the road.

[kingjason]

Lowes cabinets and I will have to go look at rail system. It was super cheap to buy the big kit with all of the accessories included. Rolling everything to make cleaning and changing things easier.