Garage organization- does it EVER end???

[CaberTosser]

I see scads of unrealized storage space in your garage Ken. You need to mount wall cupboards in many spots, which would allow you to still pull a quad, etc tight to the wall beneath them. You could pick a couple of spots for full height shelving, and have some storage type wheeled workbenches that can hold stuff and be moved around as you please (think of those neat wheeled medical records racks that are like filing cabinets on train tracks)

That slot wall is underutilized, most of the stuff stored there is infrequently used and could be more efficiently stored in a plastic tub or drawer with a label; slot wall to me is for frequently used tools and little parts bins.

I'm liking some of the garage storage options that have come around in recent years, like the Gladiator garage works stuff and similar at Lowes and other stores. I've also done ceiling storage where I suspended a sheet of plywood 8" from the ceiling hung by 6 pieces of 3/8" threaded rod; I'd put lineal stuff in it like baseboard moldings, tubing, etc. I hung a light from the bottom of it even; with your ceiling height in there you could make some rather spacious ones. Obviously weight is a consideration you'd account for, but for the sake of others I'll note not to get carried away with how much weight you suspend from the ceiling.

[Grizzly Adams]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

I just did this, have to find some more hooks and it will help a lot, at least will keep clutter off my welding/workbench. 32 hooks used, thinking another 40 and I will be good.

If you call that cluttered, you're just a Newbie at the game. No pic but my pegboard covers about 24 ft. of the garage wall and you have to lift things to see whats there. Couple of garden sheds and am building a new shop so we can HOPEFULLY get vehicles inout of the weather.

Grizz

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

I see scads of unrealized storage space in your garage Ken. You need to mount wall cupboards in many spots, which would allow you to still pull a quad, etc tight to the wall beneath them. You could pick a couple of spots for full height shelving, and have some storage type wheeled workbenches that can hold stuff and be moved around as you please (think of those neat wheeled medical records racks that are like filing cabinets on train tracks) That slot wall is underutilized, most of the stuff stored there is infrequently used and could be more efficiently stored in a plastic tub or drawer with a label; slot wall to me is for frequently used tools and little parts bins.
I'm liking some of the garage storage options that have come around in recent years, like the Gladiator garage works stuff and similar at Lowes and other stores. I've also done ceiling storage where I suspended a sheet of plywood 8" from the ceiling hung by 6 pieces of 3/8" threaded rod; I'd put lineal stuff in it like baseboard moldings, tubing, etc. I hung a light from the bottom of it even; with your ceiling height in there you could make some rather spacious ones. Obviously weight is a consideration you'd account for, but for the sake of others I'll note not to get carried away with how much weight you suspend from the ceiling.

That's an old picture, thinking about 4 years ago.

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams

If you call that cluttered, you're just a Newbie at the game. No pic but my pegboard covers about 24 ft. of the garage wall and you have to lift things to see whats there. Couple of garden sheds and am building a new shop so we can HOPEFULLY get vehicles inout of the weather Grizz

I just put the slat wall up that day. I went to Rona to get more pegs, $3.00 each

The very nice lady at the till told me if I found it cheaper online they would match it, 10 seconds later on my phone I had them at .77c. Not bad.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Canadiandiesel

Ken I'm coming over, I can use that lift for a year solid for the vehicles I have to work on.

Btw I'm jealous of it, and how high is that ceiling?

Phone first make sure I am home. 12'

I have this too;


Its a great shop, I just regret not doing attic trusses like I had originally planned. Would have given me another 40x50 storage spot, heated.

[Ken07AOVette]

Trying again, see if I win today!

[WCTHEMI]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

Trying again, see if I win today!

Ken, I don't think that's a battle that can ever be truly won; only fought. Good luck though!!

[1000yards]

Good luck Sir!

[Ken07AOVette]

good day; winterized the boat, found my welding table and made it ready to weld on, got the extra rims and tires listed for sale, burned all the bunny chips in the burn pit, played with the bunny on the deck after lunch, put away the rototiller, played with the front and loader and forklift, got the snowplow out ready to build the new one, dug out the crumbling ashphalt for snow plowing, and even got a little garage cleaning done. Gonna call this one a win!

Maybe next weekend I can clean the garage!

[Smokinyotes]

The way I look at it is if you always put everything away neat and organized your shop should never become a mess. Took my kids shop key away for not putting tools away. Since I did that he got the picture and keeps it spotless.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

The way I look at it is if you always put everything away neat and organized your shop should never become a mess. Took my kids shop key away for not putting tools away. Since I did that he got the picture and keeps it spotless.

Sounds good but I just changd out an engine after doing cam phasers on the other engine, 2 trans swaps, boat is in the garage, part of it is a welding area, my shop gets used. I can either clean or use it it seems. If I ran out of projects long enough I could maybe catch up.

[mooseknuckle]

No ken it doesn't ever end! Period! End of story!

And deep in our male brains puts I I don't think we want it too. Besides if I ever completely 100% had things organized in the shop.... The wife would kill me with house chores.

I finally had an uncle get a jaguar out of mine that had been in there since we had built it. Took a lot of kitty litter to clean the oil and trans fluid, but for some strange reason I enjoyed it cuz I got to re-organize things! I have like 10 feet all around my boat to start my winter (boat seat) project.

We could have some sort of AA meetings on the topic, but we would all just ge together drink beer and dream up new ways to "organize" our shops/garages.

Hey that gives me an idea.....

[Forest Techer]

My name is James and I can't get ahead either. I binge clean then binge build projects. Ran out of room with 3 garages and 3 sheds and a pole shed. Just downsized to a tiny place in town. Worried I might start wandering the streets looking for a real shop to drink beer in and solve the worlds problems.

Never move ken. Never. It'll break your heart.

I'll be watching this thread with great interest as I need to get more done with less space for a few years until I can build a decent shop again.


Keep fighting the good fight brothers.

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

Almost every wall is used, equipment against, bolt bin, shelves, cupboards, etc. I cleared up a little space today and put up a salvaged piece of slat board which I think will work well, but man it never ends!

You can't just throw it all out, stuff accumulates, you buy more, sell some, use it, but the walls are shrinking!
I have a seacan full of stuff, 2 mini barns and my shop is jammed.
Sure there are a few jerry cans that are empty, but can't just toss them, there is no gas station here. I have all the power tools; table saws, chop and cut off saws from building the house and garage that don't get much use, but they need to be stored somewhere. Lawn machines get 1 mini barn, seacan holds the big riding mower and JD with FEL, tires, etc.

Do you guys use floor to ceiling cupboards and a step to access it, or attic access, or???

Does anyone use high shelving in their garages? Is it handy or just another place for things to get lost and grow cobwebs?


And, I STILL can not find my big crescent wrench

Yes. it does end.
When you move to a place with no garage.
Course then its endless shed cleaning and sorting....

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Badger

Yes. it does end.
When you move to a place with no garage.
Course then its endless shed cleaning and sorting....

God I hope the day never comes that I have to move and find a new home for all my sh... I mean stuff. I haven't done a binge cleaning on my shop in a year or two. This spring I managed to push the crap to the side enough to work on the boat, got that out and had to pull out all the goose decoys and blinds to get them ready. Maybe when the season is done and I put away all the goose hunting stuff I can clean the shop up a little bit...

Yeah right, who am I kidding, gonna need to pull out all the icefishing gear soon and start getting that ready...

[jd7mmultra]

I am just wondering Ken,after all this time, have you found that damned cresent wrench yet?

[S.C.W.]

Ken I would be happy with your set up !

I'm suffering bad, just moved from a place where I had built a 30' x 60' shop plus a garage to a place with a dbl. attached garage !!! I had to struggle through moments of shear panic yesterday while winterizing the RV and boat! None of my toys have ever seen snow !! OMG I am so not ready for winter !!!

If you need a crescent wrench let me know, I may need somewhere to store one until spring.

S

[waterninja]

your right ken. it never ends. you can't throw away tools, equipement or parts just cause you haven't used them in awhile and it just keeps piling up. christmas decorations alone take up one shelf in one storage shed but what can you do?

[stuckincity]

Originally Posted by waterninja

....you can't throw away tools, equipement or parts just cause you haven't used them in awhile....

As soon as you throw it away, you'll need it tomorrow.

Don't ask me how I know.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by jd7mmultra

I am just wondering Ken,after all this time, have you found that damned cresent wrench yet?

Either I lent it to someone (very likely) or someone took it. I have bought a couple replacements, but none can replace the one that is gone, it was perfect.

[Hawkhills]

ken the Mrs hid your cresent wrench.Mine will get up in the middle of the night and move my tools.I havent caught her at it yet.But that must be the answer.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by Hawkhills

ken the Mrs hid your cresent wrench.Mine will get up in the middle of the night and move my tools.I havent caught her at it yet.But that must be the answer.

Keep your Mrs. outta my garage!!!!

LOL

[Ken07AOVette]

Another good day! The new snow blade is finished, winter tires sitting ready to go on the new truck, got the deck off the mower and both stored, found another couple hundred feet of floor space! Big trip to the dump Wednesday and then I am good shape for winter projects!

[Ken07AOVette]

6 years later, was out working in the garage and thought of this thread.

I had the 1 ton up on the hoist, getting ready to change oil for the upcoming Rupert trip, and realized I could not get to the back end to run the hoist. So, up on the 2nd air compressor tank, step on the bumper, go to other side, nope no place to step down. I went back along the bumper, stepped off on the tank, and slipped on the oily grime on the tank. Fell flat on my back on top of 2 floor jacks, some jack stands and some junk on the floor.
When I came back to, I was happy to realize I hadn't broken anything, nothing impaled me, just beat to hell, shoulder, lower back, neck elbow and hand cut bruised and scraped up, head beating to the tune of AC/DC Thunderstruck, but the radio was off.

I spent a couple hours on the couch, then back into the garage to clean up what should have been done long ago. Ow.

And, that damned crescent wrench is gone.

(better 19,000th post, RaBoBa?)

[buckbrush]

Never ending. I used to keep everything in a shed, then a 16x32 building. We moved and the new place had a double garage and a 40X64 shop. I thought I would never need more room. Few years later I built a 40 X 16 loft in the shop. Now I am again out of room.

The wife lost her spot in the garage a few months ago. It doesn't look promising for her to get it back any time soon.

[fishtank]

I reorganized it’s for the 3rd time this year it free up a extra 2ft x 4 ft space .. my car is park in the drive way for the pass 2 years ..

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

6 years later, was out working in the garage and thought of this thread.

I had the 1 ton up on the hoist, getting ready to change oil for the upcoming Rupert trip, and realized I could not get to the back end to run the hoist. So, up on the 2nd air compressor tank, step on the bumper, go to other side, nope no place to step down. I went back along the bumper, stepped off on the tank, and slipped on the oily grime on the tank. Fell flat on my back on top of 2 floor jacks, some jack stands and some junk on the floor.
When I came back to, I was happy to realize I hadn't broken anything, nothing impaled me, just beat to hell, shoulder, lower back, neck elbow and hand cut bruised and scraped up, head beating to the tune of AC/DC Thunderstruck, but the radio was off.

I spent a couple hours on the couch, then back into the garage to clean up what should have been done long ago. Ow.

And, that damned crescent wrench is gone.

(better 19,000th post, RaBoBa?)

Really glad that you weren't hurt bad Ken, and that nothing is broken. It would have sucked if the two jacks had been crushed under you....



(Sorry buddy, I just had to.....please forgive me!)

[brslk]

I built the largest garage the city would let me build on our lot (24X26). The next year the city changed the bylaws and my neighbor built on twice as big grrrr.... it doesn't really matter, the bigger you build it, the more stuff you will fill it with. My garage is packed from floor to ceiling with garage stuff. I made it clear to my wife when we built the house and garage that there was to be no storage of house stuff in the garage. I allotted her one part of a cabinet for her gardening stuff that doesn't go in the shed. In summer there is very little room to park any of our cars but in winter I always make sure her car has room to park inside.

[Ken07AOVette]

I hear you fishtank.

If I had not just shingled the garage, I was seriously thinking about adding 18x40x16 onto the garage for boat storage. I only had to build 2 walls, use the garage wall as 1, the other is mainly door. I had it all planned for about $15g but with new shingles now, I buggered myself.

Plus work is slow, so spending that much when I have a tarp for the boat would be irresponsible. Trouble is I hate removing the hard top to store as much as I hate worrying about anything freezing in winter under a tarp.

[graybeard]

My neighbor installed a pulley ceiling shelf, wow did that ever free up his space....sorry is this is a repeat site.

https://www.google.ca/search?q=garag...1BAu2DM:&vet=1

[Trochu]

I can't remember exactly how it goes, but my dad says something along the lines of "Most people use their garage to store stuff that's not valuable enough to keep in the house but to valuable to throw away, so they can keep their second most expensive possession outside".

Mine is reasonably clean, but I had a heart to heart with myself last month and started going though my garage again. If it's not a tool, and I haven't used it in several years, out it goes. Those old bricks, plumbing parts, sawhorses, scrap wood, etc. that's been sitting there for years likely isn't going to be used in the next several years. In all likelihood, if I need a plumbing part for example, I'm going to the store to spend $5 on a new part vs going out to the garage to sort through boxes for 30 minutes to see if I have one that will fit anyways.