Thursday, April 14, 2011
Garages. If you shutter when you hear the word, you’re not alone. Your once beautifully maintained garage has since then probably become the black hole of your home; what goes in probably does not come out, and even if you wanted to find a long-lost object, you’d have to dig through piles, move boxes out of the way, and trip over a garden hose or two before you could reach the far corner where you just KNOW you stashed an item.
Sound familiar? Your garage doesn’t have to be an explosion; there are many home remedies and do-it-yourself tips to organize your gadgets and still leave room for the car. In Steamboat Colorado, we love our sports, and sometimes sports gear is the most hazardous stuff we cram into our garages. Here are some organizational tips:
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Full-sized cabinets with adjustable shelves; these are convenient for hiding away paint cans, season items like hoses, boots, or canned food that you may have been saving since the world was supposed to end in Y2K.
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Hang overhead cabinets and label them “camping,” “Christmas Decorations” or whatever other types of seasonal goodies you have to keep items out of sight but easily organized.
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Beneath the hanging cabinets, leave room for a work bench (be careful not to let yourself pile anything up on it!) and a peg board for hanging homeless tools.
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Did you know that garage repair shops even have tongue and groove hanging systems that are strong enough to hang your bikes from the wall?
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Use Pegs to hang skis and keep them from creating the “dominoes” effect and knocking everything over everything else in the garage
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Ball holders, which may sound like a frivolous expense, can actually be an asset if you have a multitude of balls (and sports players) in your home.
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Ceiling systems hoist kayaks, bikes, spare lumber, or other less used items up and out of the way.
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Spray coat your floor to help wash away car oil or spilled paint and cover the old stains, giving your garage a clean feel.
For the more minimalist of folks that don’t tend to store gear in their garages, you can also look at your garage as additional square footage to your home. Consider renovating your garage into a second living room (for the kids?) or create the much desired game room you’ve been hoping for. For rooms that you are intending to live in, you may need to consider the additional cost of adding insulation or additional heating systems. One neat home renovation idea is to swap your messy garage out for a private gym. I’ve personally seen (yes, in Steamboat!) quite a few garages that have been updated with workout equipment and televisions. My personal all time favorite is the indoor climbing wall. Even with low ceiling space, a home-made climbing wall that traverses around the garage can still offer a fantastic workout and keep your skills honed for summer climbing.
And for those who just arent’ quite ready to face the monsters within your currently messy garage; here is a little humor for you. Fix it up with a paste on decal! (My favorite is the truck.)
