Garage Paralysis?

[ujmchris]

Lately it seams like I don't get anything done in my garage. It's not like I have ritzy garage or a "man cave", but mostly I spend my time trying to organize and put things away to open up some floor space. Its getting really old and I'm sick of organizing instead of getting things done. Can anyone else relate? I know I have way to much stuff crammed into to small of a space, but the only solution is to finish some projects, and I can't do that without some space to do it! In the summer I would just throw some of the big items outside to give me a bit of space, but now that winter is here, that's not really an option. Most of the time I don't even feel like going out there anymore because I know I won't accomplish anything besides sorting a box of stuff into keep/garbage piles. Anyone have tips for actually getting things done in their garage?

 

[evildky]

I feel you pain, I'm finally at a place where I have enough projects done that my current project is reclaiming my garage, picking up, organizing and selling off of parts that I no longer need

 

[tatra]

seems more like rotating stock?.............know the feeling all too well..........

 

[NUTTSGT]

So you're organizing and cleaning your garage. Does it relax you ? Yes ? That's stress relief, something that goes a long way.

 

[Nighttrain]

Even with a big garage I can't seem to always find time to get things done. I have room but it is taking me 3 years and counting to finish it. The bigger the garage the longer it takes to get it finished. In my pass garages I only had two to four years living there (military) so it seemed that I had them up and going in one year. Now that I am retired and will NOT be moving again it's taking longer.

I find that if I make two work list, one for small project and one for big projects helps. When you know you only have an hour to spare try to do one of the small project done. Make you feel like your getting something done.

 

[flyingw]

Before we can begin to assist you, It helps to know what type of stuff you have to straighten out. I have serious orginazitional issues thanks to my mom and the military. I have spent my life cleaning up other peoples messes and disorganization so I am somewhat of an expert. Now my garage is not 100% squared away but I know where things are and 98% of it is out of sight. There are many variables that dictate how different things are stored and accessed to tell us whatch ya got.

 

[ujmchris]

Wow... lots of good info there Chip! I should take a few pictures out in the shed and maybe you guys will have some ideas. Here are some of the steps I HAVE taken, and some things I'm still having issues with:

-I picked up a real nice vidmar cabinet on CL for a steal. This will help so much to organize all the small stuff. It's currently sitting in the middle of the shop because I don't know where to put it. I know once it gets filled up it isn't moving so I want it to be in a good location.

-I have a 8x12 "mezzanine" in the front of the shop. It works great for all my parts that wont be used for a while. Currently its about half parts, 1/4 Christmas decorations, and 1/4 junk that needs to be tossed. Hopefully once the decorations get put out next weekend I can sift through the junk and gain a few cubic yards of space.

-I have some 2x4 and plywood shelving on one wall, 2 shelves at 2'x8' plus some other wall storage. It wasn't put together well or thought out. I'd love to replace this with some 12'x10'x30" pallet racking, once the budget allows.

-Some of my biggest issues are large parts storage. Things including motorcycle and atv frames and snowmobile tunnels and hoods are large, awkward, and difficult to store. I currently have 3 frames, 2 front ends, and a few snowmobiles disassembled. All the frames are in the middle of the floor because they don't fit on my shelving, or anywhere else for that matter. I pretty much took care of the snowmobile stuff. The hood is hanging from the ceiling, the tunnels are stood up and (very temporarily) screwed to the wall, but the track is still on the floor.

I wish this was fun... it used to be, but now I just wanna be working on projects, or at least seeing some progress on finding the floor, neither of which seems to be happening.

 

[Lippyp]

I was like that, UK sized single garage and way too much stuff in it so all I ever seemed to do was try and tidy up/shift **** from one place to another. I've just had a good opportunity to go through everything as we are moving house and it feels good, dumped a load of stuff, some gone on ebay and more will probably go when I unbox it at my new much bigger garage in a couple of weeks time. There I have triple the space, I've already invested in some more storage stuff and will be building a big bench with more storage underneath.

If it wasn't coming in to winter I'd see haul it all outside and start again and be ruthless.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Oh ****, can I ever relate to your plight! Time to get ruthless in your garage. Back the truck up to the door and 'just' start pitching stuff in for a dump run. If you're pissed off about the condition of the shop, use that anger to rid yourself of **** that is cramping your style and killing your motivation. Some guys can 'polish a turd' even when they're working in the bottom of a latrine; others, like myself, get discouraged trying to work around a mess. So, it is often easier/better not to set foot in the shop when being in the shop bums me out.

Ask yourself what you can do out there to make the place more fun to spend time in, then make the change, pop open a beverage and take time to relish the change.

Too often, we see only what needs to be done next, and don't take a long moment to savor what we have just accomplished. It boils down to the 'mess in our minds' and not the 'mess at our feet'!

 

[Al Bundy]

Wow can I relate to what the OP is going through. That's the main reason I spend so much time on here. I pretty much know where I'm going with most things, but it seems like it's taking forever to get done. What I haven't figured out yet is the bulky stuff like sheet metal. Can't really put the fenders or the deck lids in a cabinet. And three extra sets of wheels/tires take up a hell of a lot of floor space. I've seen the things Tire Rack makes, but I'm not wild about the idea of something that could potentially come down and bound across the shop damaging my cars.

 

[930dreamer]

I'm going to the shop this morning to ponder my STUFF.

 

[74grabber]

Some of my biggest issues are large parts storage. Things including motorcycle and atv frames and snowmobile tunnels and hoods are large, awkward, and difficult to store. I currently have 3 frames, 2 front ends, and a few snowmobiles disassembled. All the frames are in the middle of the floor because they don't fit on my shelving, or anywhere else for that matter. I pretty much took care of the snowmobile stuff. The hood is hanging from the ceiling, the tunnels are stood up and (very temporarily) screwed to the wall, but the track is still on the floor.

My solution to this problem was to hang the items. I had 2 quad frames, a car hood,front fascia, and a cat pipe (need it every 2 years for emmisions purposes). And to mention in this same 2 car attached garage was the water heater, the drag car, my weekend car, work bench, tool boxes, and 2 storage shelves full of "house storage stuff".

The frames were stripped and all parts put in big plastic totes labeled for the project and kept on a shelf ONLY for that project. When I ran across more parts for that project they went on that shelf. And frames were hung from ceiling by either hooks or angle iron and allthread.

It opened up alot of space and started to get me more organized. Once I had more floor space I purchased a shed kit from northern tools. Used the now free space to build more storage. After the storage shed was done I started moving my larger items rarely used out there examples for me were engine stands, cherry pickers, wood working and garden tools. This I really did not do orderly at that point I just wanted them out of my shop!

This got me much more content in the shop, nice having stuff moved out of my way and being able to actually work on my projects

A few months later I went back to the shed on nice weekend took everything out made some more shelfing and again opened up even more room in the shed for storage. And honestly exept for garden tools I hardly ever need anything out of there but its still there when the job calls for it

 

[Lawson4450]

yeah im going thru it now but i think I have it worked out now. I have a 11 x20 with a small 4 by 8 cubby on the front side of it. I tried like hell to get it so I can park the wifes car in there but there is just now way. So i have been collecting different types of storage to make it a nice work shop. Right now i have a couple of gladiator wall cabinets and a gladiator work station set up towards the front of the garage (will be computer station) I have two card style cabinets next to that then I will have a cabinet that holds my saws and then the current work bench for lighter stuff and cleaner work. In the cubby i have building a bench that will hold some free cabinets i scored and a free compressor too. Now that i got a better Idea of what im doing it should be easier and I can stop moving stuff from one side to the other to work. After I live with it for a while I will decide if i want to take stuff out or what but now I got a good idea. oh yeah its only 8 feet high to so no real over head storage but im trying.

 

[Ohio Auto]

Start throwing stuff away or rent a storeage unit. Clutter is a drive and ambition killer.

 

[Shadowdog500]

Seems like I'm always cleaning up and trying to organize, and my shop still looks sloppy most of the time because you never get it 100% clean. I just assume this is part of working in a shop and generating a mess. Ive been in shops where the guy never cleaned or organized and you are constantly tripping over stuff and can't find anything.

My biggest problem is that I find an old project when I start cleaning then stop cleaning to work on that project. I've learned to just keep cleaning or it never gets done.

I don't know how much money you have or what your time is worth to you but I have a friend who hired a retired school teacher to put his shop back in order a few days a week because he makes more money actually working on projects than he looses while stoping to clean. His shop is extremely organized now because she spent like a week or two doing the original clean up and origanizing and labeling everything.

Chris

 

[dittle fart around]

My projects sound easy in my head, but are tough to get finished. I try to push my self into learning new techniques and skills. Then find out I'm over my head. I've got 3 unfinished projects right now and if I put them in the garage where they belong there wouldn't be any room.
My wife claims I'm bipolar. All excited at the beginning of a project and all disappointed when I don't finish it. I'd like to think I've got a little Tourettes especially when swearing out of frustration in the garage.

 

[bobemmerich]

Yep. same boat here...Plenty of moving from this spot to that spot, but no REAL progress. No wonder my projects aren't getting done

 

[bb1970]

Start throwing stuff away or rent a storeage unit. Clutter is a drive and ambition killer.

YEP!!! I'm a junk hound. I accumulate interesting items. That soon turn into clutter. It gets to a point where it is too much to take. I've had many garage sales to get rid of stuff. On two seperate occations I've rented a dumpster. Funny thing is I rarely ever regret getting rid of stuff.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I agree!! Toss stuff when the pile gets too big.

I actually toss good stuff when the pile gets too big. I let friends pick through it first then call the metal guy to take the metal stuff and then take the rest to the dump. I usually don't miss the stuff and feel good afterward.

Chris

 

[Thedroid]

It is progress because eventually you'll have a place for everything. Sorting through those bins is good because you'll know what you have. It's an ongoing process, and can be boring, but it's the first step. Once you have your garage organized, you shouldn't have to do it again, and when you encounter a need, you'll now what bin to go to instead of the hardware store.

 

[OccupantRJ]

It is progress because eventually you'll have a place for everything. Sorting through those bins is good because you'll know what you have. It's an ongoing process, and can be boring, but it's the first step. Once you have your garage organized, you shouldn't have to do it again, and when you encounter a need, you'll now what bin to go to instead of the hardware store.

This is true. After unloading my semi trailer after moving here, I had an entire workshop of tools, equipment, and materials to deal with. It could sometimes become depressing, because after 6 years or more of being stored, I had to question whether my interest and drive was still there for it all, at 58 years old. I joined GJ and was revived to find others with like interests, as I had moved 40 minutes from my "friends with workshops base". My entire workshop had been flooded five feet deep, so I had the perfect excuse to just walk away from it all. However, I was not raised to be like that. I also had to rebuild and expand my entire existing workshop to be able to get all my tools in it to use. I ended up building an external barn from one of the metal carports to end up with an 18 X 20 storage room. That made all the difference in the world. I now have boxes of contingency materials stored in about 120 cubbies, in two shelf sections my company gave me. Being able to walk in and get that piece of rubber, threaded rod, and such has made having a workshop a pleasure again. Might as well admit it, if you're on this website, it's in your blood.

 

[toolman1967]

I used to spend 8-10 hours a day in the shop and got all kinds of things done. Now I am partially disabled and really have to plan what I NEED to accomplish when I go out to the shop. I plan exactly what I am going to do and lots of days I just leave the mess and do the job that is planned. Other days I PLAN to do some cleaning and if that goes well then I work on the projects. Definitely NOT my style to slow down but you gotta play the cards that are dealt to you. PLAN your shop time, keeps you from getting sidetracked.

 

[2fat2fly]

I was at the same point as the OP with my garage until about 6 months ago. That's when I stopped everything else and focused my attention on getting my garage the way I wanted it to be. I'm still not done with that overhaul project but I'm really close and it has restored my motivation to get my other projects done.

 

[ujmchris]

It's really nice to see all the replys and know that I'm not alone (not that I "really" thought I was). I'm headed out to the shop right now. I'll take some pics quick and then get to work, and hopefully post some more pics tonight with whatever progress I make. I just have such a hard time getting rid of "stuff" that isn't clearly garbage, but it clearly needs to be done.

Hanging those large items is the only idea I have for now. I have 11'ish ceilings so there plenty of room up there. I've even thought of extending the mezzanine area another 12' on one side where large vehicles never get driven in. It doesn't seam to pay to have all that head space unused. I'm just trying to figure out how to do it with the least number of supports to the floor as I don't want posts everywhere clogging the whole works up.

 

[crewchief888]

while i'm working on a project, i have a tendency not to clean up, or throw anything away. it gets to the point where i say to myself, enough is eough, and i start cleaning up and putting tools away.

i dont have "extra" room in the garage, especially during the winter months when the wifes car resides in there. if i'm working during the winter, i have to keep the place straightened up so she can get her car in.

i take a load of scrap a couple times a year, and go through what i havent used in a year or so, and get rid of it.

 

[rickairmedic]

I have a stairwell in my garage leading to the basement . This to me was a huge waste of space . I ended up building 2 lofts over the stairwell giving me a 4' X 10 ' area that I didnt have before . I have recently been looking at this side of the garage again and have decided to rethink and rework my loft idea . This side of the garage is 5' deep and 21' from the front to back of the garage .

My new plan is to build a 21' long 5' deep loft 7' off the floor . I will build the loft out of 1" box tubing with 3/4" plywood ontop of it . I will use 2X4's on the walls to support the backside of it and will run a piec e of 2" box tubing about a foot back from the front of the loft the full 21' length . From this beam I will drop another piece of 2" box tubing to the floor at both ends and 2 more along the run spacing them roughly 7' apart .


This will give me a loft 5' deep by 21' long with almost 30" above it to store things on which I figure will work out to alot of storage space that is otherwise wasted right now .


Rick

 

[Hammer1963]

Since my son has gotten to the age of working on his and his buddies stuff, I seem to be fighting the same problem. Clutter, dirty tools, trash, broken parts, missing tools, used up chemicals, you name it, he is guilty of it. Before, everything had its place and was kept clean. Not anymore.

I spend more time cleaning & putting away tools/equipment than anything. Quite depressing !

 

[rickairmedic]

Since my son has gotten to the age of working on his and his buddies stuff, I seem to be fighting the same problem. Clutter, dirty tools, trash, broken parts, missing tools, used up chemicals, you name it, he is guilty of it. Before, everything had its place and was kept clean. Not anymore.

I spend more time cleaning & putting away tools/equipment than anything. Quite depressing !

That would have me locking up the garage and telling them if they want to use it they will use it my way or not at all.

I have laid down the law in my house if you come out here to get a tool it had better be returned to where it came from in the condition you found it in or the boxes get locked and you dont get to use my tools .


Rick

 

[Worsedog]

Since my son has gotten to the age of working on his and his buddies stuff, I seem to be fighting the same problem. Clutter, dirty tools, trash, broken parts, missing tools, used up chemicals, you name it, he is guilty of it. Before, everything had its place and was kept clean. Not anymore.

I spend more time cleaning & putting away tools/equipment than anything. Quite depressing !

A good ball batting and banning will cure that.

 

[Daniel Dudley]

If you have gotten to the point where you can't work on your projects because your garage makes you crazy, then you are ready to commit to making your garage your number one project, regardless to whether it takes three weeks or three years.

I was there, and believe me, it CAN go on for years.

In my world, the garage/shop is for tools/cars. I can move the cars out when I want a LOT of space. Tools need to have a place and be organized.

Stuff needs to be STORED. It does not get to share my Garage/Shop space unless I am working on it

Like with like, be it a tool, a project, or materials.

You can Do It.

The most inspirational thing that ever happened to me around my garage was the book, ''Your Garagenous Zone''. There is a chapter on organizing. Learn it, Live it.

I am not totally there yet, but I can pretty much have a large floor space any time I want it.

 

[PhantomEB]

So you're organizing and cleaning your garage. Does it relax you ? Yes ? That's stress relief, something that goes a long way.

Yup thats the way I look at it for myself too, biggest thing I have done is just get rid of anything I dont need out there!

 

[ujmchris]

Welp, got a little bit of cleaning done today (had a work party this evening). It's not a heck of a lot, but it took several hours. Clearly a lot of stuff just has to be pitched. One thing I did clean house on was boxes and packing materials I was saving to ship out parts, in the event I ever got around to selling some things. They are easy to acquire should I need them later, and they were taking up a heck of a lot of room. Clearly there's lots left to do, but I'm actually sort of excited to go out there tomorrow.
Here are some shots:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

^^^note the $250 vidmar cabinet

 

[2fat2fly]

That's some good progress.

 

[LoanRebel]

looks like progress... keep up the good work

 

[hmbemis]

Start throwing stuff away or rent a storeage unit. Clutter is a drive and ambition killer.

The clutter is usually the inventory I need, I find it impossible to organize solo items in a meaningful way... so I end up spending forever trying to find some small part or widget that I have in my mental inventory, but no clue where it might be among the 30 shelves of bins/boxes/etc.

Try not to fall into the storage unit trap... I've had one for a couple of years now, it's cost me fortune over the months--then again around it's expensive to do it, maybe if I could get 5x10 one for $25/mo or so, instead of 5X that, it wouldn't be too bad.

 

[Plump]

It is (seemingly) NEVER the size of the garage that makes this problem more or less of an issue for any of us. We WILL fill it up with clutter/ideas/projects/stuff.

Take pleasure in the small accomplishments. I just went through a ton of nuts, bolt, screws, etc. and got them into some semblance of order. My little boy "helped" too and it was a great thing to have done despite the fact that it didn't clear up that much work room.

Give yourself a pat on the back for a nice pile to go to the garbage, selling something on Craigslist, or taking a pile of scrap metal to the recycling center.

Those are things you need to hang your hat on so that when you really need to go after something, it's all ready for you to do mentally.

Or at least that how I make myself feel better in my mess

 

[DIM Fab]

I feel your pain and I've found that (sometimes) a mental shift helps these moments the most.

To set the context, I just moved into a new house - I currently have a list of over 40 big and small projects, from the house, to yard, to garage, and beyond. All this must happen while reserving family time and long work / commute hours. Nothing exceptional here, other than maybe my level of impatience.

So, rather than tackling one project at a time, or all the miserable things first in order to do the fun things last, I had to start clumping things together. Work on one project and make a mess. Then, while cleaning up that project's mess, pick up or organize something else that is nearby or related.

For example, I'm replacing all the bearings in my dirt bike (a stupid thing to tackle all at once, by the way! ha!). So, I make a mess with all the kerosene, grease, needle bearings, acid brushes, picks, pullers, pushers, twisters, etc... Then, because I'm still organizing my garage, I take an extra couple hours putting everything away because I'm reorganizing where I like my tools and chemicals.

I find that this is the best way to finish projects that I want done, but also pry that organization monkey off my back. The down side is that I sometimes feel like things are too messy or chaotic, but it won't last forever. Sooner or later, everything will be in its perfect spot, I'll be down to one or two projects at a time, and working the garage will be relaxing again.

I'm new to DFW, so this other idea won't work for me: in the past, I've invited friends over for a BBQ with intentions of having them help me clean up a massive project. You'd be surprised how fast a shop gets organized by purchasing a few cases of beer and using an hour of 6-10 guys' time, still leaving lots of hours for drunken bocce.

 

[DIM Fab]

Ps - Those are some nice looking bike projects, by the way! I'd love to hear what you're working on with those (any build threads anywhere?).

Pss - A hundred bucks worth of rubbermaid totes also help the clean up endeavors for me. I start chucking things in there that make sense to be together, like piles of sandpaper, specific bike parts, etc, etc. The nice part is that the totes can all be stacked up and labelled, getting clutter out of sight!

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

ujmchris, good work!

How did you feel when you took the 'after' pics?

Just curious, did you just dive in and start thrashing the mess, or did you have a specific goal/area/task that you thought of before you stepped into the shop?

What's that saying - "Those that fail to plan, plan to fail!" lol

 

[Jolomite]

Hey All,
Thanks for the motivation. I live at home with the folks still and we have had to absorb two houses worth of stuff after some deaths in the family. My Dad did not want to go the storage unit route and I don't blame him for trying to save the cash.

The result has been a 2.5 car garage that fits only one and a basement that has significantly reduced flexibility. We're all starting to pull together and de-clutter. I am looking forward to just letting some junk go (salvation army, friends, etc). Thanks for the encouragement; if my family can get more organized I know that my friends here at GJ can get that motivation too!

I'll have to post pics of my garage sometime soon- its...impressively stuffed with junk.

Cheers!