JackShephard
Active member
For those of us with standard residential garages, what sorts of things have you guys done in order to maximize those "dead" areas, such as the tight corners near the garage door or the space above the garage door?
Maximizing every height and corner
- Thread starter JackShephard
- Start date
Sheriff245
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2013
- Messages
- 88
I am currently working on my garage. I will be using the corner on one side of the garage door to hang a TV and other things on the walls. The other corner has a man door, and the other wall portion will also be used for hanging stuff such as a weed eater.
I have seen a few threads here where the owner built some kind of deck above the garage door rails for more storage.
I have seen a few threads here where the owner built some kind of deck above the garage door rails for more storage.
600SL
Well-known member
I put in two rows of shelves just above 6' around the entire perimeter. It got me everything off the floor and cleared up significant floor space. The stuff I used daily like jack stands went on the lower shelf. Parts storage went in clearly marked bins on the upper shelves.
I will be doing the same in my new shop.
Attachments
bottom feeder
Well-known member
I went to the big box store and picked up short lengths of shelf standards, and a bunch of deep shelf brackets. I put one shelf standard on each stud above the overhead door, then put the shelf brackets in the lowest slot I could without interfering with the door. I then added a shelf on each side of the door opener bar. Works great to store camping gear, and various stuff placed in plastic totes to keep the spiders and dust out.
Storage above the garage door. Storage all along the ceiling where it meets the walls. Storage under one of the benches for long stock.
If you've got it, why waste it?
www.12-gaugegarage.com
If you've got it, why waste it?
www.12-gaugegarage.com
PCO6
Well-known member
This is just inside the man door to my garage. When the door is open most of this is hidden.
View media item 34552
Super Sport
Well-known member
Out of curiosity, how deep are those shelves?
I've been trying to keep most everything in enclosed storage, but really like what you've done with those!
top drive
Well-known member
5 ft deep shelf over garage door - the door opens to within an inch of the end of the shelf.
All my power tools live up on these shelves , these were built to get rid of the 2 floor standing shelves which just attracted clutter ( as you can see below) massive clear out and both gone , now have plans to build 2 work benches in the space under the shelves to replace the cumbersome wasted space ones i currently have.
Only having a tall single ive had to make the most of the height.
OP
JackShephard
Active member
top_drive - Any tips on securing that unit above the garage door?
600SL
Well-known member
Those shelves are only 12" deep, actually they are 11" and 7/8". I went to HD and had all the plywood ripped to 11" and 7/8". That is all that is practical at that altitude. But with the whole perimeter and stackable blue bins it is very effective. I also put 3/4" vinyl J channel along the edges to make it look a bit nicer.
My new shop is bigger and has 10' walls so I can put in 3 rows but since it is 2 times the size of that shop I don't know if I will need more than 1 row at 6' high. I do not plane to store anything under 10# on the ground again.
John
PhantomEB
Well-known member
I plan to have my garage door tucked up as high as possible for max headroom over my bronco on 42s so wont have room for over door storage. I do though plan to have small speakers (2' high ones layin on side and angled out towards center of garage sitting on a corner shelf back there. Where there's door tracks still will have overhead cabinets but the top sections will be shortened doors with a deeper header panel for stuff rarely used to dig out.
bczygan
Well-known member
I am going to suggest something different.
Just recently, I was in an old time machine shop. Been there forever.
They had every nook and cranny stuffed with machinery and equipment.
It felt restricted and like a storage closet that had been stuffed too full. What a horrible place to work all day!
If your garage is going to be nothing but a storage place, and you aren't going to work in there, then by all means, stuff it full. But if you are going to be in there working on projects, then make it a place you would want to be.
This can go too far the other way as well. A garage made to look like a museum, with cars displayed as collectors items, is not efficient for working on them. Same goes for man caves. Is your garage a social space or a work space?
This site has examples of garages of all types and styles. But for the average guy, and for me, I would recommend that the garage that would serve best, would be a space that is NOT maxed out.
Having a space that can accommodate a car when needed is one aspect I would try to have.
Space that can be configured for projects would be necessary.
Space for storage of auto related tools and materials would also be part of the mix.
But I would resist, as much as possible, turning it into a storage barn.
Yard tools and Christmas decorations and kids toys and bikes are all things that can clutter up a garage. I would try to find other places for these things. A shed would certainly help. Attic and basement could be employed.
Now, we can't all have separate buildings for each function. But at some point, choices need to be made. Is it a garage? A shop? A man cave? A storage barn?
A garage that tries to serve all purposes, serves none of them well.
So I vote for no over the garage door storage. And not every square inch of wall space needs cabinets.
An example comes to mind. A guy I know, had so much stuff, that he started putting cabinets on the wall all around the perimeter of his dining room, to hold more stuff.
Efficient use of space? Or should he have gotten rid of some stuff?
Back to the subject the OP asked about. I have shelving along side the garage door, It is on heavy duty commercial standards and double brackets with 1x board shelving.
http://www.cabinetparts.com/g/double-slot-standards-brackets-knape-and-vogt
But I am removing them and putting the stuff in a couple of cabinets to get them out of view.
There is also a self up high, along one side of the garage, that ends with 2 deep shelves along the whole back wall. The high one is full of boxes of stuff and tool cases. The stuff will be removes and properly stored in 2 cabinets. The deep shelves along the back wall are full of paint. That will be removed and the paint used , stored elsewhere or disposed of. Then these shelves will also be removed. A workbench will be along the back wall, with either shelves or cabinets above.
This makes the garage a more pleasant space to be in visually.
In landscaping as well as interior design there is a concept called negative space. You need space around an object, to give it visual importance. This allows your eye to find and focus on it. In a shop, a workstation is like that. But if you jam one right up against another, you get visual chaos. Leave a space between each work area. Even a small gap provides visual relief.
Less is more.
Think of how much you can remove from a space and still serve it's function adequately. Separate functions as much as possible.
I have a 1 car garage. It can't be a garage and shop and man cave and storage shed. So I have decided it will be a metal shop, period. It's not big enough for a garage anyway. And man cave functions are served by the rest of the house. There is a living room for socializing, a kitchen for food and drink and a powder room, all conveniently located right next to the garage.
Since the garage will be a shop, I have removed all auto related things and put them in a shed. Spare tires, oils, fluids, jack stands, jack, and auto tools. This is conveniently located near where I work on the cars in the street anyway.
Another shed has all the woodworking tools. And yet another has all the bicycle stuff.
Christmas decorations go in the attic. A lean to has all the yard tools.
Just recently, I was in an old time machine shop. Been there forever.
They had every nook and cranny stuffed with machinery and equipment.
It felt restricted and like a storage closet that had been stuffed too full. What a horrible place to work all day!
If your garage is going to be nothing but a storage place, and you aren't going to work in there, then by all means, stuff it full. But if you are going to be in there working on projects, then make it a place you would want to be.
This can go too far the other way as well. A garage made to look like a museum, with cars displayed as collectors items, is not efficient for working on them. Same goes for man caves. Is your garage a social space or a work space?
This site has examples of garages of all types and styles. But for the average guy, and for me, I would recommend that the garage that would serve best, would be a space that is NOT maxed out.
Having a space that can accommodate a car when needed is one aspect I would try to have.
Space that can be configured for projects would be necessary.
Space for storage of auto related tools and materials would also be part of the mix.
But I would resist, as much as possible, turning it into a storage barn.
Yard tools and Christmas decorations and kids toys and bikes are all things that can clutter up a garage. I would try to find other places for these things. A shed would certainly help. Attic and basement could be employed.
Now, we can't all have separate buildings for each function. But at some point, choices need to be made. Is it a garage? A shop? A man cave? A storage barn?
A garage that tries to serve all purposes, serves none of them well.
So I vote for no over the garage door storage. And not every square inch of wall space needs cabinets.
An example comes to mind. A guy I know, had so much stuff, that he started putting cabinets on the wall all around the perimeter of his dining room, to hold more stuff.
Efficient use of space? Or should he have gotten rid of some stuff?
Back to the subject the OP asked about. I have shelving along side the garage door, It is on heavy duty commercial standards and double brackets with 1x board shelving.
http://www.cabinetparts.com/g/double-slot-standards-brackets-knape-and-vogt
But I am removing them and putting the stuff in a couple of cabinets to get them out of view.
There is also a self up high, along one side of the garage, that ends with 2 deep shelves along the whole back wall. The high one is full of boxes of stuff and tool cases. The stuff will be removes and properly stored in 2 cabinets. The deep shelves along the back wall are full of paint. That will be removed and the paint used , stored elsewhere or disposed of. Then these shelves will also be removed. A workbench will be along the back wall, with either shelves or cabinets above.
This makes the garage a more pleasant space to be in visually.
In landscaping as well as interior design there is a concept called negative space. You need space around an object, to give it visual importance. This allows your eye to find and focus on it. In a shop, a workstation is like that. But if you jam one right up against another, you get visual chaos. Leave a space between each work area. Even a small gap provides visual relief.
Less is more.
Think of how much you can remove from a space and still serve it's function adequately. Separate functions as much as possible.
I have a 1 car garage. It can't be a garage and shop and man cave and storage shed. So I have decided it will be a metal shop, period. It's not big enough for a garage anyway. And man cave functions are served by the rest of the house. There is a living room for socializing, a kitchen for food and drink and a powder room, all conveniently located right next to the garage.
Since the garage will be a shop, I have removed all auto related things and put them in a shed. Spare tires, oils, fluids, jack stands, jack, and auto tools. This is conveniently located near where I work on the cars in the street anyway.
Another shed has all the woodworking tools. And yet another has all the bicycle stuff.
Christmas decorations go in the attic. A lean to has all the yard tools.
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shooting4life
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2012
- Messages
- 334
I added pieces of strut on the wall above my work bench. It was easy to add a shelf above the bench for storage, it also made it easy to mount an air reel and power reel on the wall. Just this weekend I added a couple of brackets to hold my router table above the garage door track, it was a wasted space above the garage door that I was now able to use.
I also make everything with removable legs, like the router table, with a permanent base it would take up all sorts of floor space, instead I made the legs out of galvanized pipe that screws into the table when it is needed, now I can stash the table in a very hard to use space and attaching the legs takes only a couple of minutes.
The trick is to just accept that you are going to need a 3 step ladder to get to some areas of the garage. This is not how I would like it, but it is a reality for a small two car garage.
I also make everything with removable legs, like the router table, with a permanent base it would take up all sorts of floor space, instead I made the legs out of galvanized pipe that screws into the table when it is needed, now I can stash the table in a very hard to use space and attaching the legs takes only a couple of minutes.
The trick is to just accept that you are going to need a 3 step ladder to get to some areas of the garage. This is not how I would like it, but it is a reality for a small two car garage.
rdsk8ter
Well-known member
Heres my shelves
Got rid of the saw for these guys
I added more supports the the shelve above but this is the only picture I have right now.
Got rid of the saw for these guys
I added more supports the the shelve above but this is the only picture I have right now.
top drive
Well-known member
Jack
I took 2 x 5 ft lengths of 4x2 and notched it about 1 inch deep at each end and used fischer frame fixings - 80mm into the block walls - 1 every foot roughly
Then i used another 4x2 spanning the originals at the front resting in the notches and the back had the door lintel sticking out ( i used that for my height datum)
I then screwed in 4x2 joists between the lintel and the front 4x2 and added some noggins between , its covered with 18mm birch ply and the centre hanging brace is more so i have something to hold on to and i finished the underside with 3mm ply - so i could stick in led spot lights as it blocks alot of light.
The end your looking at is dressed pine just for viewing pleasure.
Its going no where in a hurry.
I took 2 x 5 ft lengths of 4x2 and notched it about 1 inch deep at each end and used fischer frame fixings - 80mm into the block walls - 1 every foot roughly
Then i used another 4x2 spanning the originals at the front resting in the notches and the back had the door lintel sticking out ( i used that for my height datum)
I then screwed in 4x2 joists between the lintel and the front 4x2 and added some noggins between , its covered with 18mm birch ply and the centre hanging brace is more so i have something to hold on to and i finished the underside with 3mm ply - so i could stick in led spot lights as it blocks alot of light.
The end your looking at is dressed pine just for viewing pleasure.
Its going no where in a hurry.
In the house garage, I have a space about 24" deep and 6' long. I built a shelf for above the 2 trash cans, about 4' off the floor and 4' long. On the shelf sit a roll of trash bags, a container for plastic grocery bags, another container for cardboard and one for glass. A few small containers take up residence for used batteries and the ocassional small piece of trash. To the left of the shelf and trash cans are two 55 gal plastic barrels stacked, #1 PETEs in the bottom and #2 HDPE in the top. We pay for trash service by buying the bags from the refuse company. Recycling has cut our trash fees to less than half of the what monthly service is.
When winter rolls around, the porch swing is hung from the ceiling right above all this, except for this year, it's still out.
When winter rolls around, the porch swing is hung from the ceiling right above all this, except for this year, it's still out.
torqueman2002
Well-known member
I store an 8' step ladder above the OH garage door.
The top step is hooked over large hooks screwed into the door header. A rope and pully with tie-off hoist the ladder above the door, to allow raising and lowering of the door.
I store a clam-shell roof-top carrier against the ceiling, again with a rope and pully with tie-off system.
The top step is hooked over large hooks screwed into the door header. A rope and pully with tie-off hoist the ladder above the door, to allow raising and lowering of the door.
I store a clam-shell roof-top carrier against the ceiling, again with a rope and pully with tie-off system.
gahrajmahal
Well-known member
Here is a previous post called "what's in your corners" My spot is post #13. when I was searching I saw a few others on the subject. Bczycan, I really like what you took the time to write. As I organize this spring I will think of your suggestions and try to implement them.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2906999#post2906999
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2906999#post2906999
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
I haven't done it in a garage, but I added an addition on to my house years back, and I built 4' walls at a 45 degree angle in the corners. One corner I had to run the flue up through, so I mimicked the same on the opposite corner. It was way easier to utilize that corner better than a square corner.
finn
Well-known member
I built a shed and modified my garage attic for storage at my old house. The garage is for work, not storage.
bczygan
Well-known member
I just took a look at your photos. And you can do what we are talking about.
One thing I noticed, and liked, that is apropos for this thread, is how you used the corner for a floor mounted drill press. You angled it at 45 degrees, tu utilize that corner space. An excellent use of space.
Besides banishing yard tools to another location, one thing you can do to simplify things visually, is to hide the visual clutter. This can be as simple as hanging a piece of material as a shade, in front of things. You could even go buy a window shade of some type, and mount it. Especially easy to do in front of shelves. Or a rigid screen or panel will do the same thing. You could mount tracks on ceiling and floor and install sliding panels.
Or putting things away in a box or case or cabinet. I have a couple old time wood tool boxes that I use. You could even use luggage. Decorative leather or other suitcases or trunks can contain things. Look at Jack Olson's 12 Gauge Garage. Everything is in cabinets. If things have to be in view, put them in a series of matching containers. Repetition is pleasing. Like in Jack's garage, try to find something to tie things together. A stripe around the wall, a monochromatic color scheme, matching details of some kind.
Lighting is critical. There are whole threads on GJ, discussing lighting. We talk about ambient and task lighting. A lot of people just try to get a very high light level everywhere, so there are no shadows and very little need for task lighting. More to come...
I will try to get photos that demonstrate some of these concepts, and post them.
Bill
gahrajmahal
Well-known member
Bczygan, I keep two driving cars in my garage all the time. The challenge is one car is almost 18 ft. Long. It is my 68 Chrysler convertible. In the winter I don't care to pull it out into the weather so I use the other side to work in. Auto, woodworking and home projects. The side the Chrysler is on I don't have room for the swinging doors of cabinets so open shelves will have to do. The other side is considered my wifes side, so I have to share with lots of gardening stuff. I have sort of claimed the middle between the cars.
There is no option of adding a shed or other outdoor storage for the garden stuff, so I just sort of reconfigure and prune the collection of stuff I don't use often. Let's say a work in progress.
We always enjoy photos of other solutions.
There is no option of adding a shed or other outdoor storage for the garden stuff, so I just sort of reconfigure and prune the collection of stuff I don't use often. Let's say a work in progress.
We always enjoy photos of other solutions.
bczygan
Well-known member
A couple of questions.
Why no possibility of a shed?
How about a lean to?
You could even build a a wide and tall, but not very deep cabinet on the side of the house for shovels and rakes and brooms and weed whips and such. Something like this, but with doors on the face for access. It could even be something built and hung there or stood on a pad, so the house isn't changed.
How about a temporary garden shed for garden tools?
On the side of the garage where you can't open doors, how about sliding doors, to hide the clutter. This is a kitchen, but the principle applies:
Industrial:
Rustic:
Or make your own?
Or movable screens or shades that pull down? Here's the general shade idea:
Rig up something like this, but homemade:
Even vertical blinds, could be ceiling to floor:
Even curtains out of a heavy material, or weighted at the bottom,(And in a manly pattern or color) could hide things. A general idea:
Bill
bczygan
Well-known member
Sorry to the OP for hijacking the thread...
Some examples of design in garages. These techniques can be used in garages big or small. Imagine if your garage was done in these colors.
Here is an example of three or more concepts.
The first is keeping things simple and uncluttered by keeping things in cabinets.
Also note the repetition of cabinets and lights.
And the floor, walls and ceiling are all a neutral color. Neutral does NOT mean beige or even earth tones. It means a monotone of color.
The punch of primary color, in this case blue, has punch against the monotone background. Blue is also used on the stair railing and as the main color in the race car in the foreground, and the number on the other car.
Any primary color and black could have been used in place of the blue, for the same effect. Imagine what it would look like in other primary colors like red or green or even yellow.
In fact, the cars are mirrors of each other. One is white with blue and the other is blue with white. Blue is also used on the lift and the hose in the foreground, as well as the hose reels, which march back in counterpoint to the lights. It's all very geometric and satisfying.
Black is used sparingly in the hose behind the white car. Black, unless it is a main color in the scheme, should be used sparingly.
Way in the back is a bright yellow roller. Yellow is the opposite color from blue in the color wheel. It is the best counterpoint for blue.
More examples:
http://goo.gl/pyLgVq
Some examples of design in garages. These techniques can be used in garages big or small. Imagine if your garage was done in these colors.
Here is an example of three or more concepts.
The first is keeping things simple and uncluttered by keeping things in cabinets.
Also note the repetition of cabinets and lights.
And the floor, walls and ceiling are all a neutral color. Neutral does NOT mean beige or even earth tones. It means a monotone of color.
The punch of primary color, in this case blue, has punch against the monotone background. Blue is also used on the stair railing and as the main color in the race car in the foreground, and the number on the other car.
Any primary color and black could have been used in place of the blue, for the same effect. Imagine what it would look like in other primary colors like red or green or even yellow.
In fact, the cars are mirrors of each other. One is white with blue and the other is blue with white. Blue is also used on the lift and the hose in the foreground, as well as the hose reels, which march back in counterpoint to the lights. It's all very geometric and satisfying.
Black is used sparingly in the hose behind the white car. Black, unless it is a main color in the scheme, should be used sparingly.
Way in the back is a bright yellow roller. Yellow is the opposite color from blue in the color wheel. It is the best counterpoint for blue.
More examples:
http://goo.gl/pyLgVq
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