New here, looking for basement/garage tool storage ideas

[thool]

Hi. I have a dilemma regarding work areas and tool storage. Looking for guidance from others who have had a similar situation. I am an avid tinkerer, home repairer, appliance repairer, and do my own car maintenance and my mower/snowblower.

I have a partially finished basement, and the unfinished half (has a walkout) contains my workbench with pegboard, electrical supplies, plumbing supplies, cabinets full of fasteners, air tools, horses, and power tools. My hand tools are in a variety of toolboxes. When I need to work on something in the house, in the garage, or out in the yard, it means a walk into the basement to get the tool or box.

I'd like to find a better solution for tool storage, and get away from walking up and down the basement stairs. My garage is a 2 car attached with a small bump-out, so I was thinking...

1. Buy a HF 44" 13 drawer roller cabinet, install it in the garage bump out area, and stock it with new hand tools. I'd likely start with sockets, screwdrivers, and wrenches. Move my air tools up there, since my compressor is in the garage.

2. In the basement, unload all my current hand tools from their cases and put them on the pegboard. I still want to use that space for interior work and in the winter when the garage would be too cold.

3. As needed, expand the garage box, possibly with the 44" top tool chest.

Since our winters get very cold and my garage is not insulated, I want to avoid moving tools between temperatures because of condensation and rust. I know some products can help here (LPS 3 for example). Also, the garage gets salty and wet cars in the winter, and everything is subjected to those conditions for those 6-7 months.

Thanks in advance.

J

 

[jakemac]

My house tends to sprawl. So, to avoid having to run back and forth to grab a tool. I have my full shop in the basement, a HF 5-drawer cart in the garage, a Kennedy mechanics box in the bedroom, and several Klein canvas pouches (with cheap basic tools) in the living area of the house that the family can touch.

To save money, I pick up used tools at yard/estate/flea sales to stock the various tool stashes.

Keep your good tools in your shop, and buy lesser tools to tinker with in the garage. A few basic tools inside the house for the family to abuse wouldn't hurt either. That way if they rust, or get left out it won't matter as much. Train them not to touch your good tools. If you have a more detailed job out in the garage, then you can bring up the good tools you need and put them back when you're done.

 

[thool]

Thanks for the tips.

I don't have too many good tools. My best set is an old Husky brand socket set with 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" drive, this set here:

It gets a lot of use. My power tools are pretty good Dewalt and Milwaukee, and those would probably go to the garage. I don't like to grind or saw in the basement because of dust, so those always go to the garage for use anyway.

The HF box gets a lot of good reviews, and I've seen the display in person and really like it.

 

[bczygan]

Welcome to GJ!

Please put your location in you profile.

The HF roller is a good one. I have it.

Your problem will soon be solved because, as a member of GJ, you will soon buy enough tools to stock both locations to overfull.

The other thing you will soon realize, is that you need to insulate and heat that garage. At least you need a dehumidifier. I need that as a stop gap myself. Otherwise those pretty tools get all rusty.

Bill

 

[thool]

Updated location.

My garage is partially insulated: the house side. I have 1 wall that is un-insulated, a foam filled garage door, and about 10 feet here and there that has no insulation. While insulating will help to some degree, a heater and dehumidifier would be the next logical step, but those are expenses I am not ready for right now.

I went to HF the other day and handled a lot of the wrenches myself. Very impressive, and the cost is low enough for me to get a decent starter socket and wrench inventory for a few hundred.