The garage is one of the most disorganized areas in people’s homes. And that was true for Sabrina Gordon, before she dreamed up some DIY garage organization systems.
Two’s a Crowd
It all started with her husband, Bill’s, purchase of a computer numerical control machine. It cuts wood with a router that receives software commands — like a 3D printer for wood — and it just added to the garage activity.
The Jupiter, Florida couple, both avid do-it-yourselfers, create custom wood pieces and stay busy.
“After he received the CNC machine, we were both busy with doing orders … and the garage became a war zone,” Sabrina said. “We were constantly in each other’s way, tripping over tools, wood, each other.”
Making the Dream Come True
Sabrina knew there was a better way to make the situation work for Bill and her. And, during one sleepless night, she sketched up a rough idea of several garage organization systems.
She and Bill discussed the plan, which called for more vertical storage. “We did have the typical wire shelving that adjusts with those little round clips, but it seemed like a waste,” she said.
The solution, they realized, was to do what they’ve done since 2010: create wood solutions that work for their home and its unique needs. That would require minimal investment — about $350 — because they had a lot of wood on hand.
“The only materials we bought to do this much of a transformation [were] 10 2-by-4s (for the wood cart and floating shelves) and Knape & Vogt metal track shelving from Home Depot,” Sabrina said. “All of the other pieces of wood and materials were items we had on hand and [were] able to reuse.”
The couple knew that the Knape & Vogt metal track was one of the plan’s crucial garage organization systems. It can hold heavier items, which made it the destination for extra roof shingles, additional paints and stains, a wet tile saw, reciprocating saw, nail guns and miscellaneous items.
The rest was all Sabrina and Bill’s DIY project.
A Place for Everything
“There [were] several different pieces that were built to help store ‘like items,’” Sabrina said. “There are two different spray-paint holders mounted to the wall. One section has all primers and colors and another section only has the finishing spray paints/varnishes.”
In addition, near the garage door is storage for WD-40, Bondo, garage door grease and flashlights.
As for garage tool organization?
“I made and installed the Ryobi drill system, which holds five drills,” Sabrina said. “The bottom shelf holds two of our sanders and the top was created to have a slot for two circular saws to be held in there.”
She designed these garage organization systems with more than storage in mind — function was given heavy consideration.
As for the saw system, “The blade drops through the slot in the wood so they aren’t sitting weird on a shelf and get knocked around and dig the blades,” she said.
One of the first rules of decluttering and organizing a space is to get everything off the floor, and that’s just what the couple did to accommodate both commonly used and rarely used items.
“We were able to get the joiner and planer off the floor,” Sabrina said. “So, we moved the router table under the CNC machine, since we don’t use it that much, and now we had a permanent home for the joiner and planer.”
Finishing It Off
The final phase of Sabrina and Bill’s garage organization systems was certainly not the least important one: it was a movable wood-storage caddy — a must for their business.
“This is built as 4 feet by 4 feet and is on heavy-duty casters so we can slide it to different areas of the garage to use, or be able to easily move it when we have to pack up for another hurricane,” Sabrina said.
The couple’s Ring security cameras captured the entire process, which was quite awhile, she said.
“There was a lot of moving, sorting and organizing,” Sabrina said. “We worked on it every evening after our day jobs for about three to four hours each night and that weekend was the big transition!
“All in all, to organize, move, build — it took maybe 45 hours, but it has been so worth it!”
Have you created unique garage organization systems? Share your experience in the comments!
