Stretching Your Garage Space to the Max

Whether you have a small garage or just a whole lotta stuff, the more you can stretch your garage space to the max, the more organized, neat and spacious your garage will be. After decades in the garage door business, we can’t tell you how many homeowners wind up parking their cars outside because their garage is too full of other toys and belongings.

5 Tricks to Make the Most of Your Garage Space

Here are 5 tricks for getting the most out of your garage space so you have room to store everything you need to – and park your car inside, which was why the garage was designed in the first place. When your garage “expansion without construction” project is complete, your garage will look better than it ever has.

1. Get rid of what you don’t use. The first item of business is to go through everything and get rid of what you don’t need. In the case of your garage, we recommend making it a family affair. Take everything out of the garage space and then evaluate it with an objective eye. If it hasn’t been used in a year or more, you can safely donate or sell it. Should you need it again in the future, you can probably rent or borrow it – or find it cheap again on craigslist.
2. Stick a piece of plywood up in the rafters. If your garage has exposed rafters, you can make a safe, pseudo-attic by throwing a piece or two of plywood up there. Make sure the wood covers the spaces between the rafters adequately and layer it if necessary to safely support the weight of what you store up there, as well as your own weight when you access the new “attic”. This is a great space to store the bulkier and/or seasonal items that don’t need to be in the common area year-round.
3. Utilize hooks. Moving things from the ground or perimeter space to the upper-levels of the garage is a smart way to gain floor space. Bikes, scooters and big wheels are all good candidates for the hooks. This can save you almost ¼ of your garage floor space, depending on the size of the garage. It also keeps them safe from those front or rear tires of the car when a bike is laying down in the middle of the garage, rather than tucked neatly along the sides.
4. Install shelving to the ceiling. Garage shelving systems are not uncommon, but they are often inadequate to do the job they were designed for. The higher you build them, the better off you are. Take your shelving up to the ceiling – or at least 8-feet – to optimize the storage space. Use upper-sections for the things you utilize the least. Then, think about who uses the shelves and for what to determine which shelves make the most sense. For example, kids craft items and outdoor or water toys may be on lower shelves while tools or hobby and crafting items can live in the middle- and middle-upper reaches. Make sure your shelves are sufficiently supported for safe storage and access.
5. Install an automatic rolling door. Automatic rolling doors roll up and down on tracks along the sides of the entrance and then along the ceiling edges. This is a major space saver when compared with doors that operate using a swing-system, requiring more air space to clear the upper-end of the garage. If you have an older garage door that swings, maybe it’s time to replace it so you can gain more space for storage.

Are you in the process of upgrading or remodeling your garage? Make storage a priority so you can stretch your garage space to the max. If you need to replace your current garage door or are interested in designing a new one, give us a call here at R&S.