The Garage Plan Shop Blog

As your garage door opens, are you frightened at the sight of what is inside? Do you ever wonder how it got to be so cluttered and full of stuff? Do you wonder if you’ll ever be able to park the car inside the garage again? Do you wonder if you’ll ever be able to find a certain tool or toy that’s stashed inside?

You may think it will be impossible to get your garage organized, but there is hope. Installing cabinets and other organizational accessories will create storage space allowing you to get things up off the floor and put them in a place where you’ll be able to find them next time you need them. Garage storage cabinets are available in a wide variety of choices so it should be easy to find just the right ones to fit in your garage and accommodate all of your belongings. In addition to cabinets, there are other garage storage accessories available like shelving units, workbenches and counters that provide extra storage space and even work space.

Take some time to consider what items you want to store in your garage and what will go into the self storage facility downtown, this will help you determine how many cabinets and storage shelves you’ll need to accommodate all of your belongs. Do you need a workbench or counter? Consider locking cabinets for items that you need to keep out of reach of small children such as power tools or harmful chemicals such as weed killer. But don’t forget to accommodate the kids. Choose lower cabinets and shelving units that are easy to access for the kids to store outdoor toys, bike helmets, baseball bats and gloves, etc.

Once cabinets, shelving units and other storage accessories are installed, store all your belongings in their designated spaces. Each time you use a particular item, return it to the place you got it from. This will help keep the garage floor clear and leave room for you to park the family car.

For more ideas like this one, check out The Garage Plan Shop’s resource page and our blogs about garage organization.

Tags: garage organization, garage storage, Organization, storage cabinets, storage shelves

The holidays have passed for another year. Now it is time to pack up your holiday décor and store it in your garage until next year. One task is to store all those holiday lights from front yard light displays, the Christmas tree and other areas of the home. Below are a few ideas to help you pack up your Christmas lights so you don’t find a tangled mess of light strands in box next year. If you need additional storage space for your holiday lights and decorations, you may consider keeping them in a private storage unit at a nearby self storage facility. A self storage unit is also ideal for those who do not have space to build a shed or a garage.

• • Plastic bags – Wrap each strand of lights in a ball and place each ball in an individual plastic bag (any type will do.) Then store all the bags together in a box in the designated space in your garage.

• • Empty Wrapping Paper Tube – Begin by cutting a slit in both ends of a wrapping paper tube. Secure one end of the strand of lights by threading it through the slit. Then, wrap the lights along the tube. Thread the other end of the lights through the slit at the opposite end of the tube.

• Cardboard Square – Cut a square or rectangle out of heavy duty cardboard. Cut a slit in one side of the square. Then, secure the end of a light strand by threading it through the slit. Wrap the strand of lights around the cardboard and thread the other end of the strand back through the slit. Store all cardboard square together in a clearly labeled box.

For more holiday ideas, check out The Garage Plan Shop’s entire collection of holiday blogs.

Tags: Christmas lights, holiday decorating, holiday storage, holiday storage tips, light displays, Organization, storage, tips

If you enjoy decorating your home, garage and yard for the holidays, The Garage Plan Shop has a few tips for decorating and storage of your light displays and other holiday décor.

1. 1. Begin by going through all of last year’s décor. Get rid of strands of lights that don’t work (some hardware stores and home improvement centers collect non-working strands of lights and give a discount if you purchase new LED lights), throw away broken or weathered decorations. Remember to recycle anything you can. Replace any items that you discarded with new items you’ll need for your outdoor holiday display this year.

1. 1. If you like the way you decorated your yard, porch, garage, etc., take photos of this year’s display. You don’t need to print the pictures. Just save them on your computer and reference them next year. This way you won’t have to figure out just how you made your display looks so good last year.

1. When the holidays are over and it is time to pack your lights and decorations, group them by the area in which they were used and place them is separate boxes or storage containers. Label the containers, i.e. “roof,” “porch,” “garage,” “yard,” etc. When it is time to decorate outside next year, you’ll already know which decorations are for what part of your home or yard. If you decide to print the photos mentioned in Tip # 1, include the photos in the corresponding boxes of decorations so you’ll have them for a reference. If there’s no more room in your garage or attic for these lights and decorations, you may consider renting a self storage unit at a nearby storage facility.

With these holiday organization and storage tips, decorating the exterior of your house and your yard will be a snap next year!

Tags: Christmas, holiday decorating, holiday tips, Organization, outdoor decorating, storage