Bring on the champagne, red roses, and romantic music. I’ve officially fallen in love. With our new organized garage.
We desperately needed a functional and organized garage and workshop for our family. And it was less about design than about function. (Although I think we accomplished both in the end.)
Before I agreed to take this project on, I talked to Ryan about the garage and asked if it were feasible to commit to “finishing” it in 6 weeks. He said yes.
Then, we sold our house. Moved everything we owned into storage or into the barn. Set up our lives to live in 320-square-feet. And then about 500 other crazy things caused me great anxiety.
But you know what? Ryan truly dominated this space despite all the crazy. He (along with help from my brother and dad), helped bring this space from totally overwhelming, unusable space, to a multifunction area that everyone in our family can use.
And while there are still some details on the horizon, we have come a LONG way baby. And this space is truly useable and totally lovable now. I. Love. This. Space.
Do you need a reminder of how far we’ve come? I can do that. 6 freaking weeks ago …
If you remember, I had big dreams for what this space needed to achieve.
Mudroom – Storage – Laundry – Workspace – Parking – Entertaining
We were able to achieve everything. (With the exception of laundry because the buyers are keeping our washer and dryer.)
Start with the backdrop to the organized garage.
One of our very first projects was the walls and ceilings.
While not exactly about organizing, it was important to do it first – and by having this area finished, it makes the whole garage look better.
Ryan, Kyle and my dad worked on getting all the upcycled corrugated metal on the walls. Then they drywalled the ceiling and stairwell. These were giant projects but made such an impact and made the space feel finished.
The stairway also got a major upgrade with railings. This means that I don’t freak out nearly as much when I’m using the stairs with Henry because there are railings. These stairs are REALLY steep and narrow, so the more safety precautions we have, the better. (We do plan to carpet them and do some painting as well, but that hasn’t happened yet.)
Here’s a peek at how the stairs looked before.
Find a home for everything.
The very best part of this space is that everything in the garage now has a home. That’s what we desperately needed. We have NEVER had an organized garage space that has actually had organization and storage built in. We built a few shelves and just started piling. We never focused on organizing and it showed.
And because we have so many things – from tools to reno supplies and craft items and paint – we needed storage solutions big time.
This was especially important to me because I knew that when we start building next spring, things are going to get chaotic. So if we don’t develop a system now, we never will.
So I spent so many hours going through everything we owned in the garage and barn. Every tool. Every plumbing part. Every light switch cover. I literally touched everything. And then I invested in bins and buckets to store everything (which was one of our own real expenses in this project).
The organizing was OVERWHELMING. And I just had to take it one day at a time. One bin at a time. One item at a time. It truly took hours and days. But it was more than worth it.
For example, we now have four bins of electrical supplies. So when Ryan needs an outlet cover, he can go to OUR electrical department before going to Menards. Inside the larger bins, I used smaller shoebox size bins to organize further. I was crazy about it but I hope it means it’s something we can actually use.
I used my Silhouette to label the larger bins with vinyl. Then I tried organizing everything into areas.
Building some customized organization pieces.
Once we knew that bins were going to be the best way to go for us, we needed to find a way to store all those bins neatly. Enter these fabulous rolling workspaces built by my dad and painted by me.
They hold SO. MUCH. STUFF. In these two, we are able to store all of my paint and paint supplies, all of Henry and my craft supplies (sewing and Silhouette), and some other supplies (like cleaning supplies and light bulbs).
And that top workspace is just perfect for crafting or sewing, which means I have a designated craft space now. (Hurray!)
We mounted an old curtain rod on the wall that had a broken finial. This is the perfect way for me to store rolls of duct tape, garage bags, Kraft paper, and paper towels. This means easy access. (The “Ocean” sign is an old street sign from San Francisco we purchased on our honeymoon.)
As a reminder, here’s what the space looked like before.
For Ryan’s tools, we move to the other wall. We moved one of the long workspaces in for storage and added wall storage, too. Stray bits on magnetic strips, saw blades from nails. Plus I hung the clock that was in Ryan’s grandpa’s garage workshop.
Ryan’s tool bench pretty chaotic, but everything has a home, so we are golden! All of his corded tools are on the middle shelf for easy access.
We also had a lot of other stuff to contend with. His tool box. Other large tools – the table saw, air compressor, generator, welding table, record player (total necessity in Ryan’s land). We just measured them all and gave them each a space along the wall.
It’s a vast improvement from where we started. We couldn’t even find a hammer in this mess. And there are 12 of them. (I know. Because I counted them while I was organizing.)
Find a place for all the lumber and building materials.
There was another elephant in the room – lumber and building materials were all over the place. We had a stack of 2x4s 7 feet high (literally). We had a pile of barn wood and drywall and plywood and corrugated metal. It wasn’t safe for Henry because he wanted to climb all over.
First we purged – sold some things, returned some things, and used a TON of things in the process of upgrading this space.
Then we worked on storage for what was left. It would also hold everything else that didn’t have a home. Ryan and I measured and measured and figured out just what we needed. And then Ryan and Kyle built this last weekend.
It holds the last of the bins, along with all the automotive “stuff” and all the building materials up top. Henry’s toys (and a few other tools) slide underneath. This is perfection. Every single inch is accounted for. Which means, NO MORE TOOLS OR TOYS OR CRAFT SUPPLIES OR LADDERS. Or really, no more anything. 😉
Carve out mudroom space.
Finally, we had to create a pseudo mudroom for the space, since there was no way all the shoes and bags and hats and scarves and boots would fit in the apartment.
We carved out a tiny space under the stairs for this purpose. It’s tight, but it works out just fine. The IKEA shoe cabinet is the perfect fit there. And a rod hangs all our coats as well as a series of hanging spots for winter gear and scarves.
It’s no Pinterest mudroom (sigh, someday). But for now, we have a place to hang coats and store shoes and keep keys. The small ottoman provides seating to put on shoes and doubles as file storage.
Add some other fun and practical details.
There were other details that we added, too, that deserve a little mention.
Ryan’s metal signs were all hung for fun decorative touches. Since the wall is magnetic, I also added more magnets to hang Henry’s artwork or lists.
A Behr paint can was hung for some easy wall storage. (And the black plastic is perfect for chalk markers.)
This wall storage for nails and screws is perfect – it’s just deep enough to store the boxes so nothing gets buried. Our womp-womp moment is that we actually still have a whole bin of screws and nails that need a home so Ryan will build a second series of shelves for them above his workspace.
Chalkboard labels on the smaller bins mean we can easily swap things around.
My three-tiered stand avoided being stored away by creating some storage on the workspaces. There isn’t really anything in them yet, but I thought I’d add things as I use them regularly. (There are some supplies that will be nice to have at arm’s reach.) The bonus is that since I like to use this for entertaining, it’s always accessible. (P.S. The hand sanitizer is sitting on the two pallet coasters that Henry and I made last weekend at the kids workshop at Home Depot. So stinkin’ cute.)
I’m still a huge fan of our yard tool storage. It’s wonderful to have a place to store everything.
I know that was a HUGE post with tons of details, but I wanted to get it all in one place. In the end, this was not a quick or simple project. But the work has already been worth it.
- We can actually find the things we need.
- We know where to put things away after we’ve used them.
- The space can actually be usable – for working, crafting, playing and more.
Before, the garage was another source of major anxiety for me. Now, it’s such a relief. We’ve already spent so much time here since moving into the barn. And I know it will be a life saver over the winter. I’m just thrilled to fall in love again.
I’d love to hear what you think about our transformation!
Thanks to Behr Paint for providing the paint for this project. And thanks to you for supporting sponsors who make projects like this possible.
like your garden tool storage, but have a question: Do anyone find it frustrating to pull a tool way up over the top pvc? Do you have enough head room for this.
This is a really good question! It does bug my husband – but it doesn’t bother me. You’d definitely want to have plenty of headroom – we have over 12 feet so it’s not a huge issue.
Your barn is beautiful, love it! Where did you purchase the pendant lamps? They are exactly what I have been looking for!
I picked them up at Menards.
Your “before” tool piles look a lot like what I’m currently dealing with! It’s a work in progress.
I Love your space, too!!
Wow! Incredible job! Organizing and cleaning up the garage is SUCH a huge amount of work. We did ours earlier this year. When we were first finished I would open the door multiple times a day just to admire all the glorious organization. It has since exploded again thanks to a garage sale I never fully cleaned up. I think this post is exactly the kick start I need to get things back in tip top shape and get the cars parked inside once and for all. Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Crossing my fingers that we can keep ours up. And good luck!
WOW WOW WOW! It has come such a long way! I LOVE the metal walls. It makes me miss my old basement. I love the industrial-ness of it. Everything is perfect. The lights, the workbench, everything. I love it so hard Kim!
Girlfriend, this is SO inspiring. My garage needs your golden touch. I would die to have everything this organized. Sommmmmedaaaaaaayyyyyy… (I’m singing, Barbara Streisand style)
OMG! I absolutely digging everything about this!!! I LOVE mixing old and new with spaces and I am in love with the walls!!!! Super jealous!
Thank you so much, Emily. The walls are definitely one of my favorite parts.
Wow!!!! This is freakin awesome! I love the style that you injected while keeping it functional. You guys killed it! Looks great.
Thank you so much, Andrea!
AMAZING! You have inspired me to reconfigure my own garage!
Getting started is the hardest part!
I love how you are using things for multipurposing. So smart. My handyman would absolutely love that space. And room to craft to boot? Wowzers!
Holy smokes lady! You guys rocked it. I mean, you guys basically built a room from the ceiling down and I couldn’t even install freakin cabinet hardware. The shame. I love this space so much. All that storage is amazing. Gah. LOOOOVE the walls. Its just so good. Now go take a nap. Im pretty sure you need one.
Thanks so much, Shavonda. I neglected a lot of things (like cleaning and laundry) to get this done. =)
Oh my gosh KIM!!!!! This is really my dream! I think only us DIYers can understand how much happiness a space like this can bring us. It’s fantastic!!! So jealous
It looks amazing!!
I’m totally obsessed with the walls. Everything looks so good. Your little barn is so perfect! I am so happy for you guys.
Amazing job Kim and Ryan (and family)!! It was a giant project to tackle, but it’s awesome. So organized and functional. I’m sure it makes living in the barn so much easier!
*slow claps* Kim. My word, you are a powerhouse. You did an AMAZING job in here, as you always do, with everything. You managed to make it SO amazingly organized and functional, and it still has such awesome style. Great work!
it’s AMAZING! what a great space with so much room. love the walls and the colors you chose for everything- love the signs! and now that you have all that room you could get a boat. just because you can.
Kim I’m moving in!!!! I would absolutely die to have that workspace, to me that might just be more valuable than the actual living space upstairs. (My basement workspace is a mine field and I have to build outside 🙁 .) You have truly done wonders.
Oh my gosh…I LOVE it! I want to go down to our basement & start organizing all of our cr…I mean important things we have down there. If only my husband would get on board. You should be very proud. That’s one amazing space.
Thanks, Kristin. It was a big job but I’m so glad we did it now.
Oh my word, Kim! This is incredible! I cannot believe you guys got so much accomplished! And the organization is a dream!!! I am so excited about this makeover!
It turned out awesome! I love all the organization!
Oh Kim. It’s AMAZING. I can only imagine the hours (and hours and hours) of work that went into this, but it will be worth every bit of work when you have this incredible space available all winter long. The silhoutte labels on the bins are truly fantastic.
I hope you’re pouring a glass of wine and just sitting there admiring your handiwork.
That is the most amazing garage ever! It’s so organized! And the tin walls are a really trendy touch!
Incredible! It looks so so fantastic. I’m impressed and jealous and think you are awesome. Now I feel like faking sick so I can go home and clean my garage!
WOW!!! I am super impressed that y’all managed to accomplish this in six weeks with everything else you had going on, too! The hubs and I have been talking about a garage overhaul and I am so inspired by this! Thanks Kim!
Thanks, Colleen. It was something that we really wanted to get done before moving in. Because otherwise, we would have never done it. Good luck with your garage space. I promise it’s worth all the work.
Whoa. That is all.
Not, really, but that’s definitely my first impression. You are seriously impressive! One time, like earlier this year, we devoted Dave’s spring break to cleaning out our garage, and it looked pretty much the same after a week of work as it had when we started, and I wanted to cry and never go in the garage again. Which I tell you about to emphasize that I am so impressed because I know from experience what a giant task you took on. Love those walls! They look even better now, in context, with all the signs and the beautiful, beautiful storage in front of them. GREAT JOB!
I see what you did there with getting some crafting space – I totally didn’t expect that, but love it! Nice work Woodwards!
That is actually a huge relief for me. I was planning to store everything at my parents, but that would have been a big inconvenience.
Oh wow, love love love it! The metal walls really do it I think it. But a couple questions…what about all the dust from working on projects and the fact that it’s a shop/garage? The mudroom area with the coats and the future carpeted stairs will just get covered. Are you really going to vacuum the stairs all the time or just let them be? Just seems like a huge dirt collector, more so than carpet in a house already collecting dust and having to vacuum all the time.
That’s a great question – there will likely be issues with dust and sawdust, but it’s really our only option at this point. We are literally living in a space that’s 320 square feet right now, so having a little dust on our coats is a better option than sleeping on top of our coats. And the mudroom is a short-term solution until we move. I’ve considered getting a curtain to put up around the stairs area, but I’m not sure what we will do. As for the carpet, I would be much more willing to vacuum steps if it meant that they would be a little more cushioned for my two-year-old (and me). I guess it’s always a trade-off.
Thanks for the comment!
I’ve come to expect nothing less from you! This is totally amazing. I am very very proud of you and all of the hard work you accomplished completing this project. You DO have a key to our barn, right?
This absolutely blew me away. I have no idea how you and Ryan accomplished all of this with all of the house stuff you had going on anyways. You deserve a pat on the back and unlimited Starbucks. I’ve already bookmarked this most for our new basement. The scrap lumber, the totes, the yard tools….. I want to organize all the things!
Thanks, Emily! It was honestly a necessity to get this done before we moved everything here, but it was a major project for us. The organizing was totally overwhelming and also oddly addicting. It was fun to see it all come together.
OMG Kim. You win hands down for most ambitious project all around. I can not BELIEVE how much you got done. I am in total awe. Also I want you to please come do our garage. Bring your Dad and Ryan :). I am in love with your make-over. I love the new railings and of course a ceiling is always nice. Those corrugated walls: yes, please. So so good. I love the work benches and how you organized them and those white Silhouette labels are KILLER!!! Love the wood storage too. That is something we definitely need and don’t have room for. Sigh… some day right? You mud room is awesome and I just LOVE your craft area. I want – no need – to come to your craft nights now. Blow me away, why don’t you? So good Kim!!!
Thanks, Katja. It’s not quite as jaw-dropping as so many of the other beautiful spaces (yours included) but it was a giant undertaking and I’m so thankful it’s done. Ugh. So much work, but worth the effort. Thanks for the kind words.
Holy schmoly! You have been busy! Seriously impressed. And now that you are done (and I’m sure looking for things to do), you can come over and organize my garage/storage room. Like today. Thanks!
Seriously though. This is super impressive. I love those metal walls.
Um. I’m actually busy. For the rest of the decade. But good luck with your garage project. 😉
What a great space Kim! I love how organized it all is and it must be a sigh of relief to be home 🙂 Fab job! xoxo
It is a relief! It will be more of a relief when we close on our old house. Fingers crossed it goes smoothly.
Wow!!! What an accomplishment! It looks awesome!! I’m sure you feel great to have a place for everything! Can’t wait to see what all happens in this barn!!
Thanks, Emily! It has been a labor of love.
Absolutely amazing! Wow what a transformation!
Thanks, Stephanie! We are loving it!
It looks great! What an awesome space for everyone in the family. Now we have a barnwarming party.
Red neck women in a big red barn. Love it all. Nice work.
BARN PARTY!
I’m blown away at how much you all accomplished! Love the corrugated metal walls and that you painted the work benches a dark colour. You’ve also found the perfect “artwork” and I can’t wait to see Henry’s art up there too. 🙂
Thanks so much, Anu. It’s a very practical space – but I think that practical can totally be pretty, too.
Love this! Great job! One more thing off your plate. Btw, I spied your Woodward dream cruise sign! I live along Woodward :-).
Oh my gosh, what a small world! Ryan and his dad used to go every single year!