How to Plan Garage Storage

Draw a simple layout of your garage's floorplan and available space. Measure usable space where you want to create storage. Examine and make note of the corners and areas that receive the least amount of traffic. Factor in how much room you need to maneuver around a vehicle parked in the garage. You do not want to invest in a project that cuts off this much-needed space.

Plan to lift everything off of the ground. Your garage storage can extend the life of your tools, equipment and supplies by elevating them so that they do not get wet from heavy rain, experience drastic shifts in the ground's temperature or become infested with insects.

Assess and sort the items by type that you want to store in your garage. Determine the best storage solutions for these items, such as heavy-duty shelves for heavy cans of paint, narrow shelves for small containers of nuts, bolts and screws, hanging tool organizers for hammers, screwdrivers and wrenches and hooks and bins for power tools, bicycles and sporting equipment.

Organize your items into storage bins, and check that the lids are tightly secured to all containers and paint cans. Label your bins so that it is easy to find the small things that are stored in the garage. Once everything is sorted and organized, the garage storage solution can be customized to accommodate all of your things.

Install custom-built cabinets and shelves, or purchase ready-made pieces. Develop a custom cabinetry look with these elements by using similar materials and fitting them together to look like a uniform unit.

If you need a work surface in your garage, construct a unit with extra storage space underneath.

Make use of the unused spaces in your garage. The ceiling offers a lot of space for garage storage. Hanging shelves can be installed by connecting them to the ceiling beams with heavy-duty bolts. Of course you will have to know the maximum weight limit for these shelves to know what you can store on them, but they can be constructed to hold several hundred pounds.

Consider the amount of overhead clearance you need in your garage before installing a ceiling-mounted shelving unit. It may be better placed above the garage door or near the front of a parked vehicle.