Making Garage Organizers

Examine the items that need to be organized and stored in your garage to determine the appropriate size and arrangement of shelving, drawers and pegs. Sort the items into categories such as “tools,” “lawn care,” “household goods” and “seasonal equipment.” Further sort each category by size and weight, as the larger and heavier items will need to be stored lower down.

Divide the garage into sections, with each section corresponding to one of your categories. Measure the height of the tallest piece of large equipment from your categories using the tape measure. Note this on a piece of paper. This will be the height of your lowest shelf. Measure the largest of the other items. This will be the distance between your other shelves.

Clear the garage of everything that can be removed. Measure the height of your bottom shelves and mark these on the wall with the chalk. Draw a horizontal line 2 feet long using a spirit level to mark out the position of your lowest shelf. Measure the distance between your other shelves up the wall and draw another 2-foot horizontal line. Repeat until you have lines for 2-foot-long shelves all up the wall.

Draw shelf lines for the other sections to provide shelving for all your equipment. For the tools section, only draw shelves up to chest height and leave the rest of that space on the wall empty. This is where you'll place the pegboard, which will be used to hang tools that cannot be stored safely, or easily, on shelves.

Place a bracket against the wall so it lines up under your first shelf line, 4 inches in from the left side. Mark the position of the screw holes with the piece of chalk. Place the bracket against the shelf line, 4 inches in from the right side and mark the screw holes with the chalk. Repeat for the rest of your shelf lines.

Fit the masonry bit to your hammer drill. Drill holes where you have marked screw positions with the chalk. Place a plug in each hole. Screw the brackets to the walls. Screw your 1-inch-thick plywood sheets to the brackets to form your shelves. Place the pegboard against the wall above the tool shelves. Mark the position of the screw holes with the chalk.

Drill the screw holes you marked for the pegboard using the hammer drill. Use a step ladder if necessary to safely reach the top of the pegboard. Put a plug in each hole. Hold the pegboard against the wall and screw the board in place. Press each tool up to the board in turn and push pegs into the pegboard to hold the tool in the desired position.