Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Garage Nirvana

Garages are such multi-purpose locations in our homes are are used frequently, but often neglected. At our home, we use the garage for:
  1. Lawncare storage
  2. Recycling and garbage bins
  3. Bikes, helmets, and scooters
  4. Home projects
 With all the activities that we've had going on, the garage has been the official dumping ground for all these efforts as well as for our recycling bins (three in total). Unfortunately, these have to sit flat on the floor and take up oodles of space. I thought moving them to the workbench might be better, but then that takes up valuable space that we would much prefer to be able to, well, use. While Pinteresting (of course!), I found the most clever idea from Family Handyman magazine.
The home projects are numerous and frequent, but the most space consuming is the planning a major garage sale as a result of our household endeavors and boy are we pack rats! I really didn't think that we could have that much stuff that we didn't need, wasn't useful, and didn't make us happy. However, that will be a blog for another day.


Absolutely. Freaking. Brilliant! For the cost of a 2x4, a 1x4 and some screws that we had on hand, we were able to take some unused wall space and turn it into recycling nirvana.



Next, in a fit of cleaning and purging, we went through the garage looking at what we needed to keep, what was garbage or recycling, and what needed to be relocated. Most items were things that needed to be moved out to the storage shed where they belonged. The rest needed a home and quick!

A lot of items went into our (already) full recycling bins and other items went into the cabinets or above in the hangers from Home Depot. Another great idea!



Finally, it has come down to five bikes, five helmets, and three scooters. The garage is out as it would mean that we would be hanging the bikes, which would make them inaccessible to the kids without help. This is a nice option, but somewhat spendy for our budget.


The next option is probably more realistic and suited to our storage needs.


The drawback? The plans are from a company in the UK with the exchange rate to match. (Sigh). Regardless, I am still looking for great ideas on bike storage. What creative ways do you store kids bikes?

I am part of the Inspiring Thursday link party!


 
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

7 comments:

  1. Karla Do MoreApril 12, 2012 at 2:02 AM

    Love the recycle bins. I need to get us some of those. Thanks for the inspiration. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle VoytkoApril 12, 2012 at 1:51 PM

      Karla, you are very welcome! I found a variety of recycle bins for sale at Home Depot depending on your needs that can be found here: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/Search?keyword=recycle+bin&selectedCatgry=SEARCH+ALL&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&Ns=None&Ntpr=1&Ntpc=1.

      Delete
  2. M Mommy to 4April 16, 2012 at 8:31 PM

    You could try a shed like this: http://ana-white.com/2012/04/plans/small-cedar-fence-picket-storage-shed They look fairly similar. You might have to check the dimensions and alter it a little, but I think it would work and be MUCH cheaper than those plans! Anyway, the recycling idea is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle VoytkoApril 19, 2012 at 10:06 PM

      Thanks for the great link! Ana has the best ideas for projects. I am glad you liked the recycling bins. We liked it so much that we are adding a 4th bin!

      Delete
  3. smart mommaJune 23, 2012 at 9:55 PM

    hi michelle, i have heard a lot about pinterest but it never occured to me to actually be a pinterest person and hang out in there yet...but because of you, i might be doing that soon!!

    i will definitely take your suggestion as to the categorizing - it's gonna be a lot of work but im sure it's going to be definitely worth it!

    yeah i also agree with elaine, but i am going to shop my own home first and utilize what i have before shopping!

    thank you so much for all your suggestions michelle!

    we are on the same project right now, goodluck to you!

    smart momma

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle VoytkoJune 26, 2012 at 8:20 AM

      I can't wait to see what you do! I am in the process of shopping the house and love some of the great items I've found. Amazing how you can take something that either doesn't work or seems lackluster in one room and make it AMAZING in another. We did the garage categorization and I was amazed at how crazy my miscellaneous pile ended up being. We had sidewalk chalk mixed in with parts to yard equipment we didn't even have any longer!

      Delete
  4. AnonymousJuly 12, 2013 at 11:35 PM

    Garage organizers can be a good thanks to finally get this house in your home saved.

    Garage Organizer

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)