This post is part of a paid partnership with Lowe’s.
Over the past year we have swapped out our garage doors, garage door openers, and put an epoxy coat on the floor. The saga finally came to a close this week as we finished all the garage organization, and I can’t even express how happy we are about getting this part of our lives organized. We have a true two-car garage, designed to fit two cars and nothing else, but here’s what our garage looks like now:
The biggest problem with our garage is that it’s so narrow. Four inches from the garage doors to the wall on one side, nine inches on the other. So we knew that whatever we chose, needed to have a small footprint and large impact. After looking at all the options from Lowe’s, we decided to go with the Rubbermaid FastTrack system, which was affordable and versatile.
There are a lot of similar systems to this, but the ease of installation and variety of accessories were what sold us. Each rail comes with the support and a cover. Simply level the support and screw it directly into the studs.
A single rail costs less than $10, and you can do so much with each one.
On the left side of the above picture, you can see all of the yard tools, as well as a couple shelves above. We used the steel hook attachment for the yard tools, and upright shelving units, shelf supports and wire shelves to hold boxes (paint sprayers, power steamer, buckets, etc.) above. For reference, the total cost for the two shelves was $53.86.
On the right side of our garage is shelving to the max. The steel shelves are perfect for paint cans and their shallow depth means A: nothing gets buried, and B: my truck can still fit in the garage! And the shelves cost less than $30 each. Jules has each can labeled on top, but is going to add a label to the front so we can easily locate touch-up paint. When sharing a sneak peek on Instagram, there were a lot of questions about paint freezing. Our garage is insulated and last year we also added a heater (you can see it in the corner 2 photos up), so it doesn’t get too cold in here.
We also used a bunch of the black plastic bins to corral things that don’t sit so well on a shelf. Caulk, painting tools, wall patching materials – all the little things that get cluttered and lost now have a place.
Below, we also used the same rails and cooler hooks to hang our extension cords, and the utility hook for longer things like paint poles, sledge hammers and crow bars.
Along with this, we also needed a workbench. But how do you turn a flat wall into a work space?
Pegboards are a great way to get hanging storage in tight spaces. We used a few heavy duty hinges to mount a butcher block below it that folds up and hangs from a chain for use when needed.
(Here’s a photo of it in its usable state from when I was building it.)
And the last bit of unused space we had was the ceiling. The ceilings in our garage are so tall, so a hanging rack made a lot of sense for things we don’t often use but like to keep on hand (folding tables), as well as scrap lumber.
The hanging racks are adjustable from 6ft wide to 8ft, depending on how your joists sit, and cost only $170. I climbed up into the rafters and added a few supports between joists to get placement where I needed it, and we now have 16 ft of storage in a space that is out of the way and has previously been unusable.
For our most used tools and supplies (hammers, drills, drivers, screws, measuring tape, stud finder, etc.) we have used this tool chest for the last few years. When we epoxied the floor I took the opportunity to rebuild the stairs so they had a smaller footprint, which allowed the tool chest to fit perfectly to the side.
It’s especially convenient because we can grab our most used tools from the landing without stepping too far into the garage usually. It also has power, so all of our battery packs are always ready to go.
A lot of times, renovation progress comes in layers. But we can finally say that our garage is completed, and we could not be happier with it. How is your garage? Do you have any disorganized or unused corners you could turn into something that makes you happy?
Rubbermaid FastTrack Pieces Used:
Rail | Shelf Bracket | Wire Shelf |
---|---|---|
Steel Hook | Steel Shelf | Shelving Upright |
Black Plastic Bin | Utility Hook | Cooler Hook |
Multi Purpose Hook |
Other Materials Used:
Ceiling Storage | Galvanized Pegboard | Butcher Block |
---|
40 COMMENTS
Lily Beltran
1 year ago
Love this post! Did you use the Rubbermaid FastTrack Garage Satin Nickel Steel Multipurpose Hook for the ladder storage? Also, has the ladder fallen down while stored? Do I see a bungee cord to secure it? I am asking to make sure the car doesn’t get damaged. Californian here, worried about earthquakes.
G
2 years ago
Can you provide some more details about how you made the butcher block wall mounted worktable? thanks!
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORI set the butcher block up on saw horses against the wall and boosted them up to the height I wanted, then put a level on it and made sure it was level. Then I went underneath it and used 7 of these hinges directly in the studs, making sure the butcher block edges were lined up perfectly with 2 studs.
Michelle
2 years ago
This is so freaking awesome! I want a garage so badly…especially now! ;-)
April
2 years ago
Beautiful and useful garage makeover. Well done! Slightly off topic, but how difficult was it to teach your new doggie the double doggie door solution?
We have a sliding glass door to our backyard, like you all, but a doggie door slider isn’t very pretty and is hard to use given how narrow the entry for humans is. I’m considering a double doggie door (door into garage from house + door from garage to outside) but wondered how hard it was to train your dogs. Also, our dog is a senior dog, so any tips on how nimble the dog has to be to utilize the double door solution is also much appreciated. Just trying to keep a functional, yet pretty home! You all do it so well!
Julia
2 years ago
She picked it up in less than a day
Kristy
2 years ago
What shop vac do you recommend? And do you use an air compressor to blow things off to keep them clean? Would love to know how to upkeep such a clean tidy garage!
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORWe have Shop Vac brand, and it’s awesome. I use a leaf blower and broom mostly.
Kesha
2 years ago
Wow – what an awesome organization system, and a great job you did!! I know this was a sponsored post, but I’m wondering if you’d be able to share how the total cost of your transformation with the new pieces that you used for this post? Thanks!
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORSome materials were provided, some purchased by us. If you take into account everything we’ve done (garage doors, openers, epoxy floor, tool chest, mudding etc.) then we’re probably around $5000 total between things provided and things we paid for ourselves.
Jalene
2 years ago
We did a garage project about a year ago. It’s so nice to have some organization isn’t it!?! Your fold down work bench is such a great solution! We did slat walls, which is nice for adding things as we need to. Check it out at http://www.ourcorneroftheworldblog.com/garage-reveal/
Kristin
2 years ago
Your organization is gorgeous but I just can’t get past that amazing fold-up work table! I need this in my life! This whole post will be incredibly helpful when we finally tackle our garage next spring – and I know I’m going to find space for a work table like that!
Leslie Peterson
2 years ago
Would you mind sharing the source for the tool chest please. Your garage looks fantastic…great work!
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORIt’s a Kobalt, from Lowe’s.
Laura
2 years ago
Hi, we need to do something like this in our garage. It looks great. My next comment is from a place of caring, not criticism, are you planning on putting railings on the landing and stairs? It may help to prevent an accident of a little kid or an adult hitting that hard floor.
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORYes, we’ll be adding a railing. We’ve actually never had it with the previous stairs, but I want to add it for sure.
Cory
2 years ago
What size is your garage?
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORIt’s like 25×20.
Kd
2 years ago
Is this the tool chest you have? https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-3000-53-in-W-x-68-7-in-H-18-Drawer-Ball-bearing-Stainless-Steel-Tool-Cabinet-Stainless-Steel/1000343177
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORYep!
Tiffany
2 years ago
Can you tell me what kind of heater you have in your garage? We need to add one!
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORSame question asked above – see my response there for a direct link.
Elise
2 years ago
I love this! Will you guys come and do my garage now?!? We need to store 10 bicycles, tools, refrigerator, random garage stuff and keep a space open to exercise all in our single car garage- HELP!
Lisa
2 years ago
This looks fantastic! Well done! Our garage is a hot mess and I would love to do something like this. As a fellow DIYer, where do you store your large tools like the miter saw, table saw, & wet saw? Those are constantly a struggle for us as well as extra tile.
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORWe have a shed where we keep larger, but less used, tools like that.
Akriti
2 years ago
What is the heater that you use in your garage?
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORWe bought this one, but everyone will want to do some calculations on their spaces to make sure they get one that is the right size.
Kristin
2 years ago
Where do you store the girls’ bikes, helmets, balls etc?
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORWe have a garden shed where we put stuff like that.
Meggan
2 years ago
This whole post was so helpful! The garage is typically my husband’s domain, but this even got me excited to clean it up. Thank you so much for sharing!
Ashley
2 years ago
HA! Same! I am the heart eye emoji right now.
Elyse
2 years ago
#GarageEnvy! Love the idea for the popup workstation. Ceiling racks were very smart.
Where do you keep your lawn equipment? Do you have a shed or other storage? We struggle with storing blower, weed trimmer and their battery all in one place (someone please invent storage with built-in charger) and we just end up putting them on the floor which takes up a lot of room.
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORWe have a small 4×8 garden shed on the side of our house where we keep those things.
Elyse
2 years ago
Sounds like we need a shed tour next… hear that Lowes?!
Cassie
2 years ago
The garage looks great!
Can you share the source for the heater?
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORFound on Amazon here. But there are lots of considerations when picking a heater (the size of the space, wattage etc) so make sure to measure your space and calculate it out so it works for ya.
Allie
2 years ago
Where are all the bikes, scooters, helmets, balls, roller blades, etc? That is what KILLS me in our garage! I have fought with the hockey nets alone like a crazy person. We use the fast track stuff to hang the bikes and kids toys up on the side wall as well as a garden stuff. No shed, so we have our lawnmower and snowblower in there too…you must use your shed for a lot of storage? Looks great and organized, I love the power tool storage.
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORYeah all the stuff goes in our shed. We have a couple shelf units in the shed so, even though it’s small, it stores a lot of stuff.
Karina
2 years ago
My dream! My ocd house does not match my messy garage. Quick question? Where do you keep your holiday decorations?
Chris
2 years ago
AUTHORWe keep that stuff in our storage room in our basement.