Increasing Garage Storage Space

It seems like no home ever has enough storage. You can ask a family with a basement, large attic, and two garages, and they will tell you they need more room. Fortunately,, there are several ways to increase your storage in your garage, and the won't cost a fortune to implement. Just a quick trip to the local home improvement store and you'll be on your way.

First of all, installing some prefabricated shelves are simple to install, and they provide sturdy and adjustable storage. If you choose to go with prefab shelves, you should opt for the steel ones, as they are more durable and sturdy.  Steel shelves are not just for heavy stuff either.  No matter what you plan to store on them, steel works best.

Before you install the shelves, though, you need to decide where to put them.  Take some measurements to make sure you have enough space in your desired area, as steel shelves are not easily cut down to size.  Only once you know the measurements of where you'll be putting the shelves should you buy them.

You'll find that prefab shelves are rated according to how much weight they can hold. The ratings go from lightweight to heavy-duty. Use lightweight shelves only for items such as the Christmas tree or boxes that don't have too much in them.  Use the heavy-duty shelves for heavier tools, bags of concrete, and other hefty items.  Remember before you buy to make sure that the shelf has supporting pins. These serve to keep the shelves from dislodging. You don't want to risk having the shelves fall over on the kids if they get mischievous and try to climb up them!

Another option is site-built shelves.  Normally, you'll have to do some carpentry work with these, but they are less expensive. They also are highly adaptable and can easily be made to fit the space that you have. You construct a site-built shelf from half-inch plywood or a one-by-two inch board which you place on shelf brackets. Here's how the process goes: First, install the brackets to the studs in the wall, using lag bolts. To add some extra strength, add metal brackets which have been augmented.

There's another option in site-built shelves that some people prefer. Rather than going with those that are installed on the walls, they prefer floor-supported site-built shelves. The advantage is that they are sturdier than those you install into the walls.  To make this work, you need to run vertical two-by-fours every four feet.  Let these rest on the floor at the bottom.  Attach the boards to the rafters or ceiling joists at the top. Some people like to run extra two by fours horizontally between the uprights on the edge. They then use some particle board or some plywood to make the actual shelves.

As a general rule, you'll want these shelves to be about 18 to 24 inches deep.  You should space them along the horizontal two - by - four.

Finally, there's one other shelving option to consider. You can hang shelves from the rafters. To do this, bolt a two-by-four to the sides of the rafters to create overhead support. Leave open this framework for storing long items such as ladders, pipes, skis, etc. Or you could even add some plywood to make the shelves. The rafter-hung shelves have the advantage of not requiring the use of much floor space. And you can adjust their height according to whatever vehicle you're parking in the garage.

These are just a few suggestions you can try that will increase your storage space.