Garages That Work For You

Most garages in the United States are used for one of two things (and usually a combination of both): a place to store one or more cars, and a place to store everything else. It’s the second use that probably deserves some attention in your home. For too many people, they turn this car sanctuary into something of a garbage landfill. Something doesn’t have a good place in the home? Toss it out there! It becomes the grown-up equivalent of a teenager’s “under the bed” area. While there’s nothing wrong with having some extra storage space, the way that you use that space can make a big difference in your home.

Not only can most garages stand to have an organizational makeover, this makeover can make a big difference in the resale value of the home. Pish-posh, you say? You haven’t been keeping up with the latest trends in real estate. People now look to the garage as the place where many a design adaptation can be taken advantage of. After the lawn and walk-in closets (and of course the ever-present pool in the backyard), it’s becoming one of the hottest trends when it comes to increasing the value of a house. But don’t do it for that reason alone. Do it because it can make your home so much easier to live in.

One of the first areas of design that can improve most garages is the implementation of a good workbench. Designing that workbench to be ergonomically efficient is another matter altogether. Many out-of-the-shop workbenches are too short for the average person to feel comfortable working at. Choose or build one a little taller than average—something around 40 to 45 inches high would be just about perfect, depending on your own height and preference. This extra height will take some of the crouching out of typical workbench activities and will give you more storage space underneath the bench. Even if you’re not into mechanics or woodworking, a workbench is essential for all the tools that you’ll need in the everyday life of a homeowner.

Hooks are another godsend for anyone looking to make a big change in their organization. Not only do they look great, they are a wonderful way to save space and put things in an easily accessible location. Don’t stop with simply putting some hooks up and hanging miscellaneous items on them. Give everything a space and a place, complete with labels if necessary. That will save you or your family member from having to search the whole area when they need that one specific tool.