Organized Garage Workshop

We’ve been working on our garage situation phase by phase, and I’m so excited to show you the latest improvement!

To catch you up to speed, it started out looking like this:

And then with a whole bunch of purging and organizing, it looked like this:

It was nice to have a start in the organization direction, and I even did a guest post on how I organized my decor in a cupboard there.

One of the challenges of downsizing is trying to determine your priorities in what you need to make room for.

Tools and a workbench is a priority around here.:)

While I was away during my awesome Summer holiday, my husband was busy working on projects for this space. When I came home, I walked in to see this:

(Cue the angel choir…) I was so excited I could hardly stand it!

Here’s the steps he took to create this organized garage workshop:

Crafted a Plan

Before one board was cut or any decisions were made, we planned out options carefully. We measured the big tools to see how much space they needed for storage, and made sure we had enough space left in the garage for everything else that needed to be stored there.

Hired an Electrician

While the wall was open and unfinished, we hired an electrician to add in a counter height outlet and overhead light. Although it was an expense we would have rather avoided, we’re so glad we didn’t. Both of those things are essential to an efficient work space.

Insulated, dry walled, and painted the wall

Because this space was SO COLD last Winter, we’re doing all we can to try to keep it warmer in the future. As we work on the garage walls section by section, we’re dealing with the insulation issues as needed. The (Simply White) wall color also brightens up the space so much.

Built a workbench

He studied and studied workbenches and plans, and ended up using this  plan from Shanty to Chic. He altered the size to fit our needs, but otherwise, he followed closely to the original plan.

Hung up pegboard

When space is tight, organizing up high is so helpful. Pegboard holders help keep the tools that we reach for often easy to access, and we know where to put them back!

Stored large tools

Most of tools fit nicely on the lower shelf of the workbench. The ones that don’t are stored on a shelving unit to the side ~ along with extra cans and bottles of supplies.

We just love this new work space! In fact, we’ve already put it to good use, and have some more projects on the near horizon.

We’re still working on some more improvements to this space, but little by little, it’s starting to feel like home!