by Stephanie Hobby

Summer is a great time to think about reorganizing the garage. The weather’s warm, and the driveway becomes an extension of a natural workspace as you sort through your belongings. But garages pose an extra challenge. They’re one of the most versatile and hardest working spaces and can too often be a catch-all for anything that doesn’t have space in the house. It’s where you’ll find recycling bins, the deep freezer, perhaps an extra refrigerator, sporting equipment, tools, a workbench, seasonal storage for holiday decor and things like sleds and snowblowers, and a lawn mower. And here in Montana, being able to fit cars is a must. (It is one of your biggest purchases, after all!) With so much happening in this space, whether a single stall or a five-car garage, smart solutions, and ample storage are key to keeping it all running smoothly.

Anita Price of Beyond the Box often starts by asking about her clients’ needs and goals. Thinking of a garage in terms of zones is helpful for corralling clutter, so sorting everything into sections for sports, gardening, worktops, tools, and storage bins is a great way to get started.

           The OCD Girls, Jamie Holiday and Rebecca Boyce say that organizing a garage is similar to organizing a house. “We start by asking what a client’s goals are. Do they want to get two cars in this garage? To be able to store all your holiday decor? We look at what they hope to accomplish, and then we come up with a plan,” Boyce said. Then, they take everything out and determine what belongs in that space, what can be donated, and what is trash.

           “We spend time deciding what stays and what’s being moved and vice versa: is there anything else in the house that needs to come out here, now that you have space? And is there anything in the garage that can go in the basement or long-term storage?” Holiday said.         

Once clients have sorted through it all, it’s time to figure out optimal storage solutions. For those looking at a custom design at Beyond the Box, Price has a wealth of resources to design the most functional space imaginable. “We can offer several sizes in cabinets, cubbies, shelves, and hooks to hang ladders, hoses, rakes, and so forth,” Price said. “For the family that plays a lot of ball, we have a large net basket that we can hang low enough for very young children to use. We can add shoe racks by the door entry for easy access or a place to keep muddy shoes.”

They can get creative to meet a variety of needs. Price says she recently put doors on some 8-foot-tall cabinets with larger storage totes, so everything was sleek and out of sight. Another time, she designed lockers for school-aged children that held their coats and backpacks so it was easy for them to grab things on their way in and out of the house.

photo by Nathan Satran

She says other things to consider include open shelving and the ability to store things based on their sizes, but adding doors to any storage cabinet will instantly make the space look tidier. “In Montana, so many people spend a lot of time outdoors, bicycling, kayaking in the summer, and skiing in the winter, so it’s nice to have a dedicated space for outdoor equipment, too,” she said.

photo by Renata Haidle

Price encourages her clients to add drawer space to store light bulbs, flashlights, umbrellas, picture-hanging supplies, and other “once-in-a-while” items. Drawers are also great for organizing the warranties that come with every appliance or electronic device.          

           If you aren’t redesigning, the OCD Girls will point clients to basic industrial shelving and black and yellow totes from Costco. These are cost-effective ways to keep things organized and off the floor. They’re flexible enough to grow with your family, too. With small children, the garage might store yard toys, bikes, and scooters. As they grow up, sporting equipment takes over that space, and having versatile storage helps to make that pivot more easily.

           One thing that can hinder progress is decision fatigue. Trying to decide whether to keep or toss things like old paint cans or pest control is pretty low-stakes territory. But when memories or emotions are attached to objects, sometimes the best thing to do during a big reorganization session is to put things that would be difficult to sort through quickly into a bin, label them, and put them on a shelf to tackle another day. “If you start to have decision fatigue, just label it and put it away, and tackle it later because it does get exhausting,” Boyce said. “It’s okay to put some of those things off.”

           Unfortunately, garages in Montana get cold, so be mindful of what you’re storing there. If cold temperatures can damage it, consider installing a garage heater.     

           Vertical storage is another game-changer; taking advantage of your walls will go a long way toward a clean and organized space.

Originally printed in the August 2024 issue of Simply Local Magazine

Check this article out in the digital issue of Simply Local here!

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