Design for Mankind: The Great Garage Cleanout of 2011
OK, friends, I’m going to get real with you today. Because the fact of the matter is that during a renovation, your home becomes a war zone. And because my dear husband and I can’t handle living among shambles, we’ve designated one area to unload all miscellaneous tools, paraphernalia, and… well, junk. That area, friends, is our garage. Exhibit A:
The dreaded before.
Oh dear. I cannot believe I just shared that image with you. All of you. Goodness gracious. Please be kind to me, Internet. Because for the past year, we’ve treated our garage like a landfill. I’m just as horrified as you are. Trust me.
And although I dream of a glistening, organized garage someday, I know that, realistically, we’ve still got a long way to go before that day arrives. After all, we still have a full sunroom and basement renovation ahead of us, and I’m quite sure our garage will become the holding zone for drywall, beams and plywood.
Yep, still embarrassed.
Still, there is no excuse to live in such utter chaos. So a few days ago, Ken and I tackled a serious clean-out extravaganza. I won’t tell you everything we unearthed, but I will say the list included an abandoned art project, half-used bottles of hand sanitizer and much, much more.
Luckily, we also stumbled upon the previous homeowners’ kitchen cabinets that we knew we’d saved for a reason. With zero investment and a few nails, Ken and I now have a fully functioning closed storage solution for paint, tools and renovation supplies. Wanna see it?
Remember those kitchen cabinets? Time to re-purpose!
It’s not a gorgeous reveal by any means, but we’re thrilled to be able to park in our garage for the first time since we’ve owned this house. Of course, we’ll be adding more shelving as time goes on, along with a fresh coat of white paint.
Until then, we’ll cross our fingers that we can keep our space empty, organized and clean. At least until our next project, right?
Look! The clean after!
Here’s HGTV.com’s official garage organization to-do list.
How do you keep your garage organized? Any tips to share? Tell me, friends, in the comments below.
Hah — we keep our garage clean by not having one! xD Now, could you two please come over and organize my hoarder hubby's home office? It looks even worse than the before picture for your garage because stuff is stacked much higher (my husband doesn't file, he stacks). A friend's toddler once came to visit my husband at his work office — the poor child took one look at the piles of stuff towering over his head and refused to enter the room! My dear spouse needs help! o.0
It's so much easier, really, not to let things get in such a state in the first place. Having said that, however, this clean-up gives you a chance to start accumulating all over again!
OK, I'm amazed! But where did you put everything? Like the riding lawn mower, kind of hard to hide that?
In our family I'm the builder, painter, clutterer (hoarder) re-doer and mess maker. My sweet husband just comes in after me and puts everything back where it belongs and turns on the blower for a clean floor. We work well together
I need, need, need to hang our bikes like that. They're currently up in our loft, taking up roughly half of our sad Brooklyn apartment's sq footage. You're inspiring me, Erin!
Hi Olivia:
The riding mower is on the side not pictured.
Everything else was donated in a massive frenzy, or put back in its proper place inside where it originally belonged!
I cannot believe I just shared that image with you. All of you. Goodness gracious. Please be kind to me, Internet. Because for the past year, we’ve treated our garage like a landfill. I’m just as horrified as you are. Trust me.
residential painters
I love Hgtv. I watch almost every show on this network. Wish they would come to Mooresville, NC. I would take any help any room, yard, curb appeal. Anythiing would great. And if you don't then I still love this network and will not stop watching. The designers are awesome, especially Candace Olsen, Lisa Laporta, Milke Holmes, Yard crasher, curb appeal on the block John Gidding. Just to name a few. love them all.
Wow! This is one awesome transformation. Now when you start your next project you will have loads of places to put everything. Best of luck with the sunroom, Erin. I love ours.
I agree Zsie. More decorating shows. Had enough of the house-hunter type also.