Planning Garage Storage in a Chicago-Suburb Garage

In the Chicago suburbs, a garage does a lot of jobs. It shelters the cars through snowy months, holds the lawn mower and the snow blower, stores bikes and holiday bins, and usually catches everything that doesn't fit in the house. Left alone, it fills from the floor up. A good storage plan works in the opposite direction: get things off the floor first, then decide what goes where.

Empty, sort and measure

Pick a dry day and pull everything out onto the driveway. It's a big job, but it's the only way to see what you have. Sort into keep, donate and let go, and set aside anything that needs special disposal, like old paint, chemicals or dead batteries. Check with your township or county for where to take those.

Then measure. Write down the wall lengths, the ceiling height, the space each car needs to open its doors, and the path you walk from the car to the house door. Sketch a simple floor plan on paper. You'll use these numbers for every choice that follows, and they keep you from buying shelving that blocks a car door.

Get it off the floor

A cleared floor is the goal. Cars stay cleaner, spills are easy to mop up, and nothing gets trampled. Salt, slush and meltwater end up on garage floors every winter, so anything stored on the ground sits in whatever the cars drag in. Raise bins and boxes onto shelves, hang what can be hung, and keep only the largest items, like the mower, on the floor.

• Hang bikes from wall hooks or a ceiling rack so they're out of the walking path.
• Mount long-handled tools on a wall rail instead of leaning them in a corner.
• Put bins on shelves, not on the concrete, to keep them clear of meltwater.
• Use the ceiling above the car hoods for lightweight, seasonal bins.

Choose between wall systems and shelving

Wall systems are panels or rails with hooks, baskets and shelves that you can rearrange. They're strong on flexibility: move a hook when you buy a new tool, and the wall adjusts. Freestanding and wall-mounted shelving is better for bins, boxes and heavy items. Most garages end up using both.

Whatever you choose, it has to be fastened to something solid. Find the wall studs and mount into them, and check the load rating on anything that will hold weight. If the walls are concrete block or unfinished, ask for advice on the right hardware before you drill. This is also where professional installation earns its keep. Orderly Abode offers garage storage system installations and shelving, along with design help if you'd like a plan drawn up before anything goes on the wall.

Set zones for how your household lives

Just as in a pantry, zones keep a garage organized. Group items by activity, then place each zone based on how often you use it and how heavy it is.

• Everyday zone near the house door: shoes, the recycling bins, reusable bags, the dog leash.
• Sports zone: balls, helmets and pads in open bins the kids can reach on their own.
• Garden zone: hand tools, gloves, pots and hoses, close to the big door for easy carrying outside.
• Seasonal zone: holiday decorations, camping gear and winter tires, high or in back.
• Tool and project zone: a workbench or cabinet with small parts sorted into labeled containers.

Rotate the seasonal zone twice a year. When the snow blower goes to the back in spring, the patio cushions and bikes come forward. A plan that accounts for that swap keeps the garage from drifting back into clutter.

Keep a few rules that protect the system

Label shelves and bins with plain words so everyone in the house can put things back. Keep one flat surface clear for things that arrive without a home yet, and empty it every week. And leave some open space on every shelf. A garage with no room to grow is a garage that's full again by next fall.

If you're planning a garage project in Lake in the Hills, McHenry County, Kane County or DuPage County, Orderly Abode can help with the sorting, the design, and the installation. Call (224) 609-7393 or email stacie@orderly-abode.com to set up a free consultation.