Last month, Joy and Wes Williams of Smyrna did something they had not done in a long time. They parked both cars in their two-car garage. Before that, the space had been crammed with bikes, lawn and power equipment, shoes, balls, pool noodles and toys belonging to the couple's two kids. "We had too much stuff and not enough space," Joy said. "It was a mess." The Williamses needed help clearing out the clutter and called Ron and Lisa Bowe, professional organizers and owners of Home Management Solutions of Marietta. After sorting through items and organizing space tailored to the family's needs and lifestyle, the Bowes suggested a plan for maximizing the garage's storage. The makeover called for a platinum storage system that included wall-mounted shelves, baskets, racks and hooks. In all, the project cost about $2,000. Now, everything --- from shoes and bikes to the ladder and weed eater --- is arranged in an orderly way. The garage also had enough new space for a work station with drawers for tools, something Wes desperately wanted.
"The garage is one of the hardest places to organize and keep organized because everyone uses it," said Allison Carter, owner of the Professional Organizer and president of the Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers. "It is seen and used as a dumping ground." The need for more storage space has made garage organization one of the fastest-growing areas of the home improvement market, according to Greg Alford of Peachtree Consulting Group, a Peachtree City firm that works with the home organizing industry.
Along with professional organizers and home improvement stores, there are about 500 custom garage businesses (such as Gladiator GarageWorks and GarageTek) across the country, up from about 50 about five years ago, Alford said. But homeowners want more. Not only do they want the garage to be more organized, many want it to be attractive, since it often is the first and last thing visitors see.
Last December, Al Calhoun of Roswell hired GarageTek to make over his three-car garage. In less than two days, the company installed a wall storage system, which covers the garage walls from floor to ceiling, and an interlocking tile floor. It also added 15 matching cabinets for Calhoun's pool and lawn supplies, plus wall hooks and an upgraded workbench. Calhoun spent about $15,000 on the sleek new garage, where he often hangs out drinking coffee and listening to music. (Most GarageTek customers in the Atlanta metro area spend about $6,000 to $9,000 on a two-car garage, said Tony Barnfield, a company spokesman.) "Since everything has a place, I can find anything I'm looking for immediately," said the 49-year-old commercial investment banker. "It gets lots of ooh's and aah's from the neighborhood guys."
But you don't have to spend a lot to create extra space and have a tidy garage. There are plenty of low-cost and low-tech cabinets, shelves, wall grids and accessories for do-it-yourselfers who want to reclaim their garages. Check out storage possibilities at home improvement and discount stores such as Lowe's, Home Depot, Sears, Target and the Container Store. But even with storage cabinets, a garage can become a disorderly mess again if people don't return items to their designated places --- or buy more stuff. "It's easy for clutter to creep up on you," Carter said. "You've got to return to the space regularly and manage it."
GET ORGANIZED
If you need help organizing your garage space, hire an expert. Fees for home and garage organizers in the Atlanta metro area range from $45 to $75 per hour, according to the Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers
GET YOUR GARAGE IN GEAR
Here are the steps to getting the job done:
Have a plan. Decide how you want to use the garage and its contents.
Donate or trash items. Be realistic about what you will need, use or get fixed.
Sort "keep" items into similar groups, such as camping gear, car care, sports equipment, kids' toys, household tools, laundry and recycling.
Clean up thoroughly --- before you buy containers or install garage storage units.
Designate activity zones or areas in your garage to store similar items in your "keep" piles. For example, designate areas for car gear, sports and recreation, lawn and garden.
Deck the walls. Use as much wall space as possible to create more storage options. Measure the space (if you are planning your own garage rehab) to make sure you have enough room for the shelves and cabinets you buy. A drawing with dimensions is helpful. Now you see it: If you like things accessible but out of sight, closed-door cabinets may be for you. Closed-door cabinet systems also give your garage a clean, more finished look. To protect against dust (mold and mildew, too), choose wire shelving over wood or plastic. You also will be able to see what's on the shelf.
Purchase and install storage systems. There is a variety of good storage products, materials (wood, aluminum, laminate, heavy-duty plastic), at prices to suit your style and budget. To get clutter off the floor, consider wall-to-wall cabinets, free-standing shelves and modular wall-mounted grids, which can hold bins, shelves, racks and hooks for things like bikes, strollers, golf bags and ladders. With modular systems, you can reposition shelves, racks and hooks as your storage needs change.
Don't overlook inexpensive, everyday containers for storage. Keep balls or hand tools in laundry baskets. Store long-handled tools like rakes or shovels in a large plastic trash can. Use a pegboard with hooks to keep your tools within easy reach. If you recently remodeled your kitchen, paint and hang old cabinets on garage walls.
Put frequently used items, like children's balls and toys, at child-friendly heights in a place where they can get to them easily.
Rotate seasonal items. Stash out-of-season items, such as holiday decorations or snow skis, on upper shelves when you need room on lower shelves for pool and beach gear.
Store similar items (bike helmets and bikes) together.
Put hazardous chemicals and sharp or dangerous tools on high shelves or inside locked cabinets --- and out of reach of young children.
Return items to their proper place.
Get extra help. Two books to consider: "Your Garagenous Zone: Innovative Ideas for the Garage" by Bill West (Paragon Garage Co., $21.95), and "Organize Your Garage ... in No Time" by Barry Izsak (Que, $16.95).
--- Linda Jerkins
Sources: Allison Carter of the Professional Organizer, Better Homes & Gardens and the Container Store.