Though many home improvement projects involve expanding the size of your house, true innovation means taking advantage of the space that you already have. The majority of homeowners have considerable indoor room that they have not properly organized or do not use at all, leaving enormous potential to maximize the convenience and livability of their homes. Chief among these spaces is the garage, which many devote to their cars, some scattered tools and possessions, and little else. The following projects will help you enhance and organize this space, allowing you to do more in your home without ever changing its size:
The following projects will help you enhance and organize this space, allowing you to do more in your home without ever changing its size:
Ceiling Swings
If your kids get restless on rainy days, your garage is the perfect place to install an indoor swing. To build this, obtain a piece of sturdy wood that is 1 inch by 10 inches by 14 inches in size, at least twenty feet of rope made out of nylon or another strong material, and some ceiling screws and clips. Drill four holes in the corners of the board, each at least 2 inches from the edges. Drill the ceiling screws into the ceiling of your garage spaced 14 inches apart, making sure to drill them all the way through a beam so that they can support the weight. Cut the rope in two, and tie one end of each piece of rope tightly to a screw. Then loop the other end through one of the holes in the board, tie a knot after the hole and another one immediately before the closest hole, and then loop it through the other hole and tie it to the rest of the rope. Do the same with the other rope on the other side of the board. Your kids will then have a safe, sturdy swing to play on.
Upright Storage Spaces
Besides making your garage fun for your kids, you can also make it a convenient workspace for yourself. The most effective way to do this is to create upright storage spaces on the wall so that you can hang your tools without taking up extra room. Begin by obtaining PVC pipes and cutting them into small pieces. Cut each piece diagonally so that the ends extend inward in the same direction; one side of each pipe should be six inches long while the other is only three inches. Then nail or screw the long ends of the pipe into the wall six inches from the floor; align another piece of pipe with the first one and install it 18 inches higher. You can then place a shovel, hoe, or other tool within the pipes to hang it upright. Install the same set of pipes along the wall to hold as many tools as you want.
Install Pegboards
For smaller tools that won’t fit within PVC pipes, a pegboard provides a convenient storage space. Simply nail a large pegboard to the side of the wall, with a table or workbench underneath it to serve as a base. Then hammer some long nails halfway through the pegs, nailing them far enough in so that they are stable but not so far that there is no room on the nails outside of the pegs. You can hang wrenches, brushes, scissors, tape, and other small tools on the nails.
Hang Wastebaskets
Rubbish and recycling bins need not use up your garage floor space; you can easily mount them against the wall. To do so, obtain a 2 by 4 board and a 1 by 4 board, each of which being 18 inches long. Lay the 1 by 4 board over the 2 by 4 lengthwise, so that the former covers the bottom half of the latter; screw the two boards together in this arrangement. Nail the 2 by 4 board into the wall at chest height, with the 1 by 4 hanging downward. Insert the side of the bin under the 1 by 4 board so that it hangs in place freely, and then nail another 2 by 4 board underneath to provide support. You will be able to easily remove and reinsert this bin, making it ideal for holding rubbish, recyclables, or tools.
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