4 Easy Steps to a Well-Organized American Garage

Do you run through your garage kit as soon as the car's parked, hoping that you don't get buried under a falling pile of random junk? When you tell the kids that something is "in the garage", do they get a hopeless look on their face, knowing that it is forever lost?! I know that hopeless look all too well! It is difficult to find the time to organize your garage properly, but soooooo rewarding once it is done. Today we check out the 4 starting steps you can take to reclaiming your metal garage as a useful part of the house.

Don't get floored!

Make sure that the floor is never your only place to put something. Apart from the lawnmower, perhaps! If you want to be able to keep the garage tidy, you need an easier system that stacking everything in piles around the edges of the garage floor. All of the below will help:

• Start again with a new prefab garage kit, selecting a model that has plenty of shelving and inbuilt storage space
• Have custom shelving built for your garage
• Invest in a toolbox or two
• Set up hooks and nails on a piece of pegboard on the wall to keep tools and implements accessible

Take it to the store

Not the sort of store that you have to pay money to! Make sure that anything that will rarely be used is actually stored away, where it won’t clutter up your mojo. Stackable plastic containers are the new-school option for self-storage. Some of them even have a little card holder, where you can insert a piece of paper that says what's inside the box.

High shelving

High shelving is perfect for items that are only used seasonally, or are simply being stored because they are waiting for their 'time to come again'. Custom made storage options can create a miniature attic within your garage roof.

Lockability

Almost every garage in America has a cache of things in the garage that you wouldn’t want a toddler to get hold of. Make sure that you have at least one area that is well-toddler proofed. Keep items like half-empty paint cans, gasoline or diesel fuel, aerosol cans, methylated spirits, cleaning fluids etc in this area. It's best to combine the two traditional safety methods - keeping things high and locking things away. It only takes one instance of forgetting to lock a low cupboard to result in disaster, and squirrels or cats can knock dangerous items from high shelves.

5 Creative Uses for Your Garage Space!

Haven't bothered to put up a garage because you only have one car? Feel that since there's no hail or tornadoes and a low crime rate in your area, your vehicle will be pretty safe? Of course, the need for a sturdy metal garage isn't quite so pressing if your cars don't really need protecting ... but there are so many other cool uses to which you can put your garage! Today we get you excited about grabbing your own garage building kit, by exploring 5 creative uses for your garage space.

Home gym

I don't know about you, but I find it immensely difficult to 'just exercise in front of the television' ... though it's a favorite piece of advice from personal trainers! Setting up your garage as a home gym helps create a sense of purpose for when you're in the room - there are no ordinary distractions about. Plus the heavy equipment won't compress your carpet.

Games room

A pool table, a pinball machine, a dartboard ... and the women of the house can instantly reclaim their living room space or kitchen table back from the guys! That is, until the girls feel like knocking back some beers and shooting pool ...

Laundry room

Traditional laundry rooms are cramped and ill-equipped. If you're erecting your own home garage kit, you can design your laundry space however you like. Give yourself room to sort your white and colors without dropping them on the floor, and to figure out what can go in the dryer and what needs to be hung on the line without filling the entire floorspace!

Mud room

It's a fabulous idea to get people to take their shoes off before they stand on the carpet ... but if it has to be done outside in the rain, that just ain't gonna happen! Make your garage into a mud room - pop a shoe rack, a chair and a towel in there so people can dry off and make themselves decent before they even come near the house, and save yourself some cleaning time.

Art studio

It's so much easier to be creative when you have a space that's away from the normal demands of life. Even if the 'big people' of the house aren't particularly artistic, the garage is a great place to set kids up with their paints, glues and smocks.