Not every garage is enormous; in fact, most aren't. You may have a modest one-car garage that doesn’t leave a whole lot of extra room for clutter. When you have a small space, it’s even more important to find ways to maximize your storage and keep it efficient and clutter-free. Fortunately, custom garage organizers can go a long way toward helping you keep it all under control.
To make the most of a small garage space, you should
- Add Some Outlets
- Keep Cords Under Control
- Consider a Different Color Scheme
- Bring in a Workspace
Take a look at some of the useful ways you can use your small garage space more effectively.
Add Some Outlets
If your garage hasn’t been updated from the way it was originally built, you might only have one power outlet. Not only is that inconvenient, since it will mean you have to keep unplugging one thing to use something else, but it’s also a space-waster. Everything that has a cord and gets regularly used in the garage will end up clustered in that area when it might be more efficient to spread these items out.
Adding more outlets around the garage gives you more flexibility about where your corded items can be stored and still remain plugged in or have easy access to an outlet. Family Handyman explains how you can add surface wiring as a DIY project at a relatively inexpensive cost. You can also hire an electrician to handle this for you. This project will give your garage more functionality and more space.
Keep Cords Under Control
While you’re adding outlets, it’s smart to think about a cord control system for the corded items that are going to be plugged in regularly. Cords don’t take up a lot of room, but if there are several of them and they’re not kept neat, they can be detrimental to creating storage space and to your ability to use the space.
Cords are a tripping hazard, which makes it more difficult to move around in a small space. You also probably want to avoid installing anything heavy on top of or in front of a cord. This is limiting when you’re installing storage features like cabinets or a workbench. A cord management system helps keep those cords neat and prevents them from spreading out and getting in the way. You might also consider having garage cabinets wall-mounted, since this keeps the floors clear and cords can easily be threaded under the cabinets.
Consider a Different Color Scheme
If you feel like the walls are closing in every time you walk into your garage, maybe you need to do something about the walls themselves. A new paint job could be an effective way to make your garage feel bigger. Indeed, this won’t actually enlarge the space, but if you’re having more of a problem with the sensation of being enclosed in a small space than you are actually using the garage, changing the color of the walls can help.
Darker and warmer colors tend to make a space seem smaller, which is great if you want to make a large space seem cozy, but unhelpful if the space is already smaller than you’d prefer. Lighter and cooler colors make the walls seem to recede, with the effect that the space feels larger. Does your garage also have a low ceiling? Paint that a lighter shade than the walls to make it seem higher.
Bring in a Workspace
When you have work to do in the garage, whether that's working on a pinewood derby car or working on your actual vehicle, a workbench is invaluable. This gives you a place to store tools as well as a surface to perform your work on.
A wall-mounted workbench will be installed neatly on whichever wall you choose. Since it will be installed several inches above the floor, the items inside will be largely protected from water intrusion, most pests, and other garage elements.
Another option is to buy or build a cart with wheels. This allows you to move your workspace to the most convenient spot. When you're not working, keep it tucked away in a corner; then, when you need to access it, simply pull it out to wherever it's needed, whether that's close to an outlet, near a sink, or right next to your car.
Conclusion
You don’t have to feel limited by your small custom garage. With some creative thinking, you can make the most out of the space available by improving your electrical outlet access, keeping your cords corralled, changing your wall color, and adding a workspace so you can use the space more flexibly.