Monday, August 18, 2014

79 Getting Our Groove On in the Garage!

Time for another garage update and this one is a doozy!  We have been working away to finally get to the finish line and with one project left, we are in the final stretch.


So although I have been a little MIA lately {kids home for summer vacation, 2015 planner launch approaching and garage takeover in full swing}, today you are getting about five posts in one!  Can I get a woo hoo!?

Let's begin and take a look at what I started with at the end of last year.... seriously scary stuff!


The garage was a clutter catcher.  It held items to project, items to donate, items for extended family, items to build, items purchased on Craigslist, everything we didn't know what to do with.... Cars were not parked here, toys were a challenge to access, it was discouraging and just down right out of control.

A few years ago I had my mind set on adding beautiful paneling around the exterior garage walls.  My thought was that it would extend the living space our home offered while giving me a space that I was motivated to love and maintain.  We started adding the beadboard paneling two years ago when we installed our sport's station.  Then it all came to a halt until late last fall.  Other projects, busy schedules and lack of motivation all played a part in the delay.

Last fall we decided to do what we could to move forward with the garage makeover so we could get our cars parked in the garage for winter.  We started purging down our clutter and even began installing our upper cabinet storage.  But winter approached faster than we could work and soon it became far too cold to be productive.  We made space for one of our two cars and after another big cleaning this spring, it was still looking a little overwhelming.


As we worked on the garage, we realized more and more what a big project it was becoming.  Here is a list of everything we can now say we accomplished over the past year:

  • Finished the ceiling and upper walls by taping, mudding, sanding and painting the sheetrock.
  • Built wall-to-wall upper cabinets
  • Primed and painted newly built cabinets
  • Installed beadboard paneling 
  • Installed base trim and molding 
  • Caulked paneling seams and trim 
  • Finished purging all garage contents - wiped down everything remaining
  • Organized garden tools and yard supplies within the garden shed
  • Installed shelving and organized the outdoor toy station
  • Installed the bike storage rack
  • Installed cabinet hardware
  • Painted entry doors
  • Painted entry step
  • Installed pendant lighting
  • Swapped out almond light switches and outlets for white
  • Organized contents of upper cabinets


    And the very last and final thing on our list will be to re-finish those floors.  So close I can taste it!  Mmmmmm, concrete....

    But now that we have come this far, let's take a closer look and chat a little more about the details that make this newly organized space so great!


    The outdoor toy storage area is probably one of my most favorite parts.  It is holding up beautifully, super easy for the kiddos to maintain, and it adds life and color to the garage.  Although I am sort of tooting my own horn here, I seriously high-five myself for this area on a daily basis.  All of our outdoor toys are now super simple to access which has made playdates heavenly.


    We love being outside during our warmer Wisconsin seasons and all three boys are in outdoor sports.  The sport's station holds items we need for their nightly practices and games; a hook for each boy's bag and baskets below for their footwear.



    The stair to the house was looking mighty shabby, but in perfect working condition.  Instead of building a new step, we gave our existing one a good sanding....


    I purchased a non-skid additive which I mixed into some paint.  This gave the step a nice built-in grip to prevent slipping should it become wet.


    I still added a colorful mat to catch dirt.  Dirt catchers are essential for any entry and color is highly recommended.


    Last year we stored our mud boots on the front porch but after receiving daily afternoon sun, they began breaking down and fading.  This year they needed a home inside from the sun and now we finally have the perfect spot for them!  You guys!  It is the little things that really get me excited!


    The traveling wall baskets were in my studio for awhile, but now have a new home in the garage.  There is always a small pile of random items that land on our kitchen counter right inside the door, that really belong out in the garage or in the car.  These baskets are fantastic for catching miscellaneous necessities.


    I am guessing many of you recognize the sweet hooks I snagged at Target, designed by the darling Young House Love peeps.  Bees were fitting for our outdoor space, and bloggers gotta support bloggers!


    You all have seen our new bike storage which has been working like a charm.  The best part of the white paneling we installed is how easily it wipes clean, however, we still may add a little extra protection from the bike tires down the road.


    Above the bikes is where the storage magic really happens!


    Those upper cabinets were a pretty hefty building project.  To keep it as inexpensive as possible, we used 2x4's to frame everything out, and 1/2" MDF for the bottom and doors.


    The 2x4's were all anchored into wall and ceiling studs making this very sturdy storage.  Here is an example diagram of how Bryan framed things out.



    The new storage runs wall to wall in the back of the garage and is four feet deep, so that is A LOT of added storage.  And because it is reinforced throughout, it is strong enough to hold me when I climb up and dig around in those bins.  Those wondering where everything in our garage went, this was the answer.


    Because the doors are made with MDF, they were a little heavy to hold up while adding or removing items.  To save my arms, we installed simple handles to the fronts of the cabinets {reinforced with washers} and spring clips into the ceiling {also reinforced with 2x4's in the ceiling attic}.


    Now I just use a broom handle to clip up the door and grab a nearby ladder.  So good!


    Speaking of the ladder, a couple small hooks from IKEA and it now hangs right below the cabinets.


    The final organizing project was an old wardrobe which once held our winter wear.  The winter items were placed into bins above, and the cabinet now holds frequently used garage items such as automotive care and picnic gear {cooler, blanket, basket...}.


    A few Command Hooks paired with twine was an easy solution for our fire pit poker sticks.


    One item I couldn't wait to see installed were the new lights.  I purchased them from Wayfair last fall and they have been sitting in a box since.  I am glad we waited until the ceiling was finished because it just made me love them that much more.  We paired each pendant with a canopy and rod found at Lowes and now they are simply beautiful.  Is that a thing?  Beautiful lighting in a garage?



    A few more little project details:
    • Beadboard is not the most cost effective way to finish garage walls but I absolutely LOVE that it brightens the space and it washes up so easily {super important in such a dirty part of the home}.  It really is everything we were after and we feel we have maximized our usable entertaining space {one party down, many more to go!}.  
    • We trimmed out the beadboard with the same moisture resistant trim we used throughout our lower level.  Love it!
    • The top portion of the beadboard was trimmed out with bull-nosed moisture resistant moulding, the corners received a similar style corner moulding.
    • The step and ceiling are painted in Behr's Classic Silver.
    • The doors are painted in Behr's Cloud Burst {following the same steps as I did with our front door}.
    • We can now park both cars in the garage with plenty of room to spare.  Boom shakalaka!

    And because a good before and after always rocks our world:


    With everything so organized, simplified and clean, it is time to focus our attention to that floor!  It will be our first time re-finishing garage floors but there are a lot of great products on the market so it will just come down to selecting the right one and doing our research.  We have come so far, I have a feeling the floors will be just like putting in that final piece of a 1,000 piece puzzle!

    79 comments:

    1. Jen, I don't know how you did it, but you made a garage look absolutely beautiful! We are in the middle of building a 2 car attached garage (framing is literally going on right now) and you just gave me major inspiration. I love all your added details, colors and labels. Great job!

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    2. WOW! That is one pretty garage! Well done!

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    3. Your garage looks great! :) Where did you find that awesome dog food holder? I have been looking for something exactly like that for months now! Thanks so much!

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      1. Hi Ashley!

        I found the bin on Joss & Main, but here is a direct link to the product: http://www.harrybarker.com/Dog-Food-Storage/products/8/

        xoxo!

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    4. It looks amazing! But I see nothing wrong with your floor. It's a garage floor that looks level and clean to me. Once you start doing stuff to it (paint, epoxy etc) you're adding another level of future upkeep that I personally don't think is worth it since what you have now is low maintenance and will
      House snowy dirty cars come winter. I'd probably just seal them. Makes cleaning them easier. Just my thoughts! Great work.

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    5. I cannot believe that is a garage! You are amazing and so talented!

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    6. Love how it turned out. Great job as always.

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    7. Love this! I need to show to the hubby and see if I can get him excited about turning our dark cave of a garage into something brighter and happier! Can't wait for the new planner too!

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    8. This looks AMAZING!! So crazy gorgeous!! You can tell a ton of hard work went into it. This is really inspiring me to get out in my garage and get working!

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    9. Wow! Jen, y'all have done such an amazing job transforming your garage!! It looks awesome!! The floors will no doubt look great as well! Definitely pinning this for inspiration!!!

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    10. absolutely beautiful! now to keep the spider webs away!

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    11. If I could be crushing on a garage it would be this one! It's so organized, clean and pretty I would be thrilled! Outstanding!!

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    12. Oh wrote, Jen! What an amazing job! Nice work on sticking with it and getting it done. Looks great!

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    13. Ahh, thanks for using our bee hooks! They look so sweet in there. SERIOUS GARAGE ENVY over here!

      xo
      Sherry (& John)

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    14. OK ... so I'm ready for you to come fix up my garage now! <3 I LOVE IT!

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    15. I can't believe its the same garage! Its fantastic! Please let me know when you are available to come to northern California to help with mine. I live across from a winery!

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      1. Yes please! Sounds like my idea of a good time!! :)

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    16. I love it, especially the beadboard. Such a clean look. We have slowly been adding beadboard to our garage walls, so this is going to be my inspiration photo section to go to. I also love the spring clips on your overhead shelving. Genius! Do you ever have any trouble with mice getting into your storage containers? We have a fully enclosed & insulated garage, but mice did get into our closed metal dog food container. Just wondering if you did anything special... Shar

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      1. No mice in the garage, thank goodness! However, our dog food tin is even hard for me to open so that may help. Spiders on the other hand... ew!

        xoxo!

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      2. Peppermint essential oil mixed in a vinegar solution and spritzed periodically in corners and similar spaces will drastically reduce your spider count. I live in a basement and since using this system have noticed only one or two tiny ones compared to the usual plethora of horrible wood and jumping spiders. Easy to integrate into your established system since it's just a different scent of oil :D

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      3. Hannah, please share your recipe! We have so many scary spiders here in Florida, I need all the help I can get.

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    17. It looks awesome, but what happened to all the furniture and large items that were in there before? I know you updated on yard items, etc, going to the shed, but what about the rest? Did you sell, use, donate? It looks like a lot of purging must have happened, and since that is an important part of getting from before to after, it would be awesome to hear about all that.

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      1. Yes, just good old fashion purging and sorting and donating. We donated wood scraps to family members, sold furniture locally and on Craigslist, put stuff by the curb with "FREE" signs, gave items back to family that were storing their belongings in our garage, gave things away to friends, finished the half finished projects and moved a lot of the tools to our storage room which is next in line for getting organized. It was a lot of work and didn't happen over night, bits and pieces over the past two years.

        xoxo!

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      2. Congratulations on getting it all done! It must be a huge relief.

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    18. Looks amazing! Can I ask where the gold "catch all" baskets are from? I think that I might need a few!

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      1. Hi Erika!

        They are from Pottery Barn but I have also seen them at Ballard Designs.

        xoxo!

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    19. Love it! Isn't it refreshing to go in the garage now and see how all of your hard work has paid off?! Your garage looks very lovely and well organized. I love the bead board walls and those gold catch all baskets are perfect! I really need to do something like that.

      I can totally relate to it taking so long. I started my garage makeover last year and am finishing it up now. Like you, I bought the new garage lights a year ago and can not wait to finally open the boxes! The garage is a lot of work, but it is so nice when all done. :)

      Again, very beautiful garage and great job! :D

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      1. Congrats! I know how great it feels to be at the finish line. And have fun with those news lights, they really do make a difference to the entire space!

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    20. WOW!! Great job!

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    21. I LOVE THIS. So awesome. I'm curious though...where do you keep all your tools? My husband and I need to organize our garage but its over flowing with tools. AHH.

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      1. Um yeah... those are all in a giant pile in our storage room in our basement. :) One thing always seems to lead to another... it is next up on the list so stay tuned!

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    22. Wow, can I move in? It looks smarter than most of my house! BIG fan of the baskets too but the doormat is my favourite.

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    23. Ooh it looks so good! My hubby and I were just talking yesterday about tackling our garage, so I sent him this post as inspiration! Love it! Hope you're having a wonderful Monday, Jen!

      ~Abby =)

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    24. I've been trying to transform our house room by room into something pretty and organized and everything is taking FOREVER. I'm simply blown away by the magnitude of your garage project! It's beautiful and I can only fathom just how much work it has been to get there. I'm very inspired! One day, I'd love for our garage to be like yours! Sending many high fives and Good Jobs your way!

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    25. Could you give me a source list for the toy storage bins and baskets. I especially like the ones you have the sand toys in.

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      1. Hi Aimee!

        You can snag most details and sources in the original post here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2014/07/garage-update-outdoor-toy-organization.html

        Most baskets came from Target or the Dollar Store, the buckets were from IKEA.

        xoxo!

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    26. Hi, would you mind sharing where did you find those plastic totes with handles that you used to store toys? Thanks

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      1. Hi Aliana!

        You can snag most details and sources in the original post here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2014/07/garage-update-outdoor-toy-organization.html

        Most baskets came from Target or the Dollar Store, the buckets were from IKEA.

        xoxo!

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    27. Bravo! Bravo! THIS was an inspiring post!!! Congratulations on an exceptionally well done makeover!!!!

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    28. wow!! huge congrats on a fabulous job. your garage looks gorgeous! and look at all that room! well done!

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    29. Y'all did a great job - it looks fantastic. Your ceilings look very high and could you tell me what the height is, please? Ours does not look nearly that high. My husband and I have been discussing that we need to go vertical. Thanks for any info you can provide. Love your blog. Do you organize professionally?

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      1. Thank you Debbie! The garage ceilings are around 9 ft high {beadboard was purchased in 4'x8' panels with a little extra room above}. Vertical is definitely the way to go when you can! And I don't organize professionally, it has always just been a fun hobby for me. :)

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    30. Hope!! You give me hope.

      Ellen

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    31. Thank you thank you thank you!!! We have a double garage which looks like yours used to, though no access to it for our car, so it's just a wasted space which can totally be transformed into something practical and amazing. Your garage transformation has inspired me and challenged me to look at it in a new light & breathe life back into the old girl 😉 I love your blog. You're so very real. Thank you.

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    32. Absolutely the exact way I want my garage to look! I texted my husband about it even... ha ha. I am very curious to hear about your tools! My question is where you keep your garbage/recycling cans?

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      1. They sit outside of the garage. There has never been space for us to conveniently store them inside the garage because they are so large.

        xoxo!

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    33. Looks beautiful! I highly recommend the Rustoleum Garage Floor Epoxy. We did this on our garage floor about three years ago and it has held up beautifully and makes clean up so much easier. Believe it or not, the hardest part was getting the floor perfectly clean before painting on. After that application was easy. Our old floor was not sealed and absorbed everything and always felt dirty.

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      1. Thanks for the tip Joanna! That is one of the options I have been looking at, love hearing your testimonial!

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    34. Aren't you scared of bugs getting in the shoes? I love the idea of leaving them out there but I have centipedes, spiders, earwigs, and all sorts of gross critters in my garage.

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      1. We have occasional spiders but not many bugs beyond that. Boots/shoes could be stored upside down or stuffed when not in use, but we haven't had too many issues in the past.

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    35. You have definitely prioritized what belongs in a garage and it has clearly paid off. I know what you mean about finishing the floors. In my garage, that is the only project that is done! We have a professional finish with chips in it. I would highly recommend going this route because it will hold up much longer than the off the shelf products from the hardware store (unless you can find a professional grade finish).

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    36. Jen. Your transformation is inspiring! I'm a relatively new reader and I love your blog. So many great ideas. Thanks for sharing!! Now I have more ideas to put on the "To Do" list!

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    37. This is great! I love the inspiration - I have been trying to figure out how to wrangle together our sports equipment. I love your solution! Thanks for sharing!

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    38. Dang. That is nice enough to throw a party in!

      (And I know, I just ended a sentence with a preposition. I was just seeing if the grammar cops were paying attention.)

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    39. Hi Jen, your garage looks amazing! I really like your bike stand. We have five bikes like you, and I was looking everywhere for a bike stand. Where did you get it from? Can you please also tell me how high on the wall did you install it (how many inches from the floor)? How wide is the stand? I appreciate your reply. Thanks for giving a great idea for bike storage.

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      1. Hello!

        You can find the details for the bike rack in this post here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2014/08/garage-update-family-bike-storage.html, it is part of the Monkey Bar storage system.

        xoxo!

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    40. Nice job! Our garage is too full of my husband's stuff to do anything cute like that. I looked but couldn't see if you said where the tray your boots are in was from, could you share? (love that green, would go great in our house!) Thanks

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      1. Thank you! The boot tray was from Crate & Barrel a few year back. I agree, the green is great!

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    41. Hi Jen:
      All I can say is WOW! Any tips on where to find the right kind of bead board?
      Maggie

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      1. Hi Maggie! We just used standard beadboard found at Home Depot in the 4x8 sheets. And thank you! :)

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      2. Hi Jenn - what material is the beadboard you used made of? is it MDF or vinyl? Thanks! Lisa

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    42. I love how beautiful it turned out. Amazing job! I am a mom to 3 boys as well and I need to ask where those adorable striped rain boots are from. Thanks!

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      1. Hi Andrea! The rainboots are Joules and we couldn't be more smitten with them! So comfortable! http://www.joulesusa.com/Womens-Clothing/Rain-Boots

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    43. Gorgeous, as always!! I'm addicted to all your different types of labels. haha Also, random question of the day - where did you get the rain boots?! I love yours AND the boy ones!! :D

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      1. Hi Anna! Thank you for the sweetness! The rainboots are Joules and we couldn't be more smitten with them! So cozy! http://www.joulesusa.com/Womens-Clothing/Rain-Boots

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    44. So many great ideas here! Can't wait to implement some of them in my new house!

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    45. I'm so happy for you Jen! I read but rarely comment and even a week after you posted this I'm still thinking about the amazing transformation in your garage! I'm so happy for you too - doesn't this also mean that you and hubby can start work on your kitchen? You've made such major strides in your garage and utility room - please pat yourself on the back for me!

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    46. Jen,

      Looks great! Could you share where you purchased the big soft blue and green totes in the white cabinets, not the toy station totes. I have been looking for a similar color tote for my white and blue garage and can only find a dark blue!

      Thank you!
      Kassie

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    47. I love the new garage and have total garage envy now! Can you share where you got the wall mounted cubbies from?

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      1. Thank you mj! The cubbies are hacked from a Closetmaid piece, you can snag the details here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2012/09/an-organized-sports-station-closetmaid.html xoxo!

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    48. Hi!
      We are currently building a house and I've jept this post tucked away in the back of my mind. We are getting to the point of finalizing all the finishes and I would love to have similar lights in our garage. We don't have any windows and we have a three stall so we would have three lights. The problem is my husband doesn't think they are functional/practical enough to produce enough light. I was hoping to get your opinion on how much light they provide you in the night time.

      Thanks so much!!
      Jenn

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      1. Hi Jenn! We really love the lights but they did cut down the overall brightness a bit. With a higher watt bulb they put off plenty of light to navigate and work in the garage at night. I would guess that where they are placed makes a small difference also. Best of luck with the house building!

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    49. Jennifer, I am an avid follower of your blog.Your posts inspire me in my quest for continual organization! I'm a mom of 3 but I have older kids and have been happily married over 31 years. I went back to this blogpost because it's that time to tackle the garage beast of our home now that most of the other parts are organized. My question is what would you do with a large quantity of totes/tubs that we have for Christmas/Holiday decorations? I have 1 tote each for other seasons like "Spring," "Fall," "Patriotic," all labeled (not with labels as cute as yours, hint hint) but our Christmas decor/keepsakes are getting out of hand. I have tried to trim down the items until my kids won't let me get rid of any more! They say they want us to pass the items down to them in a few years.I'm just trying to figure out where to put them! Where do you or your readers store items you only use once a year? Or where do you all store things that you would mark as "Mementos" like your children's baby things. Think way down the road when your kids are 15-18 years of age...:) I find this is my Achilles Heel, "Keepsakes." After the garage, my last 2 beasts of organization are books (both an entire library my husband has acquired and books that my children loved when they were little) and then photos...hundreds...so if you have any ideas...THANK YOU in advance!

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    50. Hello! Thanks for being a loyal follower! <3

      I blogged about storing our additional bins and holiday decor in this post here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2014/11/our-storage-room-is-finally-organized.html

      And our sentimental memories here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2013/11/our-storage-spaces-memory-boxes.html

      Feel free to let me know if you have any other questions and thank you again!
      Jen

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    51. Can you tell us where you purchased the seating area by the door? Thanks!

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      1. Hello,
        We pieced the seating/sport's station together using pieces from Closetmaid. You can snag the details here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2012/09/an-organized-sports-station-closetmaid.html

        xoxo!

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    52. I love those lights! What a difference! And I'd never thought of beadboard, but a wipeable surface in the garage would definitely be heaven.

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