Since we moved in our house back in 2016 I have been wanting to give our garage a makeover, but I kept putting off because of lack of time. We finally made a plan and got started on the garage.
In this post I will give you a step by step guide to show you how to start your own garage makeover with built in DIY garage cabinet idea, and lastly I will show you our garage makeover progress.
Step 1 Assess the garage
Take a look around your garage and decide what items you will want to keep trash or donate. Then decide what items you actually want to keep in your garage this will help you decided what kind of storage you want put in your garage.
Step 2- What is your overall goal for your garage makeover?
For us we wanted the to garage to be a functional space where we can easily access our tools for all of our DIY projects as well as for my husband to be able to work on the cars or his motorcycle.
Step 3- Decide on the type of storage
Once you have decided to what items you will store in your garage decide what type of storage you want. Below is a list of items you can store in your garage, I also included a black and white printable version.
We opted for building our own cabinets because we wanted a particular size and style it would have cost us way more.
If building your own cabinets is not an option for you, you can still customize store bought cabinet by doing something as minor as changing the hardware or even painting the cabinet.
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you decide on the type of storage
Do you already have storage and just need to organize the garage?
Do you need to add storage?
Do just want everything off the floor and put away? or do you actually want the garage to be visually appealing?
Do you want to buy storage?
Do you want to build your own storage?
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Step 4- Decide where your storage will go
If you have space between your garage door and the wall thatâs one of the best place to add storage because it is a space you canât really utilize without having some sort of cabinets or shelves
The amount of space you have will vary from garage to garage, but as long as you have at least one foot (12 inches) of space you can make it work. Ours is about 18 inches of space which is 1.5 feet.
Step 5- Take measurements
Now that you have decided what kind of storage you want start measuring, and measure again and again.
Whether you are building custom storage or buying them you need to measure, especially if you are adding tall storage close to your garage door you want to make sure it will not be in the way of your garage door opening. We slightly miscalculated and had to cut a about an inch from the top corner of our cabinetâŚ.
Step 6- Pick a color palette
I wanted a neutral monochrome look so we went with colors like black grey white and natural wood
OUR MAKEOVER UPDATE
WHAT THE GARAGE LOOKED LIKE BEFORE
WHAT THE GOAL IS
This is the goal for the garage once we are completely done with it
Painting the walls white
Replacing the baseboards
Building custom tall cabinets
Building a workbench
Having a designated spot for all of our tools
Building storage for scrap of wood
Adding cabinets above the workbench
Covering the water heater
Building a storage for extra tires
Figuring out some sort of rack for our bicycle
Heres what weâve done so far
Painted the walls
I wanted white so the garage could look brighter, I went with Benjamin Moore Regal Select Pearl finish in the color Chantilly lace
Replaced our baseboards
I actually wanted to go with 5 inch baseboards but they were all out of stock so we ended up going with the 3 inch and I am not disappointed.
Painted the door
I searched high and low for the perfect black, I wanted a true black that had no undertone.
I went with Benjamin Moore Regal Select Pearl finish in the color Onyx
Built the base and frame of the cabinet
Since I am kind of making this up as a I go the cabinet is taking a while to be built.
The hardest part about building this cabinet is the fact that our floors arenât leveled and the wall is not straight so itâs be pretty hard getting exact measurements for everything.
A detailed post about the cabinets will bu up once we actually finish building it.
Cabinet progress
Stay tune for part 2 of the garage makeover!
