Many companies claim to have the perfect organizing solution for your home, work area, or garage. These claims are empty unless the organization scheme meets your needs. The Orlando garage storage leaders at Garage Design Works work with you, learn your habits, and find the best solution to maintain the cleanliness of your garage. Read below for seven ideas on how to create a workable garage space for your lifestyle.

• How do you want to use your garage? Are you a yard warrior who needs the pruners, loppers, and lawnmower close at hand? As you plan the garage layout, keep those items closer to the bay door for ease of use. In the same respect, if you have seasonal items used only occasionally, relegate them to an overhead bin or in a cabinet at the back of the garage. By understanding your habits, you can organize your garage to make it work for you.

• Inspect the floor. To organize your garage, the best action plan is to completely empty it. While you have all items scattered on the lawn and driveway, sweep the garage floor and carefully inspect it. Look for cracks, pockmarks, and spills that may be corroding the cement. If your floor suffers any of these impediments, you may wish to repair it or have it cleaned and sealed with an epoxy finish. Epoxy is tough, resilient, looks beautiful, and hides the imperfections of your existing floor.

• If the garage houses your vehicles, map out where they belong. Approximately 9’x18’ should be allocated for each vehicle in your garage. One-car garages are typically 12’x24’, and each additional car adds another 12’ to the garage’s width. The diameter cannot be tightly packed since the car doors will need room to open.

• Outlets are a must for garages. Before adding cabinetry, adding wall mounts, or moving in existing items, think about where you will add power tools. Power outlets must meet building codes; check with your city or county ordinance office to verify the amount of space between power outlets. Power usage in a garage is often different than that in a house; set up 30-amp service with ground fault circuit interrupters on every breaker. For major appliances, EV charging stations and welders add at least one 220-volt circuit. An outlet near the door is a must if you have an electric edger, mower, or clippers to easily plug in an extension cord without dragging it through the garage, entangling bike pedals and rakes in your wake.

• The importance of light. Nothing is more frustrating than being in the middle of a major project as the sun sets. Garage lights are often lacking, and ceilings are generally higher in a garage than in the home proper. This leads to dimly-lit workstations and shadowy corners. The correct fixtures can brighten a garage tremendously. Humming, flickering fluorescent bulbs are no longer a garage staple now that LEDs come in tubes. Existing fluorescent fixtures can be converted to LED for a crisper, brighter light. LEDs are more energy efficient than fluorescent and do not emit nearly as much heat.

• Keep the walls organized. Now that the floors are organized and the outlets are in place, it is time to organize the walls. Hanging large items, such as shovels and bicycles, is easy with the correct hardware. Remember to move the items you use most frequently to a location where they are easy to reach.

• Look up! Storage bins full of seasonal items can find a home in an overhead storage bin. Large wall mounts are available for full-sized storage bins, or hang an overhead storage unit above your vehicle; the space between the ceiling and the garage door is often underutilized.

Give Garage Design Works a call at (407) 447-8890 to speak with one of our Orlando garage storage experts to learn how you can transform your garage into a working paradise.