• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet Kris
    • FAQs
    • Media
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Home Tour
    • Master Bathroom
    • Kitchen
    • Kitchen Eat-In Area
    • Family Room
    • Living Room
    • Home Office
    • Laundry Room
    • Master Bedroom
    • Craft Room
    • Dining Room
    • Garage
    • Guest Room
    • Guest Bathroom
    • Patio
    • Powder Room
    • Teen Blue & White Bedroom
    • Teen Boho Chic Bedroom
  • Projects
    • Room Remodels
    • DIY Projects
    • Decorating Tips
    • Cleaning
    • Organizing
  • Subscribe
  • Shop My Favorites
    • Shop My Faves
    • Shop My House

Driven by Decor logo

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Meet Kris
    • FAQs
    • Media
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Home Tour
    • Master Bathroom
    • Kitchen
    • Kitchen Eat-In Area
    • Family Room
    • Living Room
    • Home Office
    • Laundry Room
    • Master Bedroom
    • Craft Room
    • Dining Room
    • Garage
    • Guest Room
    • Guest Bathroom
    • Patio
    • Powder Room
    • Teen Blue & White Bedroom
    • Teen Boho Chic Bedroom
  • Projects
    • Room Remodels
    • DIY Projects
    • Decorating Tips
    • Cleaning
    • Organizing
  • Subscribe
  • Shop My Favorites
    • Shop My Faves
    • Shop My House
×

Updated: Apr 5, 2022 by Kris Jarrett

Garage Organization: Tackling Our Crazy Mess of a Garage

Looking for some garage organization ideas? We went to town on our mess of a garage and organized it from top to bottom. Here’s how!

When we finally finished our it-took-forever kitchen remodel, we had the beautiful new kitchen that we had dreamed of but we also had a garage that looked like it came out of an episode of Hoarders. To be honest, it wasn’t exactly neat and tidy before our kitchen renovation but the addition of extra tools, molding samples, packaging materials, painting supplies, and a massive layer of construction dust took it to next-level chaos: 

Our horribly messy garage before with organized it with The Container Store's Elfa system

Not only could we not get even one of our cars into the garage, but finding anything in this disaster ended in a 20 minute hunting expedition with only about a 30% chance of unearthing what we were looking for. With our current “system” of a few freestanding shelves, there was simply no way that we’d be able to organize and find a home for everything piled high on the shelves and littering the garage floor. I started looking at options for custom garage organization systems and landed on The Container Store’s Elfa system as the perfect one to get the job done (and look pretty doing it too!).

Within just a few weeks, we transformed our embarrassing mess of a garage from a total disaster to this organized beauty:

Our big garage organization project! How we tackled the clutter and organized our garage with the Elfa system!

Yes, that is seriously my garage! And yes, I seriously have the happiest husband on the planet right now! 🙂  There are two other areas of our garage that we also redid to hold all of our tools and while I’m DYING to show you more of this main storage space plus those other two spaces, first I’m going to share a little bit about getting from point A (hoarder status) to point B (a garage system I want to whisper sweet nothings to). Here’s how to get the job done (post includes affiliate links – full disclosure statement available {here}): 

1. Measure Your Available Wall Space & Take Inventory

To kick off my garage organization project, I took measurements of the available wall space in the three areas of our garage that I wanted to organize. I also made notes about anything on the walls or close to them that I’d need to work around such as wires, outlets, and the garage door track. These are the three spaces that I was looking to tackle:

Steps in organizing our garage - taking measurements of wall spaces for new Elfa systems!

I also recorded the measurements of the larger/oddly sized items that I wanted to store like our twin tool boxes, Shop Vac, sawhorses, box fan, etc. to make sure that our design plan included a designated space for them. 

 

2. Search The Container Store’s Garage Solutions for Inspiration

The best way to start designing a garage organization solution that you’ll love is to first check out all of your options! I scoured the Elfa garage solutions {here} and found several must-haves including {these Elfa utility boards} that {these board hooks} and {these clear board boxes} hook onto. I love them! They keep all of my most-used hardware and tools organized and easy to grab:

How I organized my most used hardware and tools in our garage! Love Elfa's utility boards, hooks, and bins!

 

3. Design Your Space

Now’s the fun part – designing your new, custom organized space! The fact that you get FREE expert design help is one of my favorite things about the Elfa system. You can meet with an Elfa designer at your local Container Store or work with one over the phone or by email – whatever works best for you. I started the process by giving an Elfa designer some photos of my garage, the measurements of my available garage wall space, dimensions of the larger items I wanted to incorporate, my budget, and a bunch of wish list notes. After he came up with a design plan for all three of my spaces, I made an in-store appointment at my local Container Store to review the plan and tweak and finalize everything in person. 

Sharing the start to finish design process of a new custom Elfa storage system for our garage!

The designer (thanks Daniel!) also scheduled the delivery of my Elfa components and my installation date. I decided to use their installation services since I knew I’d be putting a ton of hours into this garage project already but DIY installation is an option that will save you about 20% so it’s a good way to save money on a tight budget!  

 

4. Get The Dirty Work (Literally) Done!

I left The Container Store SO excited about my design plans that would finally get our garage chaos under control! It was the motivation that I needed to do a big garage clean-out and also get everything out of the way for the installers who would be arriving in about a week. I roped my daughters into helping me take the piles of crap off our old shelving and pile it into the middle of the garage – shield your eyes people because this stage wasn’t pretty:

Garage clean out in progress!

My husband and I then weeded through it all and threw away anything that was broken or unusable, took the old paint cans to be recycled, and drove two car loads of stuff to Goodwill. Basically, if we hadn’t used it in the five years that we’ve been in this house, it was outta here! Of course I chose the hottest week of the year for my garage clean out (learn from my mistake and do this in the spring or fall!). It was SO NOT fun but having an installation deadline looming over me was actually a beautiful thing – it forced me to knock our garage cleanup out instead of procrastinating about it for weeks like I know I would have.

 

5. Delivery of Supplies & Installation of Your New Elfa System!

Once everything was away from the garage walls, they looked pretty dingy and sad so I filled any nail holes and rolled on a fresh coat of paint to make it a clean slate. Then I was finally ready to start putting everything back together! The next day my Elfa supplies were delivered to my house (they schedule a delivery window so you can make sure you’re home if you’d like to be):

The delivery of our supplies for our new Elfa garage system!

And then the day following that was my scheduled installation day! A local installer came on what was literally one of the hottest days of the year (poor guy, he was drenched by the end of the install) and he had all three of my Elfa systems up on the wall in just a few hours. One of the cool things about how installation works is that they can cut things to size on site so after my installer arrived we reviewed the design plan and a few things we had to work around in our garage and then were able to make a few minor tweaks on things like the height of some of the Elfa rails and shelves.

 

6. Put Everything Back On Your Brand New, Beautiful Elfa Units!

It was a slow process, but over the course of several days my husband and I worked to get everything that was piled in the middle of our garage onto our new Elfa units. This is when our garage organization project really started to take shape! We had decided to move the three bikes that were previously hanging in the garage down to our basement for storage since we only use them a few times a year – this allowed us to go all the way to the ceiling with our Elfa unit to totally maximize our space:

Our big garage organization project! How we tackled the clutter and organized our garage with the Elfa system!

The top two racks were filled with {these clear weathertight totes} with lids that lock securely in six spots so that they’re air- and water-tight. I have larger 62 quart totes on the tops shelves and smaller 46 quart totes on the shelf below. They hold everything from painting tarps to saws and sports equipment to Christmas lights and garlands. I used my label maker to print out labels for the front of each tote which was probably unnecessary since they’re clear but labels make me happy. The second shelf also holds our box fan and folding stool – we designed the top shelf to be a bit shorter specifically to allow room to store them.

The next row down we have {these Elfa work surfaces} instead of typical shelves. They’re made of epoxy-bonded galvanized steel to withstand a lot of wear and tear and they can also support quite a bit of weight (our red tool boxes are super heavy!):

Love the smooth, heavy duty Elfa utility work surface integrated into this organized garage system!

And then there’s my much-loved utility boards: These Elfa utility boards are the best! Awesome way for organizing all of your most-used tools and hardware in your garage!

Scroll & Click/Tap Images Below to Shop my Utility Board:

Over on the left side I used {these circle board hooks} to hold screwdrivers and {these short and long board hooks} to hold levels, a tape measure, and {this super cute mini brush and dustpan}:

The smartest was to organize your most-used tools! She used Elfa utility boards with different types of board hooks to hold screwdrivers, levels, and more!

In the middle, I used a bunch of {these utility board boxes} to store things like screws, picture wire, and wall anchors. They lift on and off the boards easily so you can take them down to look through or to take with you for use on a project. I used {these Elfa label holders} to label the contents because again… I heart labels:

Such a great way to store things like screws, picture hangers, anchors, etc.! The clear bins hook onto Elfa utility boards. Garage organization goals!

And then on the last board on the right, I have several of {these slim utility hooks} holding wire cutters along with hooks holding our stud finder and twine and clear board boxes holding razors:

Garage organization goals! Such a smart way to organize your tools so they're super neat and easy to grab (using Elfa's utility boards and hooks!)

Above the utility boards we have several of {these accessory hooks} and {these small tool holders} holding rolls of tape, a hammer, pliers, and a putty knife. Going down one row lower, we have seven of {these mesh drawers} in two different sizes. One of the drawers holds all of our work gloves:

Mesh drawers built into and Elfa garage organzation system - love this!!

And another drawer holds our trash bags (when our garage was a mess, we kept buying trash bags we didn’t need because we couldn’t find the ones we had so we are stocked!):

Love all of the storage options with these Elfa mesh drawers that are part of an amazing garage organization system!

One of the more shallow drawers holds all of the manuals for our lawn equipment and then another drawer is dedicated to my husband’s bike helmet, gloves, and all of his other biking equipment (this one little drawer that’s all his makes him way happier than it probably should 🙂 ). Below the mesh drawers are {these Elfa shelf baskets} that hold all of our bottles and spray cans:

Efla shelf baskets neatly organize all of the bottles and spray cans in this newly organized garage!

I have several of {these clear basket dividers} so that I can divide the bins into any width I like, making it easier to group products together (lawn care, painting supplies, car supplies, etc.):

Elfa clear basket dividers make it easy to group together products on the shelves of this garage organizer!

And finally, we have a spot for an extension cord and our shop vac, along with shelving space for two of our large gas cans that we keep on hand for powering our generator during those crazy winter storms that can leave us without power for days:

I'm LOVING what I'm see about this Elfa utility garage shelving system!

Now are you ready to see what we did with our tools? On the long wall on the other side of the garage, we had a rack for tools that the previous owner left but it wasn’t adjustable and didn’t hold the tools securely. This is “my side” of the garage and I can’t tell you how many near misses I had from tools falling off the rack (garden weasel, I’m looking at you!) when I brushed by them after getting out of my car.

Our old system of tool storage - click through to see it now!

We replaced it with a super functional new Elfa system that has two rows of hooks so we can store twice as much in the same space! 

I'm getting so many ideas for organizing our garage from this post! Love this Elfa system for hanging tools!

Scroll & Click/Tap Images Below to Shop my Tool Racks:

And what I really love about it is that it’s completely adjustable – you can take the different types of hooks on and off and slide them into any position you choose. We have our sawhorses and folding chairs on the bottom row hanging from {these wide ladder hooks}:

Definitely a garage must-have! These Elfa wide ladder hooks are perfect for holding folding chairs and sawhorses in addition to ladders! Love how this garage is organized!

On the top row, we have our electric trimmers, folding chairs in bags, and a few other tools hanging from {these simple accessory hooks}. Shovels, axes, and our stand-up weeder hang from {these straight handled tool hooks} which are really nice because you can save space by hanging multiple tools on a single hook. We also have a hose hanging from {this round cord hook}: 

Super smart tool hooks that are part of the Elfa garage organizing system organize hoses, shovels, and all sorts of other tools!

Moving on to organization project #3, we wanted to make good use of this little nook at the back of our garage where our old fireplace once was – it looked like this at the end of our kitchen remodel:

Love what they did with this garage space!

And now it looks like this:

Smart ideas for storing your long handled tools, golf bags, and bike as part of a garage organization project!

Scroll & Click/Tap Images Below to Shop my Tool & Bike Racks:

We added just a single rack to the wall that we use for all of our long handled tools so we were able to get rid of the freestanding tool holder that used to sit right between our cars. This was a huge victory because this sucker has always been a pain to maneuver around getting in and out of our cars:  

We were able to diss this old freestanding tool rack and find a new, organized garage solution for them!

Most of the tools are hung with {these simple individual tool holders} that make it super easy to take tools on and off but also grasp them really securely:

We also have a few things hung by simple accessory hooks and others like the rakes that are hung from {this straight handled tool hook}: 

Elfa hooks for hanging long handled tools in the garage - love this organization system!

Unlike the rest of us that don’t bike often, my husband bikes several times a week so he wanted to keep his bike in the garage where it was easy to get to. Since it’s the only thing on the wall, we didn’t install an Elfa rail but instead just mounted {this Elfa bike rack} directly to the wall:

A smart way to hang your bike on the wall in the garage - an Elfa wall-mounted bike rack!

I actually didn’t realize until after we put our Elfa system in that many of their accessories can be wall mounted. When they’re mounted to the wall instead of on an Elfa rail, you obviously don’t have the advantage of being able to move the hooks around or take them on and off but if a full Elfa system is out of your budget, it’s a great way to go. And you could always add Elfa rails and use them as part of a bigger system years down the road.

Did you forget that we’re counting through the steps? I almost did but we’re wrapping up with the final two:

7. After Installation & Organization, Add or Swap Accessories As Needed

It’s almost impossible to design your space so that you know EXACTLY what type of Elfa accessories and how many of them you’ll need. Once you’ve found a home for everything in your newly organized garage, take stock of the Elfa accessories that you need more of and accessories that you can return and make a final Container Store run. All you need is your order number or receipt for the Container Store to be able to look up your project and help you return any extras.

My Elfa installer actually told me that The Container Store keeps your Elfa design on file in their system for years so he has clients who move to a different house and take their Elfa systems with them (it’s easier to do than you think because it’s only the top rail that’s mounted to the wall!). The Container Store can pull up your old design and reconfigure it to your new space using the Elfa pieces that you already have to cut down what you need to buy to a fraction of the cost of an entirely new system. 

 

8. Enjoy Your Newly Organized Space!

I can tell you that step 8 is a pretty awesome place to be! In our 20 years of home ownership, we’ve honestly never had a well organized garage and my husband and I are both still kind of in awe of it! When we were cleaning it out, I can’t tell you how many times we said, “Oh, that’s where that was!”, as we unearthed item after item that we had unsuccessfully searched for weeks or months before. Now we not only know where everything is and can grab it quickly, but we can get both cars in the garage and can get in and out of our cars and into the house without having to navigate a garage obstacle course and we maximized every square inch of space. #winning

Garage organization goals! The step by step for transforming your garage from a disaster zone to the most organized garage on the block!

If you have any questions about our new Elfa system or the whole garage organization process, leave them for me in the comments and I’ll do my best to help you! I’ll be sharing some video of our newly organized garage on Instagram Stories and answering questions over there too – you can follow along {here} on Instagram if you aren’t following already. And if you’re thinking about tackling reorganizing your garage in the future but aren’t quite ready to jump into it, Pin the below image now so you’ll be able to find this post easily later ->

How to organize your super messy garage - step by step tips and how-to!

Update: How Much Did My Custom Elfa Garage System Cost?

From comments on this post and messages I received via email and Instagram, many of you wanted to know the cost of my Elfa garage solutions so I thought I’d update this post to share approximate costs with you. Here’s the scoop – please note that these prices are from during one of The Container Store’s Elfa sales that they have a few times a year::

  • Solution #1 (full wall with drawers, utility boards, etc.) – cost of Elfa components with DIY installation is around $1600/with professional installation is around $1900. This includes absolutely everything, including all of the utility board accessories, weathertight totes, etc.
  • Solution #2 (two long Elfa rails with hanging accessories) – cost of Elfa components with DIY installation is around $220/with professional installation is around $400.
  •  Solution #3 (one Elfa rail with hanging accessories + bike rack) – cost of Elfa components with DIY installation is around $110/ with profession installation is around $300
  • Another good way to get an idea on pricing is to check out {this Container Store page} that shows several different Elfa garage systems, the components involved and the total price

Obviously the price varies greatly depending upon the specific Elfa solutions but there truly is a system for every budget and the designers at The Container Stores are experts at taking your available space plus your budget and coming up with a plan to maximize it. Happy organizing!

XO,

  • Pin
  • Share
  • Email

Categories: Organizing

✉️FREE EMAIL SERIES ✉️

5 Secrets to Reinventing Your Home on a Budget

Simple tips to instantly transform five rooms in your home!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sally says

    September 15, 2018 at 5:20 am

    Oof – this makes me happy just to look at! Would it be possible to give the cost for this (I know that it’s sale time and it’s a sponsored post, but if you had had to buy it yourself….?)?

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:06 pm

      Sure, I just added a section about cost to the end of the post – hope it’s helpful!

      Reply
  2. Brenda says

    September 15, 2018 at 9:28 am

    Omg!! I have such garage envy! It is beautiful!!
    Question- golf caddy organizer…didn’t see info for that. Is it Elfa too?
    Second question-what color paint did you use on the the walls of your garage?

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:22 pm

      Thank you Brenda! We’ve actually had that golf caddy for years – it’s linked under the Organization section of my Amazon shop here -> https://www.amazon.com/shop/drivenbydecor And I used Behr’s Premium Ultra paint (it’s paint + primer) in eggshell in the white right off the shelf. It covered really well but I was painting over white – if you’re painting over another color I would tint it just slightly because that will help it cover even better!

      Reply
  3. Nora says

    September 15, 2018 at 9:36 am

    So your hard work definitely paid off. Your newly organized garage looks great. I know this may be personal but just for me to get an idea, what was your total cost for installation and all the products you purchased. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:23 pm

      Thank you! A few other people had that question too so I added cost info to the end of the post – hope it’s helpful!

      Reply
  4. Jo says

    September 15, 2018 at 10:05 am

    Curious—how much would your entire Elfa system cost retail? Thanks! J. Abella

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:24 pm

      Hi Jo – I just added a section on cost to the end of the post since you weren’t the only one wondering – hope it’s helpful!

      Reply
  5. Kathy O'Leary Lawhorn says

    September 15, 2018 at 10:10 am

    Omg! Seriously, this new system rocks! Please send your address so I can come and spend the night in your garage just looking at how organized it is. I’m just kidding, but, I do love how it turned out. You put some serious work into it, but it’s paid off. Congrats on your new and organized space!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:24 pm

      LOL – Kathy, we can have a garage sleepover! 🙂 I appreciate your sweet words!

      Reply
  6. Kelley Nan says

    September 15, 2018 at 10:24 am

    Holy cow, Kris!!! I can’t stop looking- what an incredible job and sense of pride you must have. Elfa is THE BEST but we’ve never tackled our garage or basement. I think my jealousy over your space may have finally convinced me to make the plunge. Incredible!!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:25 pm

      Thank you Kelley! I’m hooked! I want to reorganize my entire house at this point!

      Reply
  7. Rene' Marie/Georgia says

    September 15, 2018 at 11:16 am

    I knew you would like the Elfa system if you ever tried it. I am your long time reader that suggested it to you
    way back when you redecorated your closet. The Container store is my “kryptonite” my husband laughs that I can
    go without food for 6 hours just wandering their aisles. It was the Elfa system that taught my children to hang up
    their clothes in kindergarten because since they were short we could adjust it as they grew which saved time and
    money.( They are now in their 30’s). 3 other things about the Elfa system is they always come out with new items
    to attach to their units, they ususally have their 50% off sale in January when people think about getting organized
    and I have actually used my Dremel to shorten a rack into 2 to reconfigure. Just think of all the money you will save
    because you don’t need to buy something you already have, cause now you can find it! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:27 pm

      I remember you talking about it! And I’m with you – I think I could spend a whole day in The Container Store dreaming of the ways I could organize every inch of my house 🙂 And those are great tips – I really appreciate them – thank you!!

      Reply
  8. Dian Owens says

    September 15, 2018 at 12:00 pm

    You really exposed a relatable problem area. I almost hyperventilated when I saw your first photo! I can’t count how many times I’ve opened my guest bedroom door and closed it in disgust. I’ve got to pull all the clutter out of the GBR and its walk-in closet to reconfigure the useless shelving. (I’m happy with what I did to my MBR closet months ago, so I know it will be worth the effort. Starting is the hardest part.) Your “after” photos calmed my fears. The Elfa system is lovely. Wish me luck, “I’m going in!”

    I’m so glad your parents evacuated and are ok.

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:28 pm

      Starting is definitely the hardest part (ask the girl who took five years to start her garage makeover – lol!). Take advantage of the sale and get it done (and share a pic when you do!!)

      Reply
  9. Gail Storti says

    September 15, 2018 at 12:52 pm

    Wow…I’m SOOOOO impressed and I’m showing this to my husband! It would be a dream come true if our garage could look so good but it’ll never happen. Great job!!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:29 pm

      Gail, I thought the same thing! The Elfa system worked some serious miracles!

      Reply
  10. Linda says

    September 15, 2018 at 2:07 pm

    What a wonderful and well thought out garage organization project! Also, I have been following along with your kitchen progress/completion …it looks SO fantastic!! Thank you for your well written posts loaded with helpful and gorgeous tips and details!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:29 pm

      Thank you so much Linda!! There’s sure been a lot going on around here the past few months – it feels so good to be getting our house back in order!

      Reply
  11. mary says

    September 15, 2018 at 4:00 pm

    Those before and after pics are miraculous. Hats off to you and your husband. I know it was a lot of hard work.

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:30 pm

      Thank you so much Mary! It was a lot of hours but so worth it!

      Reply
  12. Diane says

    September 15, 2018 at 9:00 pm

    I’ve been in love with Elfa systems for years and like you, tackled our garage several months ago. It was amusing to read your post because we did the same steps (including the huge junk pile in the center of the garage!) in the same order. Our garage is now a sunny yellow and I can’t stop looking at it! We did the install ourselves for a total cost of $1000. It feels so good to have an organized space that works.

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:31 pm

      I love that you painted it yellow – sounds like your garage is definitely your new happy place! 🙂

      Reply
  13. Susan says

    September 16, 2018 at 12:26 pm

    Kris, you continue to amaze me! Before your family’s team effort, the garage was an unusable space, a jumble of everything! Now it is a garage! It is a home for cars and all the family needs: sports equipment, home tools, garden tools, lawn essentials, and household chemicals. This is your most impressive redo! But it really highlights the importance of family input. What do we need? What’s pure trash? What can we donate? What have we used up and outgrown? What tools do we really use? Everyone’s input and sweat help is needed for a monstrous project like this. And now, when you want to work on a project, you have actual space to work. When the kids need a bike or lawn chair, it’s easy to get at. And your husband must be the most thrilled of all! Thank you for the candid before photos. So many people have hidden spaces like your garage and don’t know where to start. I sent your link to my daughter’s family. They struggle with the garage space because they don’t have a basement: southern living! Earlier this year we spent two weeks organizing every closet, drawer, and space in her home except the garage. Now, I can visualize this system in their garage. Can I call you a miracle worker with supportive angels? I hope today is a restful, put up your feet, sip on iced tea kind of day.
    Thank you…again… Kris.
    Susan

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:34 pm

      Susan, what a super sweet comment – thank you so much! It was definitely a family affair which made it so much more fun to work on because we all shared in the excitement of how it turned out! And your daughter is pretty crazy lucky to have a mom who helps her organize her entire house!!

      Reply
  14. Karen B. says

    September 16, 2018 at 5:57 pm

    Kris,
    I’m relieved to hear your parents are safe. It’s scary stuff knowing the rain may continue into next week. I hope all goes well with their home and community.

    Wow! That trasformation is amazing. The way to any man’s heart would definitely be that kind of organization. Great job, as always.
    xo,
    Karen

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:35 pm

      Thank you so much Karen! It’s pretty crazy in Wilmington right now – from what they know, their house is ok but the whole area is so flooded that it’s not going to be possible for them to get back to it for several days still!

      Reply
  15. Pam says

    September 17, 2018 at 2:40 pm

    With 3 kids we also have so much in our garage! I noticed no lawn mower in the photos. Do you have one? The results looked amazing!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      September 17, 2018 at 10:38 pm

      When my girls were little and went to bed so early that they hardly saw my husband once he got home from work, we ended up hiring someone to mow our lawn so he didn’t have to take a chunk of his weekend away from them to get it done. We thought it would be temporary but it was SO nice to have those hours of the weekend back that we never went back to mowing it ourselves! So the long answer to your short question is that we don’t even own one any more!

      Reply
  16. Cindy says

    September 18, 2018 at 10:52 am

    Its amazing how much stuff people accumulate, myself included. In the reorganization, did you find you didn’t need a lot of it?

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      October 03, 2018 at 11:00 pm

      Yes! We threw out a lot and took two carloads to Goodwill!

      Reply
  17. Simone Baker says

    September 18, 2018 at 1:34 pm

    That’s a dream … you actually can use your garage for what it’s intended for !!! … mine is like the wastelands of a zombie apocalyptic movie … Congrats! Very Nice! Do you have any suggestions for people that DO NOT HAVE A CONTAINER STORE near by? Who can help us with design and supply? … the only big stores where I live a Home Depot and Lowes :-C

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      October 03, 2018 at 11:03 pm

      Simone you are hysterical! You can actually work with The Container Store even if you don’t have one near you – you can work with a designer by phone or email and then they deliver you everything you need!

      Reply
  18. Leslie Wood says

    September 23, 2018 at 2:22 pm

    I just love how your garage turned out – beautiful! And thank you so much for updating the post with the cost – very helpful too. One question – in the pictures I noticed that you only have one bike hanging? What happened with the other bikes? We have six bikes and I’m just curious if you ended up getting rid of bikes or stored them elsewhere. The bikes seem to be our biggest “where do we put them/how do we store them” question and still get two cars in the garage. Thank you so much!

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      October 03, 2018 at 11:34 pm

      We could have added bike hooks to the large wall but the three of us only use our bikes a few times a year (my girls are high schoolers) so we decided to store the bikes down in the basement and bring them up when needed so that we could take advantage of that entire wall for organization. The Container Store does have some really cool bike rack options including some where they hang vertically!

      Reply
  19. Colleen says

    September 27, 2018 at 3:45 pm

    Just found this post. What a great job of detailing your garage transformation. Such a pretty sight! It’s after the fact but is it possible to get a picture from the garage door/car entry opening?

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      October 05, 2018 at 10:28 pm

      Hi Colleen! Thank you! If I get a chance at some point, I’ll add one but right now I’m juggling so many other projects it might be a bit 🙂

      Reply
  20. Savvy snowbirds.com says

    March 04, 2019 at 8:57 am

    WOW!!! What an enormous undertaking!! You must be thrilled to bits to have it completed. I am in the middle of doing my garage. I have dedicated 1/2 hour each day to organizing it. It is amazing how much you can do in just 1/2 an hour…After seeing this post I am super excited to get in there today and finish it up!!! Great inspiration!

    Reply
  21. Bobbie says

    May 18, 2019 at 11:39 am

    Hi i love how you transformed your garage. I have the same problem in my garage. I am not able to find what im looking for and it drives me crazy. I just got 10 cabinets uppers and lowers to organize my stuff but am interested in some of the hanging racks for tools and odd things. You have given me hope and i plan on checking out those now. Thanks for your inspiration. I still have to do all sorting which i know will take some time i look forward to the out come. Bobbie

    Reply
  22. Annie says

    December 01, 2019 at 12:37 am

    Your garage turned out amazing!! You have inspired me to tackle my garage. Where did you put larger sporting equipment like tennis rackets and bats?

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      January 29, 2020 at 5:12 pm

      We actually have tall cabinets along the long wall of our garage and keep larger sporting equipment in there!

      Reply
  23. Michelle says

    July 16, 2020 at 9:20 am

    What a transformation! I love it!! You did an incredible job!

    Reply
  24. rosilene w. says

    July 23, 2020 at 6:45 am

    THANK YOU VERY MUCH!! GRAZIE MILLE! MUITO OBRIGADA!

    Reply
  25. Amy says

    August 15, 2020 at 12:41 am

    I saw in your before pics you have a mitre saw. Where did you store that?

    Reply
  26. Jes says

    August 28, 2020 at 8:58 am

    This looks amazing!! My fiance and I just bought our first house. I have been following you on Instagram and I got so many great ideas from you!! I need to slow down with those ideas tho, the cost are adding up real quick because we are also buying a whole set of furniture for the house. My fiance has lots of surfboards and we want to get kayaks after we settle in. We have a two car garage and we want to have both cars in there. So I really need to start thinking how to use the garage space wisely. We have two huge trash bins that takes up half side of the wall. I noticed that there is not trash bins showing in your post. Do you keep them somewhere else?
    Thanks again for all the inspirations!!

    Reply
  27. Stephanie Nalley says

    October 05, 2020 at 1:51 pm

    Where do you keep all of your ice chests/coolers?

    Reply
  28. Meriby says

    October 16, 2020 at 10:07 am

    Love your garage overhaul!
    Question: What did you do with your power equipment?
    I have a lawn tractor, garden cart, snow blower, seeding/fertilizing cart, tiller, chain saw, chipper.
    They are all on wheels and in use (one way or another) nearly year-round.

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      October 20, 2020 at 9:45 pm

      If you look at the pic early on that says “Nook for Long Tools” to the right of it, you’ll see we have a series of cabinets at the back of our garage. We have our seed spreader on top of those and other power tools like our leaf blower, chain saw, and hedge trimmer inside of them. We don’t own any really large things like a mower as we have a large lawn so pay someone to mow it on a riding mower. If we did have larger equipment like that, we would likely store it in the nook to the left of our closed cabinets instead of adding more space for tools there.

      Reply
  29. Lisa says

    March 04, 2021 at 12:31 pm

    May I ask how your bike hook has held up? It looks like exactly what I need, but I see a lot of negative reviews on store’s website. Just wondering how sturdy it is after a few months of use. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Kris Jarrett says

      March 05, 2021 at 4:53 pm

      It’s been great for us and we’ve had it for 2+ years now!

      Reply
  30. Davida says

    April 14, 2021 at 12:42 pm

    Very nice! I love a clean, organized space. I am continuing to work on our separate, brick garage. It is a continual work-in-progress but we have come a LONG way. We used to have space piled up to the ceiling with VERY LITTLE space to walk around. We never ever parked our car inside. Now we still can’t, but we NOW know where stuff is and can freely walk around and can set up a work table, and our exercise machine. We didn’t use Elfa but the Steralite shelving units.

    Reply
    • Andrea says

      April 17, 2021 at 4:52 am

      Is there a place I can find all your blogs? I started out with your closet makeover and got to the garage. I feel like I may be missing out on other areas.

      Reply
      • Kris Jarrett says

        April 17, 2021 at 9:53 am

        Hi Andrea – you can see posts on all of the rooms in our home by clicking the images in my Home Tour page here: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/house-tour/ and you can see some of my favorite projects here: https://www.drivenbydecor.com/projects/

        Reply
  31. Christine Kelly says

    May 27, 2021 at 11:45 am

    You have a garage – SWOOOON! 🙂 Instead, I’m parsing some of these ideas to my basement. 🙂 Thank you. Well Done!

    Reply
    • Jaimee Tolentino says

      June 03, 2021 at 1:50 pm

      Congratulations on this feat! #GARAGEGOALS #Inspired

      Reply
  32. Jaimee Tolentino says

    June 03, 2021 at 1:52 pm

    Congratulations on this feat! #GARAGEGOALS #Inspired
    (oops I accidentally replied to one of the comments, when I meant to leave my own comment-sorry if it doubled up)

    Reply
  33. Andre says

    December 27, 2021 at 11:56 pm

    Wow. Just what I was looking for to start my garage organization project. I love how you made use of all the wall space. My hard part will be de cluttering the garage. I may shed a tear or two, but I will do it. I like the 5 years rule. I’ll use that as my “sorry worthless thing sitting in garage, you have to go. It’s been 5 years”

    Reply
  34. Renae says

    May 12, 2022 at 10:26 am

    Wow! What an amazing transformation. Your garage is gorgeous! I love the Container Store. They have such great storage systems.

    Reply
  35. Lisa Farrell says

    October 27, 2022 at 10:40 am

    Thank you for this post! I just walked out of my garage wondering if I could hire someone to organize my garage, and this ended up in my email. Perfect timing.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

✉️FREE EMAIL SERIES ✉️

5 Secrets to Reinventing Your Home on a Budget

Simple tips to instantly transform five rooms in your home!

Meet Kris

Kris of Driven by Decor

All images on DBD are copyrighted and taken by me unless otherwise noted. If you'd like to use any of my images, please request their use via my Contact page.

I am a participant in several affiliate advertising programs (including the Amazon Associates program) and earn fees from qualifying purchases. For more information, see my full disclosure statement {here}.

To view my privacy policy, go {here}.

Copyright © 2023 · Driven by Decor