Nothing says love like storage! If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day present for yourself or your heart throb, look no further. Flowers die, food gets eaten, storage is forever.
We are garage people. Like, we really, really use our garage. Storage, toys, tools, and cars (most of the time). I am constantly cleaning, organizing and dreaming about ways to use the space better. I built overhead storage at our previous house, which was a life saver, so when Fleximounts approached me with an offer to install theirs I was up for the party. Here’s my garage before (so embarrassing!):
This process of installing a storage kit was a lot simpler than building from scratch, but with our crazy high ceilings the installation still took a long time. Right off the bat this is a two person endeavor for sure and I definitely needed a helper. My husband was up for the job, he is pretty rad like that and is rarely jostled by my get-the-kids-to-bed-and-work-all-night projects. And as always my favorite four-year-old helper was close in tow to lend an extra hand.
The real trick to this installation is finding the right location, access to studs, and deciding how big to make the adjustable storage. I wanted the storage as big as possible so stacking two coolers or storage bins would be easy. You’ll need these tools for installation:
Tools: Tape measure, Drill, saw, Stud finder, Ratchet/Socket wrench (this is installed with a hex bolt/lag screw, really strong fasteners)
The racks come with installation instructions, but the basic process has three steps:
- Locate the perfect spot: Take into consideration location of ceiling joists or studs. head clearance, garage doors, exterior doors, walkways, windows, and cars parking. Remember you can also hang items from the bottom of the rack, so you may not want to put it over cabinets like I did.
- Follow installation instructions carefully- attach the braces into the studs and then and make sure you have a buddy on hand to at least lift and secure the bottom plate.
- Load items with care. Bad back people you know who you are! It’s kinda hard to go over the weight limit, but keep that in mind. I guess if you’re loading some pewter statues up there you might want to weigh it before hoisting it up. You’ll be surprised how much “normal” storage fits!
This unit is really big, it took my husband and I together about four hours to install. Which incidentally is less time than it took to assemble a play kitchen on Christmas Eve, but that is painful story for a different day. I blame the insanely high ceiling for the amount of time, but still, set aside a few hours before you tackle the project.
My favorite feature is being able to hang the huge jogging stroller from the bottom, especially in the off season when I rarely use it. Also, words can not express how happy I am to not be stepping over my son’s green kayak anymore.
This project is worth it! Overhead storage is the greatest. Check out Fleximounts for this and other storage products and more information.
Happy Creating!
Storage rack materials were provided by Fleximounts, opinions are my own.
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