Ask the Expert

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette garage illustration.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette garage illustration.

The garage in the house I just bought has a rough-in finish of exposed wood framing. I want to finish it out and add cabinets and shelving for storage. I'm not sure where to begin with this project. Can you give me some advice?

"Storage space is a great thing to have within a home," says Tim Hennelly, owner of Casa Buena home inspections. "Today's modern homeowners have more items that need a place to be stored than homeowners at any other time in, well, let's just say all of history."

A garage is a unique part of the house because of how it is utilized, Hennelly says. While some garages are built-in and under the same roof as the house, they are not living areas. They are intended to provide a secure, out-of-the-weather place for vehicles, but are often used for storage, too.

"Some [garages] have so many personal items stored in them that one can barely walk through, while a very few have basically nothing but the vehicles in them," he says.

How can we best utilize space in a garage to accommodate vehicles and other stuff?

"While a typical garage in a newer house has finished interior walls with installed outlets, some older houses will likely have exposed wall studs and few outlets," Hennelly says. For older houses, have an electrician install outlets, lights and switches as needed, he says, adding that exterior walls should be insulated prior to installing an interior wall material.

Homeowners, he says, should think beyond drywall.

"Some folks like to use OSB [oriented strand board] sheathing because it cuts down on finishing time and gives you the freedom to mount wall brackets, hooks and more without worrying about missing a wall stud behind drywall," Hennelly says.

The biggest challenge will likely be deciding what to store and how to do so.

The first step, Hennelly says, is to take a hard look at what is already stored there, separating

items into three piles -- keep, give away and throw away, using the one-year rule to make the task easier.

"If you have not used the item in the last year, you don't likely need it," he says. "There will be some exceptions, but decide wisely for the sake of space."

The next step is to put the vehicle or vehicles in the now-empty garage and figure out how much of the remaining space can be used for storage, Hennelly says.

"Consider utilizing cabinets, shelving or free-standing shelf units for the items you need to store," he says, adding that if the ceilings are high enough to offer overhead storage space, consider that as well.

Pegboards are a good way to store tools for organization and ease of use, Hennelly says. "Take a look at what items you will use the most and ensure they are in the most accessible space. The last thing you want is to have to move stuff around to get to those often-needed items."

If a pet will be spending time in the garage, the homeowner may want to consider insulated panels on the garage door or installing insulation on existing garage door panels to help control temperature extremes in the garage.

"Once your garage is all organized, you only have one challenge remaining: keeping it that way," Hennelly says.

-- Linda S. Haymes

Do you have a decorating or remodeling question? We'll get you an answer from an authority. Send your question to Linda S. Haymes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203 or email:

[email protected]

HomeStyle on 02/21/2015

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