When you are on your own you never think you will need storage. After all, how could you possibly acquire enough stuff to have to require additional storage? But after a while you realize all your hobbies have taken over your space and you need some place to store some of those items; like the bike and the kayak that hangs on the living room wall!

After you realize you need additional storage you then have to decide what kind of storage is best for the single person who has some but not a lot of stuff. Do you get a shed and put it in your backyard or just go rent an off-site storage bay at one of those storage rental places or maybe even ask a friend for some garage space at their place. Whatever you decide to do you need to consider what it will take to get your equipment when you want then. This is the one reason I decided to invest in a small plastic shed. It has made a great difference in my house as well as my love life!

Recently my sister-in-law decided to redo a spare bedroom and turn it into a playroom for her two small children. To the dismay of their mother, one of the things these two like to do is draw on the walls so I suggested we paint at least one wall with chalkboard paint and let them have that wall to express their creativity. She was delighted at the suggestion and I even had some chalkboard paint left over from another project in our kitchen this past spring to donate to the cause.

My wife convinced me to help them pain since I was “so experienced”. I was actually pleased to do it because I wanted to see how my idea turned out. After we got the paint on I decided to make it into a giant chalkboard and lined the borders of the wall with some stained wood trim and fastened a wider piece on the bottom for the tray. I surprised the kids with those big fat pieces of chalk and the largest eraser I could find and they went to town on that wall. The excitement and joy was thanks enough but I sure did enjoy those lemon bars my sister-in-law made just for me!

I know that sounds a bit weird; that you get some kind of power surge from cleaning out a closet but it’s true! There is something quite cathartic when you are able to step away from yourself and look at your stuff from a different point of view and purge that which you no longer need even though you may think you want it. It was this kind of feeling that I recently experienced when going through my side of the closet I share with my wife. I thought I was the one who kept up with ridding me of all the stuff I could no longer wear but that was not what I discovered.

As I pulled my pants out of the closet I realized that I actually wore only a couple of these in the last year. I work from home so I have very little need for dress pants anymore. Yet there they were all 7 pairs. Same with the shoes in my closet and then the shirts that I hardly touch much less wear. It was an eye opening experience indeed and I found out that I have about fifteen things that I wear over and over again until they loose a button or get a tear and then they hang in my closet waiting for the repair that will never come.

We just talked to two other families in our church who have offered surplus space to those who just lost their jobs when the fabrication plant shut down. Seems that good will has a way of catching on!

It also inspired us to go out and reorganize our shed, so that we could store things more efficiently, and get to them without disturbing other belongings.

Who knew this would turn in to a thing?

Here are a few tips and tricks to help you find the hidden storage in your home.  We hope this helps you find some additional room for those holiday gifts and treasures.

• Some cabinets are deep and hard to reach anything that has been pushed back to the back so many people keep items near the front.  You can use those deep parts of your cabinets for other things that you don’t frequently use, but want to keep.
• Under beds, benches and chairs is a great way to store movies, CD’s, DVD’s and other small items that can be neatly stacked in a decorative bin or basket and placed under a chair or bench.
• Nooks and crannies can be found all over a house if you take the time to see them.  Places where a basket of games or a throw blanket can stay until you are ready to use them or an opening for a computer bag or briefcase where they can be slide in and out with ease yet out of the way when not in use.
• The space in the garage between the studs.  There are some great holders and hangers that are wonderful space savers for utilizing this unused space.

Just start looking to see where things can be easily stored and collect decorative bins and baskets to use.  Make it a game with everyone in the house and see who can find the most creative storage area.  You never know what someone will come up with and who knows, it just may be the next big thing in storage!

I go into garages and sheds all the time that have a lot more space available in them than is being currently utilized yet they look like they are packed full.  Most people do not take the time to really “see” the space they are working with in order to properly use every inch to their benefit.  I apply this methodology to outdoor spaces but it can be used for office space and in the home as well.

The first thing I look for is dead space.  This is space that is there but not being used.  One of the best examples is space between the studs or the corners and small wall space between the garage door and the wall.  In order to use this space as well as get things off the floor and onto the walls you can use a wall mounted track system.  You want to open up the needed floor space and make use of all the wall space that you have available.  Once this is accomplished try to systemize or make your storage area make since and store things that are either related by task, i.e. lawn equipment or by season, i. e. snow skiing equipment together.  This allows you quick access and a lot more space.

Every fall, we drag out the boxes and we decorate our home in preparation for one of our favorite seasons.  There will be guests before, during and after Thanksgiving, so we like for our home to look pretty and welcoming.  It is the perfect time for us to clean out that one spare bedroom that always gathers our cast-off junk that has no home yet, and get busy making more space in our vinyl storage shed for new things we only sometimes need.

If you haven’t experienced what life can be like with additional storage space like a garden shed, this might be the year to find out.  We routinely use it to hold the items we need on a seasonal basis, as well as garden tools and larger items we can’t fit in the closets.  It doesn’t always mean we keep a cleaner house, but it does mean that when we do clean, we have a place to put things, instead of just shuffling it into neater piles that are ever-growing.

Five years ago when I built the storage building in my backyard, I thought I had built one that we could easily grow into.  I could not have been more wrong.  Our lack of storage space is now overflowing back into our home.

Had I to do it all over again, here are a few things I would have done differently.

• I would have doubled what I thought I would need in the future
• I would have built more built-in shelves
• I would have added a loft and a lot more pegboard
• I would have built a ramp instead of stairs
• I would have added a door so there would be one on each end
• I would have added a window and electricity for at least one light
• I would have hung a series of hooks for ladders, bikes and other items that could be hung off the floor

If I had to choose one (outside of just more space) I would choose the addition of another door.  When you need that one item that your wife said she only uses once in a blue moon so you put it at the back of the shed…  Well, you know what I mean.  It takes a day to unload the shed, find the item and repack the shed.  At least it gets cleaned out. 

It’s the time of year to kick back for part of your weekend and enjoy your favorite college or NFL teams.  If you’re having an issue with sharing your space with a spouse, roommate or kids, it might be a great idea to start making plans to build your own space for next season.  (Face it, if you build it now, you will miss the games!)

Where in your house, inside and out, can you squeeze out some space that you can call your own?  It may be in a garage, on a patio, a spare room, basement or covered porch.  It doesn’t really matter where it is; just that there is some place you can call your own.

Start with that space in mind and visualize how you would want to transform the area into your very own TV and entertainment zone.  Start saving a little money every week or month to put toward the renovation for next spring or summer.  Make a few small purchases to keep you motivated and focused on the project and when its right take action and do it! 

Sheds are sometimes known for their diminutive size. However, less floor space may be overcome by building up top. To this end, you may want to add a loft to your shed. Attached correctly to the ceiling and wall rafters, most lofts will be able to support a substantial amount of weight. They are especially handy for storing items you may not use very often, such as boxes of dishes, luggage, or Christmas decorations.

Most lofts in sheds will be built into one end of the shed and can be the same width as the building. The depth will depend on whether or not you are willing to sift through items at the edge of your loft to get to those in the areas farther back. If you’re not willing to do this, your loft can be fairly narrow. Of course, you’ll still need a ladder to access your stored items, but on the other hand, things are not readily available to small children or others you may not want using your tools.

The easiest way to add a loft is by measuring the space you would like up top and cut a piece of three quarter inch plywood and slip it on top of the rafters.  Attach the plywood with one inch wood screws along the edges and you are done!  The entire process is easy, efficient, effective and inexpensive.