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. 

Why not turn your garage into more than just a storage space for vehicles or tools? Just add a work bench in a corner or along one wall and you’ve created an area where you can repair items or build any number of projects. First determine the size your work bench needs to be by thinking about what types of projects you’ll be working on.

With a length of five feet and a depth of two feet, you should have ample work space for smaller projects. However, if your plans include bigger projects using lots of parts and tools, you may want a larger work area.  Taking an entire corner or even half a double garage might work better for someone who really wants to get their hands dirty.

Of course, every work bench needs tools readily available. A good way to keep small tools handy is to hang a sheet of peg board on the wall behind your bench and suspend smaller tools using hooks made especially for use in peg board. A shelf attached to the underside of your work bench can hold larger tools and a drawer in the work bench is great for handling small items.

Your very first project just may be building out your work space.  If you don’t have a garage, you can always build out space in a shed or barn.

Whether you choose to call it a shed, a storage unit or a barn, its main purpose is to house stuff that can withstand some temperature changes and stuff that doesn’t belong or fit in your house. If your shed doubles as a garage, you’ll want to make sure you maintain enough room for your cars.  However, with a bit of organization you will have room for many other things as well.

By adding a few simple shelves, which can be both hand-made and attached to the walls, or purchased and assembled as free-standing units, you’ll increase the storage capacity immensely and almost immediately. A trip to your local home improvement store is sure to give you many ideas as to what’s available for such things as hanging rakes, shovels or other tools with long handles.

There are even hooks which make it possible to hang bicycles from the rafters and don’t forget the pegboard.  With a few changes and additions you will have much more than a storage shed, you will have an organizers work of art.

You can use pegboard to create an entire wrapping station in your home; a crafting station; a place to hang the kid’s coats; a place to hang tools indoors and a creative way to get your kids to put up their things in their rooms.

If pegboard was just used for outside purposes for storage in the garage or for lining the utility building, it would still be a wonderful storage tool.  There are now ways to hang almost everything from the normal screwdrivers and hammers; to boxes, shelves and drawers.

If you have yet to see the beauty of pegboard, take a trip to your local hardware store and walk down the pegboard isle.  Imagine everything you could do with the clips and hooks available on the shelves.  You will not only see the beauty in pegboard, but fall in love.