Good news! I finally have a camera again! They were not able to fix my camera but they did send me a gift card to replace it. I had a Sony 380 and now I have a Sony 57, I have only had it for two days but I love it already. If you don’t already own a DSLR camera I would highly suggest adding one to your Christmas list, it will change your life in photos.
Last week Matt and I tackled two large garage organizing projects and today I wanted to share the before and afters from one of them. Messy garages are always puzzling to me. Mostly because people fill them with junk instead of taking advantage of their valuable square footage for storage and protection for their cars.
Here is a little background on today’s photos. My clients are a busy couple with two small children. They moved into their current home when their oldest was born 7 years ago and never had the chance to unpack and organize the garage. The lack of structure and organizing system made it easy for them to let the space become cluttered. This is the 4th project we have worked on together. I have already organized their living room, home office, and master bedroom.
Matt and I arrived at 9am and set up our work tables and began pulling everything out and separating it into piles of “like” categories. By putting like items together it quantifies the items and makes it easier for clients to make decisions. These clients had lots of books, electronics, cds and tapes, comics and collectibles, home repair items, and kids stuff.
I helped coach my clients on what to keep and what to part with and began to set up an organized system for storing the items they wanted to hold on to. The system I set up for them has all of the household repair items on the left side of the garage and along the back wall. The items on the right side of the garage are organized by frequency of use based on what is on eye level and which items are in the front of the garage.
We spent 6 hours total on the project and we hauled away 2 truck loads to Goodwill. I would estimate that it would have taken us twice the amount of time if I didn’t have an organizing assistant with me to help with all of the heavy lifting and assisting me in setting up the bins and labels. Another bonus for this project is that we spent $0 on supplies because were able to reuse all of the exisiting shelving and bins (we even had 2 bins left over).
This is an example of a project I LOVE! I love to get down and dirty and make a huge physical change to a space that a client struggles with in a short period of time. I hope you enjoy these before and afters…
After all of our hard work my clients finally have the chance park a car in their garage after living with the clutter for 6 years. The kids will be able to easily park their bikes and scooters at the end of the garage too…
Hilda @ From Overwhelmed To Organized says
Great job Amanda! Such a huge difference. I'm sure your clients were really happy. Glad you got a camera again too 🙂
Anonymous says
A six hour job – unbelievable.
Pam - @diy Design Fanatic says
You did a great job Amanda! I'm not sure I'd do that for anyone else…it's such a lot of work. We have a 3 car garage and it's so full of stuff…not as bad as your clients, but I have to work hard at keeping my 1/3 of the garage cleaned up so I can drive my car in. My husband is totally unorganized and cannot keep his 2/3's tidy, so I just ignore it. It doesn't help when he has every tool a man can have! Stopping by from Inspiration Friday.
Peppermint_Patt says
Great job Amanda! We just moved and our
garage is smaller than in our former
house. My husband and I both pushed
ourselves beyond endurance to throw
away, give away, and pack our possessions.
We moved into a larger home, but we
don't want to go through the endurance
test again. I have enjoyed subscribing
to your blog because you have wonderful
ideas. Putting like things together is
the key! How many times have we bought
something because we couldn't find what
we needed. then have three or four of
the same item? Your blogging efforts
and your awesome ideas are appreciated!
Leanne says
This garage looks amazing! Thanks for linking to the party.
Debt Free Mommy says
It's party time over at Debt Free Mommy Blog and you're invited! Please come by and link up any post(s) related to making your home a better space. I hope you'll join us for Making Space Mondays. Hope to see you there! -Tabitha
Tari says
What an inspiration! Thanks for sharing the pictures, as well as your process. You truly have a gift, and you exude passion! Can't wait to have an opportunity to work on a project with you!
Garage Design Works says
These photos definitely help motivate people to organize their garage! Thanks for sharing!