Why More Australians Are Turning Their Garages Into Functional Storage Spaces

If you’ve ever asked the average Australian homeowner what’s hiding behind his or her garage doors, you’d be shocked at how similar everyone’s response would be: bicycles unused since 2019, paint tins from three home renovations ago, camping gear crammed into mismatched bags, sporting equipment for sports that were never played in the first place. And somewhere beneath all of that is a dirty floor that hasn’t been seen since settlement day.

Garages have traditionally served as the perfect dumping ground for things that weren’t really needed and just didn’t know where else to go. Now, however, Australians are increasingly taking a closer look at the space behind their garage doors and realizing that it’s far too precious to waste, that it’s actually a valuable space with multiple potential uses, including storage.

The Garage Gets a Fresh Purpose

In the past, garages served a single purpose: the parking of cars. Perhaps two cars for some Australians. Whatever else happened in the garage was secondary: a couple of shelves for tools, maybe a rack for coats. If you needed any more garage organization, you could forget about it.

That way of thinking is changing. There have been several factors responsible for that shift. The home improvement boom that has come with the pandemic has made many homeowners reassess how their property space is being utilized. The growing prevalence of home offices has increased the need for useful spaces in the home other than the kitchen or bedroom. And finally, there’s the wider cultural emphasis on decluttering and minimalism a la Marie Kondo.

The upshot is that the garage is being reclaimed from its former purpose as a storage space and repurposed as a proper extension of the home. Depending on how owners decide to use their garage space, it can function as a workshop, hobby center, gym space, organized storage area and much more.

But whatever the intended use of the garage, the prerequisite to its effective utilization always comes down to creating adequate storage space.

With garages increasingly repurposed into functional storage spaces for hobbies and organizing home essentials, Australian homeowners are choosing to implement practical storage solutions such as garage shelving.

Why Most Garages Fail at Providing Storage (And How to Fix It)

The problem is that garage clutter is usually not the result of disorganization or laziness on the part of Australians. No, the problem lies in the fact that the garage itself is typically not configured for efficient storage. When there are no convenient places to keep things, items get stored everywhere, with no thought for how accessible they are going to be. Pretty soon the garage is full of things that may as well not even be there that’s how out of reach they end up being.

The solution to this problem isn’t about getting rid of the mess in a few hours; it’s about providing better organization infrastructure to the space. The best way to go about doing that is to maximize your wall space.

Most garages are vastly under-utilizing wall and ceiling space. While the average Australian double garage is 35-50 sq. m., the garage walls (including ceilings) are much larger and that means a whole lot of storage area that you are ignoring.

Install adjustable shelving around your walls, and suddenly the number of items that you can store will skyrocket, freeing up floor space and leaving you plenty of room to drive cars in and out of the garage.

What Australians Need Their Garage to Store

One of the reasons for Australian garages’ unique problems is that our country has such an active outdoor culture. We do lots of activities that involve the use of gear and equipment. The trouble is that a lot of this equipment is bulky, oddly-shaped, and cannot simply be stacked in neat rows.

Think surfboards, kayaks, camping gear for the entire family, golf clubs, power tools and other workshop items, gardening equipment, pool chemicals and accessories, and seasonal goods (Christmas decorations, winter sportswear, outdoor furniture for the summer season).

The ideal solution for Australians to organize their garage space should include a number of components. Adjustable shelving can help with the variety of items and their sizes. Wall-mounted racks and hooks can solve the problem of items that cannot be easily stacked. Ceiling shelving should help you utilize that often-wasted space above your head.

The Home Value Factor You Probably Don’t Consider Often Enough

Apart from helping with household chores, a well-organized garage adds value to your home as a property asset. Buyers pay attention to garages when looking at Australian homes, and a well-organized space with sufficient storage solutions leaves a lasting impression.

Real estate agents will tell you that the presentation of your garage is almost as important as the state of your kitchen and bathrooms. But there are also some personal gains to having your garage organized:

Tools will be easier to find, leading to actual completion of home projects.

Spontaneous adventures become possible, as your camping gear is readily available.

Stress decreases, because now everything has a proper place. It’s easier to put things where they belong and that’s a lot of mental comfort for the future.

In fact, a well-organized garage is an asset that keeps on giving.

The Quick and Easy Start for Garage Organization

Why aren’t most Australians working on organizing their garage space? Because they are overwhelmed. An unorganized garage space can indeed seem a monumental task to conquer.

What needs to be done, then? Well, first and foremost, a massive clear-out must occur. That includes sorting items into three categories: keep, sell/donate, and throw away. Usually, most people are surprised at how much junk ends up in the third category.

Then it’s time to assess what needs to be kept and where it belongs in the new, organized garage space. Create zones within your garage. Think about which zone needs to house which kinds of items.

After you’ve got the layout sorted out, the rest should follow relatively easily.

Turning a Neglected Space into a Valuable One

Your garage space holds the potential to serve you well in numerous ways. However, unlike with renovations or extensions, turning it into a functional part of your property will not involve builders, a hefty investment, and months of disruption.

With the right storage solutions and the right garage design, you can create the space of your dreams.

A wide range of garage storage and shelving solutions is made especially for this purpose to help you organize your garage in a functional, efficient way, making your garage life much easier and more pleasant.

An organized garage means better functionality, increased value and less stress.