We’re a bit embarassed about what we’re about to share with you guys. So we’ll preface it by reminding you that we’re only human. Like you, we tend to be pretty busy and occasionally some projects sink to the bottom of our to-do list as life gets in the way. As is the case with our garage, which suffers from a bad case of Out Of Sight Out Of Mind Sydrome. After all, it’s detached from the house so we don’t really have to see it every day.
Now we’re admittedly a bit hesitant to unveil our dirty secret, but we figured that the best way to keep this task from perpetually being scheduled for “next weekend” would be to open the door to the world and basically shame ourselves into getting ‘er done. So, without further ado (or stalling) here’s the current sad state of our two-car garage:
Yuck, we know. It’s bad. And I probably don’t need to say this, but we literally didn’t move a thing before snapping these pictures. We wanted you to see it in its full box-filled, yard-equipment-strewn and distinctly no-room-for-parking-one-car-let-alone-two glory. In fact we haven’t done significant maintenance on it since its first major clean-up last summer. The shame.
But we’re not just sharing these “befores” to force ourselves to get to work making “afters.” We also want to invite you guys to join us this weekend in giving some TLC to a neglected space in your home. Maybe your garage resembles ours? Or perhaps it’s your shed, attic, basement, closet, or even a junk drawer that’s feeling a bit chaotic? Whatever it is, let’s tackle it together this weekend… and next week we’ll regroup to share our afters (you can post ’em on our Facebook page or send them to john [at] younghouselove [dot] com). So don’t forget to snap those before pictures up front and those after pics once the happy dance commences on the back end. Sound like a plan? We can’t wait to see your afters. Heck, we can’t wait to see ours either. Stay tuned…
Jill Stigs says
Oh. My. Word. Even with my neat-freak/OCD-ness I am calling this out as not that bad at all!!
Of course my garage only gets cleaned in the spring/fall because I may pass out from heat stroke in the humid WI summers.
Have fun!!
Lisa says
I’m totally thinking about getting down with the mad garage clean up weekend! I started today by painting the little shutters on the garage door. Noticed the rest of the door needs repainting but has some moderate flaking/chipping issues. If I sand it I’m afraid I’ll have to do the whole thing, right down to the metal! Please tell me there’s another way to repair the chips and get a nice pain finish.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lisa,
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but peeling or chipping usually means either patch-painting to semi-fix the obvious cracks or sanding everything down for a true overhaul. Perhaps there’s a way to spot sand the cracked parts and then prime and paint the whole thing for a seamless look? Good luck!
xo,
s
Jamie says
Cleaning and organizing your garage will be a snap! You’ll have plenty of time left over for good weekend fun.
I however, am deeply ashamed that we have not unpacked from our honeymoon (which was three weeks ago) and therefore our suitcases have thrown up all over our bedroom. So much so we are actually sleeping in the guest bedroom. Yeah, now thats bad and shameful.
paula says
Please.
If we could get our garage to your ‘before’ point it would be good.
Having said that, I’m looking forward to the makeover because anything to get the ball rolling over here is needed.
Melissa says
LOL! I have been inspired by you and your “craziness” because it makes me realize that if your craziness is thought to be bad, I must be in denial about my own garage being “not so bad”. I have some work to do. Can’t wait to see the after pics!
Rachel @ Chicks & Chaps says
You guys are so silly!!! My goal is to get my messy garage to look like yours. Okay, just kidding but my garage would really scare the number two out of ya, really. Maybe if I grow some balls, I will show a before and after of my shameful secret…. oh, I guess that would mean I’d have to blog regularly, better get on that :o) Good luck with your makeover!!
trish says
I’ve seen way worse garages on just about every block of my street, but if you’ve been intimidated by the job, the trick is just to start. Once you get going you’ll see how good it feels, and before you know you’ll be done. Can’t wait to see the results!
Melissa says
I wish I only had your garage to organize compared to our own. Our garage is on the “to do” list but it is going to be a bit before we make our way in that direction. I don’t blame you though, even though your garage looks much better than ours it would still bug me to have stuff sitting everywhere. You can be much more productive when everything has a home.
Denise says
OK, it will only take about 2 (maybe 3) hours for you to purge, recycle, freecycle, organize, clean and sweep your “less than tidy” garage. Heck, you’ll probably even have time to hand wash, detail and park your car inside the garage, rather than leaving it out on the driveway! After that, throw some steaks on the grill, blend up something refreshing to drink and sit back on your patio and enjoy your organized garage with the doors wide open! Pure summertime bliss!
Megs says
I start my vacation today and one of the top goals is to go through any spare closets and make runs to Goodwill. I WILL get rid of the unneeded items once and for all. And similarly, my closets probably don’t look that bad to some people, but they drive *me* crazy. I can’t wait to see open and airy closets… with nothing needing to be stored in them. lol
Anna K says
Funny, because I’d been thinking of cleaning our bicycle, stroller, wagon, scooter, rolls of carpet, lawn mower, board, tool, storm window, chair, box, pottery, leaf-filled garden this weekend. When did you say you’d be over?
Sarah @ Thriftydecorchick says
OMG you would have puked from ours — seriously. I just cleaned it and organized the whole thing this week. I filled three huge trash bins with crap. Few more details and I’m going to post it next week.
Ann-Marie says
As a personal organizer, I agree with your other commenters: This is not bad. At ALL. And yet, because I am a neat freak, I look forward to seeing the after shots. Have fun!
beth says
Our garage is pretty messy, too. We are able to park our car in there, but only because we have scooted all of the stuff to the side walls and piled it up as high as we can get it. We are seriously in need of some cabinets and shelving in our garage. And maybe a nice garden shed out back to keep all of our yard tools in. Have fun with the “big clean up”.
Kathleen says
I started on a neglected spot in our house last weekend (an empty room full of junk) and I really wish I could finish it for your challenge! I’m bummed that I have to work. Looking forward to seeing what you do with yours!
Diana says
We had a LONG to do this this summer (we are both teachers) and the garage is on it – we want to paint it also inside – got some mixmatched paint for a song at the paint store – we are on vacation for another week so it is on the following weeks agenda
Have fun – it feels so good when it is done
jbhat says
My eyes! Close that door immediately! Seriously, I thought that was the After pic. For the love… You guys need to settle down, if that’s your idea of an unsightly mess. That said, I will agree to work on my pantry later this week (I have to be at work this weekend, dang it), becuase it’s really disorganized and not at all user-friendly.
Okay, now head immediately over to the blog archives of either Freckles Chick or Ramblings of a Renovating Couple (I can’t remember which one it is) to see THEIR garage. It’s incredibly organized and outfitted, and if you haven’t seen it, you’ll find it incredibly inspiring.
Carrie says
We’re tackling our dining room this weekend! We’re definitely on a small budget for the room but I’m still excited to bring a little bit of life to it and have a place to sit down and eat dinner with my boyfriend. I’ll put the before and afters on http://www.happilychaotic.com
Good Luck on your garage!! Can’t wait to see what organizational ideas you all come up with.
UnwrittenLife says
Ahhh your garage looks frighteningly like my shed! It’s the place where everything accumulates that we don’t know what to do with: holiday decorations, extension cords, yard tools, empty boxes, etc. My husband & I tend to be pack rats so recently we’ve been working on decluttering our house. I found a great book called The Declutter Workbook: 101 Feng Shui Steps to Transform Your Life (looks like it’s $.01 used on Amazon!). I would recommend it for anyone that is trying to do a major organization overhaul on their house. It’s a relatively thin book that uses lists and steps to makeover your house. At first I thought I could just go through my house & it would be obvious what needed to be cleared out. However, this book made me realize that after years of looking at the same things, sometimes you don’t even notice them. It has great ideas that seem obvious in hindsight but I wouldn’t have noticed if I’d just been doing a normal cleaning.
Love your site & thanks for the great ideas! Your garage project has inspired me to stop procrastinating and make use of this beautiful day to get to work on my shed!
Lisa says
5 hours later…a clean(ish) garage!! You will notice that the left side of the garage was where all my DIY projects went to die, as well as a whole mess of stuff from a recent office move-out. With the help of the loveable hubbster we tamed our garage and I can actually park in there again! Hooray! Thanks for the inspiration youngsters. :o)
Lisa says
Oops- here’s the URL: http://nerdaid.com/garage.html
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo Lisa. Awesome job. Feel free to repost your link at the bottom of our follow-up garage post tomorrow. Power to the (garage cleaning) people!
xo,
s
TinaTx says
That garage looks better than our ‘after’ photos would look! Wait until you have 24 years worth of stuff collected in there! LOL
You will have cars parked in there in no time – I suggest taking yourselves out for a nice dinner with the extra time!:)
John Anderson says
No your garage is really messy. It looks like a dumpster.
Just kidding. I just thought you’re tired of reading the same comment. Anyway, I believe in the saying “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”. I also apply this saying when comes to home cleaning. I prefer to minimize my trash and mess and clean up whenever I can to avoid a major clean-up.
pjspradling says
My husband and I do most of the projects and care at our home; this requires many supplies and goods. Where do you store yours? The Majority of our garage is filled with these items: as well as “finds for future use”.
Love your site and Ideas.
Thank you!
PJS
YoungHouseLove says
We have an unfinished separate entry basement where we keep the majority of the big tools (it’s where John does a lot of work, so it’s sort of like a workshop).
xo,
s