This week has been all about cleaning and organizing, so it’s only fair that I take this opportunity to own up to the most unclean, unorganized space in our house (perhaps ever in our whole lives). The horror lies behind this door, in my basement workshop:
Just like our first house, we have a separate entry basement that you access from a door in the back yard. Except in this house, I’ve avoided showing this space the entire 16 months that we’ve lived here. Yes, it has been kept completely off camera and video – which is almost unheard of for over-sharers like us. Why? Because I’m embarrassed to my core about its state. I’ve been meaning to tackle it for a while. But a while has turned into a while longer. So I’m finally forcing myself into action by showing it in all of its glory, er, gory. Feel free to play this video while I hide my face in my hands.
For those who can’t watch the video (or couldn’t take more than the first 15 seconds or so), here’s the mess you missed. Although for some reason it doesn’t look as bad in the pics. The video is the real deal. Haha. It still looks pretty bad though…
As I said on camera, I blame the whole thing on these pallets that the previous owners left in the yard and I dragged inside when making our living room console table last April. I guess the pallet scrap invited me to add other leftover wood to the pile, all awaiting some future time in which it’ll all be “taken care of.”
Well, it hasn’t been taken care of. And instead the mess in one corner gradually made me care less about keeping the rest of it clean. So the whole space has kind of deteriorated into one big cluttered, dirty, slobfest.
So here’s my vow to clean and organize the workshop. It won’t take a day, or even a week, but I’m vowing to make a plan, put it into action, and keep you guys posted. After all, it’s a pretty useful space for us – mainly as storage (tools, yard stuff, etc) and it also makes a great work space. But it hasn’t been serving either function very well with all of this junk in my way.
Here’s my rough plan of attack (feel free to tackle a garage, basement, or attic right along with me if you’d like):
- Pare down and organize my scrap pile: I like having spare wood around, but not this much. I’ve been trying to figure out a better solution than just throwing it away, but haven’t settled on one yet (a lot is too small to sell or donate according to the calls I’ve made – so maybe I’ll freecycle what I don’t think I’ll need for future projects).
- Take everything out and clean things from top to bottom: Part of the reason the floor and workbench are covered in a confetti of sawdust is that it’s hard to sweep around all of this stuff. I figure if I get everything out, I’ll have no excuse. Plus it makes the next step easier.
- Bring back in only what I need: And hopefully organize it as it all comes back in, grouping like items and placing things in zones that actually make sense to keep things functional.
- Sell / donate / dispose of what’s not needed: We’re guessing there will be a fair amount of items leaving for good. And of course if we craigslist or freecycle anything we’ll post the link for any interested locals.
By the end of it all I’m not looking to have some giant, decorated makeover – just a clean workable room that functions for all the building and staining and spraying and sawing and storing that we’d love to use it for. Though I wouldn’t hate it if it turned into a little bit of a man cave. Just sayin’…
Okay, now make me feel better. Who else has (or at least had) a shamefully messy space in their house? This is a no judgement zone. At least I hope it is. If not, I’m sure I’m getting crazy judged right now. Yikes.
pattilouwho says
Our detached garage is so much like your basement, it’s crazy. Random stacked upon random. We got shelves to try and organize some of the stuff, like paint and other household cleaning items, but that’s about as far as we got. And to make ours even worse, we have a leak a couple years ago and a section of drywall had to be removed. We STILL haven’t replaced it. So we have a huge 2×3 foot section with missing drywall. Lovely. We plan on tackling it this summer. I hope. :)
Marla says
your basement is our attic. it’s taking me forever to get it done, by I’m doing it. But wait, I don’t even think I knew you guys had a basement. Is there access to it from the inside of your house too? That’s not too common around here (my neck of the woods in south jersey – I think I’ve seen it once). If not, would you ever want to create an opening to it from the inside or could you? Just curious. Enjoying all your organizing inspiration :)
YoungHouseLove says
Here it’s pretty common (our last house had one too). We’d have to add a big hole to our bedroom and install stairs down from there (the basement is only under the bedroom since it was but as an addition). Since its just a workshop/place for lawn stuff it’s nice to access it from the yard. No complaints! Except for the mess. Haha.
xo,
s
heather says
It’s pretty common to have access both ways here in New England. We have access from outside, and a staircase in the house off of the (soon to be) mudroom. Thankfully, once the guys built our retaining wall and stairs they started using the basement entrance more, and in the future we’re flipping the main door from the kitchen to enter into the mudroom. Here’s to hoping it cuts down on muddy boot prints in my kitchen (though I’ll still have to regularly clean the mudroom).
KarenH. says
Yes, i’m right there with you, trying to reclaim the basement, oranize it to zones and replace the old style (but incredibly useful when I moved in) storage shelves the seller left when she moved out. Also I’m going through the last stuff moved, which ended up being FAR less organized than my move began. By the end, I was just cramming everything into cardboard boxes from work and dumping them wherever they would balance precariously in the basement. All off the floor, too because at the time, I still had basement flooding issues.
Now that the patio awning has solved the basement flooding, i’m not QUITE as worried, but still want to store everything off the floor if possible, so I’m slowly buying those sturdy wire shelving units that pretty much every home store sells–the ones that first started showing up in computer departments for server rooms and such.
I’m even being fancy. White coated shelves in the laundry and sewing room areas, and black in the storage, furnace room area.
I’m about finished with stage 1, which was oranized the laundry/seasonal kitchen storage area, and now I have a large shelf unit that I’m pretty sure I’ll have to dismantle to get it out of the basement.
Anyone in Maryland want free metal shelves? LOL
Katie B. says
I thought the house I grew up in only had one bathroom until I was 11 years old (or so)! My only sister got married and moved out when I was 5 and the bathroom we had shared became a catch-all/storage space! I guess since I was the only kid, my parents didn’t mind sharing their enormous bathroom with me! But after I figured out what was behind Door #3, my parents paid a cousin to come clean it out and paint it while we were on vacation and I came back to a sparkling clean bathroom of my own!
Caroline says
No judgment! I have three and a half unused rooms in my house that always end up looking like disorganized storage rooms, but our tool storage and workshop area looks just as bad (if not way, way worse) than this! The disorganization drives me crazy, but I never seem to have the time to get around to taking care of it what with all the other home improvement related projects and my husband SO is not an organized soul. Oy.
jenn says
OMG I feel so much better! I tell people that instead of having a junk drawer, I have a junk room! I hired someone to help me clean it out 2 years ago. She asked if something had happened in my life a year before that. I had surgery at that time and realized that everything came to a screeching halt. Now here I am again with a huge mess… like can’t even open the door kind of mess. And I can trace it all back to a year ago when i hurt my foot and had to go on crutches. Don’t t know what to do with it? Stick it in the junk room. I am determined to clean it out, knock a hole in the wall and turrn it into a den. Clutter really is the enemy. I just want to get rid of everything and live a simpler life. Thanks for the inspiration!!
jenn says
Lol my point to the above comment is that many times the mess explosions can be traced back to an “event” in our lives…a move, a baby, change in job etc.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s funny. So true!
xo,
s
Asia says
I found you blog not too long ago while searching for DIY ideas. While reading your blog, we were waiting for our loan to be approved on home we put an offer in on. The other day our loan was approved and I am so happy! Now we are just waiting to close! I can’t wait to get in there and start using some of the project pointers you have on your site. You have even inspired me to make my own DIY blog too for our first home projects! Just wanted to share my excitement with you!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo! Congrats. That’s big news! Good luck with everything!
xo,
s
Kristy says
we don’t have basements over here, but our shed is a shocker. :) I’d love to get in there and whip it into shape, but it’s just not my call!
Good luck ;)
Christina W. says
omg i would be terrified to have a scrap pile in my basement, cause what if…black widows?? eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Jeannee says
Listen, honey … my dad had a basement workshop from 1960-ish until the early part of this century … so I needed someone to go through it who was handy like yourself, who could identify what the stuff was and find a home for it …do you know how long his cleanout took?! Now, let me qualify this: he did it around other jobs, when he had the time – a night here, a day there – at least once a week if not more often -because (are you seated?) FIVE MONTHS!!! Yes, five months until you could walk in there and it echoed w/ emptiness. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks for the warning! I think it’ll take a while for sure! Slowly but surely…
xo,
s
Karla D. says
As always, thanks for keeping it real! You guys should cut yourselves some slack though. To have put together a whole book based on home projects in a short period of time. I think it would be surprising if you didn’t have a space like that.
It always feels so much better to clean a messy space up. My space isn’t that bad, it’s fairly organized but it’s filled with stuff that doesn’t need to be in it. It’s our large laundry room which became an all-purpose utility room when a hurricane blew our backyard shed away several years ago. We live in FL so we don’t have a garage, rather a car port. So, for a while a lawnmower lived in the space! EEK! It was my husband’s idea. LOL. Since we have a lawn service anyway, I convinced him to get rid of it. I’m ready to tackle it, it’s been on the to-do list for some time.
Jeanne Wagner says
I can totally relate… we have a “utility” room and a spar ‘oom that is just jam packed full of schtuff, which probably amounts to close to the same amount of space in your basement.
And you’re totally right, once clutter happens it multiplies faster than dust bunnies!! I know it was painful, but thanks for sharing. You guys are such an inspiration to others… do you realize how many clean up projects and home improvement project you have helped to launch just because you’re doing it? Lots and lots. And now I’m inspired to clean up my own messes. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks! So glad to help!
xo,
s
jeannette says
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/may/04/nightmare-cupboards-makeover
thought this would amuse you.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love it!
xo,
s
Meghann says
Yikes!! But really our space was worse until recently. I get it. It gets messy and you can’t reach areas so things just get tossed into wherever there is some room. I love having scrap wood around as I’m always doing some project. We used to have it laying on one side of our garage…off the floor of course but we needed that valuable real estate for other things. I found this great wall system at Rockler.:
http://m.rockler.com/m/http/www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=25156&site=ROCKLER&vm_qb=rockler_product_details%2Chttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.rockler.com%2Fproduct.cfm%3Fpage%3D25156&vm_co=0&vm_v=Y9Q-DfLsNqFk8rWk_ZICDwNWof8sDSzlCiFncgaiaIo%3D
It was only $20 at the time and it was in our local store. I LOVE IT! All my extra scrap wood is now up and above my work bench. Yea! Just thought I would pass on the info. Just in case it would work for you. Have fun cleaning!!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- thanks for the link! Such a smart system!
xo,
s
Heather says
The garage in my partner’s parents’ house was an absolute disaster zone before we moved in. We made some progress on it but then, well, moved in… bringing a house full of stuff that is still finding homes or being re-organized for long-term storage. I was ruthless about getting rid of things before moving, so there is really nothing we’ve been able to donate in the After process. I mean RUTHLESS. There was a flow chart posted on the wall.
To sum up without the gory details: There was a mouse problem. The traps and cat have removed the mice, but the food storage still needs to be sorted in the aftermath. That’s probably the worst of it, though. The rest is just CLUTTER. So excited for the day we get to sort through it. Did I say day? I meant month…
Christina P (NS) says
Oh thank goodness!!! I thought you guys were near perfect – now that I know you’re not I don’t feel as bad about the ‘spray painting area’ in my garage or the pile of stuff that needs a home in my basement!
THANK YOU for sharing your shame, it just makes me love you both even more!!
Kelly says
Um, I think I need to go take a picture of our basement. We live in a 160 year old home with NO basement space. My husband is a carpenter, and between our DIY projects, home remodel and odds and ends, there is so little space I can’t even walk down there. In fact, while trying to get a gallon of paint out a few weeks ago I tripped climbing over a PILE of stuff to get out of our cellar door, and spilled the whole gallon on my foot and the floor. My husband said I’m not allowed down there any more :) I’m not sure if I should give him a day or two to clean house, or try to get him on an episode of hoarders :)
mp says
My basement is filthy and needs a hella scrub. I bought a pressure washer specifically for that purpose, but have yet to drag myself downstairs to do anything.
Casey says
I saw these plans for a workbench with lumber storage awhile back, I hope it is useful/inspiring to you! it’s found here: http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Indoor-Projects/Workshop/DIY-Tips-For-Your-Shop/workshop-organization-tips/Step-By-Step#step4 (you just have to scroll down a bit, it’s project #4)
YoungHouseLove says
Looks awesome! Thanks for sharing!
xo,
s
Laura says
If I had any idea how to post pictures, I’d be happy to share my shame with you too. Our shed is literally overflowing! It’s bad. But your post reminded me that I need to man up and deal with it! I’m going to give it a go this afternoon. Wish me luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Lots of luck!
xo
s
Anna says
Thank you for posting this!! You guys really are normal! We all have at least one room that is the worst and seems to catch all those random things we don’t know what to do with.
Y’all are so great!
Janel says
We don’t have basements in AZ, but my study/sewing room/ kids art space is almost always a disaster. Serious. I will gladly share pictures to prove it. When I am working on a project, almost the entire desk space is crowded. Now I have to share half with our son so he can “work” too. By the end of a project, the floor is covered in scraps of fabric, thread, crumbs, paint, pins, paper and who knows what else! It’s a very small space which doesn’t help. Just ask, I will send photos of my weekly nightmares.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Janel! That makes me feel so much better! Sounds like my playroom! Haha.
xo,
s
Mira says
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I know how careful you guys are about what kinds of products you use in your house. Pallets tend to be treated with some pretty nasty chemicals to be able to hold up to the abuse they’re made to withstand. I don’t know what you have planned for them, but you might not want to do something indoors or food planting related with them… Sorry!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, thanks for the warning- we know all about that! There are products like SafeCoat that you can use to seal in the back stuff (you can also use it to seal in lead paint), so that’s the route we’d go if we were building with them, or just keep them outside and use them for non-food-related stuff. But thanks again for making sure we’re in the loop on that!
xo,
s
alexandra says
this has absolutely nothing to do with this post…but since you guys were mulling over chalkboards and the whatnot…I figured maybe you were reluctant juts because, who wants a black square in the middle of such a bright, cheerful kitchen (or house, you’re whole house is colorful.) I hope this link posts…such a fun project to try.
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2ovYHW/:1QPMqxRDS:C6_YNG!v/abeautifulmess.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/02/how-to-mix-chalkboard-paint-in-any-color.html/
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we love this idea! We actually tackled it back in January for a secret book project. It’s easy and fun!
xo,
s
Jenna says
Well you’re not alone. I have a basement that is worse than that. We use it as a workshop, and its also under construction. SO, its UBER TRASHED. Yours isn’t as bad as ours. But maybe with your plans we can race and see whose basement/work zone will get tidied first?
You’ll probably win, btw. ^.^
Good luck with your clean up! Looking forward to seeing it when its done. Maybe I’ll post my own basement B&A’s this summer. ^.^
Beth says
That looks like my husband’s garage, so don’t feel bad. You’re not the only one! And the reason why I call it my husband’s garage is because it’s his mess and I will take no ownership in what it has become(haha).. :)
John@RemodelingBIBLE says
When it comes to messy basements, I can easily relate. Paint cans everywhere, pallets here and there, and old stuff from college in every direction. Thanks for inspiring me to get the job dine sooner. :)
Maggie says
No need to feel ashamed, our basement looks worse!
Amy Knisely says
The only thing I could think of while watching the video was that episode of ‘Til Death where the main characters fight over the ever increasing and always present wood pile in the garage. It doesn’t apply to you folks since you’re handy folks and actually know how to use it, but it was funny just the same.
Our basement/attic is pretty bad too. We are storing items for a friend of ours that’s building a straw-bale house out of as much recycled/organic/free materials as she can for less than $40,000. (That includes all utilities and permits too) Her website is http://nemeton0.wordpress.com/.
Since it’s going to be a few years before we tackle the basement project it’s not a problem helping her out.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s amazing!
xo,
s
Amy Knisely says
The great thing is, she bought 5 acres of land and most of it is wooded. She’ll be using a lot of trees and stones from her property to help build the house.
She’s even planning on building a lot of her own furniture and creating some sizable veggie gardens and possibly get some chickens or other animals too.
Her goal is to prove to the world that you don’t have to spend a ton of money to build your dream house or live comfortably. It’s really amazing.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so awesome! Can’t wait to see how it turns out!
xo,
s
Christina says
My basement looks just about the same level of mess as yours (ok if there’s no judgment… it’s um.. worse but instead of tools, it’s boxes of stuff that need to get purged since they just sit there unused anyway!) My attic… ain’t so great either.
Susan says
Sometimes I feel like my entire space is like this!(Well, perhaps not quite like this.)
I’d caution against using that pallet to build anything for indoor use – to quote one result from my search:
“Wood pallets made with “engineered wood” components contain urea formaldehyde – a known carcinogen – which may come into contact with food under a variety of scenarios when it is stored and shipped on wooden pallets. Formaldehyde is also released into the air when it off-gases from pallets in storage and transportation compartments, posing a risk to the health of workers and consumers. Wood pallets are susceptible to insect infestation and require heat treatment or fumigation before they can be moved cross-border. Fumigation is often performed with methyl bromide, a highly toxic, ozone-depleting chemical.”
Susan says
Oops – thought my previous comment got lost in spam! Sorry for the duplication!
YoungHouseLove says
No worries!
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, we would only use it if we sealed it with SafeCoat (the same thing you can use to safely seal lead paint) or would use it outside for non-edible raised beds or something!
xo,
s
Kristy H. says
Thank you for sharing this! You are not alone on this… and it makes me feel better that I’m not either!
So as a tangent to your organization week last week, I have to ask: how much stuff do you still have hanging around from your grade school, high school, college, etc. years?
My parents are finally enforcing their “get your crap out of our house” rule that they claimed would set in as soon as I owned a garage, basement or attic… 5 years later, I need to do something with it! Has this happened to you yet? What did you keep? How did you organize it? I’m finding some pretty crazy stuff, that’s actually fun to see again… but it’s taking up space… and will I ever look at it again if it just gets moved to my attic instead of theirs?
Anything you wish you would have kept? What would you want to share with Clara someday?
YoungHouseLove says
My parents did that to me the year I left for college- haha. So I really pared down! John and I probably have a few yearsbooks and some photo albums from back then along with a box of momentos (report cards, art we made as kids, etc). That’s it! It’s nice to just keep one box of our favorite stuff, because who needs all that stuff from the past in lots of space-hogging boxes and drawers when you don’t have the energy to go through all that or appreciate any of it.
xo,
s
Lesley says
Admitting you have a problem is the first step.
And… after I see your “After” to convince me something CAN be done, I will admit we have one. Our basement office/rec room/workshop/laundry room (that’s one space used for all of those things, not a whole list of rooms that are a mess) is an embarrassment that would pale yours.
Lauren L says
Oh my gooosh this is not even that bad. Besides, we need to see this side of you guys so we know you are human ;D
holly | bijou lovely says
Just a suggestion for organizing your scrap wood… my husband has a big heavy duty garbage can that he uses to store most of his scraps. It helps to keep them all contained and upright so they take up less space, and when the can gets full he goes through them all. Obviously big pieces of plywood won’t fit, but it helps to corral all the long and skinny ones! :) Good luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that tip!
xo
s
Gracy says
hey.. what have you planned for Clara’s birthday, Sherry?
YoungHouseLove says
This morning’s post is about that!
xo,
s
Al says
No Update yet….Guess you still have your shame
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, we’re actually are working furiously on the dollhouse for Clara’s b-day this weekend which forced us to clear out a lot of stuff! More pics when we’re actually finished instead of 10% there- haha!
xo,
s
Ty says
John, I actually did a major organization on my basement workshop, with the highlight being something I call “Mega Bench” that holds my miter saw and table saw with some interesting innovations for each. If you would like some photo’s and write-up for a man friendly reader redesign, let me know.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh we’d love to see some pics! Care to post them on our Facebook page for all to see?
-John