Garage Ceiling Storage

Homeowners, and sometimes renters, almost always eventually find themselves facing the dilemma of the overstuffed garage. It’s so easy to store the overflow from your house in the garage, along with the things that simply shouldn’t be stored inside the house. When you find that you can no longer fit your car in the garage, it’s usually time to start thinking about organizing. One idea for cleaning up that mess is garage ceiling storage. Though most people think of cabinets and shelves when they consider organizing a garage, the fact is that ceiling storage can often make a lot of sense. Sometimes people consider garage ceiling storage because they’ve already filled their garage cabinets and shelves, so there’s nowhere to go but up.

When you’re considering garage ceiling storage, think “loft”. Building a loft in your garage is an easy and efficient way to increase your storage space-so much so that you may be able to bring the car back in. Though building a loft can be a bit trickier than installing cabinets or shelves, you can do it yourself if you feel confident enough in your skills. Many times the ceiling of your garage already has support beams, and you can simply build on these. Whether these beams go straight across or meet at angles, you can build the loft accordingly. It’s important to remember, though, that those beams are there for support, so you don’t want to put extra stress on them. Use them as frames for your loft, but add extra support in strategic spots so that you’re not compromising the integrity of the ceiling or the loft itself. Remember, you’re going to be weighting it down with storage.

You can usually find the supplies you need for your garage ceiling storage project at any home supply store or bigger hardware store. Often you can find someone at one of these places who can consult with you about what to buy. Home supply and hardware stores usually sell how-to books as well, and if you find the right one it can be an invaluable source of information for you while you’re building your storage loft. Be sure to take into consideration the type of things you’ll be storing in your loft so that you can reinforce it accordingly. Always err on the side of safety and make your loft much stronger than you think you’ll need it to be. If you build the loft yourself, you can usually spend somewhere between $500 and $2000, depending on the size of your garage and how large you want your loft.

There is always the option of having your garage ceiling storage loft installed by professionals. Many people choose this route when they don’t feel that they have enough building experience. Be sure to use a reputable contractor and get a firm estimate before they start. Stipulate in writing that if costs look like they’re going to go above this estimate, you’ll be consulted. Having your storage loft professionally installed can run anywhere from around $1000 to $5000.