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Garage Makeover REVEAL {Before & After}

Organizing· Space Reveals

Over the last five weeks, we have completely transformed our garage from a hoarders dream to an inspiring and functional space. We battled crazy travel schedules, way too much rain, and an incessant army of June bugs. Don’t they know it is only May??? If I hadn’t been committed to finishing this space as part of the One Room Challenge, I would have quit. Many times. Thank goodness for public accountability!

As you would predict, now that the garage makeover is reveal-ready, I am beyond glad I pushed through. What a joy to have a huge flat work space for smaller projects and a big open space near the tools to bring larger ideas to life! Thank goodness for IKEA keeping the garage storage and workbench area on budget.  Throw in new lighting, easy access to tools, and organized supplies and it really is a dream. There are no words for the copper floor or the wall art my husband came up with. When the neighbors want art for their nursery based on your GARAGE, you know you’ve done something right.

As a reminder, here was my floor plan from week 1. 

Garage-Space-PlanAre you ready for some mind-blowing before & afters?

Before:

Garage Organization BEFORE_-13

During:
Progress in the Garage - Week 2 of the One Room Challenge at A Prudent Life

After:

Our garage used to be a cluttered mess, but after a makeover we have plenty of room to create. Dividing the space into a workshop and "shed" was easy using $99 rolling shelving units.

The rolling shelving units were placed perpendicular to the wall to create two separate spaces – a workshop and a “shed” for storage of things like the lawn tools.

These metal rolling shelving units were worth every penny of their $99 price tag. They add tons of storage to our garage, but are also mobile if we ever need to reconfigure the space.

All the car related supplies were grouped in a separate area, along with fishing gear.

Separating garage storage into zones in a great way to add function to your space. We moved all of our car related stuff to a separate area to make maintenance easy.

I know shelves aren’t that fun to look at, but the new wall art sure is! My husband knocked it out of the park again. It’s pretty amazing to open the garage and see the huge art.

Hand lettering isn't just for paper - this large scale garage mural is perfect for makers!

Hand lettering isn't just for paper - this large scale garage mural is perfect for makers!

As much as I love the art, the organized work bench adds even more skip in my step.

Remember the disturbing before?
Garage Organization BEFORE_-10

And my plan…

Workbench Area with Labels

And the “I can’t believe it’s REAL” after:

Our DIY work bench was put together with IKEA supplies to keep the price low. Using RAST dressers, LINNMON table tops, and KALLAX shelves let us customize the perfect space on a budget.UPDATE: There is now a full tutorial on building the workbench here. 

 

Our DIY work bench was put together with IKEA supplies to keep the price low. Using RAST dressers, LINNMON table tops, and KALLAX shelves let us customize the perfect space on a budget.

 

IKEA KALLAX shelving units provide tons of garage storage for $35.

The vintage toolbox staying was my husbands only request, which worked out well because I would never have gotten rid of it. Shh, don’t tell him that! The toolbox was his grandpa’s. I love that we kept some history to balance out the newness of everything else. Even a garage design needs balance! Blending new IKEA KALLAX shelving units with a vintage toolbox creates stylish, but functional garage storage.

Adding pegboard and magnetic strips to the garage wall makes it easy to store tools in plain site. Perfect for a fun garage makeover.

I seriously can’t believe I have 115 inches of glorious counter top to create things on! It’s so great that I can spread things out during projects, but also know that all the tools have a home when I am done.

Our DIY work bench was put together with IKEA supplies to keep the price low. Using RAST dressers, LINNMON table tops, and KALLAX shelves let us customize the perfect space on a budget.

I’m sure you’ve all noticed the REAL star of the garage makeover – not the cool art, not the fab work bench, but that FLOOR. I talked about it in week 3,  but it deserves some serious praise. We used the Rust-Oleum RockSolid Metallic system in Copper Pot. When I reached out to Rust-Oleum about the One Room Challenge and talked about doing the garage floor, I had no idea it would steal the whole show. But I’m okay with that. Because it’s AMAZING. I think I’ve said this before, but it looks like you could dive in and swim in it. The level of shine is unbelievable. Everyone who has seen it in person thinks it is still wet.

We did a complete garage makeover in under 5 weeks! The garage now has a built in workbench, plenty of storage, and an amazing copper floor.

I’ll be doing a whole tutorial post on the floor in June. We saved one small section so we could take our time and do a great tutorial for you guys. We’ll show the last unfinished corner then too (it’s the area I’m standing in to take the above pic). It is the perfect spot for the golf gear!

I’ve also got a post scheduled showing how we hacked together the workbench from IKEA parts (post is now live!). AND another with tons of tips for organizing a garage on a budget.  Obviously I was fooling myself when I thought this post was the end of the garage talk around here.

Make sure you are on the email list so you don’t miss these follow-up posts!

 

We did a complete garage makeover in under 5 weeks! The garage now has a built in workbench, plenty of storage, and an amazing copper floor. Wait until you see all the before & after photos!Also, don’t forget to visit Calling it Home to see the rest of the One Room Challenge linking participant reveals. I can’t thank Linda enough for organizing these events. If you happen to be a blogger, I encourage you to start planning now for the fall session. It is a painful, stressful, and FABULOUS process!

Special thanks go out to all of you who commented and cheered me on along the way, all of you are what make these challenges doable. And to my awesome friend Ana for stopping by to help with photos!

We did a complete garage makeover in under 5 weeks! The garage now has a built in workbench, plenty of storage, and an amazing copper floor.

And with that, the spring One Room Challenge garage makeover is in the books!

ORC

 

Make sure you check out my Fall 2014 (pantry) and Fall 2015 (master closet) ORC reveals next!

We DIYed our way to a complete dream closet. I can't even imagine how much this would have cost if we hired someone. Click to see the before photos and all our money-saving ideas.

Vintage Modern Chic Pantry Makeover Reveal

Melissa George

Latest posts by Melissa George (see all)

Comments

  2. Melissa it is fantastic! What I wouldn’t give for that amazing garage (especially in comparison to my dark, ugly, copper-less basement). So, so impressed with the finished result. 🙂

    Reply

    • Thank you Brit! I’m thinking the floor would be AMAZING in a dark basement…you might need to plan a big project 🙂

      Reply

  4. Woo hop! You made it & the garage is AWESOME! Thanks for the mention of me, I had fun helping you get the right shots to show off this amazing One Room Challenge. Now Christopher is asking me if we want to ORC – ummm don’t know if I could really do it but looking at the after pictures does make me almost jealous enough to want to try!

    Reply

  6. Melissa, you brought Sexy Back all right! You thought of everything in this garage! I love the storage, shinny copper floors, and the fun colors! BRAVO my friend! XOXO, Sarah

    Reply

    • Thank you so much Sarah – you have been one of the best cheerleaders in this process!!!

      Reply

  8. Your garage is INSANE!!! I love every single inch of it – the floor, the graphic wall, the rolling shelving, the work area. Sooooo cool! My garage needs some serious help, and I’m having major garage envy right now. Well done! What a huge undertaking!

    Reply

    • Ahh! Thank you so much Jenny – sadly now I have to restore the rest of the house that was ignored over the last five weeks before I can go play in the garage!

      Reply

  11. Woohoo! I’ve been waiting to see this space finished since the beginning! You have surpassed my expectations of what a garage could look like! Wonderful job completing everything. Especially that floor and workbench!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much! I am overjoyed that everyone is so excited about a garage. I thought I was a little crazy for picking it in an event where so many people do pretty rooms!

      Reply

  12. You know I’m swooning over that floor, but really it’s incredible. The whole garage is amazing! It doesn’t even look like a garage! The organization is fantastic, and the workspace is amazing! I have a feeling my husband will be cursing you soon! 🙂

    Reply

    • Ha! I just LOVE that it doesn’t feel like a garage. I’m hoping that continues even when the cars come inside!

      Reply

  13. What an amazing transformation! A true job well done. I adore the color palette you selected. It feels fresh and fun. The six weeks went by so fast. I completed our entry, living and dining areas in a new to us 30 year old house. So, cheers to us! Have a wonderful weekend.

    Reply

  17. SUCH AN AMAZING job you did! I want to live in your garage-haha! My favorite is that big brilliant sign!!! Now you can take out lawn chairs and enjoy a glass of wine, you deserve it, my Friend! Have a great weekEnd!

    Reply

    • Thank you! I’m cracking up that you said that, because I was really tempted to take a lawn chair and sit in there yesterday afternoon!

      Reply

  18. Yay! The day I’ve been waiting for has arrived and you did not disappoint! I am in love with your garage! The floor is glorious and the storage drawers are calling to me. I may need those in my new shop! I love the mural and I’m sure your hubby will now be pretty busy creating things in other houses now;)

    Reply

  21. Holy Moly, Melissa…I would have to keep my cars washed in that garage….despite our CA drought!!!! Looks fabulous!! I don’t blame you for wanting to sit in your garage just to admire it. I’d send out invitations for an “Open House” party.

    Reply

    • It will be interesting to see if we get a bonus “consequence” of keeping the cars washed! We need to pull them in tonight because it is supposed to storm with potential hail the next few days.

      Reply

  22. I think this is my favorite room. Loved watching it happen! Still working on getting our floors done because of you!

    Reply

  24. This space is so incredible! I love every single detail, from the navy blue cabinet drawers to the Mustang wheels, and of course the mural and THE FLOOR! We have a similar layout in our garage and I’ve thought about adding shelves to divide the space…so I’m glad to see it working so well in your space. Now if only I could convince my husband we need to wallboard the garage so it could look “pretty” 😉

    Reply

    • Thank you! I highly recommend going for the shelf/wall dividers. I made the workshop side feel like a real room.

      Reply

  26. Looks great! I love a clean and organized garage…the exact opposite of what mine is right now! Where did you get the orange pegboard containers? So great!

    Reply

    • The orange containers are just the $0.99 Bygel containers from IKEA. They normally go on a rail, but also have two notches on the back that make them easy to hang directly onto two pegboard hooks. They have different colors all the time and I lucked into orange being the only color they had in stock during my last IKEA trip!

      Reply

  27. Wow, Melissa! That organized work bench is ah-mazing! You’s did such a great job!

    Reply

  28. I’m so green with envy that it’s not even funny. We have a one-car garage that is a mess. This is very inspiring to get to work on making it a functional space.

    Reply

    • It definitely takes some dedication, but it felt SO good to get ours cleaned out.

      Reply

  29. Wow, Melissa! That is one ridiculously nice garage you have there! Our floors already have an epoxy or I’d be racing out to make my floors liquid copper like yours. Your husband has some serious talent, too. The artwork is amazing!

    Reply

    • Thank you so much (from both of us)! Having a creative husband is about the best thing a blogger could ask for 🙂

      Reply

    • Me too! It was so fun to have fellow garages happening. It was nice to know I wasn’t alone!

      Reply

    • I love it that your husband loves the space too! I was trying SO hard to make it chic, but not girly or over the top since it is still a garage that we’ll work and park in. I wanted girls and guys to think it was awesome, and it sounds like I did it! Yeah!

      Reply

    • Yeah! I love that it turned into a chic space. That’s my adjective of choice for the pantry so I’m glad the garage has the same feel even though it’s different.

      Reply

  33. What an awesome dream space for a DIYer!!!! I love your floors so much, and also that amazing art, the built in workbench area, and your husband’s grandfather’s old tool chest! You did such a fabulous job with this space – it should be in a magazine!!

    Reply

    • That’s the best compliment I could get Lisa…hopefully a magazine will come calling! I’d love one to come photograph it.

      Reply

    • Thank you Robin! Good luck with yours – it is not the funnest space to clean out and get organized, but it sure does feel good once you are done!

      Reply

  35. You did an amazing job! I can’t believe how much storage and function you were able to get out of your garage… And it looks great too. Well done!

    Reply

    • Thank you Teresa! I was so glad I was able to pull off the balance of function and chic fun!

      Reply

  36. Melissa, when you wrote about those floors I could not imagine what this would look like. It is amazing. I would never put a car in this garage. You worked so hard, and just nailed it. I can’t begin to imagine the types of projects you will accomplish from that workbench. Fantastic, again!!

    Reply

    • Thanks Linda! My husband’s theory is that we need a new sports car worthy of the floor.

      Reply

  37. Melissa, this is simply amazing! I cannot believe how cool the floors are, I am extremely jealous of your workspace! And that old toolbox … the perfect balance! Go get that sports car!!

    Reply

    • Seriously! If I could stop the June bugs from trying to march in every day, I’d totally sleep out there!

      Reply

    • I am! It’s SO amazing to be able to find what I need when I need it without an official search party.

      Reply

  41. WOW! you probably tackled one of the most difficult rooms!!! Love the floor! Can you do mine next?! Great job!

    Reply

  43. INCREDIBLE! Absolutely amazing makeover, Melissa! You have totally inspired me to tackle our garage next! And that copper floor is downright sexy! Way to rock this challenge!!!

    Reply

    • Thank you Brynne! Rust-Oleum should be getting all the credit for the floor, what an amazing product!

      Reply

  44. Wow! Very impressive! I love everything and boy do I wish I knew about the metallic floor finishing, when I did our garage floor. I still love ours, but your liquid pearl, metallic finish is gorgeous!

    Great job bringing sexy back in the garage and inspiring me to hopefully finally get ours done – it’s been two years in the making. 🙁 lol

    High five!

    Reply

    • You’ll be so relived when yours is done! It’s a pain to finish, but so worth it!

      Reply

    • Hi Joan, we haven’t done a tutorial post on it yet, but hope to in the spring. The weather and our schedules didn’t ever agree to finish the last little section and take step by step photos.

      Reply

    • Really well! We’re just a couple weeks short of the one year mark with it. I was even able to easily scrub off some accidental spray paint overspray (whoops!).

      Reply

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