I was desperate...I've always wanted one of those great big fancy mudrooms...but if I want one on this house, we'll have to shell out major dough...there is NO easy place to slap one on. And with 5 kids, we have MAJOR stuff...bikes, mittens, boots, sports equipment...you name it x 7...that adds up quick.
Since we don't park in our garage anyways,...it's too tight of a squeeze, I told my husband I was turning it into a great big storage and mudroom. (By the way...by in-laws did this to their garage before I did...and they park in the winter....they just roll up the carpet.)
Of course, I forgot to take "before" pictures, so it may not look so wonderful to you, but believe, me, the improvement is huge! This garage was NASTY...spiderwebs, chipping paint, dirt, dust, bugs, icky stuff EVERYWHERE...a typical, old-house garage.
1. First, I took ALL the stuff out. Threw away everything we don't use...I went through everything...every tool, toy, shoe, etc...
2. I scraped, primed and painted every wall and ceiling using nice outdoor paint (that was the worst part!!!)
3. I drew up a diagram so I wouldn't waste any space...I divided the room into areas...bike stands (from Lowes!), sports stuff, balls, and lockers.
The large set of shelves by the door has little outdoor toys, flashlights, tools, and pool toys in the plastic drawers and everything else stacked around them.
The garbage cans sitting on top of the lockers have each kid's winter stuff in it...Abbey informed me that the garbage cans don't really look so good, but I couldn't find something that looked better with a lid that didn't cost a ton, and fit on top...this was the most creative alternative that worked.
4. The biggest difference...the cheap indoor/outdoor carpet (from Lowe's)..it's something I know I will have to replace every couple years, but it makes all the difference. Yes, I do vacuum my garage! The other alternative would be painting the floor with a nice coat of cement paint. I love the carpet though...keeps the dirt outside where it belongs, and is not slippery and wet in the winter.
