This post is a closer look at our whole garage makeover: what worked, what I’d tweak, and why this garage organization project was 1,000% worth it.
In the summer of 2023, I set out to tackle a full home garage makeover. Our garage was a very basic two-car setup…technically in good shape, but cluttered, poorly lit, and seriously lacking any functional storage. It was one of those spaces that should have had ample space, yet somehow never did.
I’m finally documenting this garage renovation three years later so I can share a real-life, honest look at how everything has held up. Were the storage systems worth it? Was it the best way to use our garage space? Would I do anything differently now?
Garage Makeover: Before & After
Our garage is your typical suburban setup – what the contractors of these cookie cutter homes apparently consider a two-car garage, though actually squeezing in two cars leaves nearly no room for anything else. Most days, we parked one vehicle inside, leaving the rest of the garage to house everything else: bikes and outdoor toys, tools and DIY supplies, and a few random items left behind by the previous homeowners.
The goal of this home garage makeover was functionality. I wanted a better place for everything, enough clear parking space to fit both vehicles inside during blizzards and hail storms, and systems that worked for our family’s specific needs in a small home.
Now? We can fit both cars inside the garage when the storms roll in or during dangerously cold winter days, and that feels like a huge win.
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Step One: Decluttering the Entire Garage
The first step of any successful garage makeover is decluttering. I purged old hardware, scrap lumber, broken tools, outgrown toys and items we hadn’t touched in years. I sold or gave away extra project materials and tools locally using Facebook Marketplace with the goal of clearing out as much space as possible.
Once the clutter was gone, I cleaned the entire garage, patched holes, and gave the walls a fresh coat of paint. The walls had technically been “white,” but they were unfinished drywall. That one coat made a long way of difference in the garage’s appearance. It felt so clean! I wanted to add a little color and contrast to this big space, so I painted the lower third of the wall in a deep navy and it was definitely worth that extra step. I love how it looks now! Paint is truly such a great way to transform a space!
Step Two: Painting the Walls
The garage walls had never been painted and let me tell you, painting all of those walls was an undertaking but I’m so happy I did it before I started putting up shelving! I worked around the space one wall at a time, first clearing out the clutter, then painting, then organizing.
The paint colors I used are Classic and Nearly Navy, both by Clare Paint. I love this color combo so much!
If you want to achieve this two-tone look on your wall, I highly recommend a laser level to get straight lines across all the walls. This would be useful for any room, but especially your garage because the floors are sloped so it doesn’t really work to measure up a certain distance from the floor.
The Elfa Garage Shelving System (Back Wall Storage)
Because there is very limited clearance on the two side walls of our garage, wall space mattered more than anything. We had a few feet of extra depth along the back wall of the garage, so that became the focal point for maximizing storage.
I considered a whole row of closed storage cabinets, but ultimately decided to go with floor to ceiling open shelving. Here was the layout their designer helped me create:
And here’s how it turned out!
This is The Container Store’s Elfa Shelving, and includes:
- Floor-to-ceiling Elfa shelves
- 12 Drawers
- Counter space / work table
- Pegboard
- Ample storage space for large and small items
There’s a long metal countertop which works great as a work table for quick DIY project, repotting plants, and more.
The large pegboard above the counter is fantastic and I had a lot of fun arranging all of our go-to items within easy reach. You can get a lot of different hooks and little bins and things to attach to the pegboard.
There are twelve drawers under the counter, both shallow and deeper drawers. They hold tools, batteries and chargers, hardware, painting supplies, and utility items such as light bulbs and power strips.
The rest of this wall is filled with shelving for storage bins, lawn care items, seasonal decor, holiday decorations, and more.
Cost Breakdown
This was not a cheap project by any means, and I want to be transparent that the shelving portion of my garage makeover was a dream collaboration with The Container Store. They gifted me this system, but as always, all opinions are my own.
- Elfa Garage System: ~$4,000
- Installation: ~$1,000
- Additional cost varies by different size layouts and accessories
A storage system like this is certainly an investment, and after three years of having this in our garage I will vouch for its durability and functionality. I absolutely think adding an Elfa system to our garage was a great decision and would do it again if I was starting over. I cannot imagine moving to a new home and not having this setup, it has truly worked so well for us.
FYI they frequently run 20–30% sales on Elfa systems, which makes a huge difference in keeping your costs down. Their free design consultation was honestly the best way to ensure the setup fit our specific needs. I chose vented Elfa shelves and mesh drawers (no drawer fronts) to maximize storage and keep costs down, and I’d make that same decision again.
How Hard is It To Install Elfa Garage Shelves?
I had an installer from The Container Store assemble this wall of shelving, and it took him about 3 hours.
An installer is nice to have, but Elfa was designed to be a DIY system and is very doable on your own. I installed a fairly large Elfa closet system in my daughter’s room and as long as you know how to use a drill, it’s quite simple to put together and their assembly instructions were easy to follow. All you do is mount a few of the brackets into the wall with wall anchors, and after that every shelf and drawer and pegboard piece just clips into those brackets. It will take you some time to DIY, but it is not complicated.
Is the Elfa Garage Shelving Worth It?
After living with this system for three years, I can confidently say that the Elfa shelving was absolutely worth it for our garage makeover.
The biggest reason is durability. This system is built to handle real-life garage use. We’re storing heavy storage bins, seasonal decor, tools, and larger items, and nothing has sagged, bent, or loosened over time. It still looks just as solid as the day it was installed and the metal counter isn’t all scratched up like I thought it might be.
What really sets Elfa apart is how much functional storage it adds. By going floor-to-ceiling along the back of the garage, we gained an incredible amount of storage while keeping the rest of the garage open for parking, bikes, and projects. For a small home with limited garage space, maximizing our garage storage was a huge win.
That brings me to another huge plus of Elfa shelving: adjustability. This is where it outshines cheaper options or DIY-built shelves. With Elfa, I can adjust the placement of shelves, drawers, pegboards, and counters or completely rearrange the entire setup, anytime. Our storage needs have already changed since this garage project was completed, and being able to move components instead of starting over has been a game changer. Yes, you could save money upfront by building shelves yourself or choosing a budget system, but I love knowing I can walk into The Container Store, grab new components, and tweak the system as our needs evolve. That long-term flexibility is a big plus.
Bike Rack & Sports Equipment Storage
Keeping bikes off the concrete floors was essential. We installed an Elfa utility track system in the back corner with space to hang bikes vertically.
This system holds:
- Bike rack hooks for multiple bikes
- Helmets
- Jump ropes, sleds, hula hoops and more
Like all Elfa products, this one is also very flexible. Simply mount the track to your wall and snap in hooks and other accessories anywhere you’d like.
The only negative I have about this setup is that my kids cannot get their bikes down independently. They are just too high up for even our 8 year old to reach quite yet. You could easily mount this track lower to the ground for your kids’ bikes and that would solve the problem. For us, I like having it high because my bike can also hang on it vertically and it leaves floor space underneath for bulky things like the stroller and wagon. Our kids’ bikes don’t get hung back up every day with this setup, but I’m fine with that because we can still put them up out of the way for winter storage or when we’re cleaning up the garage for a party or to pull the second car inside.
Yard Tools, Utility Boards & Easy Reach Storage
On the other side of the door to the house, you’ll find our yard tool storage area. I used an Elfa Utility Track which is the same track as our bike rack, just different hooks that can be used to hang rakes, snow shovels, garden hoses, brooms, hedge trimmers, and more.
I positioned this track up high so there’s room underneath to park the snow blower and a few other lawn care items, but you could totally do two rows of tracks to get even more storage on one wall. I placed these items near the garage entrance so they are within easy reach when we’re outside working in the yard, and there’s enough floor space here to fit our snow flower.
Lumber Rack & DIY Storage
On the opposite side of the garage you’ll find a simple lumber rack made from a few cheap Home Depot shelf brackets. These work great for storing long boards and trim. There’s not much extra space on this side of the garage and it’s the side I park my car on, so anything I added to this wall needed to be slim and this lumber storage rack makes great use of the dead space between the wall and the garage door track.
Below it is a small DIY cart for scrap wood, perfect for storing leftover boards and smaller pieces without cluttering the garage floor.
Lighting, Flooring & Finishing Touches
One of my biggest complaints about our builder grade garage was the lack of lighting. Two dinky light bulbs on that high ceiling are hardly enough to give you a nicely lit workspace.
My mind was completely blown when I discovered these light bulbs that screw into your regular light socket but have multiple bright lights. I swapped my bulbs with two of these snazzy lights and our garage lighting is soooo much brighter and usable now!
Such an easy switch to make using inexpensive Amazon lights and no electrical skills. I’ve since added these genius lights to our unfinished basement and they make all the difference!
As for flooring, I left the concrete as is for now. My biggest focus was adding as much storage as I could to all the walls and getting everything up off the floor since this is a small space. I’d still love to do a DIY epoxy floor sometime in the future, but it’s not high on my priority list right now.
Final Thoughts on This Home Garage Makeover
I set up systems through out our garage that work well for my busy family and, three years later, everything still functions beautifully. This home garage makeover was a ton of work and took me nearly all summer to chip away at projects bit by bit, but I’m so happy I took the time to organize the garage and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
The one project I didn’t take on but still might one day is garage flooring. The bare concrete is fine, but an epoxy paint floor coating would be a really nice improvement. I was too burnt out on this project to tackle it at the time, but now that I have storage space for nearly everything in our garage that’s up off of the floor, it would be fairly doable to clear off the floor and do a DIY epoxy flooring kit in the future.
If you are planning a garage makeover, my biggest advice is this: Start with decluttering, plan around your specific needs, maximize wall storage, and don’t underestimate how much a little paint and better lighting can change a space.
Have a fantastic day!
