Garage Storage

Garage Storage Project

Project Inception

We are currently in the process of remodeling our basement as a workout and rec room, and before I can begin any work, I need to re-locate all of my A/V equipment to a rack under the stairs to maximize floor space and protect everything from possible damage. Unfortunately, the space I built for storage under the stairs is packed with seasonal items that are a bear to get out every year. To help remedy this, I figured that all of our seasonal items can be stored in the garage, as long as I had a place to put them. The area above the garage door was unused, and I figured that some suspended shelving would do the trick.
Instead of going the pre-built route, I decided to build the shelving myself.

Planning

I took some measurements of my garage and decided that I could easily hang two 4x8 ft. pieces of plywood over the garage doors, with enough room to cut a 4x8 ft. piece lengthwise for longer shelves on either side. That way I could keep the plywood cutting down to a minimum.

Using the simple drawing tool on Google Drive, I made a rough layout sketch (not to scale).
I decided to leave an opening in the left corner with a built-in ladder for easy access. Now that the shelves are done, I may cover it with plywood to add more shelf space. It was a fun thought, though.

Macey and I took a trip to Home Depot to buy the supplies:

• 2x4 boards
• 2x4 ft. sheets of plywood
• 2x4 joist hangers
• 2x4 corner connectors
• Galvanized nails
• Galvanized lag bolts
• Galvanized bolts
• Galvanized washers
• Galvanized nuts
• Stainless deck screws

Building

I started by installing 2x4 boards with lag bolts to act as a ledger for the shelves.

I measured out 4' from the wall to add hanging supports, and anchored angle iron to the ceiling joists with lag bolts. I used bolts and nuts to secure the hanging support boards to the angle iron, in case I needed to remove them easily later.

I also installed 2x4 joist hangers at even intervals (not at 16", though, because I figured that would be overkill for storage space).

I also added the end joist on the right side that conveniently anchored to the pillar in the middle of the garage with a 2x4 added for spacing along the garage wall.

I then prepared the rim joist(s) by measuring the spacing of the joist hangers on the ledger board, installed the joist hangers on the rim joist(s), and clamped everything in place using a loosely placed joist to make sure it was level.

I used bolts and nuts to secure the rim joist to the hanging supports, because I figured that I might need to remove a couple of them when installing the plywood surface. I then installed the joists in the joist hangers and added a metal plate to join my split rim joist, just for good measure.

At this point, I was happy with the primary structure, but I wanted to test the sturdiness before I went any further. I figured that If I could swing from it, it would hold our seasonal decorations without any trouble.

For the long shelf on the left side, I was able to secure the hanging support from the central garage beam, and secure the rim joist to the garage wall using lag bolts. I used angle brackets and joist hangers to connect the 2x4s.

For the long shelf on the left side, I hung another support from the ceiling using angle iron and built a box with angle brackets. I tied it into the primary structure, but didn't plan it well, so it came out a little lower than the rest. Being shelving, I didn't feel it required rework. 

With the support structure complete, I added the plywood to finish the shelving. I had to notch out a little bit to clear the piece of lumber that split the ledger board, but otherwise the two 4x8 sheets of plywood slid easily into place. I secured the plywood to the joists using self-tapping stainless screws. As I predicted, I had to remove two of the hanging supports temporarily to slide the plywood surface in place. Using bolts worked out in my favor.

I cut the last piece of plywood in half, trimmed the pieces to fit the side shelves, secured them to the 2x4s, and then the shelves were done. 

Results

Before:

After:

Here's the hole I left in the left corner. I planned to build a fixed ladder on the wall for easy access, but now that it's done, I'm thinking that the idea was much better in my head, and that extra storage space might be more useful.