Garages are used for more than just storing vehicles. A garage can serve as a valuable storage area, a fitness area, or a workshop for hobbies. The garage space is quite versatile and, when organized efficiently, can be incredibly convenient for your tenants. While providing adequate storage for your tenant is unnecessary, it does go a long way in keeping them happy. As we know, keeping your tenants happy is a great way to keep tenants long-term and have fewer issues.
Today we’ll review the five best ways to maximize your tenants' garage space.
One of the best solutions is to use vertical space when a room is small or cramped. This includes installing shelves or racks to expand storage capacity. For example, heavy-duty storage racks you can buy at a home improvement store have 5 levels and are, on average, 48 inches long by 24 inches deep. This gives a storage area of around 8 square feet per level which can gain you nearly 40 square feets worth of storage space. While only taking up the aforementioned 8 squared feet. Shelves, while less robust than storage racks, can still provide a significant amount of storage space, especially when the racks either don't physically fit or don't fit the aesthetic. Shelves vary in size and scale, though there is one recommendation you should always keep in mind when installing shelves. They’re only as strong as where they are mounted to. Be sure to mount shelves on wall studs by using a stud finder, then measure 16 inches away from it to find the next closest wall stud. By mounting them directly onto wood instead of drywall, the shelves will be more sturdy and capable of holding more weight.
Unless you have a shallow ceiling, you’ll likely have plenty of space to install overhead storage. Overhead storage is just that, a storage area typically attached to the garage's ceiling. Except for lights, the ceiling is hardly ever used, and overhead storage can be used to store items not frequently used by tenants. Much like shelves, overhead storage should be mounted onto wood, as it will need to withstand the weight of the items stored and the weight of the storage rack. While the traditional frame that sits on the floor may be able to hold more items, an overhead storage rack takes up zero floor space and provides a considerable amount of storage.
To help minimize clutter, you can opt to provide multipurpose furniture in the garage. While not necessarily a massive space saver, multipurpose furniture can help your tenant to keep the area tidy. Some furniture pieces that serve multiple functions include storage ottoman or chest chairs. These can store commonly used items or put things away for later without misplacing them. There are many other examples of multipurpose furniture though they share the same philosophy of maximizing space while minimizing clutter.
If you choose to install cabinets, it's preferable to go with cabinets specifically designed for storage in small spaces. Incredibly similar to wall-mounted shelves, mounting cabinets on the wall can free up floor space. Most times, cabinets abruptly end before a corner, and another cabinet is installed on the adjacent wall leaving unused space in the corner. Corner cabinets are shaped to fit snugly into those previously new corners giving plenty of additional storage space and a seamless row of cabinets.
Strategically adding hooks or hangers in the garage can provide a great storage solution for more commonly used items. Commonly used items like coats or bags can be hung on hooks mounted on walls. In comparison, you can install hangers for bicycles to keep them off the floor and save space.
Maximizing garage storage space can be tricky, especially in smaller garages. If you want to increase your storage space or need help managing your Long Beach rental properties, we invite you to call us today at (562) 888-0247 or fill out our
Owner Application online.