No need to stash it all in the garage. Here’s how to create tidy storage in your yard.
Image: Kezzabeth
“That can go in the garage” is a common solution to just about anything outdoorsy that needs a home.
Instead, think outside the garage. These ideas are great for decluttering your garage — and they’ll pay dividends when it comes time to sell. Because clutter never increases a home’s selling price.
#1 Tuck Storage Under Your Deck
Image: Deck enclosure installed by Groff Landscape Design
An elegant solution if you’ve got a deck
hat sits up fairly high. You can tuck loads of outdoor tools and equipment under it. Even add doors to help keep things out of sight. A perfect solution to decluttering your garage.
No Deck?
Adding one would be wise. Most decks recoup 80% of the cost when you sell.
One caveat: This type of storage will protect items from the heat and sun, but not from moisture, so unless you add a ceiling to your under-deck shed, only store things that can handle some wet.
If your deck lacks height: try storage drawers instead.
Store pool equipment, folding deck chairs, yard games, and coolers within easy reach, and you’ll hardly break your outdoor-happiness zen when you need to grab something.
#2 Build a Fence With Built-Ins
Image: Vertical Bike Shed by Brighton Bike Sheds
Think of it as the outdoor version of an indoor wall with built-in storage. But outdoors it delivers so much more: privacy, security, and storage. It’s the trifecta of functionality.
#3 Add a Purpose-Built Shed
Image: Kezzabeth
This pup’s family obviously loves biking and campfires — and they’ve got just the right size and configured shed to store the bikes and wood efficiently.
Maximize your outdoor space by noodling on your storage pain points, then building something to fit your purpose. You’ll get rid of the clutter, and you’ll prevent some pre-fab shed from taking up too much space and becoming yet another place where clutter accumulates.
KELLEY WALTERS
Kelley Waltersis a Southern writer and editor. She focuses on interior design and home improvement at outlets from HGTV to Paintzen. She lives in Italy a month every year, drinking Negronis and writing in internet cafes.