My 2017 (Home) Would Like To Do List

As the calendar flips over and coming off of a slower couple weeks during the holidays, it’s a great time to establish a mental game plan for the house in the coming year.  The live Christmas tree is planted, and later this year we’ll celebrate our fifth house anniversary in the house. So far everything is holding up splendidly. Here are some of the “roll up my sleeves” projects I envision I can take on next.

Laundry Room

This would be low on my list, but it’s at the top of the spousal unit’s list, so who am I to argue. We need to clean out the laundry room, and get it organized. I’ll make a couple sweater drying “racks” to put in the alcove along with straightening the clothes drying rods. A fresh coat of paint in the room should brighten things up a bit as well.

Basement

There is a lot I need to do in the basement. Much of the tile still needs grouting, and all of the trim needs to be caulked, sealed and painted. These are all dreadful jobs that I have no desire to do myself, but I will have to do regardless of my personal wants or needs. What I would like to do is get the suspended ceiling materials bought and installed. The basement is very dark right now with only a handful of lights and no ceiling. I will be trying my best to make the space more appealing for living, since we have the space we may as well use it. I would like to get a television and some comfortable furniture as well. Create a movie watching, and video game playing space.

Storage Room

Also in the basement, the storage room could use a workbench like structure so the wife can spray glue her artwork, possibly even a spray booth. I’d also like to create some hanging clothes storage as well, for winter coats and bee suits in the off season.

Garage

The garage needs to be cleaned out and organized. What I would like to do is build a “loft” platform over the workshop area for storage. I’m thinking a framework of 2×6 or 2×8 with five quarter deck boards on it. Maybe build in some overhead lighting to illuminate the workshop area below the storage loft.

Beyond that I don’t have any other major projects I can think of that I want to do in the coming year. I figure focusing on a few good projects will be better than trying to do everything at once.

What’s on your home to do list this year? Let me know in the comments.

-Chris

The only part of the basement that sort of looks like it’s done.

The basement living room is a collection of random furniture right now.

My future office is now a glorified storage room filled with junk.

Our live 2016 Christmas tree is planted near the bee hives in the north meadow

My Garage Organization Project

Over Easter weekend I tackled a project that I had been looking forward since we moved in: organizing the garage. And while it’s not 100% all good, it’s a huge improvement. I’m loving it.

I rummaged around the garage and came up with a few hollow bi-fold doors that would make perfect shelves. I also had a couple of pieces of 2’x4′ pegboard that I brought from the old house. I supplemented those items with 12′ worth of Gladiator brand organization track, and accessories, as well as premade metal shelf brackets from Lowe’s (~$125 worth of stuff).

First up was putting up a shelf and pegboard above the gardening area. I located the studs at 16″ on center in that area. There is an electrical box and a window in the way so I had to scratch my head a little bit as to where I wanted to mount the shelf brackets. Also I didn’t want to lose vertical height; mounting the shelf brackets above the pegboard, so I decided to mount the brackets ON TOP OF the pegboard.

Pegboard requires 1×2 furring strips so the panel stands off of the wall, allowing the peg hooks to have clearance and work properly. I cut the strips and mounted them over each stud location using my favorite screws: SPAX #8 2-1/2″ wood to wood screws.

1×2 furring strips where each stud lies behind the drywall. I will attach peg boards to the strips, notching it for the windows.

I then mounted the pegboard panel, which I had to notch to clear the window, using smaller 1-1/2″ SPAX screws. On top of the pegboard I then fastened the metal shelf brackets using 2-1/2″ screws, through the bracket, pegboard, furring strip, drywall and into the wood stud.

I mounted the brackets over the pegboard and drywall, where the wall studs are.

Once that was done I was ready for the shelf. Like I said I reused some old hollow bi-fold door panels that were about 6′ x 12″ for the shelf. I had to cut the one end down, at a 45 degree angle to fit, and to make sure we didn’t hit our head as we came and went through the garage man door.  Because the door is hollow, the cut end looks weird but form follows function, and the door, er, shelf material was free after all. I used 1-1/2″ deck / drywall screws to attach the bottom of the shelf to the metal brackets. I also ran a 2-1/2″ screw through the top of the shelf into the top of the furring strips – the doors have solid would all along the perimeter so by running a screw through there where I could was an added measure of security.

Lining up the 45 degree cut on the hollow bi-fold door. Measure 12 inches up on both sides of the square along the same edge.

The door are hollow and my SPAX screws proved to aggressive to attach the bottom of the bracket to the shelf. So I used some small deck / drywall screws that worked just right.

Here you can see the 45 degree angle I cut on the end of the hollow bi-fold door that is now my garage shelf.

Well we’re a little more organized now.

Here you can see I added another piece of pegboard and shelf to the other side.

It was nice to have the added organization space above the garden work area and my work bench. I mirrored the set up on the other side of the window and was good to go.

Next up I quickly added a 1/2″ plywood shelf over the toy area per the wife’s request. I used up some scrap material and mounted that to three simpler metal brackets.

I added this quick simple shelf, made of 1/2″ plywood and store bought brackets.

Over to the far end of the garage I had a pile of yard tools leaning up in a pile in the corner. My plan was to put a Gladiator brand track up, then a bi-fold door shelf above that, and then way up high use a couple hooks I had lying around to hang up the extension ladder.

It took some time but I decided to run all 12′ of track in one line, even with the bottom of the window. The stud layout worked out perfectly – I didn’t have to cut any of the tracks. I decided not to temp fate though, and I predrilled all the tracks, in prep for using more 2-1/2″ wood screws to mount the them to the wall. I used a level, marked my studs and the tracks went up without any cause for concern.

Drilling pilot holes in the Gladiator track before mounting them to the wall.

A detail of the Gladiator track installed. I used 2-1/2″ long SPAX screws.

I then mounted shelf brackets above the track, the door shelf to the brackets and eventually the ladder hooks way up high. I intentionally tried to stagger how much I was screwing into each stud to try to keep the load distributed across the wall. The track goes into every stud obviously. Shelf brackets, I mounted those higher and tried to skip a few studs. Then the ladder hooks higher up on lesser used studs.

In addition to the Gladiator track I added another hollow bi-fold door shelf and even hung up the extension ladder way up high, out-of-the-way.

I spent some time noodling over the Gladiator accessories I had purchased, but eventually got a set up I liked. Just above the electric trimmer I mounted the battery charger, using my favorite wall anchors and screws.  The charger is conveniently located near an outlet.

I mounted the charger for the trimmer just above the track, near the trimmer and an outlet.

Now our garage is organized. For the most part. And I can start enjoying it. I can’t wait to work in the garden, or make bird boxes, with all our tools, and supplies easily accessible. The best part is I was able to use many materials that we had on hand, so it kept costs down.

Have any questions?

Know any tips or tricks?

Share in the comments below.