Young House Love

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How To Organize A Basement Workshop

Now that we’ve cleared out our backyard’s weed & liriope convention, let’s move on to another area that has been sorely lacking our attention. Yes, let’s spend some time in our basement, shall we? Oh wait – that sounds like an invitation to get murdered or something. Um, let’s just talk about our basement. You may recall that it recently went from a shameful deck-debris-filled no man’s land…

Bagster 1 Basement Messy

…to a slightly more presentable space thanks to our Bagster rental a few weeks ago.

Bagster 9 Basement Clean

Well, that Bagster purge and our recent yard sale were the kick in the butt that I’ve needed to finally put some energy into this room. Because honestly, we’ve put ZERO effort into organizing or fixing up this space since moving in nearly two years ago. It’s been kind of a dumping ground. But I guess that first picture gave that away.

We tackled a similar basement in our last house – a small cinder block fortress accessible from a separate exterior door only.

BaseOne Old Basement

But there are some key differences to these basements – and some lessons that we learned from the last one that will guide how we approach this one. For instance, the last one was kind of a glorified storage space. We didn’t work down there ever (that’s what the garage was for) so some of the effort that we put into “finishing” the room ended up being overkill. Sure it was nice to have the walls and floor painted (and it definitely seemed to help with resale) but we were barely down there to ever enjoy it. It was mostly just where all of our holiday decorations lived in the off-season, which now live in the attic of this house.

This new basement is MUCH more functional because it still serves as a helpful storage space for some things (like paint, unfinished furniture, tools, etc) but in the absence of a garage, it has also become my workshop. And as seen in our Day One post, we inherited some pretty awesome features – shelving, pegboards and even a large built-in work table.

BaseOne Day One

I’ve spent plenty of time working on plenty of projects down here: from the living room console to Clara’s dollhouse. So it’s kind of a shame that I’ve spent so many hours in a space that kind of depresses me (talk about Dude, Get On That).

BaseOne Projects

So I’m putting an end to it. My exact plan of attack is still kind of forming in my brain, but regardless of where I end up – I know the starting point is cleaning and organizing. And to that end, I’ve made it my mission to steal away for a few minutes here and there (mainly during Clara naps or on random Sherry’s-watching-housewives evenings) and I’ve gone through just about every nook and cranny of that room to figure out what should stay and what should most definitely not. Right at the top of the “definitely not” list was a strange collection of items leftover from the old owners. Some things – like the fire extinguisher below – dating back as far as 1984!

BaseOne Old Stuff Found

How creepy is that pig in the top right? We think he’s an old dog toy. Clara saw it when I brought it up to show Sherry and she was both delighted and impressed by it, but I was scared. Also, among a pile of old yard tools they left for us I found not one, not two, but three axes. I feel like there’s a Mike Meyers movie in there somewhere…

BaseOne 2 Axes

Speaking of yard tools, those were one of the first things that I decided to tackle. I started by taking inventory and seeing if what I had was what I actually needed (what didn’t make that list? Three axes).

BaseOne 1 Yard Tools Leaned Up

This part of the organizing mission was actually before our yard sale, so whatever I didn’t need anymore (i.e. extra rakes) was sold there. And as for where to put the stuff I was keeping, I figured storing the (sometimes dirty) yard stuff far away from my work table was best. And luckily the area that looked like this a few months ago…

Basement Labels 2

…now looked like this post Bagster/yard sale.

BaseOne 3 Corner Before

I zeroed in on that pegboard on the far left as my new yard tool headquarters, which did mean I had to get rid of this old rotting slash bug-eaten shelf that the previous owners left.

BaseOne 4 Old Shelf Before

Good thing rotting = easy to break apart and toss into the Bagster before it got picked up.

BaseOne 5 Shelf Busted Up

Plus, I discovered the spare section of fence that I’ve been storing since this project fit perfectly into the little recessed nook next to the pegboard (so perfectly that when I wedged it in there it didn’t want to come back out). I did bolt it to the cinder at the top just to be safe though – just so it doesn’t fly down and get me someday after intense hammering or sawing nearby. Even though it’s upside down, I like that the wood texture breaks up the cinder a bit.

BaseOne 7 Fence Nook Close

But my crowning achievement of this process so far is this baby. Oh yeah. It took me a good hour to figure this out, but it was so worth it. Organizing stuff like this makes my pulse race. And I may have developed a new obsession with pegboards in the process. Seriously, I was walking around for days afterwards looking at things and thinking “ooh, I could put that on my pegboard.” Or “my girlfriend Peggy” as I call her.

BaseOne 8 Garden Tools Hanging

But before I get too hot and bothered talking about pegboards, I’ll share another one of my loves in a not-so-lovely storage solution. This is the bike rack from our old basement that is so cramped in this basement that I can barely weasel both bikes onto it (the top one grinds up against our lower ceiling).

BaseOne 10 Bikes Before

So I grabbed two of these heavy duty bike hooks at Home Depot (about $2.50 a piece) and screwed them into one of the exposed beams near my wood fence nook.

BaseOne 11 Screwing Hook In

MUCH better. Especially since it doesn’t take me 15 minutes to get the bikes on or off like the last solution. Is it hot in here or is it just me? Plus, putting them in the recessed area means the fact that they stick out into the room a bit isn’t a big deal.

BaseOne 12 Bikes Hanging

And I realized Clara’s bike seat and our bike rack for the car hang nicely on the ledges created by the fence rail. Oh how I love getting things up off of the floor.

BaseOne 13 Seats Hanging

I’d love to end with some big beauty shot of the whole room, but there were like five other organization projects going on simultaneously so I’ll be back with more progress as I go. Isn’t it funny that no matter if you’re chipping away at a lawn makeover or a kitchen redo or a basement refresh, it just seems to come down to tackling things in phases? What are you guys doing one step at a time these days? Do pegboards get your pulse racing or is it just me? Hubba hubba.

Comments

  1. Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says

    It already looks loads better. My husband would love a place like that to work in… maybe someday. I did start tackling my kitchen this morning. It needs a little organizational help. It’s crazy how organizing everything can make the space feel brand new!

    Reply

  2. Becky says

    I felt this same kind of euphoria when I organized my garage. My pegboard – oh, how I love thee! I was in heaven for an hour organizing that thing and I’m still adding to it. Actually I loved it so much, I now have two of them in my garage!

    Reply

  3. Amanda B says

    The house we bought almost 6 months ago is floor to ceiling peg board on all 4 walls in the garage. We LOVE it. Totally hubba hubbas us too! It makes organizing so much easier and keeps the floor clear!

    Reply

  5. Ellen says

    How safe is it to have exposed insulation in a room where you spend a lot of time? There are concerns about fiberglass that is exposed, and OSHA requires it to be covered/enclosed. Sorry for the gloom, but my dad died of lung problems so I notice these things.

    Reply

  7. Stephanie says

    I am pretty sure I’m going to have nightmares about that pig. :-P

    Awesome job organizing the basement though!! I’m currently in the process of trying to clean out our laundry room, which is basically our storage space since we don’t have a basement. Not a fun process!

    Reply

  8. Angela says

    John, please, please, PLEASE come do my basement!! I could send you home with dozens of cookies for the entire family – I even make killer dog biscuits! :-) TIA!!!!

    Reply

  10. Penny says

    Pegboard rules! The basement looks awesome, way to go John! This weekend my hubby made a frame to go around some pegboard to hang in one of our kid’s rooms – hoping it will be a good spot to hang baseball caps, medals, Mardi Gras beads, whatever!!

    Reply

  11. Alyssa says

    Great job! I love a good organizing project, and spent the weekend tackling one of my own. My girlfriend and I went on a serious purging spree in our house before starting a built-in desk project (inspired by yours!) in our bedroom. It’s definitely a work in progress but I’m so looking forward to the end result!

    Reply

  12. Kristen says

    We just bought some of the bike hangers to hang strollers!! It freed up a lot of space in our garage! Your basement looks great – it’s giving me some inspiration for my attic (that and I keep asking my husband not to look in it).

    Reply

  13. Christine says

    Wow– that must make you breathe a big sigh of relief when you walk in there now! Doing projects will be more efficient & fun for you now. We just went through a big, basic, thorough cleaning of our place. Not as foxy as that pegboard, but it feels much better to be at home now, and like we have more room in our brains for other projects.

    Reply

  14. HeatherM says

    Hi there. I just wanted to give you guys a heads up that there is A LOT of confusion about your West Elm Chicago book signing. They are changing the start time and posting the time as EST even though we live in CST time zone, so it is not clear if the event starts at noon or at 1pm. Also, they closed the event to those of us who have already RSVP’s. However I don’t know what I need to do to get in. do I have to bring my phone to show I RSVP’d on facebook? How can I know I will get in? Like many others attending this event, I will be traveling over an hour to get there, and I want to know that I will get in with my existing RSVP if I am going to travel so far. Can you pop over to that facebook page for the Chicago RSVP and take a look at the existing questions, and either clarify the issues or request that your publisher or West Elm address our questions?
    Thanks

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks Heather! I’m cutting and pasting your entire comment to the powers that be (the publisher who’s working to coordinate all of these events). So sorry for any confusion with any of them- she has over 21 of them to juggle so she’s definitely doing her best and I hope to be back with clarification as soon as I can! Hopefully we can add any details (final time, how to get in, etc) on the Tour page since that’s where we’re keeping all of that info contained, so keep an eye out over there!

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Here’s the update I got for ya: Anyone who RSVPed should be assured they are all set to go (the event has just been capped at 700 because that’s their capacity). Also, the Chicago event time listed on YHL is correct, though it was posted as starting an hour earlier on the West Elm Chicago Event FB page. This has since been corrected (early last week). I’ll be in touch with more info from West Elm about how they’ll confirm those who RSVPed are invited in. Stand by!

      xo
      s

  15. Randa says

    Nice!!!! Organizing makes my heart race too.

    That photo of all-fixed-up-Peggy looks like something right out of Real Simple magazine.

    Reply

  16. Cheryl Thornton says

    Great post – I have a hubby who is crazy about his peg board too…he’s gone so far as to have traced each tool with a sharpie so that when someone takes down a tool and uses it, they know where to put it back…you don’t think he did that for me, do you?? LOL

    Reply

  17. Lindsey says

    My husband LOVES peg boards for his work space in the garage. He spends a lot of time figuring out just how he wants every little thing placed. He stores his extension cords wound up along the inside of a 5 gallon bucket with both ends sticking out. It’s easy to just pull out what you need, plug it up and then wind it back up once your done. I for one hate winding up long extension cords.

    Reply

  18. Eileen says

    I am loving pegboards lately! It’s the virgo in me…I mean what’s not to love? re-configurable storage! …I want them for our back entryway where we need to hang all sorts of crap (grocery bags, toddler jackets, etc) but my husband thinks they are too 70s shop class (and not in a good way!) …I say they’re modern-retro-industrial-ish :)

    Reply

  19. Jen says

    Nicely done! For some reason I never even thought you could hang a bike using 1 hook (I’ve only seen it hung up on 2 hooks), but now I’m going to do it this way – plus it looks like they would be easier to get down!! I tackled a little bit of organizing in our garage this weekend, and now my car can fit! We bought our house in March and now I can finally park in a garage for the first time ever! :) You’re totally right – it’s the little things during the phases that make you happy!

    Reply

  20. KL says

    I love Peggy! I recently found your blog thanks to dreaming about purchasing/renovating a home of my own, and you guys have given me the courage that I might be able to pull it off one day!

    Reply

  22. keri says

    WELL HELLO!
    I spent my weekend tackling the same – at my house AND my parents house. It was a weekend of basement cleaning.
    When I moved out of my parents house 4 years ago, I took a lot of stuff and just threw it into my basement. And a lot of it was hidden, in their basement, under other crap. So first I got to take apart all my storage and pare down…so there was about 7 bags for goodwill or garbage, never mind all the cardboard to recycle!
    Then at my parents house…two full truck beds later of the same thing, we are half way done. Also, donated EASILY 500 books to the local library for their yard sale. It was two loads that filled my mom’s Jeep compass – not a tiny car!

    so, purging is in order around here.

    Part two includes sealing the basement (because, of course, I cleaned until 1AM friday night – and somewhere between 1am when I went to bed and 7am when i woke up, there was a torrential downpour like we haven’t had in years, so the back of the basement flooded….sigh.

    Reply

  23. Erika says

    Question for you about the Peg board. How are they attached to the cinder blocks. I want to put them up in my garage, but i have no idea how to attach them to the wall!

    The basement looks great! Way to go John!

    Reply

  24. Charlotte says

    I noticed you had (have?) a spray paint area in your basement… I was doing the same thing until the friendly gal at Home Depot said something like, “you’re not spray painting in the basement, right?” To be honest I knew it wasn’t the greeeeattest place in the world, but I open our bilco, wear a mask, yadda yadda. She was most concerned about the furnace/ water heater on the other side of the basement and their pilot lights. My question is where do you spray if the weather is too cold/ rainy?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, we always always spray paint outside but for one book project we had to do and it was raining we used the basement (with a mask, the door open, on the other side of the furnace water heater) but it’s definitely better to do it outside! I wished we could have used our carport, which is an awesome spot for it (we’ve done that many a time) but it was full of book projects so it wasn’t free. Lesson learned! Keep the carport clear for rain day spray painting!

      xo
      s

  25. Amari says

    Awesome organization! I’m haven’t quite hit the nesting stage of my pregnancy yet, but I’m sure I’ll be doing a lot of re-hauling soon too!

    Also, I’ve fallen in love with pegboards as well, and have a couple of projects coming up for my home that uses them in unconventional ways. One, is a nursery project in which pegboard will be the background, and the other is a new fabric tufted headboard. The pegboard makes it much easier when sewing the buttons! Maybe someday I’ll have a home improvement blog too where I can post my diy-ness!

    Reply

  28. Matt says

    Great job organizing John. Wanted to let you know that one of those axes is actually a Go-Devil (the yellow one). I know its a weird name, but the principle behind it is that it is heavier than an ax as you probably know and where an ax starts a split in the wood, but can’t quite give you the muscle you need, the go-devil powers through leaving you with a nice split piece of wood. Sorry, this may be more info than you even wanted but thought I would share just in case you were thinking if any of them would be useful.

    Reply

  29. Karen F says

    great post! projects like this have, to me, the biggest impact in my own home. If I were you, I’d be spending all my time down there admiring my work!

    Our basement (unfinished, attached) is Awful with a capital A. Speaking of working in phases, I probably spent 2+ hours a week down there over a span of maybe 6 months to purge and organize. And it’s so much better, but nowhere near complete! At least I can walk from the stairs to the washing machine without getting injured, now. I need to have yard sale or just decide to get rid of stuff and it would be a lot better. Also, my husband keeps his tools down there and I set up a little pegboard for him, which I think is awesome, however his tools still never end up back where they belong! haha!

    Reply

  31. Kathleen says

    One of the first few things I did in my newly built house was to install peg board in the garage. It’s so darn handy. I also had plans to install some in my sewing room for all the little tools and gadgets that accumulate. Nice job!

    Reply

  32. Marilyn says

    Hi,
    We are just starting to organize our basement and want to hang pegboard to our walls so we can also hang items on it. I am wondering how your pegboard is attached to your wall? We are not sure how to go about hanging it.
    Marilyn

    Reply

  33. Amy @ a new old house says

    Looks great- love the bike solution, that’s the perfect spot!

    Last Fathers Day, the kids & I went crazy picking out peg board accessories for the peg board in my husband’s workshop. Who knew they made so many different little brackets!?! It was so much fun- and something he really enjoyed and uses!

    Reply

  34. Niki T says

    I rent studio space for my crafting endeavors, and I “inherited” a pegboard in that space. I had a lot of fun going around to thrift stores, garage sales and second hand stores and picking out a collection of baskets in different sizes/shapes/colors/textures. I’ve got all kinds of sewing and crafting tidbits organized into baskets which either sit on or hang off of the pegs on the pegboard. Everything is organized & contained, but still out in the open, and when i need buttons, for example, i can grab the button basket off the pegboard wall! I love, love, love my peg board!!!

    Reply

  35. Christine says

    My husband and I are currently tackling the same project. We have no money for organization/storage, so everything will need to be diy’ed from freebies and whatever we find in the big heap of junk! Good luck to you.

    Reply

  37. Val says

    Looking good!

    I love the way that spare piece of fence looks, but is it a termite hazard? Our home inspector had a come apart over some wood shelves in the basement and now my hubby won’t keep any wood at all down there. But I’ve always thought he might have been over-reacting.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Nah, we have all wood shelving built down there (see that L-shaped thing?) along with peg boards and wooden boards for building, so I think as long as you keep an eye out for termites (and better yet, seal off any way they have of coming in) you should be ok!

      xo
      s

  39. Shelley @ Green Eggs and Hamlet says

    Oh man, I am so jealous of your awesome organization! We really need to organize our garage and you’ve given me some good inspiration. Definitely need some bike storage and also need to – finally – install the pegboard we bought at a garage sale last summer. Can’t wait to see how it looks when it’s all done.

    Reply

  40. Kristin says

    Wow…inspiring indeed! Now if it would just inspire my husband to do something about his work area. I don’t think he’d be happy if I tackled it. I’m sure I’d toss something that he thinks could come in hand someday (and I hate to admit it, but often what I consider junk DOES come in handy).

    Reply

  41. karen says

    those tools all organized look fantastic!!! man i got to get organized!

    pretty intense dexter last night eh?! I loved it when dexter mocked speltzer! that was awesome!!!

    Reply

  42. Jocelyn Pascall says

    It’s looking good! Those types projects can be so overwhelming, but if you just focus on doing a little at a time, I find them to be much more manageable. My husband and I tackled the garage about a month ago and it took us about 3-4 days of solid work to get it to where it is now. Not a lot of fun, but so, so worth it. Now when I go in there, I don’t feel stressed about the mess!

    Reply

  44. Jenna says

    Ukrop’s!!! I grew up in RVA and have lots of lovely memories of my childhood there. Seeing that name on the circa 2003 water jugs took me straight back to the good old days. Sigh….

    Reply

  45. Tashauna says

    John! When the ZOMBIE apocalypse starts your going to wish you kept the 3 axes!!! Lol! Sheesh–can you tell I’ve been watching too much Walking Dead! Looks great though!

    Reply

  46. Eileen says

    Kudos guys, it’s a great beginning to a satisfying end. Last winter I really wanted to make the garage as organized and clear as possible (I’m in Florida, no underground space here, and I’m not a fan of putting stuff in the attic ‘crawl space’). It was mostly due to me being pregnant and knowing I wouldn’t be able to easily get out of my car later on, and that there was one more person coming that needed his own storage. Unfortunately my morning sickness (that lasted all. day. long.) lasted until it got too stinkin’ hot to work outside (in O-town, that’s end of April). Only shelving and side space got done. Sometime this winter I’ll have to recruit a grandparent or two for some babysitting. :)

    Reply

  47. Colleen P. says

    I just cannot describe how decluttering and organizing makes my heart go pitter pat!!! Posts like that just get me all fired up to go clear out a cabinet, or a dresser, or the attic! LOL!

    It really looks great, and I totally love the old bit of fencing repurposed and put into the niche in the wall-THAT is fantastic use of an awkward space and an awkward but clearly useful material. Not only that you got the fence section up off the floor, but making use of it as an integral storage solution is genius. The bikes are up and out of the way, easy to get to, and all the bike accesories are right there. That’s my favorite part of this project!

    Reply

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