Surprise! Double Garage Makeovers

I'm pretty sure you could imagine my excitement when I got a request to overhaul a garage as a S U R P R I S E for my client's husband! I mean, when the man of your dreams already has the woman of his dreams, what do you get him for his birthday, amiright!? LOL

An organized garage of course! My thoughts exactly!!

Since this project was a surprise, the timing had to be just right - I stopped by for my initial consult while he was away at work one day. The next visit was GO-time and I got started as soon as he was on a plane out of town for a weeklong business trip!

I had my plan ready and my sleeves rolled up.

There were bikes (regularly used and rarely ever used), there were wheelbarrows (yes, multiples), a snowblower, hoses, extension cords, tools and gardening supplies. Mostly normal contents for a family garage.

Once we had the space all cleared out it became clear that the walls needed a fresh coat of paint after a massive (long time ago) flood that damaged the dry wall. Thankfully the client's painters were able to jump right in to get started and then we did a little dance around each other to get everything back in before our birthday guy made it home!

I breathed a giant sigh of relief when I got the text that he was thrilled with the final result!!

So, if one surprise is good...two surprise garages is G R E A T! With the first successful project under my belt I knew we could knock this next challenge out of the park!

It was clear from my first visit that this client had lots of ideas and amazing skills and tools to go along with it! The issue was that where one project ended, another began right on top of the aftermath.

I was excited for our team to give this space a fresh start so the creativity could continue!

Sorting through scrap wood pieces, screws, nails, paint, rolls of tape, tubes of caulk and more is not for the faint of heart! LOL But I haven't met a garage that has conquered me yet and our team worked together seamlessly to get the job done in record time!

This husband was out of town visiting with his elderly mother for only the weekend so time was of the essence!

The first task was to sort out the obvious trash and then get everything else into categories that made sense. Once we knew the inventory we were working with, it was time to put it all away so that he could easily find what he would be looking for.

Which is where my label maker came in and won the MVP award!!

I labeled EVERYthing! And I mean everything!!!

We put a lot of effort into making most things easily visible and accessible as a first priority.

But then everything in drawers or bins got labeled! Even the hanging peg board will show him that all the things have a permanent home when they're not being used.

I can't wait to see what he creates next in his refreshed space! Here's to many more projects to come - for me and the husband's that love their garages!!