How We Turned a Cluttered Space Into an Organized and Functional Workspace

This garage workstation was practically unusable — bowing shelves, an overflowing workbench, and zero functional storage. Since I’ve been doing a lot of projects at my sister and brother-in-law’s house lately, I knew it was time to give this space a full garage organization makeover.

Step 1: Clear Out & Demo

The first step in any garage decluttering project is clearing the space. My siblings came and helped me pull everything out, decluttering as we went so we could have a blank slate.

Next my brother Cyril and I tore down the old shelving, pegboard, and demoed the old workbench. The shelves were warped and just didn’t offer enough storage for tools or supplies.

Step 2: Create a Functional Storage Plan

Our new garage layout focused on maximizing storage and workspace:

• Bright white paint to freshen up the space

• Three large storage cabinets for hidden organization

• A new countertop for a dedicated workspace

• Vertical and hanging storage to take advantage of wall space

Step 3: Prep & Paint the Walls

After patching holes and sanding, we painted everything in a creamy white.

My brother-in-law had a 5-gallon bucket of this paint on hand — the same color they’ve used throughout the house and garage. I highly recommend keeping one of these around so you can easily tackle projects like this without needing new color-matched paint.

✨ The fresh coat instantly made the garage feel brighter, cleaner, and more open — one of the easiest DIY garage updates you can do.

Step 4: Install Cabinets for Hidden Storage

If your wall is flush all the way down, you can start installing cabinets right away. But if yours has a chunk of the foundation sticking out at the bottom (like ours did), you’ll need a quick fix.

Here’s what we did:

• Measured the depth that the foundation stuck out (2.25")

• Stacked scrap 1x and 2x planks to match that depth

• Installed the braces securely into the studs

• Pulled the cabinets in, shimmed them level, and anchored them to the braces through the backs

• Screwed the cabinets together through the face frames

⚠️ Tip: Start your install from the highest point of the floor. You can always shim cabinets up to be level, but you can’t make them shorter. We had to start in the corner for logistical reasons, but it worked out with a lot of shimming!

Step 5: Build a Custom Countertop

A prefab laminate countertop (like this) would’ve been the easiest solution, but none of the standard sizes fit with our foundation’s extra depth. Instead, we used a budget-friendly laminate sheet.

Why it works:

• Affordable

• Smooth and easy to clean (perfect for a sawdust-covered workbench)

• Simple to swap out in the future if we want an upgrade

To finish it off, we:

• Trimmed the edges with primed pine 1x2's

• Added a toe kick

• Trimmed the exposed cabinet side

• Caulked seams and filled nail holes for a polished look

The Final Garage Transformation

Now this garage has:
✅ Tons of hidden storage inside cabinets
✅ Vertical storage for tools and supplies
✅ A bright, fresh coat of paint that makes it feel bigger
✅ A sturdy countertop for DIY projects

What was once a cluttered, unusable space is now a functional DIY workshop that makes me excited to come out and work on projects.

💰 DIY Garage Makeover Cost Breakdown

👉 This $750 garage makeover completely transformed the space into a bright, organized workshop that’s actually fun to use.