Clever overhead garage storage hack

Technology Workshop
Clever overhead garage storage hack
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Great storage idea from user tluwelyn of survivalist community Alpha Disaster Contingencies. Dimensional lumber is bolted together to make Ts and Ls that, in turn, are bolted to the ceiling joists. Heavy-duty storage totes are then slid in and suspended by their molded-in rims. Looks like there’s still plenty of room to park cars underneath.

14 thoughts on “Clever overhead garage storage hack

  1. CircuitGizmo says:

    This and many more storage ideas from a magazine called “The Family Handyman”. Love reading that magazine because of the great storage ideas.

    1. shadyed says:

      Yeah, this is hardly new and a stretch to call a “hack”.

      But FH is a great magazine and they have a helpful forum as well – http://community.familyhandyman.com/f/default.aspx

  2. theophrastus says:

    I think it would be very easy (for me) to put more weight up there, with a set-up like that, than the ceiling/floor joists were designed for.

  3. volkemon says:

    Just to pile on, I too am in agreement about the use of ‘hack’. Totes being totes, and lumber and hardware building it. What is hacked?

    @theophrastus- Those are some heavy duty tubs. Use the regular duty totes, and they will distort and fall off long before they overload the ceiling. :)

    I would hope that they are used for the bulky, fluffy stuff of life, and not the anvil collection. But when someone is making such efficient use of space, it might be assumed that the attic above is also packed, and the total weight on the ceiling would be a good thing to consider.

    1. Sean Michael Ragan says:

      For the record, I do not think “hack” is technically incorrect in this case. Depending on what dictionary you look in, “hack” can be as general as “to devise or modify, usually skilfully.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hack) The noun form used here would then denote “anything that has been devised or modified, probably skilfully.”

      Having said that, I’ll allow that using “hack” in this context tends to dilute a term already suffering from a lot of ambiguity, and should be avoided. A better choice would’ve been “system.”

  4. Liquid Roof says:

    I have sold overhead storage for years, and that is by far the most ingenious garage storage I have seen. With your permission, I would like to use some of these graphics on our site for DIY Overhead garage storage (http://www.garageflooringllc.com/garage-storage/overhead-garage-storage/)

    Thanks,

    Link

  5. Matt Dart says:

    Ceiling space is another area which is a good alternative to wall space which is quite limited especially if you have bulky furniture around most areas in your house. These storage crates look easy to install and very spacious to accomodate so many things. However, I would not fix them by myself because I am not a good DIY-er and to prevent any unwanted mishaps from happening, I would hire a professional.

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I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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