How-To: Garage (Storage) Logic
By Mike Rahn
In response to the space limitations most of us face, an entire industry has grown up around the idea of being better organized and storing things more efficiently. Storage bins, floor-to-ceiling drawers, designer closets, and many other ideas have been conceived to make the most of available space.
Here’s an idea that can offer many of us more storage space. If you have a garage with an open rafter-and-joist, or truss ceiling, you can add space almost equal to your garage’s floor area, by decking the joists or trusses with flooring panels, to create an “upstairs,” or attic. Access is by a self-storing, collapsible ladder that folds or telescopes into the ceiling when not in use. (If you’re building a home, or replacing a garage, you can build this space right into your plans, rather than retrofitting.)
If you can read directions (simpler than programming a remote control!), use a tape measure, a Skil saw, and a few other basic tools—and have a friend who owes you a favor or two—you can do this yourself. Or, you can hire a carpenter if you’d rather be foreman than laborer.
This is the space where I store duck decoys, camping equipment, fishing and hunting clothes, stacked storage bins (for the next time one of my children moves!), cross-country skis, some hard-to-find wooden moldings, outdoor Christmas decorations, and some “junk” I’ve been told to get rid of, but can’t bring myself to discard.
This attic space doesn’t have much vertical area—just in the peaks. However, since you won’t be sheltering a car up here, virtually the entire floor area is usable if you don’t mind bending over a little or kneeling in the eave corners. Even if you have a shallow pitched roof, which has less headroom than a steep one, you’ll have usable storage space that would otherwise be wasted.
Garage roof framing may be stick-built (assembled from individual pieces on-site), or trusses, with roof rafters and ceiling joists connected at the factory. It matters little which your garage has—you can deck either one. If you’re building new, you can specify that your ceiling joists (or the truss bases) are made from 2x6 rather than 2x4 lumber. This adds extra rigidity to the attic flooring.
If you’re retrofitting an existing garage, and the ceiling joists are 2x4s, you can deck the joists as they are, or “scab” 2x6 lumber to the 2x4s for extra stiffness. (A 16-foot, 2x6-inch #2-or-better grade can be had for $8 to $9.) This might make a bigger difference with a double garage, where each joist spans a greater distance.
The decking is oriented-strand board (OSB). The number of sheets you’ll need will depend on whether it’s a single or double garage and its length. My single-car garage is slightly extended and needed nine 4x8 sheets. You can use regular OSB, 1⁄2-to 5⁄8-inch thick, costing $12 to $15 per sheet. You’re assured a more level surface, however, if you use tongue-and-groove-edged OSB, which is about $15 to $20, depending on thickness.
The all-important ladder, your access to this great new space, can come in one of several styles. There are simple bifold wooden ladders that employ a spring-assist to make raising and lowering easier, for $125 to $150. Aluminum trifold ladders with gas piston assist (instead of springs) cost about $200. There are also telescoping aluminum ladders that will cost in the neighborhood of $400. Virtually all can be adapted to a seven- to ten-foot ceiling height.
You can buy online or at a well-stocked home improvement store or lumber supplier. I prefer to buy where I can get face-to-face advice, and can return a product easily if it’s defective or has parts missing. I also like to support the local economy whenever possible.
It’s also a good idea to have a light fixture in your new attic space. If you anticipate hauling bulky or heavy things “upstairs,” you might even consider a pulley, anchored to a rafter and centered above the attic opening (my wife’s idea).
Good luck!
Supply List
(Remember—measure twice, cut once!)
• 2x6 lumber, 2# or better grade (optional, use to reinforce 2x4 joists in an existing garage)
—Approximately $8–$9 per 16-foot piece
• 1/2- to 5/8-inch oriented-strand board (OSB)
—$12–$15 per sheet (Tongue-and-groove-edged OSB, $15–$20 per sheet)
• Ladder (choose one)
—Bifold wooden ladder (spring-assist), $125–$150
—Aluminum trifold ladder (with gas piston assist), $200
—Telescoping aluminum, $400
• Light fixture
(All prices are approximate.)
Always check with the local planning and zoning office for permits and codes before beginning any home improvement project.