Most people already take advantage of the space on garage walls. It’s
a simple task to nail a 1x4 ledger strip to the wall studs and use short
lengths of dowels inserted in holes as hangers for yard and garden tools.
You also can buy a wide variety of commercial hooks and hangers designed
for this purpose. This is a better solution than hammering spikes or
nails directly into the wall studs.
But take advantage of the space right above that ledger strip also. It’s another simple task to add some triangular plywood brackets on the ends of the ledger and lay a 12- to 24-inch sheet of plywood across them to serve as a shelf. If you create a long shelf, be sure to add braces in the middle of the shelf also.
Keep these shelves above head height so you can walk around the garage.
You can use these shelves to store related gardening items, such as fertilizer or herbicide containers that should be kept in a high-and. dry location.
This is a good place to install a lumber rack. Depending on the size of lumber you’re storing, you could dispense with the plywood shelf and just lay the lumber across the brackets (left).
If you have a sufficiently deep or wide garage, consider building a wall storage system (below). Use 2x4s to form a floor-to-ceiling framework for a 2-foot-deep case with shelves, then sheath the sides with plywood. Build two identical cases and leave space between them open for lawn equipment or hanging items. You can add to the project by building frame. and-plywood doors and installing them on sliding door tracks mounted across the length of the unit. Build the doors the width of the cases so the space between the cases is open until you slide one or the other door open for access to the shelves in the cases.