Sandy is too windy outside for my car. Ignore the trash bins, those were blowing over lol

http://i1108.photobucket.com/a...isfortune/image.jpeg

http://i1108.photobucket.com/a...sfortune/image1.jpeg

http://i1108.photobucket.com/a...sfortune/image2.jpeg

http://i1108.photobucket.com/a...sfortune/image3.jpeg

http://i1108.photobucket.com/a...sfortune/image4.jpeg

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Thanksmisfortune,

I've organized many garages and the rules are pretty simple: You either go up or out. In your case, you have a slight third option, as you have that raised section at the back of the garage that is not accessible by car anyway.

But the bottom line for you is all the large lawn-care items in the end stall. Two solutions come to mind:

1. Get a storage building. Large enough for all the mowers, trash bins and other large rolling items that are filling that end stall.
2. Move everything except the riding mower to the back of the garage up on the raised portion. Store the riding mower outside with a cover over it.

That's about all you can do. The things blocking that last stall are large and heavy so up on shelves is not an option. A car will need most of the stall. Although, an option #3 would be to get rid of any of that stuff that you really don't use.

You can put a car in a garage? Hmm never tryed that. Guess I'll have to have a yard sale.

dont sweat it, by now "sandy " will have blown all the nonessential stuff away already

and floated the cars down the river, also.

moral is, you can't get ready for a disaster in a couple hours. it has to be a mindset of "in case anything might happen, how do I maintain without doing anything more than than moving the photos and furniture to the top floor?"

NEMC/FEMA have moaned about this for years, this missing mindset. we've had a lot of wake-up calls starting with Hurricane Katrina, and folks keep hitting the snooze alarm. My family is only partially prepared for a long power outage in the cold, or a week of torrential rain. but as an old systems manager, I know what I'd like to have ahead of time.

about 8 grand worth that wifey won't let me buy.

So THAT'S what garages are really for. I see now

Do you have room up top for "things"? If not, get some sheds, or just one that's big enough for everything.

Hopefully this topic hasn't gone too cold.

I have a 2.5 car garage that 0.0 cars can actually fit in.

I already have stuff up in the rafters and want to add more, but I'm wondering how to make the best use of that space in the rafters.
I need to leave enough access to get the stuff up there. The rafters are 24" on center, so I'm thinking of making platforms on every other section.
To make the platforms, I'm thinking of cutting 1/2" plywood into 1.5" x 24" strips and screw them into the top of the rafter ties (spanning between two side-by side rafters). I'll leave a 1.5" space between the strips--creating something like a grate.

So, I have a couple of questions.
1) will the "grate" made of 1.5" plywood strips be strong enough for the stuff I need to store (typically, wood, tools, throw rugs etc... nothing too heavy like bricks) ?
2) does that seem like a good use of space?

Thanks all.

What's the sapn and width of the joist?
Most were never intended to support any top weight.
There only to stop the roof from spreading.

Hello Joe,

The span is 26 feet. The rafters are constructed with 2x4's. The 26 foot span is made of two 13 foot sections joined with a metal plate. There is a vertical brace at the center.
There are shorter vertical braces on each side and diagonal braces that run from the bottom of the center vertical to the top of the side vertical braces.
It's hard to describe. I think it's pretty standard rafter construction though.

Got a picture? Sounds like trusses.
With a 2 X 4 bottom cord there not designed to be used for storage.

Joe,
You're absolutely right. They are trusses. Just couldn't think of what they're called when I was describing them.

There is a sort of soffit (box) built around the trusses closest to the house (I think it was built to easily hide a kitchen exhaust vented out the garage roof). This picture was taken inside the soffit.
View of trusses inside soffit

Thanks.