Whether you enjoy biking, gardening, or golfing, custom garage cabinets create space for your hobbies while leaving  plenty of room for you to park your car.

In the DC area, there are the people that actually live in DC—and then there’s everybody else. I am a true city girl at heart, but, being a transplant to the area, I’ve found myself longing for more space as I’ve gotten older. And migrating away from the city has helped me find it.

Many people who move from DC to surrounding areas, such as Rockville, Maryland, do so for similar reasons. Rockville, in fact, gets plenty of accolades for having proximity to DC while still harnessing a small town feeling. Quite often, I hear of people planning to ditch condo living in favor of their own house with their own personal garage.

A custom-designed garage, however, is not something that people always think about. But even the roomiest home is only so large, and custom design helps ensure that all of those items you’re planning to store in the garage can actually fit (without infringing on your ability to park).

Bike Storage

Bikes are one of the most complicated items to store, mainly because of their large, awkward shapes. But given the winter weather in Rockville, there are likely to be several months of the year when you just won’t be using your bike and need someplace to stow it.

I love vertical bike hooks for this. They help keep your bike nicely secured while opening up a ton of floor space. Since these hooks are vertical, your bike also takes up less wall space, and the hooks soft coating keeps wheels and rims in mint condition. With your bike off the floor, you won’t have to worry about hitting it every time you park your car in the garage.

Gardening Storage

If you’ve walked through some of Rockville’s neighborhoods, you’ve probably noticed the amount of time many homeowners spend on their yards and gardens. So if you’re moving to the area and want to keep this trend going, I’d recommend including a garden tool rack as a part of your garage design. This gives you the ability to store tools like shovels, trowels, and rakes in one area without tangling them together. You can also add slide-out baskets for smaller items like gloves and seed packets.

Golf Club Storage

The DC metro area has some absolutely gorgeous golf courses. From Columbia Country Club and Congressional Country Club to non-country club properties like the Falls Road Golf Course, if you love to play, you’re in the right area.

In my personal experience, however, when you bring golf clubs into the house, they’re always in the way. The garage is a much better place for them. I’d suggest a golf rack and basket to keep equipment organized: The basket gives you space for golf gloves and balls, and your golf bag and shoes can hang nicely from the rack. Another popular option is custom cabinet space for your clubs. This is especially nice if you want to keep everything out of sight or have expensive equipment that warrants a little extra protection.

Tool Storage

Garages and tools go hand in hand. By incorporating a central storage solution, all of your tools will be handy and you’ll save yourself some time when you need to change your oil or work on a household project. I’d recommend a magnetic tool strip for your wrench storage as well as a tool rack with individual slots for all of your screwdrivers and other tools.

Already have a handy toolbox that has everything neatly contained? Since it’s likely to be heavy, store it on the lower shelf of a sturdy custom cabinet to make it easier to take down.

People often think of the first impression their homes make when someone walks in the door. If you’re having people over, though, and invite them to come in through the garage, I am a firm believer that your garage, instead, is where that first impression is actually made. Custom design can help ensure that everything is properly stored when not in use and easy to find when you’re ready to get to work. Get in touch for a free design consultation to learn more.