Just make sure there is nothing too heavy in the totes or pulling one out could cause an accident.

I think it is clever for light items that you don't need to get to very often (Christmas ornaments, I'm looking at you).

Otherwise I would be worried about heavier items causing the bins to malform and fall out of the channels, or that I would drop them when pulling them out.

I also am amazed at how high that garage ceiling is! mine is definitely not that much higher than the door track.

For me it would be WAY depressing to look up and see a bunch of plastic boxes above my head. But I can see as a total organizational/space saving endeavor, it works.

Oooo, love this. And of course it was wise not to stack too many in there. Making them accessible from both ends was wise, too. They really thought this through. Of course, the challenge would be to keep the contents light enough to handle. My garage ceiling is much lower, this could work off to one side.

There is another way to do it. Home improvement stores sell wire shelves for garage ceilings. A reality show featuring a crabby mom and a henpecked husband with 6+2 kids (you know the one) had one installed.

In theory it's a good idea, but I would be worried about the bin falling on the car. Also anything that would require me moving the car, getting out a ladder and holding my hands over my head to remove the bin worries me!

I wouldn't worry about them falling down on the cars if you've installed the rails properly! :)

In our tandem garage (2 car garage, back to back), this would be great and the BEST PART OF THIS: NO WORRIES ABOUT WATER DAMAGE from flooding, broken water heaters or washers, etc!
Cheers for the idea!

That's good. Labeling the bins would worthwhile, of course.

The problem with this idea is clear from the final photo. That woman lacks the upper body strength to slot that crate into position unless it contains nothing heavier than an M&M.

Lugging a loaded crate up a ladder and then slotting it into channels while holding it over your head and away from your body would be difficult, bordering on dangerous.

I so wish I could do this in my condo, I have very little storage.

But I have 20 foot angled ceilings. :(

The wire basket suggestion is an improvement, as is (imho) using clear bins instead of opaque. No need to label them if you can see inside.

For me, the stuff inside those bins would just become forgotten clutter

Ohdeedoh had an awesome post the other day about ceiling storage in a kid's room--they used baskets rigged up to pulleys. great for storing those little things that you would otherwise step on.

Not so worried about proper installation of the rails, but plastic can break. Hitting the floor is one thing but hitting the car sucks...

Haha, a Feng shui nightmare, boxes of crap looming above your head :D
But seriously. If you need this (not a good solution) , you need to get rid of stuff.

@Velourcat-
Good point. If you aren't going camping every day, you should get rid of all that expensive gear. At the end of the summer, just throw away all the pool toys you won't be using during the winter. </sarcasm>

Check out a similar concept, beautifully executed for living spaces: http://www.core77.com/blog/core77_design_awards/core77_design_award_2011_alcove_student_notable_for_furniturelighting_20308.asp

This may be perfect for my crawl space with its exposed joists

It sounds good, but unless the boxes are filled with lightweight Christmas ornaments or packing peanuts, the weight will make these very harrowing to handle.

Fixed the image: http://i.imgur.com/cBXz5.jpg

Besides this looking cool in a blog post, as others have said, I think a shelf hanging from the ceiling would make for much more accessible - and flexible - storage. With this system you're wedded to the bins. With a shelf you could store larger items like skis, kayak, etc.

P.S. Loved @Blandwagon's comment about this not working for storing anything heavier than an M&M!

I prefer to be able to reach storage while keeping both feet on the ground. Heavy or big boxes are better stored even lower, no higher than my shoulders. I wouldn't climb up, reach higher, grab, pull out and down, and carry down such big boxes while on a high ladder. Forget hurting the car, it would be an unnecessarily unsafe storage option that could leave a person with incapacitating chronic back pain for life. The stuff being stored isn't worth the risk. Stacking the boxes in a corner on pallets would be better.

If you're worried about weight support, you could build a U shape support out of two by fours and attach one to each end (maybe using pocket holes) to support the ends of the box. If you were worried about looks you could put painted plywood over the U frames and just paint it to match the ceiling. Just my 2 cents.

Great idea! To ease thoughts of the bin malforming you can use extra plywood on the flanges for rigidity. Also, you can sand, oil, or paint the i-beams so bins slide effectively.