Before and After: A $500 DIY Project Turns This Garage’s Neglected Corner into an Organized Workstation

Organizing a space that’s used regularly has the potential to affect how smoothly your everyday life unfolds. A revamped pantry, for example, can make the difference between a frustrating mealtime where prep is spent haphazardly looking for ingredients and a relaxing one where there’s a peaceful, organized prep time.

But there’s a special kind of satisfaction that comes from making a useful space out of a previously unused and even unattractive spot. Creating a functional haven out of an area that doesn’t necessarily need any improvement feels particularly special. 

Maddie Martini (@maddiy.martini) made something out of nothing when she transformed an empty wall of her garage into a beautiful and super-functional work station. 

A certified carpenter, Maddie lacked a dedicated space to work on her projects and this affected her work. “I wasn’t enjoying working on projects because my space was such a mess and so uninspiring,” she explains. “I wanted my creative energy back!”

The garage used to be a catch-all for her workshop items, including lumber, propane, sawdust, and broken tools. “As I accumulated more tools and got better at projects, I wanted a space to keep myself organized that actually made me excited to work in,” says Maddie.

Her goal was to turn this unused and disorganized corner into something that would motivate and inspire her. “I wanted to make this corner of my one-stall garage into a highly functional workshop,” she says. “I needed space for my power tools and hand tools that was organized and efficient.”

Maddie used $500 and five days to complete her project, working mostly at night and on weekends. The hardest parts were handling the large pegboard at her slight size and “cleaning the nasty cobwebs!” 

“I’m 5 foot 2 inches, and while I think I’m the Hulk when I do projects and move furniture, I’m not. I had the hardest time getting the pegboard secured to the wall because it was 8 feet tall and so hard to manage while I changed tools,” she explains.

Maddie’s favorite part — and a special touch indeed — is the light-up sign she uses when working on a project. But she also appreciates the practical side: “I love the organization that this small corner of a one-stall garage provides me.”

The star of this project (besides Maddie herself, of course!) is the pegboard. “I would do my whole garage with pegboard,” she says.

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