workshop storage | organised castle

A couple of weeks ago we finally decided to buy a new freezer. We have a reasonable amount of space in our fridge/freezer in the kitchen as well as a bar-sized freezer in the workshop downstairs. I manage for most of the year but when we have a glut of produce that I want to freeze it becomes a real challenge. As we work on growing more food I expect the pressure to become even greater.

We decided on the best location for the freezer which led to a major clean-up and re-organisation of the workshop area.

Here are a few ‘before’ photos.

2018-05-28 01

The best location for the new freezer was where the white cupboard is standing.

2018-05-28 02

The existing freezer was on the other side of the room, along with piles of cardboard that we use as weedmat in the garden.

2018-05-28 03

Another view.

2018-05-28 04

A corner of the double garage which is next to the workshop.

You can see some of the changes in the following photos.

2018-05-28 05

The no longer required carseat has been re-homed and this corner was perfect for the white cupboard which contains all of our camping gear.

2018-05-28 06

The cardboard is neatly contained in and behind the box under the end of the bench.

2018-05-28 07

The black cupboard has been given away as it was now excess to our requirements. If you have less stuff, you need less storage. We re-arranged various shelves and the metal toolbox for more effective use of the space.

2018-05-28 08

And finally, the new freezer in place.

I will show you more about the freezer tomorrow.

This is a post that I have been meaning to write for a couple of months but it would be nothing without the photographs.

2017-10-08 01

Sometime ago we did yet another round of sorting and organising in the workshop. This tall galvanised bin is now empty and I am not sure what its future will be. It is over 50 years old and came from my parents’ place. The bin was one that was originally supplied to householders in Brisbane by APM (Australian Paper Mills) back in the 1960’s for the purpose of collecting used newspaper for recycling.

2017-10-08 02

Most of the various outdoor and garden implements were stored in the bin using the same principle as the utensil jar on the kitchen bench.

However, it was becoming overcrowded and at times was difficult to extricate the desired item. Also, since it was circular it took up more space than we wanted so it was time for a new solution.

We had often discussed that we felt the best option was to hang the items on the wall. But how?

The ‘centre aisle’ at Aldi provided just what we needed. One day when we were doing the grocery shopping GMan spied exactly what we needed so we bought 2 hanging racks. These were duly mounted side by side and gave us the opportunity to hang 12 different items.

2017-10-08 03

We chose to hang the items which were a lighter weight and saved the heavier ones for a rack we had prepared earlier. A few years ago we demolished the old chicken run and rebuilt it in a new location with the salvaged materials. We left the small wood shed which was adjacent to it but tidying up we found a hanging rack screwed to the rafter at the back of the shed so GMan removed it with a view to using it elsewhere. After having been stored for several years it has finally found a new use. The heavier spades and garden implements are safely stored.

2017-10-08 04