Before and After: Combs Garage
The Deets
Our first big project took place in June 2023 in Denver, Colorado during a rainy season. It was a daunting space—a garage that had been operating as a catch-all since 2019. The clients wanted equal parts function and aesthetic: easy access and visibility, limited table space to minimize unwanted piles of odds and ends collecting, and plenty of room for their car.
The Planning
On our first assessment we noticed the client had a table that caught all their unwanted items. Everything was so disheveled because nothing had a permanent home. We made a note to included a designated “giveaway bin” in the final design, to help reduce future clutter and incentivize getting rid of unused items.
The second big decision was that we knew the shelves on the back wall absolutely had to come down, and we knew the client may not have this garage forever. We wanted to give them something that could easily transfer to another space and make it worth their while, so we went with metal shelving—it’s sturdy, movable, and we could craft it to fit the space.
Outside of the big moves we made, there were dozens of little choices to be considered. Not only are details the most important element of a project, but they are also the most time consuming. Both at the start of a project in planning and as the work unfolds. It takes a lot of tiny decisions to make the whole space succeed in the end. The majority of organizing is standing, staring, and thinking.
If you’re wondering where the majority of the stuff went in the before photos, the client got rid of *a lot* of things and we put things in the rafters, shifted bins, and re-worked wall space.
The Stats
Who
This project was completed by Audrey (founder and head organizer, goofy girl, etc.) and her dad, John, (as the handyman).
Tunes
They listed to a lot of 70’s and 80’s bops, AOK’s playlist “Orange,” but most played song was “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts.
How long?
Not including all the planning, ordering, and returning, the actual project length was: 4, 10 hour days = 40 hours with two organizers.
Fun Fact
An idea was brought up in the planning phase that maybe we should rent a pod or tent to load all the items into while we took apart and rebuilt elements in the garage. We opted out to save the client some money and it ended in us building all the shelving and sorting all the boxes in the back of the garage as it POURED rain. Shoutout to the puddle that also formed on the garage floor (even with the main door shut).
A really kind review from our client
Our garage had always been the catch all. We loved having a tidy home, but that never extended to the garage as it frequently found itself in chaos, despite the multiple efforts we made to reorganize it ourselves. We were in over our heads and worn out on trying to find a solution over the years.
We knew that it would be a big project and would require both a big vision as well as attention to the smaller details—that’s where AOK came in.
Ironically enough, we were under the weather during the days AOK tackled the garage. Being out of commission was unexpected and it turned out to be super handy because it really helped us just give AOK the reins to do what they do best. Audrey checked in with us periodically during organization to inquire about some items, but otherwise, all of the planning and forethought allowed her to execute the project one phase after another without pause. Ultimately, us being out of the way seemed to be such an integral part of AOK moving at such an incredible pace to crush it.
It is difficult to put into words how this project has changed our lives. It sounds utterly ridiculous to get emotional about the impact of an organized garage, but follow me on this one—imagine a part of your home that immediately causes stress every time you walk into it, a space so cluttered that even the valuable things in it lose value because you can’t even locate them—now imagine that same space, but it’s been completely reclaimed—in fact, every time you walk into it, you pause, take a deep breath, and smile. That is simply put, what AOK has done for us.
Our garage was a sad scary space. Now it is a happy space that brings us joy. A garage. A GARAGE BRINGS JOY.
We actually have a ton of things we love to enjoy that just hang out in our garage, but before the reorganization, it had become so disorganized and inaccessible, that we weren’t even consistently using the things that we already had. Now, we can efficiently locate items each time we need them, and then returning and resetting things has a fully functional system that’s easy to maintain.
This is not a small project and it is not for the feint of heart. If you’re at your wits end, and are hungry for help in a big way—I can’t recommend AOK enough for the projects that you never start because they’re simply too overwhelming.
A project of this scale is a big investment and it’s worth every penny.
We can’t recommend working with AOK enough.
In the end
We will always be incredibly grateful for the opportunity that we had to re-imagine this garage. Our first large project, so many lessons learned, so much trust given. A really good mem.
