Back in 2002, I pulled together a bunch of 2x4s and OSB sheeting and constructed some garage shelves. Lots of them. Unfortunately, I had to leave them in Washington when we moved down to California, because they took up so much room. On the bright side, I had fun building them, so making new ones sounded like a fun project.

I chatted with my father-in-law (former home-builder), and he advised against the 2x4 construction on account of it costing more and taking up too much room. Instead, he suggested simply using plywood and cleats.



It took me a while to make the first one. It's more work, and it requires a lot of cutting. I used a circular saw to cut the shelves (16"x4') and the side wall (16"x7'), as well as the 16" and 46.5" 1x2 cleats. Normally, it wouldn't have been too bad, but it got up to 101 degrees today. Painful.

In any event, I'm impressed with how well it holds up. I was originally concerned that the shelves wouldn't be strong enough to hold much weight, but it looks like they'll work.

I'm also impressed with the price. That shelf in the picture ended up costing about $11, total. I've got plans to line my whole garage with these.