Constructing a specialised storage system with shelves, tool racks and hooks can be expensive, but building DIY wall shelving gives you versatility without a hefty price.
Materials for this system along a 4800mm wall add up to about $300, but it can cost less if you use scrap plywood and other offcuts.
Each storage module hangs from a framework of vertical battens that are secured to the wall studs.
Brackets or hooks can be secured to the sides for extra hanging space.
Install the battens
Cut the battens from dressed all round (DAR) 42 x 30mm pine, about $4 a metre, adjusting the lengths to suit the wall. It doesn’t matter if the battens are positioned 450mm or 600mm apart.
Find the wall studs, then use a spirit level to check the battens are plumb to them. Secure the battens with 75mm x 10g self-drilling timber screws, spaced about 400mm apart.
TIP If you’re using hardwood battens, drill 2.5mm pilot holes.
Mark batten positions with tape and flick a chalkline to align the top of the battens. Drill pilot holes and secure with screws
Hang a wheelbarrow
Keep the wheelbarrow off the floor using storage hooks, about $8 each from hardware stores, or timber cleats attached to the battens about 100mm above the floor.
Add a 42 x 30mm noggin between two battens, adjusting the height to suit the wheelbarrow, then drill a pilot hole and secure a screw hook.
To store, tilt the barrow onto the hooks, lean it against the noggin and turn the screw hook to hold it.
Make a tool rack
Hang long-handled tools either side of a horizontal rack for easy access.
Cut two 400 x 100 x 19mm pieces of plywood, rounding one end, and secure 42 x 30mm pine between them.
Add 75 x 3.75mm bullethead nails either side of the rack, leaving 50mm protruding, then secure 1800mm high to the battens using 40mm x 8g screws.
Drill countersunk 5mm diameter holes into tool handles for hanging
Mount the top shelf
Make a sturdy, adaptable shelf and bracket system using plywood.
THE BRACKETS are made from a 2400 x 1200 x 19mm plywood sheet, about $68. This ensures a strong structure that easily holds 50kg.
The 19mm thickness provides a wide surface for securing the shelves.
Cut the ply into 340 x 200mm pieces, mark L shapes with rounded ends, then use a jigsaw to cut them out. Secure the brackets to the battens with 50mm x 8g screws.
THE SHELVES can be cut from either 19mm structural plywood or 300 x 19mm laminated pine.
Store garden tools
Build a rack to hold bulky tools such as a leaf blower. The rack is 865mm long with a 300mm wide shelf and 200mm wide back. All the parts are cut from 19mm structural plywood.
THE BRACKETS are cut to 280 x 200mm and secured to the shelf and to the back using 40mm x 8g screws.
THE SHELF has cutouts about 70mm wide and 200mm long. To determine the best shape, measure the diameter of the tools and make cutouts using a jigsaw. Adjust the shape for a snug fit.
Position the rack, then secure it to the battens through the back using PVA adhesive and 40mm x 8g screws.
Build a rack to hold bulky tools such as a leaf blower
