Ask ten people what their garage is for and you'll get ten different answers. Parking. Storage. Holiday tubs. Overflow pantry. Home gym. Mudroom. Workshop. In most homes, the garage is all of those at once. A shape-shifting space that bends to whatever the household needs that week, that season, that stage of life.

Which is exactly why so many garages end up as the one thing you never meant them to be: a giant, stressful junk drawer where good intentions go to get buried under boxes you haven't opened since the last move.

At South Forty, we see the garage differently. Not as a dumping ground. Not as wasted square footage. We see it as a true working room in your home, the place where plans turn into projects, broken things get fixed, and the next generation learns they can build something with their own two hands.

The Garage Is Where the story Started

Our founder, Jim, grew up elbow deep in classic Fords with his dad in a South Dakota garage that smelled like motor oil, old leather, and possibility. Those evenings were not just repair sessions. They were lessons in patience, precision, and what it means to do something right.

Jim still remembers the weight of a wrench in his hands, the first time he heard an engine turn over after hours of troubleshooting, and the quiet nod from his dad when a repair held. Those old Fords taught him something no textbook ever could: quality garage work is never an accident. It is the result of deliberate choices made by someone who cares about the outcome more than the shortcut.

That mindset is the foundation of the South Forty Garage division today. We're not here just to sell garage cabinets and storage systems. We are here to help you turn your garage into what it is capable of being: the most flexible, hardworking space in your home. A real garage workspace where projects get finished, skills get passed down, and you can look around and feel proud of what you have built.

How To Start Turning Your Garage Into a Space That Actually Works

How You Should Think About Garage Design

If you take pride in what you build, fix, or create, whether that's furniture, engines, home repairs, or just a clean wax job on a Sunday afternoon, you already know how much your environment matters. A cluttered workspace drains your energy before you even start. A well-organized one gives you momentum. You can see your tools. You can move freely. You can focus on the work instead of fighting your surroundings.

So where do you actually start?

Not with cabinets. Not with a shopping list. You start by being honest about what actually happens in your space and what keeps getting in your way. The guy who details his car every weekend needs different solutions than someone running a weekend woodshop. The more clearly you define the work your garage needs to support, the easier it becomes to design a layout that works with you instead of against you.

The question isn't "What cabinets should I buy?" The question is "What am I actually trying to do in this space?"

Questions to ask when thinking about garage functionality and design needs include:

1. How do you actually use this space each week? Not how you think you should use it or how it looked in that magazine photo. How do you use it? From daily parking and storage to weekend projects, hobbies, seasonal maintenance, and the constant traffic of life moving in and out.
2. Which tools, gear, and supplies need a permanent home? What do you reach for constantly? What's mission-critical for the work you do most often? These items should live in your primary garage storage system where you can grab them fast, without thinking, without moving three other things first.
3. What should stay behind closed cabinet doors, and what needs to live within arm's reach? Some things look great on display such as hand tools arranged by size, safety gear, a collection you're proud of. Other things function better and look cleaner behind steel doors: chemicals, fasteners, detailing supplies, power tools you don't use daily, kids' sports equipment that multiplies when you're not looking.
4. How do vehicles, people, and projects move through this space? Where do car doors open? Where do you naturally walk when you come in from the driveway? Where do you set things down when your hands are full? When you're pulling a motorcycle apart or building furniture, where does the overflow go? Your garage layout should work with these patterns, not fight them.

When you start asking these better questions about how you actually use your space, not how a social media account says you should, patterns show up fast. You see the bottlenecks. You see the wasted steps. You see what matters.

The best garage organization systems usually come back to a few simple, tried and true ideas.

1. Create Garage Storage Zones Instead of Random Piles

One of the fastest ways to improve a cluttered garage is to stop treating every wall like a catch-all. A functional garage is built around clear zones, not one overloaded stretch where tools, totes, and gear all compete for the same space.

Think about it the way you would a well-planned kitchen. You keep pots near the stove, dishes near the sink, and pantry items in one place because it makes daily use easier. Your garage should follow the same logic, with storage grouped by how and where you actually use it:

• • • Tool storage near your main workstation where you handle repairs and builds.

    • Project benches with elbow room and good lighting so parts can spread out without blocking vehicle access.

    • Seasonal storage placed higher or deeper, since you only reach for it a few times a year.

    • Sports gear near the door so it is easy to grab and easy to put away.

    • Cleaning supplies, automotive fluids, and chemicals in a secure cabinet away from anything they should not mix with.

Every zone pairs the right garage cabinets, shelving, and work surfaces with the job you actually do there. Not generic storage. Purpose-built solutions that make the work easier, safer, faster, and more enjoyable!

2. Use Vertical Garage Storage To Free Up Floor Space

Your floor is for three things: moving, parking, and working. Everything else should stay off it.

Your walls, on the other hand, are underutilized real estate in most garages. They're sitting there empty while your floor is drowning in bins, bikes, tools, and things you have to step over to get anywhere.

Strong garage cabinets, wall storage systems, and tall lockers turn that empty vertical space into organized, accessible square footage. When most of your gear lives on the wall, secured, visible, and within reach, your garage layout feels bigger, cleaner, and dramatically easier to work in.

3. Choose Durable Garage Workbenches and Work Surfaces

If you're afraid to scratch it, it's not a real workbench.

A good garage workstation is strong enough to handle abuse, stable enough that it doesn't wobble when you're applying force, and easy enough to clean that you don't worry about every spill or scuff. It gives you room to lay out parts in order, clamp down lumber without the whole bench shifting, cut and sand without worrying about the surface, sort hardware into organized piles that won't slide off when you bump the table.

A real workbench doesn't look pristine. It looks used. It earns its scars through projects completed, repairs finished, things built that didn't exist before.

When you layer these ideas together, clear zones, vertical storage, and durable work surfaces, and pair them with the right garage cabinets and storage systems, your garage starts working like the productive, capable space it was always meant to be.

Why Construction Quality Matters In A Garage

The garage is one of the harshest environments in your home. It takes the full hit of every season. Temperature swings from below freezing in January to north of 100°F in July. Humidity that makes metal sweat. Dirt tracked in on tires and boots. Motor oil. Road salt eating at everything it touches from brake dust, metal shavings, and sawdust. The constant movement of vehicles, people, projects, and heavy gear being loaded and unloaded.

That's why our South Forty crew is meticulous, sometimes obsessive, about the construction of every detail of our garage products, such as: 

• Steel thickness and how a door feels when it closes, solid and substantial, not tinny and hollow.
• Welds that won't flex when you load a cabinet with a full set of sockets, wrenches, and the heavy tools you've collected over years of serious work.
• Powder coat finishes that stand up to chemicals, solvents, and the kind of spills that happen when you're in the middle of a project, not just fingerprints and the occasional dust-up.
• Drawer slides rated for real weight that still glide smooth when you've loaded them with bins of fasteners, boxes of sandpaper, or that collection of specialty tools you've been building since you were your kid's age.

You shouldn't have to think about whether your cabinets can handle a box of lag bolts, a bin of assorted parts, or a full load of detailing gear. You shouldn't have to baby your storage system or worry that slamming a drawer after grabbing a wrench might break the slide mechanism. We custom design and build our garage systems and products for the way you use your space. Every weld, hinge, drawer slide, and cabinet line is a choice we make on purpose. We study how the cabinets meet the wall, how the doors close, and how the drawers feel when they are fully loaded.

That level of attention is the standard, not the upgrade. We are not aiming for “good enough for most people.” We are building custom garage systems for people who use their garages and expect every inch to pull its weight.

The Difference Between Storage And A True Garage System

A garage system is more than a row of boxes along one wall. It's more than buying the same brand so the colors match. It's a coordinated setup where every piece is designed with the others in mind:

• Cabinet heights line up with your work surfaces so you get one continuous, usable plane instead of gaps and mismatched elevations that waste space and create clutter traps.
• Tall lockers handle the awkward stuff like welders, air compressors, shop vacs, tall storage cases, bulky coats and boots, anything that doesn't fit neatly on a standard shelf but still needs a home.
• Wall storage fills the strategic gaps between cabinets for the tools you reach for constantly: the hammer, the tape measure, the utility knife, the things that should never be more than an arm's length away.
• Power access, lighting, and workflow are planned from the start, not added as afterthoughts when you realize you're running extension cords across the floor or working in your own shadow.

That's where we focus our energy. At South Forty, we design our garage cabinetry, workstations, and storage pieces to work together as a cohesive system. You get clean lines, consistent dimensions, and a layout that actually matches how you move through the space.

In addition, you still have plenty of flexibility. You do not have to do everything at once. You can start with a simple setup, like a workbench, a base cabinet, and some wall storage, then add more pieces over time as your needs and budget grow. Even smaller setups should feel intentional, not pieced together. It should feel like the beginning of something you're building deliberately, not a collection of random purchases you made when things went on sale.

Invest once in the bones of the space. Garage cabinets and work surfaces aren't the place to cut corners or plan for "upgrading later." These pieces carry your gear and support your routine every single day. They're infrastructure, not decoration.

When you choose durable, well-built storage from the start, you're done. No redoing it in three years when the particle board swells. No replacing drawer slides that bind and stick. No repainting when the coating chips off after one winter. You build it right once, and then you get back to the work that actually matters.

Why South Forty Is All In On The Garage

The garage division is part of the original foundation of the South Forty story, a kid in South Dakota learning in the garage with his dad, working on machines built to last, picking up lessons about quality you don't get from a manual or a video.
With every design decision, we ask a simple question: "Would this hold up in that original garage?" Would it earn a place there, loaded, used, and trusted year after year?

We build storage cabinets, workstations, toolboxes, and custom garage systems with that standard in mind. Strong enough for your tools. Durable enough for your projects. Worthy of the time you spend out there and the skills you pass down.

If you're ready to turn your garage into a space that actually works as hard as you do, we are here to help you design the right system for it. Explore our lookbook   to see what we are currently working on, view what we currently have for sale, or reach out to our team and tell us how you want your space to work.

Your garage is capable of more. Let’s design it to prove it.

Garage FAQs

What is South Forty Garage and who is it for?

South Forty Garage is our custom garage organization line built around heavy duty garage cabinets, workstations, tool storage, and made to measure pieces. It is for anyone who wants a cleaner, more functional garage—whether you are into DIY projects, home repairs, hobbies, or simply want a space that feels organized instead of crowded.

What makes South Forty garage cabinets different from big box options?

Most big box garage cabinets are designed to hit a price point and look good in a photo. South Forty Garage cabinets are built for real weight and long term use. We use thicker steel, stronger hardware, and layouts planned around tools, parts, and projects, not just plastic bins. The goal is a garage storage system that still feels solid years after you install it.

Can I start small and expand my South Forty garage system over time?

Yes. South Forty Garage is designed as a flexible system. Many people start with a core setup, such as a workbench, a run of base cabinets, and a few uppers. Over time, they add tall lockers, extra wall storage, or specialty pieces as their needs change. Because dimensions and lines stay consistent, your garage still looks like one intentional design as it grows.

How should I plan my garage layout before buying cabinets?

Are South Forty garage solutions right for both homes and small shops?

Yes. South Forty Garage systems work well in home garages, barndominiums, small commercial or shop spaces, and everything in between. If you need durable storage, clear workflows, and sturdy workstations, whether for personal projects, a side business, or daily operations, the same cabinets and layouts can be tailored to fit your space and use.

How long should a quality garage system last?

A quality garage system should feel like a long term investment, not something you replace every few years. With strong construction, real steel, and durable finishes, garage cabinets and workbenches should handle daily use, heavy tools, and seasonal temperature changes for many years to come.