Lifestyle

6 Tips to Help You Create the Ultimate Garage Workshop

Published

5 years ago

September 23, 2020

A garage might be designed for parking cars and protecting lawn equipment from the elements, but these spaces are far more versatile. They can serve a variety of purposes – ranging from a teenage bonus room to a storage unit. But if you really want to make the most out of this space, you should consider transforming it into your ultimate garage workshop.

Whether you mess around with woodworking, do a little welding on the side, have a knack for home projects, or like tinkering with engines, a garage workshop provides the perfect environment for rolling up your sleeves and knocking out projects.

Here are a few helpful tips to assist you in creating the ultimate garage workshop of your dreams:

Get a Solid Workbench

Every garage workshop needs a rock-solid bench to serve as the main work area. While you can make a workbench out of any number of materials, a hard and heavy top is absolutely key. You can either make your own or buy a premade option from the store.

“Premade workbenches run $100 to $500 and come in many lengths; they’re usually 24 inches deep,” home improvement expert Larry Erickson explains. “A 38-inch height is typical, but you might be more comfortable with a work surface as low as 36 or as high as 42 inches. Some benches include vises, drawers, and shelves.”

If you build one yourself, you should be able to get some quality materials for $100 or less. If you want some more complex features or finer materials, $300 to $500 is a more realistic price range.

Establish an Organization System

It’s not the most engaging of topics, but a good workshop must be organized. Installing the right organization system from the start will ensure you have the space and freedom to work on projects without having to reorganize piles of junk every time you want to work.

There are hundreds of organization systems on the market, so we’ll let you choose which ones work best for you. Just know that vertical and overhead storage can save you a ton of space!

Install Adequate Lighting

Garages tend to be pretty dark. You might be lucky enough to have a couple of windows, but they probably don’t let in the sort of natural light you need. Plus, opening garage doors during daylight hours can cast some mean shadows across your shop.

Make sure you install adequate task lighting to help you work in a safe and visible environment. While they may not be great for ambience, nothing beats overhead fluorescent lights in terms of cost and brightness.

Keep the Space Comfortable

You want your workshop to be pleasant to work in. And while it probably won’t be as comfortable as the inside of your house, there’s no need to be miserable during the peak of summer or the freezing days of winter.

To ensure maximum comfort, insulate your garage doors. In the winter, try running a gas space heater to warm up the workshop. In the summer, a window AC unit or a couple of well-placed fans can create a cooling effect.

Pay Attention to Air Quality

Whether you’re working with wood or engines, you need to do something to ensure your garage workshop has good ventilation and satisfactory air quality.

“A ceiling exhaust fan is a good start but if you are serious about keeping things clean then your ultimate workshop should also include a dust collection system, central vacuum and air ventilation system,” DIYer Timothy Dahl writes. “All three of these systems will keep the dust, dirt, and other heavy particles off your clothes and out of your lungs which makes for a safer work environment.”

Customize to Your Liking

There are plenty of technical components to setting up a garage workshop – like setting up an organization system and purifying the air – but there’s also plenty of room to get creative.

Your workshop should be a place where you want to work. When you walk into your garage, it should be inviting and energizing. So make sure you customize it to your liking. Put up posters, display your projects, or install a TV so you can watch the big game. Do whatever you can to make this space yours!

Give Your Garage an Upgrade

Every workshop is going to look different – and that’s okay. At the end of the day, a workshop is an intensely personal environment. Take the tips you like, discard the ones you don’t, and architect a space that works for your needs. Before you know it, the garage will become your favorite room in the home.

Lifestyle

When Seasons Shift: Dr. Leeshe Grimes on Grief, Loneliness, and Finding Light Again

Published

3 hours ago

February 22, 2026

Michelle Langton

Some emotional storms arrive without warning. A sudden change in weather, a holiday approaching, or even a bright sunny day can stir feelings that don’t match the world outside. For many people, the hardest seasons are not defined by temperature; they are defined by what’s happening inside, where grief and loneliness often move quietly.

This is the emotional terrain where Dr. Leeshe Grimes has spent her career doing some of her most meaningful work. As a psychotherapist, registered play therapist, retired U.S. Army combat veteran, and founder of Elevated Minds in the DMV area, she understands how deeply seasonal shifts and unresolved grief can affect people. Her upcoming books explore this very space, guiding readers through the emotional weight that can appear during different times of the year.

What sets Dr. Grimes apart is her ability to see clearly what many people overlook. Seasonal depression, for example, is usually tied to winter months. But she often sees it appear during warm, bright seasons, the times when the world seems happiest. For someone already grieving or feeling disconnected, watching others travel, celebrate, or gather can create its own kind of heaviness. Sunshine doesn’t always lift the mood; sometimes it highlights what feels missing.

The same misunderstanding surrounds grief. Society often treats it as a short-term experience with predictable phases and a clean ending. But in her practice, Dr. Grimes sees how grief keeps evolving. It doesn’t disappear on a timeline. It weaves itself into routines, memories, and milestones. People learn to carry it differently, but they rarely leave it behind completely. And that’s not failure, it’s human.

Her approach to mental health centers on truth rather than pressure. She encourages clients to acknowledge the emotions they try to hide: sadness that lingers longer than expected, moments of joy that feel out of place, and the waves of loneliness that return even when life seems stable. Instead of pushing for quick recovery, she focuses on helping people understand how emotions shift and how to care for themselves through those changes.

Much of her insight comes from her military years, where she witnessed the emotional toll of loss, transition, and constant survival. She saw how people continued functioning while carrying pain that had nowhere to go. That experience shaped her belief that healing requires space, space to feel, to speak, and to move through emotions without judgment.

In her clinical work today at Elevated Minds, she encourages people to build small, steady habits that anchor them during difficult seasons. Journaling helps them recognize patterns and name what feels heavy. Community support breaks the cycle of isolation. Therapy creates a place where emotions don’t have to be minimized or explained away. And intentional routines, daily sunlight, mindful breaks, and calm evenings help rebuild emotional balance.

Her upcoming books expand on these ideas, offering practical guidance for navigating both grief and seasonal depression. She focuses on helping readers understand that healing is not about escaping pain. It’s about learning how to live with it in a healthier way, honoring memories, acknowledging loneliness, and still allowing room for moments of light.

What makes Dr. Leeshe Grimes a compelling voice in mental health is her ability to bring language to experiences that many struggle to explain. She reminds people that emotional seasons don’t always match the weather and that there is no single path through grief. But within those shifts, she believes there is always a way forward.

The seasons will continue to change. And with the right tools, compassion, and support, people can change with them, finding steadiness, softness, and light again, one step at a time.