Nothing puts your square footage to better use than a built-in. Whether that means a desk framed within a seldom-used closet or a bookcase tucked into a niche beside the fireplace, built-ins maximize every available inch in your floor plan. They handily transform the dead zones under stairs and below windows into functional space and help you get organized by adding new storage options without adding on to your house.

For years, there have been three ways to get a shed: Build it yourself, hire someone to build it or buy a prefab model. A new method—constructing a shed from a kit—combines the sweat equity of building from scratch with the simplicity of using factory-cut components. All that’s required are basic tools and novice-level carpentry skills. It’s like doing a jigsaw puzzle with instructions: Fasten the parts together in the right sequence, and voilà—a shed is born.

Can’t fit the car into your garage? Then it’s time to take a look at these savvy suggestions. We’ll start with five views of one stylish garage followed by nine other helpful storage ideas.