Long before the tournament wins and the MLF circuit, Brian Latimer was grinding. Working out of an attached garage at his old house, fishing BFLs through the 2007–08 financial crisis, and not yet sure whether a career built around fishing would actually hold. That garage told a story. So does the one he has now—and his garage organization ideas say a lot about how much his life has changed.
What the Old Garage Said About His Life
BLat still keeps his old trophies in the shop. There’s a fifth-place BFL finish from Lake Hartwell in there, one of his first top-10s. There’s a BFL win that’s supposed to have a big fish on top of it. He dropped it and broke it a few years back.
Those trophies are from 2007, which he’s quick to point out was not exactly a golden era. “It was neither simple for me nor was it fun,” he says. The financial crisis was in full swing, he was grinding through tournaments without knowing if it was going to work out, and everything, the garage included, revolved around fishing. Most people would call that a dream. Latimer just remembers being stressed and broke.
Things are different now—he has a family and is having a whole lot more fun fishing. The new garage is the most straightforward representation of that.
What’s In It Now
Now, Latimer’s garage is a whole lot less focused on fishing. eBikes and motorcycles take up a section of the floor. He has a few of his own, and his kids have their own, so a wall-mounted system was one of the first things he planned for to get the wheels off the ground and free up space. There’s also rubber flooring under the bikes, a worktable toward the back, shelving along the walls, and a section dedicated to lawn and garden tools.
That last section has all the essentials: his Exmark Lazer Z zero-turn and Commercial 30 mowers, a string trimmer, a blower, a rake, and a shovel. By his own count, this is the least amount of lawn and garden equipment he’s owned at any point in his life—everything has a spot and a use.
The Last Thing He Added
When the organization was done, Latimer went through his phone and pulled the photos of his favorite moments from the last few years. His kids at one of the first pro tournaments they attended in person, the first time they saw their dad walk across a stage with their own eyes instead of on a screen. A trip to the Mini Olympics in Florida, one of the biggest amateur motocross nationals in the world. And a fishing photo of him on the water with his son Brooks. All a perfect encapsulation of different phases of his life, and a perfect reminder of what the Backyard Life is all about.
Frequently Asked Questions About Garage Organization Ideas
Empty it completely first, then plan your zones before anything goes back in. Group by activity: bikes and ride-on equipment together, a dedicated lawn care section, fishing or hobby gear in its own area, worktable and shelving for tools and repairs. Build the storage around those zones, not around wherever things happened to land. Wall-mounted rails, shelving, and floor mats do most of the heavy lifting once the zones are set.
Wall-mounted systems get bikes off the floor and along a single wall, which makes a real difference in usable floor space. For motorcycles, a rubber mat or floor pad keeps the concrete clean and gives each bike a defined spot. That defined spot is also what prevents the floor from gradually filling back in with clutter
For most residential yards, an Exmark mower, string trimmer, blower, rake, and shovel is everything you need. Long-handled tools hang cleanly on wall hooks, and a tight lawn care section leaves more room for everything else. Most people end up with more equipment than they need because they don’t have the right primary tool to start with. A quality mower, like an Exmark Lazer Z zero-turn, manages the majority of the work.
