So I had a busy weekend and was able to get the shelves up and loaded with goodies.

I built a simple frame out of 2x3's and secured it to every stud in the wall. This makes a very solid base, and it cost relatively little money at around $2.50 for each 8' board.

I used a piece of 3/8" allthread and a lag bolt to make a front support that connects straight into the joists in the ceiling.  This was fairly simple to put together and also cost very little.  I ended up using fewer of these than I had originally planned.  Everything is very sturdy and as an added bonus you can level the shelves just by turning a nut.  I still need to chop the allthread down a bit.

Then I used some construction grade 1/2" plywood as a top deck.  This was by far the most expensive part of the whole build.  Plywood prices are very high, and the quality is the worst I have ever seen.  Hopefully things turn around soon.

This shot shows why I used the allthread.  I have a continuous shelf that is basically unobstructed by any supports as well as plenty of space under the shelfs free for whatever use I may need.  Note that this is early on before I added the rest of the hangers.

Here it is all finished up.  I ended up using 3 allthread hangers and a 2x3 for the hangers.

So I ended up with roughly 30 linear feet of shelf space, or just under 80 cubic feet of storage. I spent around $200 for the materials for these shelfs. This includes a $30 5 pound box of 3" screws that will keep me in screws for years to come. Comparing this to a $100 5' tall utility shelf, the shelf has around 25 cubic feet of storage, and 12 linear feet of shelf space.  I would need 3 of these utility shelfs to match my solution, and I would not be using the space as efficiently. I think overall this was not a bad deal.  It would be nice if this was closer to $100 than $200, but what can you do.

I already started on my next project.  I'm moving one of my cupboards over so it lines up with the freezer and plan on adding in new shelves between the cupboards to be used to store larger items that don't fit easily in the cupboards.  I have the frame moved over and mounted on the wall. I just need to do a bit of cleanup and put the doors back on.

I'm planning on building a small dividing wall on the left side of the cupboards and freezer to both define the edge of the freezer when parking as well as keeping this part of the garage isolated from the rest a tiny bit.  I'm also planning on spackling up all the holes in the wall left by the previous owners and putting some paint on the walls as well to better define the space.  Anything to make doing laundry feel a bit less dull.