Add Another Closet – Without Adding a Closet

Her Side

Ever wish you had more closets? Is there ever enough closet storage, no matter where you live?  I rarely come across people who have too much.

His Side

My latest clients were having the same dilemma – their condo just didn’t have enough closet space to house everything. The walk-in closet in their master bedroom had become like the Bermuda Triangle – things went in and were never seen again. The problem? Their closet was set up with a single hanger rod with one shelf above it – all the way around the room. It was a nice sized closet (about 5 feet by 7 feet), but it wasn’t being used to its fullest potential.

Believe it or not, we were able to more than double the storage capacity of the closet, customize the storage to the homeowners’ needs, and do it all for about $2,000.

The biggest problem – not enough shelf space. My clients preferred to fold much of their clothing, and a single wire shelf around the top of the room just wasn’t cutting it. They didn’t have many long things that needed to hang, but an abundance of shirts and slacks were eating up what little hanging space was available to them. 

By taking advantage of the unused space of the existing walls, we added 120% more storage than they had started with! All without adding any square footage to the closet! Seriously – the closest thing we got to actual construction was adding a coat of paint to the walls. Everything else was accomplished by adapting the storage capabilities to our clients’ needs.

It isn’t often that a closet turns out nice enough to photograph, but I had add this one to the album.

As you can see, each person has his or her own side for hanging clothes, ample shelf storage for folded items, plus extra space on the connecting wall. They even have room to go shopping for more!

So next time you think you’re running out of space, take a minute to take a gander at your existing closets. You may be able to save the cost of adding on to your home – and still add a closet.

The New Home in 2015

The NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) is out with a new study that looks at the coming trends in home design and home building:

The current housing downturn has affected not only the number of new homes that are built each year, but also the characteristics, features, and size of the ones that do get built. Many in the industry are wondering about how the new home will evolve over the next few years and whether those changes will stick once the economy bounces back to a more solid footing. In 2010, NAHB conducted a survey that sheds light on the likely characteristics of the average, new single-family detached home in 2015. This article summarizes the findings of that survey, which were released in December 2010 in a report titled The New Home in 2015 [1]  . Some of the most relevant findings include:

• The average, new single-family home will be smaller and have more green features
• The living room will either vanish or merge with other spaces in the home
• The “Great Room” is the likeliest room to be included in the average new home
• Low-e windows and engineered wood products are the likeliest green features
• A double sink, recessed lighting, and table space for eating are very likely in kitchens

Read the Full Report  

There are some interesting items that were uncovered in their study. It's probably no surprise that average home sizes are expected to shrink in the coming years. Smaller footprints generally mean less storage space. If that's the case, then it will be more important than ever to maximize the scarce storage that does exist. A good closet system can go a long way to add storage without adding square footage. You'll be amazed at the additional storage you can achieve without adding much additional cost.

Now, Almost EVERYTHING is 10% OFF

No sooner had I posted an article about one cabinet company’s promotion, I’ll be darned if I didn’t get two more promotions that are just about the same. Now I can legitimately tell you that nearly every cabinetry option can be had for 10% OFF.

In addition to StarMark’s fantastic promotion, these manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon as well:

UltraCraft Cabinets
10% OFF of all wood doorstyles
(July 1 thru September 31)

Designer's Choice and the
Presidential Collection’s
Great American
Red White and Blue Sale
10% off of all cabinetry orders - including thermofoil and closets
(June 28 thru July 31)

 

So if you've been thinking about any of these projects:

• Kitchen
• Bath
• Closet
• Home Office
• Pantry
• Home Entertainment Center
• Hutch
• Bedroom Built-ins
• Laundry Room
• Pet Center
• Anything else involving cabinetry

 Just to show you that these cabinets cover almost the entire spectrum, take a look at the image below. Find the quality level you wish to be at, and then select the appropriate cabinet line.

 
Now is the time to do it. I've never seen a better time to buy cabinets. But you better hurry - these prices won't last forever! Contact Duncan's Creative Kitchens for more details.

StarMark’s 10% Off of Everything SALE

StarMark never ceases to amaze me. When we started with them 16 years ago, it was a simple, semi-custom cabinetry line. Since then, it has turned into a full-fledged custom operation that produces fine furniture quality cabinetry at semi-custom prices.

In the last couple of years, StarMark has introduced inset cabinetry doors, exotic veneer finishes, Old World style distressing, and now custom color matching.

Did I mention that all of this is available from a company that is still 20%-45% less than the other custom cabinet manufacturers?

Now they’ve done one better – from now until August 16, StarMark is taking 10% off of the entire cabinet line: all the doorstyles, accessories, finish upgrades, customization – everything! A straight 10% off – that’s totally unheard of in the kitchen design community.

By the time you finish adding up all the savings, there is no way another custom company can touch them. I’ve run the comparisons. With 10% off, StarMark competes with the price of my budget-conscious cabinetry offerings.

So kitchens, bathrooms, home offices, wet bars, you name it. If it’s StarMark Cabinetry, there’s 10% off in it for you. Talk about an affordable custom cabinet!

But you better hurry, when summer is over, so are the savings. Everything from StarMark is on Sale – but only until August 16. (contact Duncan's Creative Kitchens)

Exorcize Your Closet Monster

Do you have one? You know, one of those closets – the kind that makes you cringe when you open the door? Have you lost articles of clothing (or maybe even one of the grandchildren) somewhere in the closet, never to be seen again? Well, it’s spring. Maybe it’s time to tackle that monster in your closet and get organized.

First off, you’ve got to get everything out and tossed into one of three piles: “Keep”, “Donate”, and “Toss”. If you want to keep it, no problem. If it’s time to get rid of it, then be honest – if it’s wearable, you can donate it to your favorite thrift store or have a garage sale to get rid of it. If it’s seen better days, then throw it out. If you’re like me, the next thing you have to do is actually drive the ‘Donate’ things to the thrift store and drag the ‘Toss’ pile to the curb. (If I save it to do later, it will just end up back in the closet until I get time to ‘deal with it later’.)

Next, looks at the “Keep” pile. Decide what needs hangers, what goes on shelves, which items would be best stored in drawers, and if you need any ‘special’ storage for some items. Once you have your inventory, then you can get to work on deciding the best remedy for your storage needs. There are all sorts of boxes, bins, hooks, and tags you can pick up at housewares or container stores to suit your situation.

A more permanent solution might be to install a closet system to solve your storage problems. They can range from simple shelves and coat storage for the excess stuff in your hall closet, all the way to a fashionista’s master closet dream. The choice is yours. If you’re handy, you can tackle this yourself. If you hire a professional for this, they will sit down with you, evaluate your storage needs, survey your closet inventory, and tame the closet monster you’ve been living with all this time.

So steel your nerves, fling open the closet doors, and kick that closet monster out once and for all.

Create More Space Out Of Thin Air

Ever try to hunt down that one item you need right now, only to find what you were looking for last week? The one complaint I hear most from people just moving to Florida is the lack of storage in Florida homes. Without basements and attics, where do you organize all that stuff? Realtors agree, one of the chief reasons to buy a new home is space. Read More