Closet Tales Part 2

I'm sure you all were just waiting for the next installment. And since I aim to please, here you are. And, not only am I going to show you how I did it, I'll show you how you can do it too.

First, here's how the area looked when I cleaned it all out. It's hard to tell without any references how big the area is, but it's about 6 feet wide and 10 feet tall.



Next, here are the tools you'll need for the job. Very basic stuff. Notice the cute helper. That's important. :)



The first step is to install the header rail across the top. Be sure to screw this into studs. Then you can attach the drop-down brackets. The kit includes some handy spacers that keep the rails exactly 24 inches apart. This is important if you plan to use any accessories like a cubbie or a basket because their hooks are set 24 inches apart.

Once you have your brackets in place, you screw them down and you should have something like this.



Really, if you've done your planning, the hardest part is done. You can now start installing your shelves and hanging bars based on where you've decided you need them.

Here's the top shelf installed, and my helper installing extension brackets. Since the brackets are only 4 feet long, if you have shelves that span a greater distance than that (and my 10 foot ceilings made that a given) you can get a nifty extension kit for your brackets.



Here's a few more shelves and hanging rods added.


Now with the accessories. I used the shoe cubbie to roll up my thin sweaters. The baskets hold my shorts and t-shirts.



And here's the finished product! Most people would have closet doors covering theirs. My won't since it's just attached to a wall in the room. But I kinda feel like I'm sleeping in a clothing boutique. Not the worst thing in the world!

Create a Closet

This is another installment in the occasional series of my home improvement projects. You can find other installments here (closet into an office), here (installing a faucet with nonsensical instructions), here (installing wood laminate flooring), and here (home improvement replaces Buns of Steel).

This was a fun job and involved no blood loss. A first for me, I think.

Here's the setup. I moved into an old Victorian house. It's been added on to several times, with rooms just sort of stuck on here and there. Basically, I had three living rooms. Upstairs there are two large bedrooms and one that's merely an over-sized closet. No one wanted that room so the cat got it. So if each kid got a room upstairs, I had none.

Plus, I don't do stairs, or rather, my knees don't do stairs. And the heat and A/C don't work upstairs. So clearly one of my three living rooms needed to be my bedroom. And one was perfect, set apart from everything else by a doorway that had held a set of doors, which I replaced with curtains. It just didn't have a closet.

I tried using the closet under the stairs but it was small, dark, and left no place to put coats. I also got an armoir, but had the same problem. I also used the closet in the cat's room. A combo of all three held my clothes but was a pain to try and find anything and still required trips (sometimes multiple) up the stairs.

So I decided to put a closet in my room.

I'd installed closets before, so I knew I could do it. I just needed to find a system that was free standing since I was going to mount it directly to the wall and it wouldn't have any end supports. And I found one.

I made measurements of my clothes in different categories--shirts, pants, long hanging dresses--so I'd know how much shelf space and hanging space I'd need for each group. Then I found a kit that came close to what I needed. You can create one yourself if you don't mind using heavy duty wire cutters and trying to count how many little clips and brackets you need.

But before the fun stuff, you have to clean. This was the area I was going to put my shelf in.


And this was all the stuff I had to get in that area when the closet was done.



And I'll show you how I did it in the next installment. I'm sure you just can't wait.

Another Installment in Home Remodeling on a Budget

When we moved to Indiana, we downsized by over 50%, which meant giving up my office. And the bedrooms were too small for me to put my computer desk in. And you saw in yesterday's Tackle it Tuesday what happened to the small secretary's desk in my room. I tried to use it for my computer but the height was wrong and it hurt my wrists. Which meant I was relegated to the living room.

But that ended up driving me crazy. The chair, while comfortable, wasn't great for my back and I needed a space of my own. I was contemplating the garage for awhile but it was either too hot or too cold, and frankly too dark and dreary.

As with most houses, especially older ones, there are spaces that make no sense. For example, the one bathroom in our house has two doors. One goes to the laundry room. I don't know why. There's another perfectly good access point to the laundry room. So this second door to the laundry room has a shallow closet with a door but no rod or shelves. While my cat was alive, it was her room. Once she passed on to kitty heaven, I saw potential for it to be my room.

It started out looking like this. I took the closet door off the hinges and I found a quart of "oops" paint at Lowes for $3 in a nice sage green. I'm standing in the bathroom taking the picture and the laundry is just out of sight to the right.


I bought a 10" laminate shelf ($9) and braced it with some scrap wood and that became my desk surface. I had some shelves already that I trimmed to fit and added above.


I found an old curtain and hung it so I couldn't see the laundry while I was in my office. Once I brought in a bookcase, my white board, a lamp, and all my fun office stuff it looked like this.



This is the furnace which I make good use of as a magnetic board, posting pictures the kids have done for me and those inspirational magnets.


This is a close-up of the desk. I put self-stick cork tile below the shelf so I could pin up reminders and fun things. And you can see the desk top is just wide enough for my lap top. I made sure to install it at the right height for me to use comfortably.


So for $12 and a weekend's worth of work, I found a room of my own. I'm liking it very much and getting a lot more work done in my "office."