Stories about people living in old houses with no closets or
smaller closets abound. Here are a few
that caught my eye. One family who
lives in an old farm house has no closets. They use old metal filing cabinets
to store their stuff.[1] Another story comes from someone who lives
in old federal style house and although the room is about 20x15, it has no
closet. They rigged up a rod and some boards.[2] Finally, one guy once lived in a house where
one bedroom had such a tiny closet under the attic steps that no one could
stand up in it. It even had hooks on the back wall. It wasn’t deep enough for a
rod. His parents turned a downstairs sitting room into a bedroom and installed
a closet and installed a closet in the biggest bedroom upstairs.[3]
There are reasons for no closet spaces in old houses. One reason
that is shared by Nolo’s Real Estate and other realtors is that back in
Victorian times and olden times, houses were taxed based on the number of rooms
inside of the house and closets were included in the count as separate rooms![4] So people used wardrobes rather than closets.[5]
The whole closet issue got me thinking, what can a closet
building contractor do to help you?
Have you ever seen this quote:
"If you look at your entire house as one unit of junk, you'll
never do anything because the job is too overwhelming. Take it one drawer at a
time." Janet Luhrs
Considering one drawer at a time and no closet space, you
stand to benefit from a closet building expert for the following reasons. First
of all, they have experience with blue prints and building what’s on them. They
can provide suggestions that tweak your idea a little bit and improve on it! Usually
small-scale jobs aren’t expensive and if you don’t know what you are doing and
don’t have much experience, you may end up making costlier mistakes. Why not
save on labor time? Finally, a professional will be able to tell you what’s
possible in the room you’re considering.[6] Don’t
forget that some municipalities require permits.
A closet installation can become a nightmare if you decide
to do it yourself. A professional can help you get the look and feel you want
and the project done capably. Check references and insurance. Besides getting recommendations
from friends and family, you can check the National Association of Professional
Organizers (NAPO).[7] They are
dedicated to helping individuals and businesses bring order and efficiency into
their lives and their group membership includes approximately 4,000
professional organizers.
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