Get Organized
????Organization is attainable with the help of trained professionals who are just a phone call away. Admit that you have a problem and let the experts intervene.?
????The overflowing closet. The inhospitable guest room. The garage that holds everything but your car.
????“People never really know how much stuff they have until time to clean up,” explains Marty Juarez, vice president of More Space Place in Brandon, Palm Harbor, Tampa and Largo.
????“Although it sounds simple, having the proper places to put things encourages people to stay organized.?
????For example, Juarez says he can take that dysfunctional laundry room and recreate an efficient space by designing cabinets to contain the ten different bottles of detergent and bleach, adding a swing-out arm to provide hang space and installing a drip-dry tub for hand washing.??
????A well-designed storage space, he adds, allows homeowners to see what they have at one glance and to store belongings in areas specifically designed to hold them.?
????The right number and size of shelves, racks, cabinets, drawers and hang spaces discourages the stacking, shoving and mashing behaviors that lead to garage grunge, loathsome laundry rooms and closet chaos.
????Something as simple as a wall-mounted peg board with hooks can transform the garage. At once, those dirty cabinets overflowing with tools give way to a smart, clean space displaying drills, saws and hammers in a manner that is aesthetically appealing and accessible.?
????Wire baskets that roll out of a shallow cabinet can be stacked to hold everything from paintbrushes to potting soil. Ceiling mounts hold bicycles and snow skis, providing storage space out of thin air. Cabinets on casters contain all of those pesky nuts and bolts and roll easily to wherever you are working.?
????Today’s superior products can solve just about any storage dilemma, says Philip Lacey of Park Place/The Ultimate Garage Space in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Manatee counties. Plus, he adds, the new products are more durable and better-looking. “Typically, customers call us for a new garage floor but then decide to redo the entire space,” says Lacey. “We start with a beautiful, easy-to-clean epoxy/polyurethane floor. Next, we bring in heavy-duty pantry cabinets that hang on the wall rather than stand on the floor. This prevents water damage to the stored goods inside and eliminates dirt collection at the base of the cabinetry.”
????A slat wall system provides efficient and eye-appealing storage for items that don’t fit into cabinets, such as ladders or tools that need to be readily available, while overhead storage platforms suspended from the ceiling are designed to hold boxes of holiday decorations and suitcases.?
????A complete garage overhaul can cost as little as $5,000 or as much as $25,000 depending upon the size of the space, materials selected and complexity of the design.?
????“We create tremendous good will among neighbors when we clean up a garage,” Lacey says. “We also help families tackle their issues with letting go.”
????And they reunite couples. Lacey notes that wives often assume that the garage is “his space” and are disappointed when he turns it into a shambles.?
????“Some of these guys can’t use a screw driver,” Lacey says.? “So the result is a beautiful, expensive house attached to a Tobacco Road garage. We can fix that.”
????David O’Donnell of Slide-Lok Garage Interiors & Closet Systems in Tampa and St. Petersburg designs custom garages for car enthusiasts, wood workers, hobbyists of all ages and handymen.
Clients can choose storage cabinets in a warm wood-grain look; sleek silver and black industrial components and even products from a NASCAR line featuring race car details.?
????Slide-Lok installers know how to get creative in working around wall-mounted sprinkler systems, security panels or electrical breaker boxes. And O’Donnell treads lightly when customers lift the garage doors and reveal just how bad it really is.?
????“Some families need a new garage and others need a change of lifestyle,” says O’Donnell, chuckling. “But I don’t make judgments. I simply let them talk about what they envision and then I ask how much of the contents they want to save. If they tell me they’re going to clean up, I say great.”
????Inside a home, storage challenges run the gamut from no closet space to special needs. Companies are asked to create work space for builders of doll houses, sewing rooms, dens that double as guest quarters, game rooms and more.?
????Talented design teams craft solid wood work surfaces illuminated with halogen lighting, custom cabinets for materials, tool storage that’s virtually invisible, appliance garages and fold-away tables that tuck neatly out of sight when not in use.
????The organization process typically begins with a home visit, where the designer can see the physical space, take measurements and talk to the client.?
????Robert Morse of Premiere Closets in Tampa" target="_blank">Hillsborough County looks at the closet and asks specific questions about wants and needs.
????“Every closet is custom-built to suit the client’s exact needs and I make, design and install everything myself,” says Morse. “We can do just about anything they want, from pull-down racks to custom shelves.”??
????Morse can design a closet for clients on a budget using synthetic materials or he can fashion a glamorous interior out of real hardwoods. The turn-around time for most jobs is three or four weeks and costs are dependent upon closet size, materials used and components selected.
????Since closet design is specific to the individual, some designers actually get clients to count the number of shoes they own and to consider whether they hang more dresses than blouses. ?Good design uses space in the best possible way, say experts. And in choosing between shelves, drawers, hang rods or racks it’s imperative to know what the client really needs.?
????Juarez can create a closet adapted for the needs of the disabled or the elderly with easy pull-out drawers at convenient heights and pull-down units that bring clothing racks to a manageable level.? Shoes are even measured and clothing size taken into account.?
????“A large man’s shoe is going to demand a certain shelf depth or rack width while a petite woman could probably fit four pairs of shoes in that same amount of space,” says Tawney White, vice president of California Closets, an international company with a Clearwater location. “A very tall man is going to need a different-sized hang rack to hold his suits than a man of average height. And a very short woman is going to require special help in accessing high shelves.
????Once the space has been measured and all questions answered, a design is created. Innovative software programs allow designers to present their plans in a three-dimensional format, sometimes during the initial consultation.?
????The More Space Place offers some 75,000 parts and pieces to complete the organizational puzzle in a database as well as a program that allows designers to go right into a client’s virtual room and draw a plan.?
????“That drawing will have every detail of the existing room in place,” explains Juarez, “down to the thermostat on the wall and the color of the paint. The designer can use the components to build the room and allow the customer to really see the finished result.”??
????The visual is particularly helpful, Juarez adds, when clients are converting a single-use room, such as a spare bedroom, into a multi-functional room.?
????“You can describe folding tables and Murphy beds and storage cabinets and swing-out bookcases all day long,” he says, “but people still have difficulty picturing how that one boring bedroom can serve as an office and a guest room and a craft room until we show them just how the pieces work together.”
????After the design is in place, it’s time to select products. Storage space can be created using everything from pre-finished laminates to exotic imports such as high-gloss polished woods from Africa and South America. Costs can be reduced by using components made of wire, chrome and wicker.
????California Closets has completed several projects for customers who went all out.
“We’ve done crown moldings, solid-wood backings, fluting and rosettes,” says White. “If they keep asking, we offer built-in wooden dressers, dressing tables, upholstered benches, chandeliers and doors featuring frosted or clear glass.”?
????Adds White: “You can furnish a closet more beautifully than you furnish your living room.”?
GETTING ORGANIZED? KEEP THESE FACTS IN MIND
????Save space. Take inventory. What do you currently have and what do you really wish to keep? Force yourself to draw the line somewhere, since you don’t want to spend money creating storage space for worthless junk. Invade those closets, cabinets and cupboards and see what’s inside. Accept the idea that the more stuff you wish to store, the more money your new space is going to cost. Then assign a value to each item and keep only those things that really mean something.
????Dare to discard. The tendency to hang on for dear life to monogrammed sweaters from junior high school, paint cans containing mere ounces of gummy pigment and stacks of National Geographic is not healthy. Make piles of items you have not used since moving to Florida or clothes that have not fit since Nixon was in the White House. Pitch the worthless, donate the functional or stage a giant garage sale and haggle over how much that crocheted toilet paper cover is really worth.
????Metal or mahogany. Decide if you’re after form or function. You can get a beautifully organized space on a budget but to create a truly beautiful space you’ll probably spend more. Research products and finishes and visit showrooms to see, touch and compare what’s available. If wood-grain laminates look and feel just like the real thing to you, save your pennies. But if nothing other than hand-polished mahogany will do, go for broke.
????Fees, please.? Ask your designer if he/she charges a consultation fee before you schedule an appointment. Most don’t, offering their initial visit and design at no charge. Check to make sure and avoid any misunderstanding.
????Ask around. References are an excellent way to compare companies. Reputable designers with delighted clients are typically eager to make those kinds of connections.
????Turnaround time. Custom closets vary in how long each requires to complete. But companies that do their own design, manufacturing and installation are typically the most efficient. Ask your designer to explain.
????Critical components. Fancy gadgets are fun and expensive materials look lovely. But experts agree that the key factor in creating storage space solutions is a smart design. Stick with professionals who have been in the business for some time and have years of design experience.