Household Fixes

Closet storage can be a nightmare if it is disorganized. Nothing is worse than running out the door and being unable to find your gloves or umbrella. Worse yet is having a fear of even opening the closet and causing a time wasting avalanche. Your life is much easy when you know where your belongings are and they are easy to access. Also your house is easier to clean up when you have a special place for everything. Carefully thought out closet storage systems can be a happy addition to your house.

Even your junk closet needs a bit of organization. There are cheap and easy ways to organize a closet. One of the simplest and most inexpensive ways is to buy some easy to assemble plastic stacking shelves and some transparent plastic bins. Make sure the bins are 2 inches less in height than the height space of the shelves otherwise it will be a sticky fit. Put a 3×5 sticker on the end of each bin and make note of the contents.

The closet storage system described above can be made even cheaper with a little ingenuity. Instead of buying plastic stacking shelves look around your basement or neighborhood for bricks and pieces of 4 foot board. Wash whatever you find thoroughly and carefully. Visit your local wine store and ask for some boxes. Any type of box will do but I find liquor boxes or wine boxes to be the sturdiest and they are easy to find. Write down the contents of each bin on a piece of paper and tape the list to the end of the bin.

Another very inexpensive way to organize your cupboards or closets is to install rows of hooks at eye level around the perimeter of the closet. I was very surprised when I did an inventory of my closets to find that many items came ready to be hung up. You can also use the hooks to hang cloth or netted bags that can be used to store an assortment of light weighted things.

Sometimes the cheapest closet organizer solution is not to buy more organizers, but simply to rethink the way you are organizing your closets, so that you gain utility and space just through well thought out systems. Let me explain what I’m getting at: it’s easier to keep stuff organized if it’s all related. As well, it’s easier to keep things organized if you keep your often used and seldom used items in different spots. For example, keep all of this seasons clothes all in one spot. Move your off season clothes in with the Christmas decorations closet. And if you just keep moving things between closets without ever using them, consider throwing them out.

Decent closet storage ideas can be very inexpensive. You can start with some cheaper ideas and then maybe add some pricey organizational tools when you have more money. There really are some free ways to organize your closets. With some ingenuity, you can come up with a few cheap closet storage ideas.

Tags: basement, closet, closet organizers, declutter, diy, garage, Home, home renovation, house, house renovation, organization, storage
Posted in diy | 2 Comments »

Anyone who is anyone has a garage these days. That’s nothing new at all. What everyone does not have is a well organized well developed garage area. Most garages are just filled with clutter, tools, and the car. Getting a “cool” garage is not as hard as you think. With some easy steps you can have a fabulous garage in no time.

The first that I would do to spruce up any garage is lay down a garage floor covering. Usually this consists of an epoxy covering. There is nothing wrong with epoxy coating except that sometimes they do not stand up to extreme temperatures or the wear and tear of a well-trafficked garage. Now, however, there is a higher quality hybrid polymer based floor coating that give garage floors a more smooth and “polished” look to them. Adding floor coatings of any kind not only greatly enhances the look of any garage but makes them easier to maintain and clean. If you ever spill anything you can wipe it up easily with a coated floor versus having the floor be bare concrete.

The second item you can add to your garage is built in cabinets with adjustable shelving. You can buy some really nice cabinets that have “off the floor” mounting to protect it from dirt, insects, or water. There are many options available. Cabinets placed in the right locations and at the right angles will help you maximize the limited amount of space you have instead of having random things lying around.

Last but not least you need wall organizers. This can include grid wall wall racks and overhead storage and shelving. This will allow you to maximize your storage space and easily find your tools, sporting equipment, bikes and gardening supplies when you need them. There are a variety of grid wall organizers, wall racks, hangers, shelving and overhead storage systems you can purchase to meet your custom needs. Extremely Versatile and expandable these handy items let you easily determine the whereabouts of your belongings and offers easy access to them.

By adding these three items you can turn your garage into a man’s ideal hangout location. You could eventually add a big screen television and wet bar to turn you dream into the ultimate reality. A little planning goes a long way and in a matter of days you could have the garage that you always wanted.

You can accomplish all this for under $1000. All you have to do it go to your local home improvement store and get the parts.

Tags: a, d, diy, g, garage, garage door opener parts, garage door repair, garage parts, garage repair, h, home & family, Home Improvement, home;improvement, home;repair, o
Posted in diy | No Comments »

Finally getting that shed built in your back yard? It’ll make a real difference having a place to organize all those garden tools and fertilizers. Not to mention all the extra space you will free up in your garage.

Before you set out to build your shed here are some tips.

1.Do you need a permit? This should probably be your first step, after you have decided where to build the shed. Permits can take some time to get approved so get that done in a timely fashion. Could you build without a permit, just hoping no one will know? You could… but it can also get costly. Getting the permit is just the best plan.

2.What is your skill level? Have you built stuff before? Building something above your skill level can be a really frustrating project. If you want to go above your own capabilities, it is certainly possible to hire someone for some specific aspects of the shed building project.

3.What type, and what size should the shed be? We recommend you really thing through the size aspect. You are only going to build this one time, so might as well make it something that will work for you for years to come. Should you build a wooden shed? Get a metal shed? A wooden shed looks more classy, obviously, and may better blend in with your garden and your home. There is also great flexibility when building a wooden shed and it can be painted and designed to match your current theme.

4.Make sure to have a great blueprint. Plans for how to build a shed can be found on the internet. Some can be quite costly, others are so inexpensive it almost make you wonder… Do you need a plan that will show you step by step how to lay out the work? Something that has easy, laid out information on the supplies needed? Do you need pictures and videos to guide you? Or maybe you just need the actual blueprint itself? Before purchasing a plan, make sure it fits your needs.

5.Do you have the tools required for the job? Not having the right tools can cause an absolute nightmare. Power tools can be rented from your local hardware store. Usually for very little money. With a bit if planning you can minimize the time you need to rent the tools, but do rent them if you don’t already own them.

Planning your project before you start puts you ahead of the game. Getting all the supplies at once, knowing who you may need to hire, what tools to rent and where from…When your ducks are in a row, your shed building project will be both fun and easy.

Tags: family, garage, gardening, hobbies, Home, Home Improvement, storage
Posted in Home | No Comments »