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While houses in the past had little or no closet space, houses and apartments are presently rated in terms of their ability to store our accumulated possessions. We may argue that we buy too much or that we get rid of too little. One way or the other, however, almost every home or apartment dweller inevitably echoes the same complaint: “There’s not enough storage space.” In the process of renovation, you will most likely be at tempting to increase your capacity to store anything from bicycles (new and old) to belts and ties. Storage can be divided into different categories. The first, bulk storage, is for items such as patio and terrace furniture, snow tires, suitcases, etc. Some of these are used seasonally, other items are being stored for future use, and some are things you simply can’t part with. The second category is functional storage. This refers to items that are used on a regular basis, such as tools, toys, clothing, linens, bicycles, gardening tools, etc. While bulk storage can be relegated to a remote room, the cellar, or the attic, functional storage items need to be readily accessible. BULK STORAGE We all have pieces of furniture that belonged to someone dear to us, a stereo system that we saved for our kids (but is now outdated), and extra chairs for company. We also have unused tricycles, boxes with paraphernalia from college days, and gowns that have long been out of style. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to part with any of these items. After all, this is what attics and basements (if they don't flood) are for. Unfortunately, not everybody has an attic or a usable (or unusable) basement. The following suggestions are for those who don't have either cellar or attic or for renovators who are reclaiming these areas as living space. A separate bulk-storage room is a good alternative to an attic or a basement. Under ideal circumstances, this room should be large and square or rectangular in shape. We all know that this is probably wishful thinking. Even an odd-shaped space could serve if properly organized. A wall of shelves or hooks is always useful to take advantage of the vertical space in addition to the avail able floor area. Folding chairs and bikes can be hung on hooks high above the floor. It is also important that this room be provided with a door wide enough to allow large items to be brought in and out easily. Finally, try to locate the storage room in an area with easy access. Locating it along a narrow corridor or a twisting stairway could severely limit the size of the items which you could store. Adequate clearance is important when dealing with large pieces of furniture or equipment. In circumstances where house or apartment space is at a premium, you have to be more creative in finding solutions to storage problems. Look for unused square feet, such as those under the stairs. Is there space along a wide hallway that can be claimed? How about areas where lack of headroom precludes any other use, such as a crawl space? An old trick often used by apartment dwellers is to steal vertical space. When rooms are very tall, you may be able to provide “dead storage” by lowering the room’s ceiling height and providing an access door between the actual and the dropped ceiling (ill. 1). These spaces are ideal for suitcases and boxes. There are even instances (particularly in lofts and brownstones, where ceiling heights are very generous) in which storage lofts can be designed. E.g. a 13’-high room could have a partial balcony at about 8’ from the floor. This allows plenty of headroom below while leaving a space above of approximately 4’ in height for storage purposes. Storage walls are another solution. This approach has become very popular, particularly with people who have reclaimed their attics and basements as living space. A storage wall can be created by erecting a new wall a minimum of 3’ to 4’ in front of the original wall of the room (Ill. 2). The wall is then provided with enough doors to allow every square inch of space to be reached. Many homeowners have found that this solution has not only provided them with sufficient bulk storage but also forced them to organize them selves more efficiently. As a result, everything has a place and is within easy reach when needed. Keep in mind that these areas must have sufficient structure to carry the weight of the items being stored. HOUSEHOLD ITEMS Household items is a catchall category for every type of storable that needs to be easily accessible. Clothing, shoes, toys, and linens all fall under this heading. In addition, skateboards, bicycles, snow shovels, gardening tools, lawn mowers, etc., should be included. Some of these items need to be within the house or apartment, whereas others must be reached easily from the outside. Let’s begin with the storage of outside items such as strollers, roller skates, sleds, etc., which traditionally have been stored in the garage with lawn mowers, snow shovels, and gardening tools. You may be lucky enough to have a garage large enough to accommodate all of these objects. Owners of garageless homes or apartments have more of a problem. Unless the apartment building offers a separate storage facility, you may have no choice but to store these outside items. A place close to the entrance (preferably the back en trance) adjacent to the backyard or elevator is the best choice. (You don’t want your kid to drag a wet sled or a muddy bike right through your house.) This area needs to be relatively large with a wide doorway. (As a general rule, the smaller the space, the larger the doors for ease of access.) Apartment owners often hang their bicycles from hooks on walls or ceilings. This allows two bicycles to be hung next to each other (or above each other) along a wall. The beauty of this solution is that it takes away little of the precious floor space. Tools Tool storage is also important. As a renovator, it's likely that you have quite a few of them. Most people see the basement as the logical place for tool storage. (Be aware that a damp basement can ruin your tools.) Basements aren't the only sanctuary for tools; they can be stored practically any where in the building. One criterion remains important, however. They need to be easily accessible. Tool closets are a good solution. This closet can be as shallow as 18” or as deep as you can make it. It could be efficiently organized with shelving from top to bottom. You’ll be surprised at the number of tools, nails, screws, and other paraphernalia that even a 2’-wide tool closet can provide you with. Cleaning Vacuum cleaners, brooms, dust mops, etc., need to be stored. The most common location for these items is in or close to the kitchen. Where space is at a premium, you can include a small broom closet in the kitchen for mops and brooms and store the vacuum cleaner and its attachments elsewhere in the house. Don’t forget to allocate space for irons and ironing boards. Toys The space needed for toy storage is often under estimated, considering the number of assorted toys, games, and small (and not so small) items that children can accumulate. A further complication is that some toys belong to one child and others are to be shared by all the children. Ideally you may have a recreation room or playroom where the toys can be stored. Otherwise you may need to store them somewhere in the children’s rooms. We have found that closet space with ample shelving and various-sized bins is a good solution to most toy-storage problems. The shelves can accommodate most board games, coloring books, etc., while the bins offer a place for unusual-shaped items, building blocks, cooking utensils, etc. We have found that shelves between 12” and 18” in depth seem to accommodate most toys. Rather than locking yourself into a specific height for the shelves, an adjustable shelving system with provision for bins is generally the most efficient. Linens Linens take up a surprising amount of space. Many small houses and apartments contain a linen closet that hardly accommodates the linen- storage requirements of an average college student (two sets of sheets and two towels). Most families need storage for a few sets of sheets and towels for each family member—not to mention bath mats and rugs. There are also blankets for winter and for spring, comforters and extra pillows, all of which take quite a bit of space. We have found that, where space allows, it makes good sense to provide two separate linen closets. One could be located close to or within the master bedroom. The second closet could service the remaining bedrooms and baths. This arrangement allows each family member to take care of his own linen requirements. Children can find their towels and favorite pillows and comforters with out need of adult involvement. Conversely, the parents’ linens could be kept in relative order. If you have room for only one linen closet, you can use different shelves for each room and bathroom. Be sure to provide space for toilet paper and guest towels. Linen closets are generally 18” deep. The minimum width should be no less than 2’, with shelves approximately every 18” apart. Storage must also be found for table linens. Tablecloths, napkins, and place mats can be stowed away in a piece of furniture in the dining room if closet space isn't available. If space al lows, a small closet for table linens is an excellent idea. Quite often, a few drawers for table and kitchen linens are included in the kitchen cabinetry or pantry. Clothing Our preference for the way our clothing is stored may be as much a matter of personal choice as the selection of our clothing. Although the requirements for storage of these items are fairly standardized, we have found after years of renovation experience that every person has his own idea as to how best to store his personal belongings. Some people prefer to hang everything from nightgowns to jumpsuits. Others like to keep everything in drawers, providing hanging space only for items like jackets and dresses. Some argue that shelves are more efficient than drawers. The bottom line is that you have to assess how much hanging, drawer, and shelf space best suits your needs. There are two types of closets: standard and walk-in. The walk-in closet is preferred by many because it can hold all their clothing items from blouses and shirts to shoes. Walk-in closets can be double- or single-aisled. Double-aisled closets should be a minimum of 6’ in width (in very tight conditions you can get away with 5’-6”). Single aisled closets (which aren't very efficient) can be as narrow as 4’-6”. Wall space not used for hanging purposes can be provided with shelves and drawers to accommodate sweaters, lingerie, shoes, and handbags. This type of closet should be provided with overhead light. There are a few more critical dimensions important to know when planning your closets. Hanging rods are usually installed at 5’. This is a good hanging height for dresses and coats. To make maximum use of the space, two rods can be installed above each other. Measure the clothing you want to hang to determine their vertical spacing. Men’s suit jackets require 39”, women’s blouses require 29”. Long dresses, robes, and jumpsuits need to be hung at a minimum of 5’-10” from the floor to avoid dragging. In our experience, an efficient design for closet space has some 5’ hanging, with the rest of the closet provided with double hanging. This approach makes maximum use of the available linear feet of space. It isn't uncommon to have a separate closet space for shoes, pocketbooks, and hats, which need only about 1’ in depth. Some people prefer to segregate their dusty shoes from their clothing by providing a separate closet just for shoes. A shoe closet can be as simple as a series of adjustable shelves. This type of shelving gives you the flexibility to make adjustments for different- height heels and boots. Some people prefer to store their shoes on the incline. We have found that this may be a problem with shoes not having a traditional heel, such as sneakers and rubber- soled shoes. It does, however, allow you to store shoes in shallower spaces. Standard closets are most commonly found in houses and apartments. They are a minimum of 2’ in depth and are usually equipped with one hanging rod and a shelf above. Please note that a depth of 2’-1” to 2’-3” is ideal for a closet of this type. A closet 3’ deep is wasteful of space because you can’t fit any more clothing into it. The key to taking maximum advantage of this type of closet is to provide it with doors wide enough to eliminate unusable corners. The larger the door opening, the easier it's to gain access to the entire interior. In houses and apartments with particularly high ceilings, shelves can be installed in the high areas for rarely used items. Fluorescent light strips can be installed directly above the door; they can be switch-operated or provided with a mechanism that turns the light on when the door is opened. STORAGE STRATEGIES Some houses and apartments are so small that nontraditional uses must be made of space in order to provide for storage. We once redesigned a two-bedroom apartment into a four-bedroom unit. In order to provide room for the upright piano, we usurped the 5’-wide linen closet. A new, shorter linen closet was built above the piano. A 4’-wide hallway was redesigned as a 3’ corridor with a 1’-deep storage wall containing broom closet, telephone table, mail slots, and book-bag storage. Beds in the children’s rooms can be raised to 4’-o” to provide short hanging and shelf space below if you have the necessary ceiling height. Raising the bed to 6’ above the floor provides you with a full-height closet. If you are thinking of building a platform above your existing floor, raise it to at least 18” and install a series of trapdoors in the floor. (The doors and hardware can be covered by area rugs.) One renovator we know even used the 3 1/2” stud spaces in the partitions between rooms to house anything and everything that could fit into the 3 spaces. His walls were a series of panels operated by touch latches. If you have very high ceilings, it's more efficient to build a closet over a closet (with full 2’-deep shelves and a separate door) than to have 1’ shelves above the hanging. This space is great for dead bulk storage or seasonal items. In small bedrooms or home offices, storage space can be provided without losing precious floor space by hanging overhead kitchen-type cabinets on the walls as high as possible. Next: The Outside of the House |
