I wouldn't. As much as I'd love to have someone else do something like that for me, it is the one thing I still consider to be a luxury I'm not willing to pay for. We always go to The Container Store, get the Elfa shelves, and put them in ourselves.

However, I know plenty of other people who might use such a service.

Best wishes to your ODS!

Thank you for that response....I sorta' feel that way myself :^)...I was just hoping that other folks were more openminded about such things . LOL

Is your son especially adept at putting things together? Because I wonder if he'd have a broader business starting up his own furniture handyman service? He could offer a closet designing and set-up service but not be wedded to just what Closet Maid offers (altho I know the company offers both the white wire stuff and MDF--or is it real wood?--components).

And I don't know if there's an Ikea within 50 miles of you, but so many people buy the store's flat-packed furniture thinking it'll be a breeze to assemble (and many things are) but then realize they are either in over their heads or it just takes so long for them to do it. At the Ikea stores I go to, there are brochures for handyman services whom you can hire to put the furniture together.

Is he adept at other home tasks? One thing I would certainly pay for is someone who can do handyman tasks PROPERLY (meaning, I've had some guys in the house who SAY they can do something and then I quickly realize they really can't).

What is the cost involved in being a Closet Maid installer? How would he get word out that he's an installer--he'd have to take ads out, right?

I think the Closet Maid stuff offers people a budget alternative to some pricier companies (like California Closets and some of the specialty organizing companies), and I've used the white wire stuff in an office closet, but I installed that myself. The wood stuff, I might just appreciate somebody else doing the heavy lifting!

I wouldn't. I've been going through closet renovations and did 5 or 6 interviews and bids with various closet companies (Closet Maid included) and have decided to do the Elfa system because we can do it ourselves and It's versatile. Unfortunately, there is no Container Store in the state so everything has to ship. Closet Maid is touted as being so easy to do yourself, I think that's why most people go there -- because they can do it themselves.

Another Elfa junkie here! I have driven four hours (each way!) for a closet! :-)

The house we just built came with Rubbermaid "closet guts" for each room. I am really attached to Elfa and was able to bring a lot of it from the other house. So, I took the closet budget and spent it all in three rooms only, doing Elfa everywhere else.

The point of my story is that I was afraid the Rubbermaid would be just as nice as Elfa and I'd end up feeling like a princess (again). Well, I have to tell you, the Rubbermaid didn't hold a candle to the Elfa. I've seen Closet Maid at the big box stores and it seems similar to the Rubbermaid.

Remember, you are asking a discerning, educated bunch of consumers here! The "rest of the world" might be perfectly happy with the Closet Maid. But I'd want to know I was working with the best stuff out there in order to get excited about selling it...

I totally agree with Pammyfay. Even in these troubled economic times, I think there is still a market for closet installation and furniture assembly services but it's best to be as low cost and diversified as possible. Will he be doing just installation or also designing the closet systems for homeowners? I think the design element is really critical to getting the most bang for the buck out of these systems.

As to Closetmaid, I really like their laminate system. I used it in our previous home and just recently purchased more units from Lowes to redo the closets in our new house. As far as I can see, they are equivalent to California Closets etc. but with somewhat fewer options. We are having our contractor do the install along with other remodeling but I did get estimates from Closet specialty companies. They were pretty high but I think they have quite a lot of overhead for sales & advertising.

I think it would be great to find someone who could offer a selection of different closet systems such as Ikea and Closetmaid. The Ikea system has a very different look from the other Laminate systems and would be a nice alternative.

If there's an ikea near him, I agree with Pammyfay about Ikea. Around here, there are several companies doing a booming business doing nothing but picking up people's stuff at IKEA, bringing it to their houses, and assembling it. Especially with the kitchen cabinets (which are actually pretty easy to install but probably seem overwhelming to most people), a lot of people seem to want a 3rd party install. Ikea keeps a list of people who do this and you get their names at the pickup desk (or, in the case of cabinets, the kitchen desk people will do it).

We have closetmaid stuff from Lowes that we installed ourselves. It was very cheap to buy and DIY compared to the quotes we got from custom closet companies, but the quality is just ok. I don't know if the custom closet people would be any better though - they used the same melamine/particleboard as the closetmaid stuff, though they claimed it was of higher quality. But, if we had to pay someone to install the closetmaid, the price would have been much closer to the custom people and we probably would have just gone that route instead.

I would also recommend an IKEA specialist... He could start by learning the PAX system and them move up to the kitchens. both of those product lines from IKEA are excellent and many contractors dont seem to understand ikea's design philosophy or technique...

Although there are a lot of DIYer's for closets (me included), I also think there is a very nice market for a business that would help organize people and install closets. Not everyone has the time nor do they know where to begin and they look for help. He may also want to offer the painting of closets.

One thing for sure is that it is important he has sales skills to meet any objections in order to make his business successful and knows how the negotiate with potential clients. A non-credit course at a community college may help.

I used FreedomRail System for our closets. The quality is better than Closetmaid. There are not may places to purchase the materials from(you won't find it at HD). The System is a little pricey but worth it. It may be nice for him as an upscale second line to Closetmaid. He may want to check them out. I bought our materials from an ACE Hardware Store close by but he can view the materials at www.organizedliving.com.