Closet w/ just shelves: bad idea?

14 years ago

Good afternoon!

We're expecting our first baby and are planning to improve the storage in the 6-foot-wide reach-in closet our small guestroom (not the baby's room). Currently, the closet has a hanging rail and single shelf and contains just a big pile of suitcases on the floor.

We'd like to refit it so that I can move all my craft supplies (lots of rubbermaid boxes of yarn and fabric) and varies linens out of the baby's room and into the guest room closet. The most efficient way to do this would be to install 3-4 shelves that take up the whole width of the closet (i.e., do away with the hanging rail altogether).

We aren't concerned with losing the rail ourselves, since no one ever hangs clothes up in that closet, but are a little concerned about resale. Does anyone think that this setup would put off potential buyers? Or would they see it as a plus? It certainly would make for a great linen closet setup, which the house currently does not have.

Thanks!

R

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

susanjn
14 years ago
I think it's a perfectly good idea if that's what you need right now.

You might consider a reconfigurable system like Elfa or similar. That way you could easily convert it to a hanging closet later.
maryliz
14 years ago
Make your house the way YOU want it! Don't worry about one closet. If and when you sell your house, the buyers will change everything anyway.
Related Discussions
pedestal tub in alcove w/o window for hall bath? bad idea for res
Q
Comments (6)
I'm presently adding a tub alcove to an old bath which will turn it into our master bath and part of a new "suite" . I love Sarah Richardson's designs, like her program because she always explains the decision making process. In the link you gave to her bathrooms, the first photo shows the hand held "British telephone set" option for a shower. That is the one I've chosen for my clawfoot slipper tub. I did not want a curtain or any of the attendant hardware. There is a standup shower elsewhere in the house, and this bath of ours is strictly for the TUB experience. I did not want any mildew and mold issues with it. And the alcove is still under construction, so I cannot give pictures of it. They are framing the walls on three sides now, and will soon knock down the existing exterior wall in the old bath, which will give us a space approximately 6 foot long by 5 foot deep as an alcove. The tub is about 28 inches wide, and 60 inches long. The tub rim is drilled for the faucet set, which will go down through the floor. The tub will be pointed WEST, and that 5 foot wide end wall will have a nice sized antique stained glass window in it (which was salvaged from an old house in downtown Mobile). I picked it because of the warm golds and reds and greens and creams in it, because a tub bath at sunset is a great experience. The walls in the alcove will have beadboard up to the high clerestory windows (Lexan) on the wall behind the tub, and then the sloping ceiling will also be beadboard. The old or existing part of the bathroom will have the thick and molded plaster walls removed to install wallboard with beadboard wainscoting below. The toilet and sink are already installed in their new spots, with the rebuilt American Standard 1.6 gallon flush toilet having a Toto washlet on it. I'm having blocking put inside the walls now so I can add grab bars in the future. Also blocking in the ceiling so I can place hooks for my humidity-loving hanging baskets...about four of them where I won't bang my head. And in the middle, a Kichler Palla 3 light mini chandelier which will be high enough not to present a problem...or so I'm told. That open ceiling over the tub will be 9 foot or more at its highest, so I will find out this Tuesday how to hang the chandelier when the electrician arrives. Just so I cannot reach it while standing in a tub of water, I think that is the criteria, right?
...See More
Is This a Good Idea or a Bad Idea?
Q
Comments (6)
Thank you both for your input. jerry, I didn't even know they had a battery backup system. I will look into that for sure, especially now with the rainy spring weather that is coming. sweeby, thanks for your honest opinion. I've never seen it in an actual application & that's why I was asking. I do have carpeting in another basement room (the dry side), but wouldn't want to take the chance of water damage on the walk/out side. Also, I wanted something that would be easy to keep clean since this room goes directly to the outside & thought this paint technique might accomplish a nice terrazzo look without the worry of damage or huge expense of ceramic tile or hardwood/laminate. FWIW, I'm not trying to mislead anyone or raise any red flags to a potential buyer as water seepage would have to be in the seller's disclosure statement anyway. Water seepage in the basement on a regular basis isn't the problem....losing electricity to run the sump pump is. Guess I am back to square one again trying to figure out the best surface for a basement floor. Thanks again, for your replies.
...See More
Shelving in pantry closet? Closet organization systems?
Q
Comments (16)
I have Elfa ventilated shelves (and some drawers) in my pantry and laundry room both. I love them BUT I use liners so I don't have the wobbly issue going on. That would drive me crazy. Elfa's ventilated shelves, unlike what you can find at Lowe's, HD or Ikea, have the wires a lot closer together. They also "lock" into place so the wire part is sitting really firmly in the bracket - not just a piece of wood sitting on top of the shelf bracket. As far as organizing little things, Elfa has "shelf baskets" that you can put dividers in and stack stuff in if need be. In the pic below, I have one of those on the immediate left (3 shelves up) and above the counter top oven in the back. I use it for bags of baking stuff like chocolate chips, coconut, etc on the left and treats in the back. And I absolutely love their big drawers. Container Store's return policy is great too - anytime with a receipt and the best Elfa sales is 30% off all Elfa products. It starts Dec. 24th and goes through the end of January typically. There is one in the fall that isn't as good - 25% of Elfa Shelving. (No, I don't work for Container Store, I am just a big fan and will be buying some more Elfa stuff during their Dec. sale.) Here's a picture of our new pantry.
...See More
Small B&W Kitchen - Open Shelving vs Cabinets ideas?
Q
Comments (10)
Congrats. You have done a beautiful job so far. We consult on about 30 to 50 kitchens a year. Nice to see one as fun as this. Couple of points. Love the backsplash behind the stove. But any grease pops will hit the wall on either side. What if you do the white subway on either side of the backsplash you have and also on the sink side. It could be beautiful and functional. And since the tiles you have now are aligned, we would do the subway in a running pattern. (staggered) Love the visual idea of open shelving, if its fits your style and needs. And would love to see a little wood brought on to add a touch of warmth. Just look at the bit of warm color in the door mat, and imagine some of that warmth on the walls. And as far as the subway tile, it is totally fine to mix in a bit of traditional with the more contemporary pieces. This keeps the space eclectic and fresh, as well as more unique. Great job so far.
...See More
oilpainter
14 years ago
We did this very thing in our spare room to hold my sewing material and lots of odds and ends of stuff. We added the shelves on the side furthest from the hinges on the door for maximum access. The shelves are held in place by small wooden cleats with 2 screws in each and a couple of finishing nails into the wood shelf. If I ever want to turn it back into a full closet it's just a matter of unscrewing the cleats.

We took down the shelf. left the rod there and put 1 shelf just above it on both ends. This holds blankets and bedding for that room on one side and special Christmas decorations on the other end. Then we added 4 more shelves. I would suggest you get your storage boxes first so you can custom fit the shelves.

Our shelves are 15" deep by 24" long and I can put 4-- 10' by 15 by 6" inch high stackable clear boxes on each shelf. I suggest you get smaller boxes so they are easier to get in and out and clear so you can see what's in them. On the floor at the bottom I have a large tub that holds material.

It works great for me and we can still use most of the rod for guests clothing and a few of ours
oilpainter
14 years ago
I misread your post..

If you are worried about resale, go ahead and put in the shelves but think of how you can remove it later. The ones that have the the standards that screw to the wall and brackets to support the shelves would be easy to remove, because you'd just remove the screws in the standards. A swipe with patching compound and a little touchup paint and it's done.

Who knows maybe someone else would like those shelves too. I don't think you'd loose a sale for this anyway--it's cosmetic
dilly_dally
14 years ago
Don't live in a house that is cramped and inefficient because you worry about resale years down the road. Configure the closet to what you need to use it for.
graywings123
14 years ago
The configuration of a closet in a secondary bedroom will have ZERO effect on future buyers.
Plow_In
14 years ago
Do things the way you want. We've lived in this house for 50 years, and I always tried to consider resale. What a wasted effort! For the last 5 years I've been doing what I want with the house, and am enjoying the house much more. The next buyer will do things her own way.
mommabird
14 years ago
I agree with everyone - don't worry about resale. We intended to own this house for 2 years. It's been 17.5 years no and no plans to move in sight!

I did what you're describing to the closet in the "study" which is actually supposed to be a bedroom. I used 2/4 wood boards, cut into lengths the size of the shelf, then screwed into the wall on each end. The shelfs rest on these 'brackets' but are fully removeable with no effort at all. I left the rod in, just put a shelf right over it.

This is the way closet shelves were built before the 'white wire' shelves were invented and it works great!

Enjoy your house - it's a home, not an investment!

Closet w/ just shelves: bad idea?

Comments (8)

susanjn

maryliz

Related Discussions

oilpainter

oilpainter

dilly_dally

graywings123

Plow_In

mommabird

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US