by Jim Caruk
Organized and orderly rooms not only look good, they’re good for you
I hate seeing a mess. On a jobsite, piles of trash and jumbled materials aren’t just an eyesore, they’re a safety hazard for me and my crew.
The same goes for around the home . Mounds of junk spilling off of every surface is a tripping hazard, and scientists have shown that messy spaces actually stress us out.
But shoving everything into cupboards and drawers isn’t an efficient solution. As they say, a place for everything and everything in its place.
KITCHEN PLANNER
When designing a kitchen, there’s usually a fair bit of wasted or under-used space in a corner cabinet. People usually figure they’ll put bulky countertop appliances at the back, and only pull them out when needed. But, left out of sight, they’re usually not top of mind and get forgotten about. Instead, I recommend investing in some sort of swinging, lazy Susan-style shelving so you can pull out the items from the back, making them more accessible.
Whether you bought them from a big-box store, or had them custom-made, most kitchen cabinets come with adjustable shelving. But most people tend to set them up when they first move back in, then never change them again. I’d say it’s worth taking an afternoon to play around with your dishes and pantry items to see if you can set up the shelving more efficiently.
BED, BATH, AND BEYOND
Closets tend to be the great dumping ground in the house. That’s why there are entire companies dedicated to closet organization. But if consultation fees just aren’t in the budget, there are a number of (pardon the pun) off-the-shelf options that any reasonably skilled DIYer can install.
Nobody likes a cramped, cluttered bathroom. One way to save a bit of space is to install a wall-mounted toilet, where the water tank is hidden between the studs. A vanity mirror that opens up to a recessed shelving unit is a no brainer. And, of course, a small shower stall takes up a lot less room than a shower–tub combination.
If you’re sticking with the tub, consider building some shelving into the space at the back —away from the showerhead—so you can store towels, shampoo, and other toiletries.
Finally, don’t forget the space you may be wasting in the utility room. You may have room for some wall-mounted shelving, or a stand-alone unit that you can use to organize cleaning supplies, bulk bags of toilet paper and paper towel, or even non-perishable pantry items.
PARKING PAD
I’m always amazed how many people have garages that they can’t actually park a car in, because they’re crammed full of junk. Often, all that’s needed is a little bit of shelving and some planning to better utilize the space.
One of the bulkiest items we store in our garages is a set of winter tires. Rather than eating up a corner of the garage, invest in a wall-mounted rack so you can get them off the ground and out of the way.
Bicycles can also eat up a lot of floor space. But not if they’re hung from hooks in the ceiling or on the wall.
Buying a simple PVC storage shelf is a great way to organize your garden tools, leaf bags, flowerpots, and so on. And a couple of hooks screwed into the studs are great for keeping shovels and other long-handled tools organized and off the ground.
Not up to the task of designing your own garage storage? In Renovation Contractor magazine , we recently profiled a small company, Nuvo Garage, which specializes in organizing garages. The owner, Rick Scully, has worked on everything from adding a few shelves to tidying up a small, single-car garage, to a complete $80,000 garage makeover.