Closets: a versatile and useful addition to any house

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Because they are often tucked away in spaces that are otherwise unusable, closets are a practical way to add efficient storage space to your house. Given the limited space available in modern homes, efficiency becomes even more paramount. But efficiency must not detract from aesthetics, hence the need to carefully integrate a closet to the style of the room in which you intend to build it.
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The closet location
Designing your closet

The closet location

Before settling on a plan to build a closet, you must carefully decide on its use - clothes closet, wine cellar, small laundry room, etc. To the extent you can do so, you should build your closet in space that cannot be put to other practical uses - along northern walls, in out-of-the-way crannies or on walls you cannot add windows.

You can also hide a water heater in a closet and thus add space to store tools and sports equipment. Obviously, each room should have its own storage closet for day-to-day use. In the master bedroom, walk-in closets are becoming more and more popular.

Designing your closet

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Before building your closet, you must determine its purpose (storing boxes, sports articles, off-season clothing, a water heater, visitors' coats or your everyday clothes) and its frequency of use. Only then can you decide on the design that best suits your needs: shelves, hanger rod, closed or open cupboards, effective and functional partitions, etc.

Prefabricated shelves are designed with versatility and functionality in mind and allow you to personalize your closet. Generally, you only need basic tools such as a hammer, a screwdriver, a pencil and a measuring tape to get the job done.

Some units are mounted on vertical tubular racking either on a back or lateral wall and allow the user to raise and lower the shelves at will. They come with a complete instruction manual.
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Wood shelves can be easily constructed out of plywood. Depending on the shape of the closet, rectangular panels should be secured to three walls by means of battens, while triangular panels may be secured by means of battens on two walls. It is also possible to build closed compartments in a closet using plywood panels held by battens nailed or screwed to the floor, ceiling and walls.

Other options include shelves held by suspended chains, brackets or diagonal mounts made of metal or wood. You can also build a counter or drawers to store items that are too bulky for the kitchen or the bathroom.

The hanger rod may be built of solid wood or metal. It should rest on two pieces of wood, attached to the wall at either end of the closet. At one end, drill a hole large enough to insert the rod; at the other end, cut a vertical cylinder into the other piece of wood wide enough to drop the other end of the rod. Secure each piece solidly to the wall. You can also buy rod kits that include the rod and end attachments.
Although harder to set up efficiently, triangular corner closets can complement a room's décor and make it more aesthetically pleasing. Don't hesitate to install inlaid or carved doors to personalize the room.
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