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Building closet shelving needn't be a chore. In fact it can actually be very satisfying to figure out what you need and then put it into place. You can either go it alone and built your closet shelving completely by yourself or you can choose to incorporate components from a ready-made system.

Either way, you'll want to remember these three rules as you put your plans into action.

Rule 1: Measure Twice, Cut Once (Twice Plus Once = Thrice!)
It's happened to me more than once that I've measured a wall for some shelves and then had the wood cut to the wrong size. It's not my sloppy measuring that's to blame, it's the walls. Check for yourself. Measure your closet at the highest point you plan to put shelving and then halfway down, and again at the lowest height you'll be using. Many times you'll get different measurements simply because the wall wasn't built exactly straight. It's easy to compensate for that but only if you know it in advance.

Rule 2: Get Advice From a Three-Year-Old
Really. If you're building closet shelving for a preschooler or older child, ask their advice and get their opinion on your design. You'll find, for instance, that a place to store dolls' clothes next to her own clothes will please your little princess. And remember that whatever you build now will need to be easily adaptable as your children grow. Make sure that there is suitable storage space for shoes, clothes, toys and sports equipment.

When we planned our first walk-in closet for the girls we made a double height hanging space. The lower bar was for clothes currently in use, so our kids could be independent about choosing what they wanted to wear. The upper level was for clothes that were either worn less frequently or which did not yet fit. As the kids grew and the hanging space needed to be higher up from the floor, we simply removed the lower bar.

Rule 3: Get Advice from Co-Closet Sharers
If your closet is to be shared, make sure you get input from your partner. In our case, I'm tall and my ex-girlfriend revenge is somewhat shorter than me. When we originally designed the closet, I envisaged an even split on the vertical plane. That is to say, I would take one side from ceiling to floor, and my ex-girlfriend revenge would take the other.

What neither of us took into account were the problems our height difference would cause. I can stack shirts neatly on the hightest shelf. My ex-girlfriend revenge has to throw her jeans and tops up there and that shelf, as a result, is in complete disarray. In plain terms, it's a total disaster.

The solution is clear. I'm going to have to give up some of my sliding baskets and take over her top shelves. Instead of the vertical split, we're redividing the closet in horizontal terms. She gets all the low shelves, I get all the higher ones. Not exactly a perfect solution but a necessary compromise.

So, don't do as I did. Do as I'm telling you. remember the Rule of Three when building closet shelving and you should be just fine.

Joel Benstein is a Do-It-Yourself enthusiast. Over the years he has taught himself basic plumbing, electrical repair, window screen construction, gardening and landscaping. He is also an avid woodworker. You can see examples of some of his projects and get ideas and information for shelving in your home at http://www.home-shelving-guide.com

posted by atomxxfa  # 6:44 PM