There are many upgrades that will simplify your life and boost the saleability of your home but most of the time the simple things are just overlooked. Here are some tips on how to maximize the space in your house and make more more room.
1. Closet organizers - Canvas sorters
The simplest way to expand closet space is to buy sweater cubbies that hang from the closet rod, back-of the-door shoe compartments and storage boxes for the shelf and floor.
Price: $100 to $400 (for an eight-foot-wide closet)
Where to buy: $12 to $22 canvas bags from StacksandStacks.com
2. Closet organizers - Wood system
This setup looks professional, but be ready for a major project. You must first assemble boards into shelves and then hang them on the closet wall. For strength, go with boards that are three-quarters of an inch thick, not five-eighths of an inch, and a wood veneer or at least melamine (white laminate) finish instead of painted particleboard
Price: $400 to $1,000 for melamine and $800 to $1,600 for wood veneer
Where: EasyClosets.com
3. Closet organizers - Metal system
You can arrange these metal shelves and baskets in nearendless ways. European makes like Elfa (sold only at the Container Store) are higher quality than domestic products but pricier.
Metal shelves are easier to install than wood systems. Still, buy an electronic stud finder ($10 to $30) to ensure that your screws hit pay dirt, because the whole heavy array hangs from a single horizontal track
Price: $500 to $2,000
4. Cabinet organizers - Rollout trays
Install one and you’ll never have a hard time reaching the back of a low cabinet.
Look for a wood or chrome-plated steel tray with full-extension glides (so that it pulls out all the way) and at least four screws to hold it in place.
Price: $40 to $100 each
Where: organize.com
5. Cabinet organizers - Drawer inserts
Make all your silverware and odds and ends neat and easy to get to. With adjustable drawer inserts, you can move the dividers around to fit your needs.
Custom drawer inserts cost more but deliver a lot more too. The drawer insert and the dividers are sized to order, so you can accommodate odd-size drawers and supplies.
Price: $10 to $15 and $70 to $250 for a custom divider
Where: KitchenSource.com
6. Cabinet organizers - Corner Susans
This add-on will make that impossible-to-access cornercabinet usable.
Be careful to get the right configuration - full round, pie cut or half moon - for your cabinet’s shape
Price: $150 to $250
Where: Revashelf.com