After all the work you’ve put in making your closet look amazing, it’s time to put your closet to work for you!  A famous person once said, “Ask not what you can do for your closet. Ask what your closet can do for you.”

You never know. Your closet may be hiding cash you never knew about.

Who What Wear reports that the average woman probably has between $1,000 and $2,500 worth of clothes and shoes that she won’t miss. That’s a serious amount of money that could be spent on all kinds of things. You could even use it to buy more clothes or upgrade your closet!

Learn how you can turn your closet into your own private cash cow. And not all of the ways involve clothes.

Consider Consignment

One of the first ways to turn your closet into cash is through consignment. Consignment can be a wonderful way to ensure you’re getting top dollar for your items and know that your beloved clothes are going to a good home.

Unlike other places like pawn shops, you don’t get paid immediately when you give your clothes to a consignment shop. Instead, the consignment shop agrees to accept your items and sell them for you in their store. If and when the item sells, you get paid, and the shop keeper keeps a piece of the sale price.

Putting your clothes in a consignment store can be a great way to get your clothes in front of potential customers. Online consignment shops like the RealReal and Poshmark are wonderful ways to make money on your lightly-loved designer goods.

Reports show that secondhand clothing is more popular than ever, so it’s a great time to be a seller of quality, secondhand goods. However, unless you’re dealing with designer brands that you’re confident will sell, it may take at least a month or two before you see any money.

Donations Can Be A Tax Deduction

Do you have quality clothes in good condition that may not be right for consignment? Don’t throw them out! Those old clothes can still turn into serious savings on your next tax return. You should seriously think about donating them to your local thrift store or a worthy charity such as your local Goodwill, Salvation Army, or veterans charity.  As long as your items don’t have holes or stains, you can feel great about donating them and someone will benefit from your generosity.

When you donate your clothes, make sure you don’t just throw a bunch of clothes in a bag and call it a day. As you put together your donation pile, keep a list of what you’ve included and a general idea of what it’s worth. This “fair market value” will be useful later.

After donating your clothes, the store will give you a receipt for you to itemize your donation on your next tax return. A lot of the time, the charity won’t fill this out for you. That’s where the list you made comes in handy. Add up the fair market value of your clothes and use that number on your receipt to deduct it.

What’s more, many thrift stores are non-profits that do a lot to help their local communities. Donating to these stores can be a great way to clean out your closet and get a tax deduction while also giving back.

Sell Your Stuff Online

The internet has opened a whole new world of options when it comes to selling your stuff. Popular auction sites like eBay have been a great way to earn extra cash for a long time. There are even sites specifically designed for selling or renting clothes.

Whether you’re getting rid of designer clothing you never wear, or lightly-worn children’s clothing your kids have outgrown, there are all kinds of ways to profit it from it on the internet. You can choose to go with the online auction route or even try selling your clothes directly through social media on Facebook Marketplace.

The downside of selling online is that you’re going to have to package and ship those clothes once they sell. It can be a lot of work, and it could become a job in itself, depending on how many items you’re selling.

Try a Yard Sale

You know you want to sell your clothes, but you don’t want to deal with the hassle of doing it online. If that’s the case, then you should have a yard sale! When everything must go, there’s nothing like a yard sale to get rid of it.

With a yard sale, there’s no paperwork, shipping, or driving involved. All you need to do is set up your stuff on the lawn and let the people come to you! The downside to a yard sale is that you might not get as much for your clothes as you would selling them online or through consignment. Even so, yard sales can also be a lot of fun for the whole family.

Let Closets by Design Upgrade Your Closet

The first step in making money from your closet is to get it organized and cleaned out. Having trouble seeing the hidden potential in your space? Schedule your free in-home consultation with the professional designers at Closets by Design, and learn how you can transform your home while also making some extra money!

The post Do You Have Hidden Cash in Your Closet? appeared first on .

Wondering About Wallbeds?

Wallbeds are the ultimate space savers when it comes to making room for guests. Hidden one minute and on display the next, wallbeds mean you can have your media room/office/craft room and sleep in it, too! Closets by Design’s foldaway designbed™ system allows homeowners to turn any spot in their house into a guest room. You can customize the design so that it suits the needs of your family even when visitors aren’t around. Turn a spare room into a den by wrapping a media center around a wallbed. With a couch on the other side, you’ll have a cozy spot to rest once your guests leave.

Organize Your Office Space

If you need a home office but don’t want to waste a spare room just on work, make it a multi-purpose guest room. Installing a wallbed in this space allows you to tuck away any thoughts of guests and get to work when you need to focus. Closets by Design’s designbed with desk system includes drawers, cabinets and a nightstand —which creates a sleek and organized, yet comfortable and inviting, look.

Mixing with Knick-Knacks

Another perfect purpose for a guest room can be to use it as a space to keep your collectibles. Perhaps you have trophies from your high school days, a set of porcelain dolls, or plaques that make you proud. There’s no need to hide these things in your attic, but you may not want them out in the open in your living room either. Allow your visitors to marvel at your marble figurines(or your collectibles of choice) by putting them on display in your guest room. If you have items that don’t need to be on display, but you don’t want them hiding in the faraway attic (maybe your winter coat collection), you could design a wall storage system. Closets by Design experts can create a customized wall unit that allows you to show off these items in an orderly fashion and still have room for a guest bed.

Make it Fit for Your Family

It’s easy to turn any spare room in your home into a guest room if you consider the specific needs of your family and visitors. Choose furniture that can serve a dual purpose. Grandparents with small grandchildren in the family may want to design a guest room that doubles as a nursery. Create a serene atmosphere with a comfortable daybed or fold-out couch alongside a crib with drawers. Homes with teenagers might have a game room where they hang out with their friends. So, add a media center with a wallbed and it’s instantly the perfect place for sleepovers and overnight guests.

Schedule your consultation to learn more about creating custom storage solutions in your guest rooms and Closets by Design’s other organizational systems. One of our design professionals can give you a free in-home consultation!

The post Ideas to Create the Ultimate Guest Room appeared first on .

1. Purge Your Cluttered Clothes

One common complaint we hear from people about their closets is that they have too many clothes. The truth is that most of us probably have too many clothes. There are ladies holding onto old dresses they never wear. You also have to deal with guys clinging to shirts and pants that should have been retired years ago. Regardless, we have far too much stuff cluttering up our space. That’s why cleaning out your closet needs to be your first order of business.

We’re all familiar with Marie Kondo by now. It doesn’t have to be that extreme, but a closet audit is in order. Each partner needs to go through their clothes. If you haven’t worn it in a few years or it has holes or stains, it’s time to give it up. You can also take seasonal clothes like winter coats and keep them in a separate storage space until you need them.

2. Divide and Conquer Your Closet

Once you’ve cut down on your clothes, it’s time to decide how to share your space. Just remember that fair doesn’t always mean equal. Depending on your personal clothes quotient, you might want to consider a 70/30 arrangement as opposed to an even-steven 50/50.

Take the time to find something that works best for your relationship. Does one of you have more clothes than the other? Divide up the space based on the needs of each to ensure each has adequate space to keep their items organized.

3. Upgrade Shelving and Storage for a Quick Solution

So, you’ve gone through and cleaned out your clothes. You even came to a healthy compromise when it comes to splitting up the space. But what if you still don’t have enough room in your closet. It’s time to call the professionals to help you organize your closet!

Closets by Design can help you optimize your closet. Thanks to our free, in-home consultations, customers can realize the full potential of their closets. You can add closet accessories like extra, pull-out shelves to make room for shoes, sweaters, and other items. There are plenty of other helpful changes you can make to your closet to ensure you’re getting the most out of your space. By working with the pros, you can double, triple, or even quadruple the amount of storage space in your closet.

4. It’s Time for Another Closet

By now, you and your partner have pretty much done everything you can. You cut down on clothes, you’ve split up your space, and you’ve put in extra shelves. Even with all of this, it still isn’t enough! This is when it’s time to face facts. You need another closet.

Even in your dream home, your closet just might not have the kind of square footage you need. There are plenty of beautiful houses that have gorgeous designs but itty bitty closets. That’s where a custom closet comes in. You can work with a professional to create a new closet from a spare room and add doors to increase the storage space of your new walk-in closet. Whatever you end up deciding, trusting the pros when it comes to your custom closet goes a long way to protecting your sanity, and your relationships!

5. Lay Down the Law

Congratulations! You have the closet you’ve always wanted. There’s a place for everything and everything is in its place. Now you need to make sure that it stays that way. Get together and decide on rules you can live with. These could be rules like, “no clothes on the closet floor” or “everything gets folded and put away right out of the laundry.”

Whatever you decide with your rules, stick to them! Rules don’t help if nobody follows them. It may start with a crumpled shirt here and there, but before you know you’re back where you started. Still, it isn’t the end of the world if you relax on the rules a bit. If you find your closet making your crazy, you can always schedule a free in-home design consultation with the pros at Closets by Design.

The post Saving Couples from Closet Craziness: 5 Ways to Create a Closet that Works for Both of You appeared first on .

• Cordless drill
• Circular saw
• Phillips screwdriver
• Level
• Hacksaw
• Jigsaw
• Tube cutter
• Screw-in wall anchors
• Wood putty
• Spackle

Even if you pass the tool test, there is the not so easy “easy-to-follow instructions” to deal with. Not everyone can follow written instructions and the visuals are not always self-explanatory. One man’s (or woman’s) “easy” can be another man’s “say, what?”

The Closet of Your Dreams Could Become a Nightmare

It’s true that some do-it-yourself projects are designed for successful completion by non-professionals, but a DIY closet system can be very challenging. Despite what is advertised, wall hung systems are not as easy as hammer and nail installation and can be very unstable if not installed correctly. The DIY systems are often still a sizable financial investment and if you want the finished product to add value and beauty to your home closet system installation might best be accomplished by pros that do this work every day.

Typical installation for a standard size closet requires a level of proficiency with home improvement projects above the beginner level. The efficiency and proficiency of professionals is likely to save you time, money and aggravation.

If you are planning to design and install a closet system yourself you might also want to consider these potentially costly variables:

• Needing to buy tools you don’t already own adds expense
• Taking incorrect measurements–pieces won’t fit due to sloping floors or irregular walls
• Having to redo or replace something damaged or broken adds additional time and expense
• Wall-hung units can eventually come down if not installed correctly
• Standardized sizes for DIY units don’t provide flexibility for best use of space
• Fewer options for colors, styles and extra touches
• Ordered pieces can be damaged in shipping or be missing parts
• Installation takes longer than by the professionals
• Limited warranties on DIY systems
• If the home store discontinues the unit you purchase there’s no way to get replacement parts or additional features added easily

Closets by Design Professionals Can Guarantee Success

At Closets by Design, this is who we are and what we do! We design, build and install customized closets and other storage systems to meet your needs whether that involves unusual closet configuration (like under stairs or a slanted roof), obstacles to work around, or unique storage requirements.

Our goal is to simplify your life by creating the most efficient top-to-bottom organization that makes the best use of your space. With a wide selection of finishes, accessories and hardware (crown molding, drawers, glass inset doors, shoe racks) you will get the customized look you’ve dreamed of.

With our professionals, you have the assurance that the job will be done correctly, on schedule and on budget. Closets by Design offers:

• A reputation of integrity in customer service and total customer satisfaction since 1982
• No obligation in-home consultation
• Custom tailored designs to meet your unique needs
• Highest quality product construction in our own factory
• An installation team that installs the units quickly and neatly
• Our own Closets by Design employees, we never use outside subcontractors
• Easy to add additional features and accessories after installation
• Custom storage systems that enhance the value of your home

So before you decide to build your own closet or storage unit, carefully weigh the pros and cons to ensure you make the best decision for investment of your time, money and home value.

To schedule a free, no obligation in-home consultation, please complete our online request form or call us at 1-888-500-9215.

The post How to Stop Custom Closet Design from Becoming a DIY Nightmare appeared first on .

There is something cathartic about organizing and refreshing your home, opening up the windows and letting in fresh air and sunshine and cleaning the cobwebs out of all the corners.

If the word “cleaning” doesn’t appeal to you, try to think of it as one cleaning diva: “an opportunity to recharge the existing beauty of your home.”

Making the Most of Your Time

Start with a plan. Work either room by room or task by task but do have a planned attack or the job will overwhelm you. You don’t want to put in a day’s cleaning and feel like you haven’t accomplished anything. Designate a few donation boxes so you can readily assemble items you want to donate or sell at a garage sale.

You also want to consider the order of the chores. For example, you don’t want to dust off the ceiling fan after you’ve dusted all the furniture that sits below it.

Setting aside specific jobs like cleaning the oven or emptying closets for the moment, here are the essentials for every room in your home:

• Wipe down walls for dust and cobwebs, wash smudges, spackle nail holes and apply touch up paint
• Wash baseboards, handrails, doors, doorknobs and switch plates
• Dust light fixtures, light bulbs and ceiling fan blades
• Move furniture (including refrigerator)and vacuum/mop floor underneath before returning to its place
• Wash any vent covers, then wax vents with car wax to slow dust buildup
• Replace filters as needed for fans or furnace
• Sweep or vacuum and wash all floors, stairs and hallways
• Polish mirrors, dust TV and computer screens and monitors
• Dust blinds, wash windows and window sills, inside and out; wash screens
• Launder curtains, throw rugs and (washable) upholstered cushions and pillows
• Vacuum sofa, chairs, ottomans or other upholstered furniture
• Dust all knick knacks, art objects and displays
• Dust furniture and, where appropriate, use furniture oil or stain to cover scratches
• Replace batteries in carbon monoxide and smoke detectors

Room-specific Cleaning and Organizing

Your kitchen is probably the most used room in the house, yet may get overlooked for deep cleaning. In addition to the daily maintenance, here are some deep cleaning extras:

• Clean oven, stove top and microwave
• Clean refrigerator, throwing out any expired or unrecognizable items
• Empty all cabinets, dust and wash down shelves and drawers before replacing anything
• Discard and replace any expired spices or foods
• Sort dishes and pans and toss out or donate any duplicates, non-working appliances, or pieces you no longer use
• Clear off counters and scrub counter tops, back splash, faucets, cabinet fronts and knobs
• Clean and reseal grout lines if necessary
• Vacuum refrigerator coils
• Take stock of household cleaning supplies and replenish your supply

Bathrooms run a close second for daily maintenance but always need deep cleaning too:

• Empty all cabinets and vanity, dust and wash shelves and drawers
• Replace outdated medications or cosmetics
• Scrub tub, shower, toilet and all fixtures
• Clean and reseal any damaged or stained grout
• Clean drains
• New towels and rugs to brighten it up
• Repaint if needed

The laundry room can easily become disorganized and out of control. While “summer cleaning” you may want to institute some organizational steps as well to control the clutter.

• Wash both outside and inside of washer and dryer
• Clean lint trap (should be done on a regular basis, not just Spring)
• Clean drains and laundry sink
• Scrub counter tops and replace items that belong
• Purchase hampers for sorting laundry
• Empty and wash out any cabinets or drawers
• Sort supplies and replace what you need, discard old or unused items
• Buy new hangers

Closets are in foyers, living rooms, bedrooms and hallways. Closets generally require the extra step of sorting and reorganizing along with cleaning since they often serve as “catchalls” for the family.

• Take everything out of the closet
• Sweep, vacuum and wash down the interior of the closet including shelves and drawers
• Sort items before returning them to the closet: what to keep and what to toss, donate, or move elsewhere in the house
• Consider reconfiguring the closet for better storage if it’s not being efficiently used
• Add accessory pieces to a customized closet such as Closets by Design’s additional drawers, shelves or matching containers or baskets
• Move seasonal items to storage to free up day-to-day use space
• Repaint the closet and add sensor lighting
• Add a deodorizing or dehumidifying freshener (cedar, rosemary and lavender deter bugs)

Outside and patio have unique spring cleaning issues.

• Scrub and repaint any patio furniture not covered up during winter
• Wash exterior doors and repaint or retreat wood
• Sweep and wash down walkways and porches
• Wash siding and cobwebs out of eaves
• Plant new flowers, trim and weed existing gardens
• New welcome mat

Refresh or Update Home Accessories

As you go through the process of sorting and cleaning, you may want to make some aesthetic changes, like new color schemes, adding a bright accent color, new slip covers or decorative art. Maybe change out bedspreads, throw pillows or decorative art during the year or for special holidays for a fresh look.

Whatever you do, make your space clean, fresh and inviting so you and your family will enjoy your home and maybe even be inspired to keep it organized!

If you discover that you need some reorganization and storage renovations, Closets by Design is an industry leader in custom-tailored closets and other storage systems for garage, pantry, home offices and utility rooms. To find out more, call 1-888-500-9215 or go online to www.closetsbydesign.com to see a virtual showroom and to find a location near you. A custom designer is only a call or click away!

The post Tips for “Summer Cleaning” and Getting Your Home Organized appeared first on .

The uptick in the Fresno housing market is helping to revive another sector of the wounded industry—home remodeling.

“Building permits for home additions, alterations and repairs were up 28% in July compared with the same time a year ago, according to the city of Fresno building department. From February through July of this year, permits in Fresno are up 15% over the same period last year. Visalia reports a similar increase over the same period.

A combination of homeowner confidence in the economy and the desire to modernize, retrofit or customize is driving the number of remodeling jobs up to a level not seen in at least five years, contractors say.

The demand even has homebuilders like de Young Properties creating new companies to specialize in renovation work.

“I think we’ve seen the light and it’s shining right now,” said Ken Dye, chief executive officer and president of Nelson Dye Remodeling Specialists in Fresno. “We’re hoping it doesn’t fade.”
Kitchen and bathroom remodels remain popular, followed by energy-saving upgrades such as replacing old heating and cooling equipment and solar panels. Then come the wants: custom closets, garage storage or home offices.

Dye, whose family has owned and operated the company for 57 years, is relieved to see business picking up. Like homebuilders, renovation companies saw business sliced in half during the recession. The road to recovery since then has been a tough one.

Between 2009 and 2011, the company only had about half the work it normally sees, Dye said. That changed in 2012 when the economy slowly started improving. This year, the work has more than doubled.

“We’re doing much better this year,” said Dye, whose company specializes in kitchen and bathroom remodels. “It seems like people are starting to spend money.”

Custom Drywall Service in Fresno slipped into the dumps in 2008 when new homebuilding came to a standstill. Back then, 80% of the company’s work was in new construction. The other 20% was in renovations.

But in the years that followed, the ratio of work flipped as homeowners remained in their houses. Remodeling work has steadily grown and finally is making gains of up to 30% this year, owner Matt Ploy said. Custom home work also is increasing.

“To me this indicates that the market is hopefully starting to level out and slope upwards,” Ploy said. “Things are coming back to somewhat of a normalcy now. I saw this starting for us specifically the last quarter of 2012 whereas before things were a rollercoaster.”

The phone in Ploy’s office is ringing more often these days with calls from homeowners who sought bids for a project two years ago and finally are ready to start. Others want to add rooms to their homes, make kitchens bigger, remove wallpaper or retexture walls for a modern look.

There also has been an increase in homeowners looking for ways to retrofit their homes to save money on energy bills. De Young Properties started two new businesses to help homeowners with insulation, roofing, heating and cooling, window replacements and solar.

“We have definitely seen an increase in homeowners interested in reducing their carbon footprint, lowering their PG&E bills and living more comfortably,” said vice president Ryan De Young. “The recovering economy really seems to have played a role in this increase in demand.”

Homeowners Ellie and Don Huston decided to remodel their 1,624-square-foot home on 3 acres in northeast Clovis instead of downsizing to a smaller property like many aging homeowners these days. “Neither one of us want to leave here so we decided to update,” Ellie Huston said.

The Hustons hired Diversified Builders in Fresno to renovate the entire house. They had the windows replaced, new floors installed, new kitchen cabinets and countertops, new light fixtures, new paint, refaced the brick fireplace with stone and had another closet built. Ellie Huston declined to say how much the couple spent, but noted it was more than what they spent to have the home built 35 years ago.

This year is a more positive environment for home renovations than in years past, said Diversified Builders owner Jason Peters, who has seen his business grow 50% since 2010. “2013 volume-wise has been my best year,” he said.

People who have stayed in their houses probably “figured the value in their home was down, but they have the funds to remodel so they’re saying let’s enjoy what we have,” Peters said.

But even owners of new homes are doing some renovation work now. Tiffany Gunsorek thought about buying a closet kit from a home improvement store for the master bedroom in her newly built Clovis home. But she had a custom closet built instead.

Picture from the Fresno Bee/Mark Crosse

Gunsorek and her boyfriend sold their previous home at a profit, enabling them to buy a new home this year and to pay for personal touches such as the closet and eventually a pool, she said. “I have a shoe problem,” Gunsorek said. “I needed something that allows for all of my shoes to have a home and one where I could see all the shoes.”

The two-day installation from Closets by Design in Fresno included crown molding and lots of shoe shelves, Gunsorek said.

Mike Andes started the Fresno franchise of Closets by Design a year ago after spending years in the residential and commercial construction industry. He saw the business as an opportunity in something that could prove popular when the economy turned around, Andes said.

So far it has worked out. Activity in the third quarter of this year already is 15% better than the second quarter, Andes said. And the second quarter of the year was 40% better than the first.
“Not everybody was affected by the economy, but (everybody) was worried. Even if they had some money, they were waiting to see where things were going.” Andes said. “Now, they see the economy is picking up—not as quickly here as in other places, but now people are willing to do those projects.”

by BoNhia Lee

Originally printed in the Fresno Bee | September 15, 2013

The post Remodels and retrofits appeared first on .

That’s what Jason and Melissa Lancaster of Skokie sometimes call the impulse to focus on oneself — wanting “stuff” when there are so many people in the world who need a loving home. These parents have imparted the “Me Monster lesson” to their children — four biological, one internationally adopted and one from a local foster home.

More internationally adopted children are likely on the way; the Lancaster family, now with children ranging in age from 2 to 14, will soon get larger.

“We love kids, and we love to love kids, but we often have a hard time keeping all their necessities organized,” Jason Lancaster wrote. “Soon and very soon we are going to welcome more internationally adopted children into our home. Once the paperwork clears, up to three more children will join in the fun and love. It is a blast, but it also makes for an organizational nightmare.”

That explanation was part of Lancaster’s essay submitted to Closets By Design, which offered a $25,000 “Holidays By Design” home makeover to the winner.

The Lancaster family was that winner, initially among the dozens that submitted a photo of their disorganized home and an essay making a case for the gift.

“The laundry piles are enormously high,” Jason Lancaster wrote. “It’s like climbing a mountain. And where do we put all the food?”

Jason Lancaster is a pastor at Evanston Bible Fellowship Church while Melissa is a stay-at-home mom caring for her six children and Teddy, the family’s affectionate pet.

“I thought we’d never have a dog,” Melissa said. “I swore we never would, but one of our children had sleeping issues and along came Teddy.”

Then again, Melissa also thought that she was done having kids after their four biological ones were born.

“I had given away the baby stuff, I wasn’t going to have more kids, we were not going to have dogs,” she said, smiling. “God tipped everything upside down.”

One changing factor, the Lancasters say, was learning more about international sex trafficking of children. Children in orphanages are especially vulnerable.

On a Sunday night, Jason and a friend became frustrated — tired of just sending in money to help the cause. They vowed to do more and Melissa was on board by the next morning.

Jason Lancaster notes there are 140 to 160 million orphans in the world, though not all of them adoptable.

“But many of them are,” Jason said. “We’re nobody’s hero. This is the way God was encouraging us. We just want to do what we can do.”

Along with a burgeoning family has come more clothes to wash and food to store. Jason’s essay specifically referenced the laundry/food/utility room and called that catch-all venue “one big mess.”

“My system just kind of blew up,” Melissa said. “I didn’t want to complain that I had too many kids because I wanted to be doing this. But I felt my hands were tied.”

The entire family welcomes the outside help.

“I’m really happy because our house isn’t so organized sometimes,” said Elijah Lancaster, 12, the oldest child.

Closets By Design spent three December days at the Lancaster home. By the end of the first day, the family had double the kitchen storage space. Other reorganized space included the laundry and furnace rooms, master closets, the kitchen, the foyer and more.

“We usually don’t do whole house systems,” said worker Barry Ano of Closets By Design. “It’s unique for us to be working on so much of a house.”

It’s more unique for the Lancasters. They already felt blessed, but now they are blessed in a new way.

“I never won anything before,” Jason said.

“We feel like it’s a direct gift from God to give us exactly what we need to do this and to continue to do this,” Melissa said.

by Mike Isaacs

Originally posted in the Post-Tribune | January 3, 2013

The post Skokie family wins gift of organization appeared first on .