Hey guys/gals,
I have a question about closets in kids rooms....are they really necessary? Here's the thing, in the new house, the bedrooms aren't huge. We have a king sized bed plus night tables and dressers to fit into our room...not possible really. But, the closet in our room is back to back with my oldest DD's closet. We are seriously thinking about stealing her closet, and making ourselves a walk-in. It'd be over 5 feet deep....plenty of room for hanging space, shoe storage and dressers! My daughter is 10, and honestly..doesn't hang anything in her closet. Its mostly just storage. (When I say storage...picture a whole pile of crap piled up on the closet floor). SO, essentially, we would be using space that would just be wasted in her room.Because the kids are in NL right now with their Dad, the decision is mine to make. Should I go ahead and steal her closet? I figure if she gets back from NL and has a FIT because we did so, I'll just take her to Ikea and let her build herself a new Pax wardrobe. That seems like a great idea to me. Any thoughts???
Mel
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Well since DD has agreed, the issue is resolved and I agree with making it more friendly and usable for you.
Since she is in the sloppy stage of her life, making it easy for her to put things away (or you) will be important. I love the idea of pull out drawers under the bed as a terrific solution. Those plus what you get at Ikea should keep both of you happy.
Ha! We did the same thing. Took all the doors off and made new closet spaces for both of our kid's rooms. I find it much easier for organization.
I am excited for your dd to plan her pax wardrobe - who knows it might help with the junk accumulation;)
Weird, you must be related to the people who lived in this house because none of the closets have doors on them!:laugh: Everyone who comes to visit comments on it but I've gotten used to it, the open concept closet. Evenutally some doors will go on but haven't figured out what kind yet.
well Mel76 if I were to walk into a house and one of the "bedrooms" didn't have a closet it would not bother me in the least. The moment we walk into a house the first thing we do is remove the closet doors of our kids closets. We have sold every house without the closet doors being put back on (although the doors were well displayed in the basement). Some rules are meant to be broken and realtors need to start thinking outside the box!
I am excited for your dd to plan her pax wardrobe - who knows it might help with the junk accumulation;)
Hahahaha...we actually aren't sure. Chances are, Paul will get posted down east in a couple of years, but then we most likely will end up back in Edmonton again further down the road. So, we aren't sure if we're gonna keep this place and rent it to my mother while we are down there, or sell it. Guess it depends on the market. So...the answer to your question is MAYBE!!! Lol. I don't want to live in this house and make decisions based on re-sale. I just want to make it a home. But, I do appreciate you all pointing out things I may not have thought of.
Mel
:D Mel
So, not to be a pain or anything but I am really curious now, did you buy for resale?
All good points for and against "Project Closet Takeover". After talking it over with DD...we decided to go for it!!! She's fine with getting to design her own wardrobe. And if need be, we'll include it if/when we sell this house. I do have to mention that we have a fourth bedroom in the finished basement that has a closet and a window...as well as its own bathroom. So, I really don't think removing the closet will decrease our chances for resale.
Thanks soooo much for all your replies. Please join me in yet another thread I'm about to create...filled with even more questions....
:D Mel
When I needed a closet in my laundry room I looked at the Pax system, and I wound up having a contractor put one in, drywalled, and then I painted and put in the doors and put in our own set of shelves and hanging rods according to what I needed. It was less than 1/2 the price of the Ikea system.
I love the Ikea system, mostly for it's inner workings, but there are options, especially since your DD's requirements are likely to change a lot over the next few years. It sounds like some bins and shelves would suit her now, whereas in the future she will probably want to change to some hanging space and drawers.
I'm hoping to spend the money I didn't spend on the Pax system in my laundry room on a Pax system for my bedroom. :)
If you have the space could you consider slim cupboards down each side of the bed (bed situated in between) & cupboards/shelves the full length of the wall. You could add a mirror rather than a headboard to create the illusion of a bigger space. Under the bed flat storage containers for seasonal clothes might work. Ikea may be able to help with this configuration. If you DD is ticked off with you she's likely to dump her crap in your lovely walk-in closet.
Hmm...I guess I moved so many times that when I decorated to 'live' in the house and enjoy it I was always concious of a future move.
Did you buy this house for re-sale or for you to live in for an undetermined amount of time? I never get the re-sale argument unless you intend to flip the house. :confused:
Anyway, we did not have a closet in our room so we purchased enough of the PAX system to cover a long wall. In the end I cannot imagine a better set up than what we have. If we had a closet we would have had to go for built-ins to get the functionality of the PAX system. When we move, whenever that will be, we will leave the PAX system there for the buyer since taking it all apart and moving it with us would seem like more of a hassle than anything. We also put a PAX system into my son's room since the pullout baskets etc. are the easiest way for him to manage his "stuff". Of course much of it still ends up on the floor. I think you should set the PAX up in her room and go for the closet take-over!!
As already said, I was told the absence of a closet in a bedroom can make a realtor forced to list the room as a den, and that could have an effect on your home's resale value.
Honestly, I would advise against stealing your daughter's closet while she is away.
I think in the long run, as in a few years, your daughter will want a closet. Also for resale you will need it.
For everyday life closets may or may not be important depending on how you live. (you = yes; your DD = no). But for resale they are. I believe here in Ontario you also have to have a window and a closet to be a legal bedroom. That said, I believe built in cabinetry qualifys. So if you did a PAX system or similar that stays (ie its considered a fixture, not furniture) you would be fine. If she doesn't need it now, you could always add it later, either for her or for resale. Worst case scenario you could slap a drywall closet up within the footprint of her room for resale if the time eventually comes. In my spare room the closet eats floorspace from the room. It is perfectly normal. I say do the project and get your dream closet! I'm actually thinking about taking down the walls of my walk-in, lining the area with great PAX cabinetry, and reclaiming the floor space (and window and HVAC vent) that's in there as part of the actual bedroom! By the way - are you certain there's no mecanical hiding in the wall between the closets? If you don't know, investigate before you get committed!
I wouldn't want a house without closets in the bedrooms. I think they are really important.
That is an important point because in AB you have to have a window and closet to list a room as a bedroom. It becomes a den if either of those are missing.
Wow, I thought I had a Mommy Dearest :eek: :D
The walkin closet idea sounds good for resale but I think most people are going to expect a closet in a bedroom regardless of if it's being used or not. Can a built in closet be moved to another part of her bedroom and steal space from another room or hallway maybe when/if you decide to sell?
I like your idea, it sounds practical for your needs but it might cause trauma for your daughter where she become a hoarder or something down the road. Maybe do the demolition while she's still away and have the Pax wardrobe waiting for her upon arrival.
I was thinking Ikea while reading your post. Those wardrobes of theirs come with drawers in the bottom and I have 2 of an older version in one room here and can tell you they hold a lot. They would also give your daughter options when it comes to where her furniture can go as she wouldn't have to be committed to where ever the closet is as it could be moved where ever she likes.
The other option might be considering how she does live right now. If things don't need hanging and she doesn't hang them anyway, what about just storage for folded/crumpled things? That might be under the bed containers she can just roll out or whatever and take up no space. When she gets to need something else, you buy what she needs. By then she may want a room in the basement anyway so you can adapt and build a closet if you do a room down there.
Spunds to me like you already made up your mind, lol