alwaysme
Shy Member
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Post by alwaysme on Mar 18, 2019 14:01:49 GMT
Longtime lurker, but have always learned so much from the The Peas! In the middle of an upstairs re do. Coming down the final leg and looking for questions I SHOULD be asking as we "design" our master closet, which will actually be MY closet (had a wardrobe wall built in for dh). There are so many company's out there offering quite grand plans. I don't need anything elaborate, but more about quality and function. If anyone has experience with this, would appreciate your thoughts including must-haves, things you wish you would have considered or anything else I should know. Closet is approximately 8' x 6'. Of course, doing a major purge as well  Thanks in advance for input! |
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Post by prapea on Mar 18, 2019 14:58:08 GMT
I got ikea pax done. I did the plans online using their pax planner and went and placed the order for my closet and DH’s closet. It cost me 4k for borh closets and they refunded $600 back because the setup guys took two days insetad of one like originally promised and the first day they were at my house, they just left without telling me when they were coming back and did not do a great job with it.
I searched high and low including container store, california closets and whatever Costco was offering. I believe I even asked the peas.
For me, I loved the flexibility of the ikea pax. Adjusting and re-adjusting drawers or anything is super easy in pax. I know lot of people frown upon ikea’s quality but the money I spent and what I got was worth way more.
Before i started planning, I wrote down all the types of clothes and which ones I wanted to hang on rods and which ones I would be folding. This gave me an idea of how many drawers I need and how many pant racks I need and how much space I need for long dresses and maxi skirts versus regular sized dresses and skirts.
Whatever you do, take your time and jot all your thoughts down.
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Post by bbkeef on Mar 18, 2019 15:02:08 GMT
I can't remember the brand of our system, but the valet rods are very handy. We have 2, I wish we had 3. It pulls out and you can hang stuff on it-like tomorrow's outfit. And the pull-out belt rack is great too.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 18, 2019 15:02:31 GMT
I hired a local guy that had a lot of five star reviews. Found him from an article in the homes section of the newspaper after they did a glowing write up about his company. Best thing I ever did. His price was about 1/3 less than a place like California Closets and the quality is top notch. Look for reviews on places like Yelp, Angie’s List or Google reviews to see what other clients have to say about anyone you’re considering.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 18, 2019 15:21:28 GMT
I got ikea pax done. I did the plans online using their pax planner and went and placed the order for my closet and DH’s closet. It cost me 4k for borh closets and they refunded $600 back because the setup guys took two days insetad of one like originally promised and the first day they were at my house, they just left without telling me when they were coming back and did not do a great job with it. I searched high and low including container store, california closets and whatever Costco was offering. I believe I even asked the peas. For me, I loved the flexibility of the ikea pax. Adjusting and re-adjusting drawers or anything is super easy in pax. I know lot of people frown upon ikea’s quality but the money I spent and what I got was worth way more. Before i started planning, I wrote down all the types of clothes and which ones I wanted to hang on rods and which ones I would be folding. This gave me an idea of how many drawers I need and how many pant racks I need and how much space I need for long dresses and maxi skirts versus regular sized dresses and skirts. Whatever you do, take your time and jot all your thoughts down. Wow, how big is your closet? That’s a LOT! I had custom built in shelving installed along two long walls of my basement (I would guess maybe 28 linear feet) and a full long wall of my 6x9 mudroom done for less than that! |
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Post by brenda89 on Mar 18, 2019 16:20:03 GMT
When we built a house 8 years ago, I was looking for functional but not expensive. I did have 4 closets to do though. But I ended up with the Rubbermaid closet value packs from Menard's (I think). It worked for us and I could use any pieces in any closet. I didn't get any drawers though, I can't remember if there were any available or not. I think it was around $100 per value pack, and I needed 2 in the master closet. One closet was really small so I was able to use pieces from other packs for it.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 18, 2019 16:34:42 GMT
We had a whole wall of wardrobes done in our master (no walk in due to older house). Consider lining a section of your closet and built in drawers with cedar. I also agree with bbkeef on the valet rods. We had 3 installed between the individual wardrobes and they are used on a daily basis. Not an expensive upgrade, but definitely worth it. |
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Post by originalvanillabean on Mar 18, 2019 16:38:01 GMT
Big Elfa fan here (from the container store). They go on sale in Jan and into Feb, but I would pay full price.
They have designers that help you. They ask questions about your needs (how much full rack (like for dresses) space do you need? How many pairs of shoes? How many slacks? Etc..
From that they design what is optimal for your needs. It does NOT cost extra. And if you have anyone around that is handy, you do not need to pay for installation. It's pretty easy.
I wish you well - sounds like a fun project.
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maryannscraps
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,727
Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Mar 18, 2019 18:19:21 GMT
I did my master closet in Elfa, also. I love everything about it. The valet rods are great. I put shelves between the upper and lower hangers, and find myself using them all the time. I put in a stack of drawers and shelves to hold scarves, jewelry, and handbags. I love the shoe shelves (the angled ones.) It's made getting dressed and keeping things neat so easy.
ETA: My master closet is similar in size to yours, and it cost us about $1200 in materials (bought during the sale.) We installed it ourselves in a day. The quality is excellent. We spent a lot of time fooling with the design after they did a first pass for us at the store.
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alwaysme
Shy Member
Posts: 16
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Post by alwaysme on Mar 18, 2019 20:11:03 GMT
Thanks for everyones suggestions!! I never considered Elfa (and I have a Container Store about 1/2 hr away) or IKEA. I had been looking at Closet Factory, Closets by Design, California Closets and a local one- Victory Closets (looked on Yelp, Google, etc. Thanks for the suggestion, Crazy4scraps). It's a shame I missed the Elfa sale!! All of my closet contents are currently sitting in my dining room, so waiting until next January isn't an option (unfortunately). My husband is pretty handy, but when I suggested that maybe "we" could make this a weekend project, he declined the opportunity  I also appreciated the suggestion of the valet rods, ironing board. Was considering a jewelry drawer. Appreciate all the insight! |
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Post by dewryce on Mar 18, 2019 20:27:53 GMT
Another Elfa devotee here. We have it in our garage, office, craft room, master closet, laundry room, and pantry. And I have plans for the other two, one is waiting for a construction project. I still have all of the pieces I started with in early 90s, we’ve moved at least a dozen times since then and used it in every location. That’s probably my favorite thing about it, while they do occasionally make improvements to the line, all of my old pieces work seamlessly with the new. Has saved us so much hassle and money through the years. Upgrading/changing things around is super easy, as is installation. The staff are well versed and very helpful. Can not recommend it enough. What are your biggest issues with your current closet? We can help problem solve  eta: I have had one issue with it in all those years. One of my drawer racks rusted. I was asking someone on staff what kind of paint to use to fix it and they were gobsmacked, had never heard of that issue. Said he even talked to a man who used them in a chicken coop and all he had to do was wash it and clean it up, no rust, no issues. He had me bring it in, I didn’t fill out a form, give my name, nothing. He just walked to the back and got me a new one. One of our peas discovered something weird about the direction of the drawers or something, and her customer experience was also amazing. |
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Post by prapea on Mar 18, 2019 20:36:37 GMT
I got ikea pax done. I did the plans online using their pax planner and went and placed the order for my closet and DH’s closet. It cost me 4k for borh closets and they refunded $600 back because the setup guys took two days insetad of one like originally promised and the first day they were at my house, they just left without telling me when they were coming back and did not do a great job with it. I searched high and low including container store, california closets and whatever Costco was offering. I believe I even asked the peas. For me, I loved the flexibility of the ikea pax. Adjusting and re-adjusting drawers or anything is super easy in pax. I know lot of people frown upon ikea’s quality but the money I spent and what I got was worth way more. Before i started planning, I wrote down all the types of clothes and which ones I wanted to hang on rods and which ones I would be folding. This gave me an idea of how many drawers I need and how many pant racks I need and how much space I need for long dresses and maxi skirts versus regular sized dresses and skirts. Whatever you do, take your time and jot all your thoughts down. Wow, how big is your closet? That’s a LOT! I had custom built in shelving installed along two long walls of my basement (I would guess maybe 28 linear feet) and a full long wall of my 6x9 mudroom done for less than that! We have his and hers walk in closets. I think DH’s is 5X 10 and mine is approximately 9X10. I didn’t like the looks of elfa. With Ikea, I was getting the wood look with lot of freedom for customizing. Also, I think pax has a sale now(not sure if it is still on) |
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Post by mom on Mar 18, 2019 21:20:46 GMT
I will second the ironing board suggestion. I have one and love it. Its built in, so when I am done ironing, I flip the board up and into the cabinet it goes.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 18, 2019 23:16:43 GMT
Wow, how big is your closet? That’s a LOT! I had custom built in shelving installed along two long walls of my basement (I would guess maybe 28 linear feet) and a full long wall of my 6x9 mudroom done for less than that! We have his and hers walk in closets. I think DH’s is 5X 10 and mine is approximately 9X10. I didn’t like the looks of elfa. With Ikea, I was getting the wood look with lot of freedom for customizing. Also, I think pax has a sale now(not sure if it is still on) I’m not a fan of the wire stuff either, that’s what we pulled out of our mudroom. (There was the Rubbermaid wire shelving junk in there when we moved in.) My shelf guy built all of ours custom with I think 5/8” thick, heavy duty laminated wood panels. It almost exactly matches the cherry cabinetry in the adjacent kitchen. We put square cubbies all up the right side floor to almost ceiling, wider storage shelving on the other side, a shelf across the top and a bench with space to store shoes and boots underneath in between. Above the bench on the wall we added two rows of coat hooks and it’s a thousand percent more functional than it was with the one shelf around the room with the bar for stuff on hangers. I think we paid about $1100 for the whole wall and it was worth every penny. I was really surprised it didn’t cost a lot more. At some point I want to add a second wall of floor to ceiling large shelves across the back wall of the closet that ties into the big shelves on the left side for storing our cabin totes, coolers and the small appliances we don’t use as frequently. |
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Post by groovy on Mar 18, 2019 23:50:14 GMT
Another Elfa lover. You won’t be disappointed.
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PaperAngel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,280
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Mar 19, 2019 6:43:57 GMT
Every home we've ever owned has been custom or new construction with California Closets...shelves, rods, drawers, valets, scarf holders, tie organizers, etc. We've had zero complaints & highly recommend the company!
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,992
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Post by pancakes on Mar 19, 2019 7:19:11 GMT
We also used Elfa for our master and bought during their sale period.
I think the wire shelving doesn’t look as “nice” but it is really high quality and it actually keeps your space feeling airy instead of heavy with shelving. We also needed something extremely custom since our closet has odd bump outs and one side has a sloped ceiling.
We had the store install ours, and they did a good job and did it in 10x less time than if you did it yourself. We are extremely handy people but with all the weird custom sizing we needed, it was easier to have them do it. We did end up buying a couple pieces ourselves to fit a small nook the Elfa designer neglected and my husband cut the pieces down himself and installed them after work one night.
Elfa was expensive but still less expensive than the California closets type of places.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 19, 2019 22:30:38 GMT
We also used Elfa for our master and bought during their sale period. I think the wire shelving doesn’t look as “nice” but it is really high quality and it actually keeps your space feeling airy instead of heavy with shelving. We also needed something extremely custom since our closet has odd bump outs and one side has a sloped ceiling. We had the store install ours, and they did a good job and did it in 10x less time than if you did it yourself. We are extremely handy people but with all the weird custom sizing we needed, it was easier to have them do it. We did end up buying a couple pieces ourselves to fit a small nook the Elfa designer neglected and my husband cut the pieces down himself and installed them after work one night. Elfa was expensive but still less expensive than the California closets type of places. It’s the openness that I don’t like, exposed things tend to get really dusty in my house. |
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,992
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Post by pancakes on Mar 20, 2019 0:22:56 GMT
We also used Elfa for our master and bought during their sale period. I think the wire shelving doesn’t look as “nice” but it is really high quality and it actually keeps your space feeling airy instead of heavy with shelving. We also needed something extremely custom since our closet has odd bump outs and one side has a sloped ceiling. We had the store install ours, and they did a good job and did it in 10x less time than if you did it yourself. We are extremely handy people but with all the weird custom sizing we needed, it was easier to have them do it. We did end up buying a couple pieces ourselves to fit a small nook the Elfa designer neglected and my husband cut the pieces down himself and installed them after work one night. Elfa was expensive but still less expensive than the California closets type of places. It’s the openness that I don’t like, exposed things tend to get really dusty in my house. Unless you get cabinet doors on everything, the other closet systems will get dusty, too. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 20, 2019 1:38:59 GMT
It’s the openness that I don’t like, exposed things tend to get really dusty in my house. Unless you get cabinet doors on everything, the other closet systems will get dusty, too. Or if you have drawers, or if you use bins in the cubbies. |
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Thanks in advance for input!
I also appreciated the suggestion of the valet rods, ironing board. Was considering a jewelry drawer. Appreciate all the insight! 
