Fitting In: A Place for Everything

If you are a typical homeowner, you probably are forever trying to find more storage space for an increasing number of possessions.

The first step to making more space is to throw out the things you never or rarely use. After that, you can look for nooks and crannies that, with a bit of ingenuity, can accommodate items you keep.

Here are some tips:

Short on closet space? If you have an attic, you can install a wooden rod or metal pipe between rafters for hanging out-of-season clothing in garment bags. Use pipe straps or pipe clamps to secure the rod to the rafters.

You can also make shelves under eaves. Use 2-by-3s to support the shelves. Run 2-by-3 uprights vertically between the rafters and the joists or floor. Then run 2-by-3 supports horizontally from the uprights to the rafters. Cut three-quarter-inch plywood to size for the shelves.

Even a narrow hall may have space for shelves. Line a wall from floor to ceiling with shallow shelves for paperbacks or for a collection of figurines or other knickknacks.

Construct a storage loft across the end of the hall. Use it for luggage and other lightweight items that are used only occasionally.

Build a roll-out bin, a simple plywood box on casters to fit under the front edge of a stairway. To cut out the front and back of the bin, trace the slope of the stairway on a piece of cardboard and use it as a pattern for marking three-quarter-inch plywood. Assemble it with drywall screws and carpenter’s glue. Reinforce the interior corners with three-quarter-inch molding.

You can also fill the space under stairs with shelves. Support the shelves at the stair ends with stepped vertical pieces. Use the space behind the shelves as a closet.

Where there are closets under stairways, install a small shelf under each step for storing small articles.

You can also install a shelf just above the sink. It will give you a handy dry place for cosmetics and toiletries. Place it high enough so it doesn’t interfere with turning the water on and off.

Fill unused space around a toilet with combination shelves and towel bars in a ladder arrangement. Leave space above the tank to take the top off.

Most children have trouble putting away toys. Your toddler will clean up with less fuss if you provide roomy catchall storage bins. For quick, inexpensive bins, cover cardboard boxes with self-adhesive paper. To encourage neatness, label the boxes with pictures of what’s supposed to go into them. Replace them when they become tattered. As your child gets older, keep playthings on shelves; they permit a toy to be found without rummaging.

To put your child’s clothes within reach, add a lower rod in the closet. Install 1-by-4 cleats on either side of the closet and mount sockets for a new rod on them. You can also simply suspend the rod on chains from the higher rod. Use the upper rod for out-of-season wear.

Use the same idea in one section of your own closet. Install two rods, one three or four feet above the other. Hang short items like shirts and skirts on them.

Suspend wire shower curtain hooks from the rods to hold belts, purses and scarves. Attach hooks, towel racks or shoe bags to the closet walls or door for miscellaneous items.

Store frequently used items in clear plastic boxes or wire baskets on closet shelves.