We are heading into the first weekend after Easter, which means that it is time to kick off …
The Great Coat Closet Remodel Project! {booming echo}
For those of you who may not know, we have a closet under the stairs which I intend to remodel for use as a coat closet / tool closet. In my mind, this is going to be the most spectacular closet ever, mainly because when it is complete, it will hold coats, scarves, hats, gloves, sports equipment, tools, tool chargers, and motorcycle gear, all of which are currently strewn throughout the house, mainly in the dining room. This closet currently holds the water heater, some tools, and a bunch of home improvement junk. The water heater will stay, but everything else is getting ruthlessly minimized.
So why the big project? Why not just clean it out and install a hang bar? Well, a couple of years ago, our water heater sprung a leak and soaked everything in the closet. By the time we noticed it, there was mold and dampness everywhere, and the drywall was saturated. We cleaned up, thoroughly, with bleach, to prevent further mold, and soon after replaced the water heater as well. However, I am not comfortable storing anything in that closet, knowing that there was mold in there at one time. So we will be gutting the closet, down to the studs. It will be thoroughly cleaned, and get new drywall installed, new insulation in the outer wall, the floor refinished, new paint, a new light with a switch, and an outlet bank for charging tools. We will then install a coat hang bar and shelf, a bin for sports equipment, pegboard on the wall for hanging tools, and a utility shelf for tool storage.
The entire project will take a couple of months. Why? My husband is still in school and has limited time to work on the project until the end of the semester. And I also want to try to minimize the disruption. Plus, I am going to try to get as many of the supplies as I can from places like ReStore, and sometimes you have to check several times before you find what you need. Also, I will need frequent breaks to write about the whole thing here, so that you can rejoice / suffer along with me.
Phase 1, Moving Things Out of the Closet and Ripping Out The Drywall in The Front Part of The Closet, starts tomorrow. Stay tuned, as I will have pictures of all the nitty gritty decluttering, cleaning, wiring, drywall installation, sanding, painting, and so on.