ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, September 20, 1996 TAG: 9609200083
SECTION: FALL HOME & LANDSCAPE PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
So there you are again. It's late, and you're trying to get out of the house, but you're stuck rooting around on the floor of the closet, desperately seeking two shoes that match.
If those stacks of sneakers and piles of pumps are getting you down, it's time to get organized.
You could make do with your present closet by rearranging things on the shelves and the rod, but you know how long that lasts.
Or, you could invest in a closet-organizing system.
"Anybody can afford it and benefit from it," said Rick Gumpert, of Closet Storage Organizers in Salem.
The systems can make a big difference in a messy person's life, said Christy Nichols of Roanoke, who called them "an organized person's dream."
Gumpert worked on all of the closets in Joel and Christy Nichols' previous house and most of the closets in their present one.
"We liked it so much, it was one of the first things we did" when her family moved, she said.
Most people invest in closet storage systems because they want to get the most use out of their closets, Gumpert said.
"It makes the closets more functional and useful," Nichols said.
Each project is custom-designed, based on the space available and on the needs of the customer.
There are three ways to create closet storage, Gumpert said. Built-ins are permanent structures installed by a carpenter. Although these are usually very sturdy and can be custom-built, over time the painted wood often chips and splinters, which can damage clothes.
Ventilated shelving, which is made up of vinyl-covered wire racks, is very popular and fairly inexpensive. Therefore, it is very popular with builders, Gumpert said.
Home-improvement stores offer a variety of do-it-yourself shelving. Besides the familiar wire racks, there is the Stanley "steel plank" system, which features decorative steel components that can be cut to fit and can hold up under heavy loads.
These systems are sold individually so homeowners can design their own storage space, and they also are available in pre-packaged kits.
Gumpert said he sells a fair amount of ventilated shelving, but it has its drawbacks. Once it is installed, it can't be changed without drilling more holes in the wall.
He offers the Lee Rowan system, which Gumpert says is thicker than what most home improvement stores sell. An average cost for a 6-foot closet is around $150 to $175, he said.
Thermal-fused melamine shelving systems are "at the top end" in both quality and price, Gumpert said. These are mounted on the walls of the closet and hang off the floor, leaving more storage space below.
The sheets of melamine can be cut in several different sizes to fit.
The systems can be customized by adding drawers, hampers and baskets. Because the different components can be re-arranged, they are ideal for children's rooms, Gumpert said. They can be changed as the children grow.
Gumpert sells the Closet Classics line, which offers such extras as tie and belt racks, and a "valet" rod - a horizontal bar which can be used for hanging a garment bag or the next day's outfit.
Some of the drawers can be customized to hold jewelry and hosiery, and the shoe cubbies can store shoes in a third of space it takes to put them on shelves.
The melamine comes in white, off-white and gray. Gumpert also offers what he calls the "architectural series," which features brass hardware and raised panels on the drawers and doors. It costs about 15 to 20 percent more than the standard system, he said.
The average cost of installing a system in a 6-foot closet is around $275 to $325, Gumpert said, and all of his products come with a lifetime warranty.
California Closets, a national chain, offers a melamine wall-mounted system similar to Closet Classics, but each component is custom-built.
Their designers will go to a customer's home, measure the dimensions of the closets and cut the pieces to fit.
"We custom-cut everything," said Matthew Kraus, manager of the company's Richmond office. Sometimes, they even measure a customer's clothes to make sure they'll fit in the new space.
"We like to go in and sit down and see what they want."
For new homes, the company will work from blueprints, but can't guarantee the fit.
The shelving comes with a lifetime warranty, and can hold 600 pounds per square foot. Like the Closet Classics line, it is available with plastic, chrome or brushed metal hardware. It is available in white, almond, and a color that resembles hard-rock maple.
Kraus said an average price for a 5-foot closet is around $400, without extras such as drawers and baskets.
His system costs a little more than the others, he said, but it will "double the amount of closet space you have."
California Closets doesn't deal in ventilated shelving at all, he said. If a customer is "basing the entire decision on price," he usually steers them toward a home-improvement store.
No closet is impossible to improve, Kraus and Gumpert agreed. Even very shallow closets can be made more useful by mounting short poles on either side of the door, Kraus said.
But sometimes, if an especially long closet has a small door, the only thing to do is to knock out a wall, Gumpert said.
It cost $1,500 to do the closets in her old home, Nichols said, but she believes that when they sold the house, her family got their money's worth.
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROGER HART STAFF Closet Storage Organizers of Salemby CNBhelped Joel and Christy Nichols of Roanoke bring order to their
bedroom closet.