You’ve closed on your new home.
You’ve unloaded the moving truck. Now you’re standing in your living room surrounded by boxes, ugly carpet, and old fashioned wood paneling. You’re thinking, “Where should I even start with renovations?”
Light fixtures? The kitchen? New furniture?
No!
Start by replacing your closet space. Homeowners who replace their closets early on in the renovation process avoid burnout and enjoy the remodeling journey more than homeowners who procrastinate on their closets.
Here’s why.
01 Motivate Yourself for the Rest of Your Renovations
It takes an average of six to eight weeks to complete a kitchen renovation. Sometimes it takes even longer. Anyone who’s done a kitchen renovation before knows that kitchens require a large amount of active labor. Whether you complete the project yourself or hire a contractor, you’re looking at two months of hammering, sawing, and other loud noises.
However, it typically takes one day for a company to install a walk-in closet. That’s a short amount of time to see enormous results. It’s like a diet. Once you see that belly flatten, you become even more motivated to achieve your goals.
When it feels like you can’t stand another day of contractors, just take a look at your new closet and think, “Soon my kitchen will look like this.” Visualize just how perfect the rest of your house will be!
02 Avoid Exhaustion Limbo
Too many homeowners get stuck in renovation limbo. They put all of their early effort into remodeling highly visible spaces. They repaint the living room, remodel the master bath, and install new cabinets and granite countertops in the kitchen. By the time they get to the smaller spaces like closets, they’ve burned out.
It’s just so easy to close the closet door and ignore the problem. This is what we call exhaustion limbo.
That’s a big mistake! We often notice that “out of sight, out of mind” projects can hang over homeowners’ heads for years. Don’t make this mistake. Do you want to feel anxious every time you open your closet? Of course not.
Instead, renovate your closet at the beginning of your remodel, which is when you have the most motivation. Your kitchen and living spaces are such major areas that you’ll get to them eventually. The little projects left undone can become the greatest sources of stress.
03 Start Your Days Relaxed and Unstressed
Renovations are stressful. Home just doesn’t feel like home. Your favorite couch is covered with a painter’s sheet and you order out every night because your kitchen counter is covered in dust and power tools.
But with a remodeled closet, you wake up and immediately see your wardrobe organized and ready. With so much chaos around you, you’ll want to maintain a morning routine. Fresh and energized, you can then emerge from your bedroom ready to conquer the day’s tasks.
04 Make Sure Your Closet Remains a Functional Space
Every new homeowner is tempted, post move-in, to use their closet as storage space. Often the only things being stored are cardboard boxes full of knick knacks and photo albums. You tell yourself you’ll unpack them eventually… a dangerous mindset.
Remember what a closet is for. It’s for storing, accessing, and using the things you love and need every single day.
Do you use boxes everyday? No. You use shoes, shirts, and pants. You use the items stored in those boxes. When your favorite outfits aren’t accessible, you’re defeating the purpose of your closet.
Easy fix. Remodel and organize your closet first. Boxes can stay in unfinished rooms until they’re
ready to be unpacked. Besides keeping your closet tidy, this strategy ensures you won’t end up with sealed moving boxes ten years down the road.
05 Don’t Unpack Twice
This point relates to what we said about letting your closet become a storage space. Let’s say you throw inessential items into your closet after you move in. As we’ve mentioned, this can become an eyesore and headache.
But maybe you really do want to upgrade your closet. Guess what. You’ll have to unload your closet again. Those boxes have to find a new place to live. That’s a whole afternoon of work that you could have avoided if you’d only remodeled your closet first.