How to design a functional walk-in closet

How many times have you stumbled into your closet in the morning agonizing over what to wear? With a well-planned and designed closet, your mornings will go a lot smoother.

When your closet is intuitive and easy to use, it’s less tempting to toss clothes onto a chair or leave them piled up in the laundry basket for days on end.

Think about clothing stores. New items are nicely organized and spread out under pleasing lighting. Sale items, however, are often stuffed into a small space in the corner, making it tricky to spot a nice piece of clothing or items that match. It’s the same in our home closets. When we organize with care, it’s easier to pull together a great outfit.

When you’re starting from a clean slate, follow these tips for designing a functional walk-in closet:

1. Hanging

Placing your clothes on hangers keeps them wrinkle free and makes them more visible and approachable. Consider hanging most of your clothes, except ones made from stretchy materials, which should be folded.

Make clothing rods adjustable to double the hanging space and divide hanging areas by sections that are each about three feet wide. For example, divide clothing by type (i.e. sweaters, shirts, and dresses), by how often you wear them, by color, or by any other way that makes sense to you.

Avoid wire hangers. They can damage clothes by causing irreversible stretch marks. Hangers are designed to mimic our shoulder line; wire hangers are just too thin.

Allow about 65% of your closet for high and double hanging.

TIP: Stackable hangers are great space savers!

2. Shelving

Above your hanging areas, add shelves for folded items. Fold all of your knitwear. If you have space, you can also fold casual clothes made from durable fabrics like jeans or corduroy.

Design shelving by the entrance to your closet. That gives the closet a more open and airy feeling. Shelving is great for large accessories like handbags or shoes. Slanted, open shelving makes it easier to select and put away shoes.

Make sure you have a good lighting source that lets you see inside shelves. We like to install three types of lighting in custom closets: ceiling lights for general lighting, a chandelier above an island (if a closet is large enough) for an ambient lighting, and strip LED lighting under each shelf as task lighting.

Allow about 25% of your closet for shelving.

TIP: Top shelves are great for seldom-used items like hats, luggage, or seasonal clothes.

3. Drawers

Drawers add a lot of cost to your custom closet and they take up space. If you’re on a budget or working with a small space, skip the drawers.

Otherwise, make them a focal point of your closet by placing them in the center or in a chest style in front of the entrance. Drawers are great for storing small accessories. Use dividers to keep your jewelry, scarves, or ties neatly organized.

Drawers will take up the remaining 10% of your closet space. If you decide to forgo drawers, divide that 10% between hanging and shelving space.

TIP:  Avoid drawers in closet corners; use hanging instead to eliminate dead spots.

What we learned from working with contractors

Houston’s floods the last few years have taught us a lot about best practices for new builds and renovations in our area. Unfortunately, the floods have also dredged up inexperienced and sometimes unscrupulous contractors and subcontractors who’ve taken advantage of people affected by the flooding.

Two years after Hurricane Harvey, complaints about contractors and builders are ongoing and have been well documented in the news. After the flooding, a lot of people saw new opportunities and jumped into the field regardless of their experience. As a result, we still meet heartbroken people that trusted their contractors or subcontractors and were shocked to be abandoned mid-project, get substandard work, or have contractors just take off with their money. It’s a situation that’s left a lot people out a good deal of money and with little trust now for contractors.

In Texas, a builder or a contractor doesn’t have to be a licensed professional. That makes it hard to prevent unprofessional contractors from continuing to work, even after they’ve wronged multiple clients. It’s as easy as changing their phone number or their business name, and soon another client will be in the same unfortunate situation.

Of course, nobody can trust in anyone 100%, and there are force major events—ones that are just unforeseeable. But, by being careful and looking for a trusted contractor or builder with experience, you can help avoid getting taken advantage of.

We know first-hand how stressful the building or remodeling process can be, with its array of decisions and the big costs involved. Choosing a responsible and a reliable contractor or builder will make the process much smoother and less stressful.

We went through the process of picking sub-contractors for our business and we learned lessons that can also be applied to choosing a great contractor or builder. As you embark on your project, consider the following:

1. Get a referral. References are crucial when looking for a contractor. A beautiful website and number of years in the business aren’t enough. Your decision can’t be built solely on these factors, especially when faced with charismatic salesmen who often have great negotiating skills. Best of all is a reference from someone you know—a friend, family member, or a neighbor. When that’s not possible, check reviews. Don’t just skim to see how many positive and negative ones there are, read the full reviews. Also, unfortunately in today’s day and age, fake reviews are common. Businesses can even buy fake reviews. Be wary of reviews with tons of grammatical mistakes—many fake reviewers are based on foreign countries—and a sudden addition of positive reviews.

2. Be smart about payments. We learned that when a subcontractor asks for money for materials, unless you know them very well, offer to buy the materials yourself or pay the subcontractor when they deliver the materials to your property. This lesson can be applied to choosing a contractor as well. Know that if you’re a new client, an experienced and responsible contractor won’t ask you for a down payment on your first project. You should be able to pay the first installment once they’ve completed a portion of the work.

3. Make sure progress matches money paid. As your project progresses, try to make sure your level of payment and the level of progress your contractor has made is about equal. As the contractor invoices you, make sure invoices are for work completed. If part of the project is only halfway done, you should only pay for half.

4. Wait for the final payment. As you reach the 80% mark on payments, your contractor will have covered all of their costs. To complete the project, they should remain incentivized, so only make the next and final payment at project completion.

5. Push for a solid contract. A successful project starts with a detailed contract. It will help you avoid any misunderstandings as your project gets underway. Most contracts cost more to litigate than the cost of building or renovating, so in most cases it doesn’t make sense to hire a lawyer to draft one. Instead, work with your contractor to create a clear document outlining both of your obligations. Describe your project’s scope, payments and termination terms in detail.

We’ve found that subcontractors who are proud of their job are keepers. That also applies to contractors. Find one who takes pride in their work and you’ll be well on your way to having an enjoyable homebuilding experience.

Best Neighborhoods in Houston: Why buy now in Meyerland and Bellaire?

For many years, the lofty prices of older homes in Meyerland and Bellaire have been a barrier for people interested in building new homes in the area.

But that’s all changed in recent years. In 2015, 2016 and 2018, Meyerland and Bellaire were hit by three major floods, leaving many homes for sale at lot value. At the same time, the Harris County Flood District has embarked on an aggressive infrastructure project to protect the area from future flood damage. 

With the risk of future flooding low, residents have been rebuilding or raising their homes. For people looking to sell their damaged homes, it’s often at a discount. As new construction ramps up in the area, home values will inevitably rise—and drastically—with demand increasing due to the limited supply of available lots. Now is a rare opportunity to invest in one of Houston’s most desirable neighborhoods at a fraction of the cost. 

Over the next several years, the neighborhoods will continue to evolve. As more and more young families move in to take advantage of the area’s top-notch schools, you’ll see more children riding their bikes through streets and playing in cul-de-sacs. Meyerland and Bellaire will continue to thrive, as families from Houston and beyond flock to the safe, central and diverse communities.