If you saw our closet in Marietta, you already know we have too many clothes. Wearing the same size is truly an advantage for Kevin and I as we essentially doubled our wardrobe when we met. But with so many clothes, we needed a closet big enough to contain it all in the new house. The solution: the front sleeping porch on the second floor with approximately 150 SF (roughly 10' X 15'). So we first moved all the wardrobe boxes there, which wasn't bad for a temporary solution since you could hang and see everything.
That's what we thought until we tried to hang clothes back in the boxes after washing them. Think again! Inserting a single shirt in a cramped box without getting it wrinkled was nearly impossible. So we had to rethink our temporary solution. However, temporary in this case could mean 2 years and maybe more.
Since the walls are technically exterior stucco walls, we were hesitant to nail or screw anything to them. Therefore the solution had to be free standing and economical. I was hoping we could find metal racks from department stores. But where can you find those things at a reasonable price? So all I could think of was a metal pole with some legs. Then it came to me: plumbing pipes!!! They come in 1/2", 3/4", 1" in diameter, in all lengths, in cast iron, in galvanized steel, etc. And with so many fittings available, I am sure we could build something custom.
Off to Home Depot we go and sure enough it seems like it will work. They were a bit low on pipe supplies though. I wanted 2', 3', 4', and 8' sections. It turns out a 10' section is about the same price as a 3' or 4' section and they can cut it to length and rethread it. So I got many sections cut out of a single 10' pipe. I drew a plan, figured out the pieces I needed, and Mike from Home Depot cut it and threaded it all for me without any problems. If you intend to build a closet like this using the 1/2" diameter like we did, make sure to limit the span to 4'. After that the bar starts to sag when you hang clothes. But if you really want sections longer than 4', then just go with the 1" diameter pipes, but be aware that it is a lot more expensive than the 1/2" diameter.
I used 90 degree elbows and T connectors to build a single hanging section as well as two double hanging sections with shirts on top and pants below with still enough clearance on the floor for shoes. I also used caps for making feet to protect the hardwood floors from being scratched.
And voila our inexpensive, custom, free standing closet organization system. And when we get to doing the permanent system in a couple of years, we can always repurpose the pipes for plumbing as they were intended.
Brilliant! (OK, sorry I got carried away with this closet)
That's what we thought until we tried to hang clothes back in the boxes after washing them. Think again! Inserting a single shirt in a cramped box without getting it wrinkled was nearly impossible. So we had to rethink our temporary solution. However, temporary in this case could mean 2 years and maybe more.
Since the walls are technically exterior stucco walls, we were hesitant to nail or screw anything to them. Therefore the solution had to be free standing and economical. I was hoping we could find metal racks from department stores. But where can you find those things at a reasonable price? So all I could think of was a metal pole with some legs. Then it came to me: plumbing pipes!!! They come in 1/2", 3/4", 1" in diameter, in all lengths, in cast iron, in galvanized steel, etc. And with so many fittings available, I am sure we could build something custom.
Off to Home Depot we go and sure enough it seems like it will work. They were a bit low on pipe supplies though. I wanted 2', 3', 4', and 8' sections. It turns out a 10' section is about the same price as a 3' or 4' section and they can cut it to length and rethread it. So I got many sections cut out of a single 10' pipe. I drew a plan, figured out the pieces I needed, and Mike from Home Depot cut it and threaded it all for me without any problems. If you intend to build a closet like this using the 1/2" diameter like we did, make sure to limit the span to 4'. After that the bar starts to sag when you hang clothes. But if you really want sections longer than 4', then just go with the 1" diameter pipes, but be aware that it is a lot more expensive than the 1/2" diameter.
Then for replacing drawers and shelves, we simply used open metal shelves from Costco that we had in our garage and added some baskets. This way we can stack folded T-shirts, gym clothes, etc., while socks and underwear found a home in baskets sitting on the same open shelves.
And voila our inexpensive, custom, free standing closet organization system. And when we get to doing the permanent system in a couple of years, we can always repurpose the pipes for plumbing as they were intended.
Brilliant! (OK, sorry I got carried away with this closet)
NIce work! I'm sure this would be a hit on Pinterest.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably the best use for galvanized iron pipe I've seen. Certainly much better than using it for plumbing!
ReplyDeleteI like the "industrial" look of it. Someone might get some ideas for a loft conversion. I wouldn't be surprised to see this pop up on one of those HGTV make over shows!