Good quality custom closets on a budget?

[jerseygirl07067]

I am redoing my 13 y/o DD's room. We want to make her closet more functional by putting small drawers in the center and then a long rod on one side for and short rods on the other side. Her closet is only 56 inches long x 24 inches deep,, and runs pretty high, up to the ceiling which is 9 foot 4. The space at the top will be for storage as it is hard to access on a regular basis.

Since she wants to get rid of her dresser and use the drawers in the closet for her underwear and socks and things like that so they need to be super durable, since they will be used on a daily basis.

I know there's Elfa, Closetmaid, etc. I would do the install myself to save on cost, rather than going with one of those companies like California Closets. The most important thing is that the drawers are super durable, so they don't come off the track, and that they store a lot. I know sometimes the laminate drawers don't have as much actual drawer space in them. We need to maximize the space as much as possible.

Thanks in advance for the recommendations!

[gymnbomb]

I have the basic white wire Elfa in my closet. I use the drawers for underwear and pajamas, some of them are loaded pretty full and they get used on a daily basis and have held up really well. I have since put Elfa in the guest room closet and the door of a closet in the kitchen. If I didn’t plan to move in the next few years I would put it in every closet in my house. I only buy it when it is 30% off, and DH and I install it ourselves.


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[candaceb]

Here's an older thread on the topic where I gave my input:
http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/sho...48#post4231548

[AnnieW625]

My parents put a Rubbermaid “elfa like” closet (I think they got it from Home Depot or True Value) in my room when I was 16, and I am almost 41 (so it is 25 years old now) and it still going strong (I think my mom uses it for her sewing stuff now that my sister and I have moved out).

ETA: we have Elfa in DD1’s room and it is 9 years old and we are happy with it. We bought it during the 30% off sale plus there was some crazy additional 25% off coupon from Oprah (that I learned about here) so we got a great deal on it. I would do either Elfa or Rubbermaid depending on what I wanted and cost.


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[MommyAllison]

Here's an older thread on the topic where I gave my input:
http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/sho...48#post4231548

That was my thread, and I was going to link to candaceb's post there too! The link she posted there is super helpful in comparing different systems, and like she suggests in her post, you can mix and match some brands. We ended up doing Rubbermaid closet systems (from candaceb's second link) in all of our bedroom closets and love love love them. We didn't end up doing any drawers so far, instead we bought some small bins for small items like socks, unders, swimsuits, long underwear and put them on the shelves. We were able to get rid of all of our dressers, and DH and I have pared down our wardrobe enough that everything (in-season) fits in our 60" reach in closet, which is practically a miracle. It definitely has maximized the closet space and being able to customize and easily change each closet whenever our needs change is so great!

[hillview]

I've been very happy with Elfa

[marymoo86]

DH won't install anything but Elfa. It's super easy. He HATED the Rubbermaid we had in our old house. He put in 2 closets in our DD2s room in less time than it took him to do 1 closet in the old house. I'm sure Rubbermaid/Closet Maid is fine to use - we did but I just love Elfa so much more.

We do buy during the 30% sales.

[legaleagle]

Another elfa fan! If you don't want to wait until the winter 30% off they usually have 25% off in August/September on at least some of the components.

[jerseygirl07067]

Thank you everyone! This thread has been very helpful. I went to go look at Lowe's and Home Depot today and unfortunately both only have ClosetMaid and very little Rubbermaid.

I do have a question, because our closet is so small, it's only 56 in wide, I was probably going to go with the 18 inch wide drawers so we would have more hanging space on the side versus the 24 inch drawers. I believe that size is only available with Elfa, correct? From what I could see the Rubbermaid and ClosetMaid drawers were about 24 in wide. Please correct me if I am wrong.

So what I will probably do, is install the Rubbermaid system to save money on the horizontal and vertical racks, but make sure to install it with the appropriate spacing to accommodate the Elfa drawers.

I just called our local Container Store and she said they do not go on sale again until September 30th. I don't want to wait that long!

So do you think the Elfa drawers are much more durable than the Rubbermaid?

[teresah00]

http://realmod.blogspot.com/2014/05/...s-elfa-vs.html

I bought one Elfa closet off CL, then decided to try Rubbermaid to save money. It’s ok, but I want to tear it out and get Elfa. DH didn’t listen and screwed it in at the wrong spot so I couldn’t try thr Elfa drawers. I don’t like how the shelving is meant to overlap. It’s a pain to reposition. I wish the shelves were deeper.

I’ve since bought another closet from CL and purchased two more on 30%off from The container store.