Closet Mini-Reno

Old houses don't have big closets. Which is fine, we don't have a ton of clothes. Plus, having a small closet helps keep you from accumulating too much crap.

However, since we moved in 5 years ago, the closet organization has gotten worse year by year. Instead of shelves, we had expandable Ikea hanging pockets. Which is a great temporary solution. But when they are full and you try to put your clothes away, they swing and belch clothing all over the floor. Which is INFURIATING when you have just washed and neatly folded everything. I know what you're thinking - this is a First World Problem, and I'm complaining about it too much, and you are correct! However, good feng shui and smart design make for a harmonious life - you might as well have this concept work in your favor.

The accordion shelves were attached to a hanging rack that was lightly screwed into the drywall. A couple of weeks ago, the dog and I heard a loud "thump!" in the bedroom. We investigated, but couldn't see anything, thought it must have been the neighborhood skunks having a party. But a couple hours later, opening the closet revealed that the rack the accordion shelves was attached to had fallen out of the drywall, leaving a nasty scar in the closet wall and dumping our clothes all over the floor. Crap. Something had to be done.

The Mrs. and I asked for an alternative Christmas present from my dad this year - new closet shelves! The gift that keeps on giving. And he came through with fantastic incense cedar shelves. What followed the new shelf installation was 2 whole days of going through clothes and accessories, creating piles to toss, donate, and keep. Plus, more measuring was in order to acquire shelving systems for the shoes and a new hamper system. Multiple trips to Target, Bed Bath & Beyond in the rain made for a less than fun weekend.

However, it was all worth it! Life has improved immensely, and we no longer fear going into the closet! (insert coming out of the closet joke here).

Making the Manor a little less "Open Air"

On the porch side of the house is a historical period window, most likely original to the 1906 build. Although quaint and rustic, it's drafty as sh*t. I'm not in a hurry to replace it, because someday that whole wall and the windows on it are going to be deomolished during the Porch Extension project. We're at least a couple years out from that, though - and in the meantime, the window needs a little help.

A couple years ago we did the shrinkwrap interior plastic cover. The window's too big for that to really work, and within a couple weeks we had a busted plastic wrapper taped to the inside of the window (classy!).

So after looking around online and locally, we settled on a slightly more robust version of the shrinkwrap - a $60 "storm window" from Pierson's. It has a nice metal frame and fits perfectly.. but it's still basically thick plastic. We installed it and caulked it thoroughly.

We're having the first of many winter storms roll in tonight - we'll see how it does!