primitives discuss storage, shelving

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11582911

Oh my.

Primitives must be downsizing because their 0bamessiah's a bust.

villager (20,400 posts)    Sat Mar 15, 2014, 01:12 AM

Shelving / Storage solutions in small-ish space?

hey -- after all these years, I think this may be my first post in this group!

In any case, I've downsized from a "house house" to a "guest house" -- less room in a leafier neighborhood, but my nest was emptying anyway...
 
Still, despite giving away lots of books, and stuff, there is still.. well, books & stuff. Mementos from my boys (when they were boys), recently departed dad, etc.
 
In any case, I need to figure out more shelving solutions. I moved last fall, and still have boxes that remain undealt with because there is nowhere for the "stuff" to go...
 
I have reasonable latitude here about affixing stuff to walls, if need be...

What are some of the favorite shelf solutions for the group?

        (57,890 posts)    Sat Mar 15, 2014, 01:21 AM

1. Think about the way sailboats are designed: no space wasted.

I'm also moving into a small place, just 430 square feet.

For starters, the bed will be high with storage underneath. If I had more ceiling height, it would be way off the floor with office space underneath, but it's not.
 
A lot of seating also has storage built in, and what seating you buy doesn't have to be as big as many pieces are.
 
Organize organize organize, and hang things where you can and use every clever spot you can find, like the inside of closet and cabinet doors.
 
But the biggest thing that helps, I find, is just having less "stuff"!

villager (20,400 posts)    Sat Mar 15, 2014, 01:38 AM

2. All good points, thanks! And since we're jawing amiably...

... since the subject ain't guns , I admire the 430 sq. foot move. Is it a mini-house?
 
In a way, not having quite anticipated this move a few months ago, this small/mid-size guest house becomes a kind of "practice" for even smaller space living, which I've thought of, off-grid and all, for when the nest is really cleared.
 
Though there's the when-the-boys-come-to-visit piece of the puzzle.

Still, even thinking of my bed, you're right -- I don't have narrow, wide bins to slide under there. Yet. That alone would help with some storage....

        (57,890 posts)    Sat Mar 15, 2014, 01:46 AM

3. Ah, the boys...

A lot of large homes have rooms that never get used, just for family or friends who rarely come.
 
I guess it's nice if you can afford to keep it up, cleaned, heated, painted, etc., but kind of sad, too.
 
Could the boys bunk it, use sleeping bags, or even camp out?

I keep a couple inflatable mattresses for such guests.

And guns--- I haven't even held one in years or fired one in the last ten or more.
 
Oh, and the new place is on the ocean, tiny cuz that's all I can afford in this town but just where I've always wanted to live.

villager (20,400 posts)    Sat Mar 15, 2014, 01:53 AM

4. Houseboat? So the boat thing isn't just a metaphor for you...

...that's what you're really moving into!

I've thought about houseboats, too, though that would something to consider if relocation out of SoCal is part of the equation...
 
And yes -- part of what was going on in the old place is that I was struggling to keep up rent on a bigger place, which I had back when my boys were boys, and with me nearly half the time.
 
And as they grew, and moved into their own lives, and I still had to deal with wacky housemates in the one sublet room in order to swing rent on the house, I started to wonder what I was doing with all that extra space, so much of the time..
 
In the meantime, I'm in this "middle sized place" now. Not sure where I'll land after this. But I figure sorting and winnowing now can only be good.
 
Especially after seeing all the stuff both my dad - -and my grandma, before that -- left behind!

        (57,890 posts)    Sat Mar 15, 2014, 02:00 AM

5. Houseboat, ha! Good guess but not quite right. And wacky housemates, I've had them, too.

Houseboats, I though I thought about it... the trouble is there aren't that many harbors along the coast and where they are, there aren't open slips.
 
Some even have waiting lists, but my cousin did buy a wooden boat at auction and it came with the slop.. Half Moon Bay.
 
Me, I bought a condo at auction that overlooks the ocean, 300 steps to the beach.
 
Only because it's tiny and only because I bought it as-is at auction was I able to afford it, and even then I'll have to rent it or my existing place to make ends meet.
 
I wouldn't trade this for anything, but downsizing from a 990 square foot two bed two bath and a shop to just a little one bed one bath condo with no shop is going to be a challenge.

villager (20,400 posts)    Sat Mar 15, 2014, 02:06 AM

6. I thought *literally* on the water!

Half Moon Bay!

Dang. Nicely done, indeed.

But: a shop! That would be a challenge! Where does a shop go!?

        (57,890 posts)   Sat Mar 15, 2014, 02:13 AM

7. An hour further South...

Half Moon Bay is chilly, but closer to the city.

Here we have more shops, more parks, more beaches all the way from Santa Cruz in the north to Monterey at the South end of the Monterey Bay crescent.
 
In between are Capitola, Soquel, Aptos, then Moss Landing and a couple towns like Seaside, then Monterey, then Carmel.
 
Nice, not overbuilt (there hasn't been enough water over the past ten years).

Coastal commission and habitat protection will keep this place pretty tranquil.

villager (20,400 posts)    Sat Mar 15, 2014, 02:17 AM

8. A great stretch of coast to be sure (well it all is)

I haven't been along any of it -- in that neck of the (red?)woods, in far too long.
 
No closer than 101, when driving between the SoCal and the Bay...

Warpy (74,861 posts)   Sat Mar 15, 2014, 03:04 AM

9. I got used to typical Boston apartments

where square footage was at a premium and I had a floor loom to house. I have never had any problem going up the walls when I ran out of floor space for normal storage. I kept things I used frequently at eye level and below, things I used less frequently up high.
 
I still use a metal grid screwed into the wall next to my stove to hang pots and pans off with S hooks. Baskets went higher since I used them less frequently. Stored food went lower, out of sight.
 
I'm down to one box from the four I shipped out here when my dad died. It's about time to go though the stuff again and pare it down again.
 
Wide shelving near the ceiling and out of the way would hold out of season clothing and the winter duvet in summer. In a cramped bathroom, it would hold extra TP, towels and bath mats.
 
I never consulted landlords about what I was screwing into their walls. I just learned how to spackle the holes so they looked pristine when I moved out. It worked.

villager (20,400 posts)    Sat Mar 15, 2014, 03:16 AM

10. Thanks, Warpy. I suspect, ultimately, I will in fact have to bore into walls, at some point

...for the requisite "verticalization" I'll need to do.

The other trick is to arrive at a "visual balance" (are we getting into Feng Shui here!?) in the place, so that too much shelving doesn't "crowd it in" too much.
 
Though I suppose the squirreled away unpacked boxes aren't helping in that regard either!

TygrBright (13,091 posts)    Sat Mar 15, 2014, 09:37 AM

11. Protip: Leave one wall unshelved.

You can get away with a lot MORE shelving on the walls you do shelve, if you leave one wall completely free of shelves, and not too crowded with pictures, art, etc. It gives the room space to "breathe."
 
Also, there are a good many inexpensive "organizer" options now that feature cupboard doors, drawer fronts, etc., and are in materials that can either be chosen in colors/finishes, or painted: Go with "closed" storage to reduce the busy-ness of storage for the unaesthetic stuff, and select lighter colors to keep the space feeling larger.
 
Then organize the open shelves with "blank" spots in them, with only a pretty thing or photo in it, to make them look less crowded.
 
There are whole websites and stores full of storage & organizing options that take advantage of unused space-- under beds, atop cabinets, behind bathroom fixtures, etc. And that can help you get every cubic inch out of "intentional" storage space like closets and cabinets.

Warpy (74,861 posts)       Sat Mar 15, 2014, 02:36 PM

12. Good tip and one I always followed without overthinking the space

Having all the walls equally encrusted means you're living in a closet, not a flat. It gets claustrophobic pretty quickly.

[JohnnyReb]

Cement blocks and old boards....skip the chicken wire.

Hey, it's a DUmmie. I figure they have as much fashion sense as I do.....none.

[obumazombie]

Cement blocks and old boards....skip the chicken wire.

Hey, it's a DUmmie. I figure they have as much fashion sense as I do.....none.

In his early career as a Social Worker, Michael Savage had just that for his apartment.
He told a story in his book about one day going with his boss to a welfare house, and his boss told him to buy the welfare tenants a couple of rooms of brand new furniture, and have it delivered.
He quit soon after.

[BattleHymn]

I admire the 430 sq. foot move. Is it a mini-house?

No, it's a tight garage.

[GOBUCKS]

I wouldn't trade this for anything, but downsizing from a 990 square foot two bed two bath and a shop to just a little one bed one bath condo with no shop is going to be a challenge.

Wow! Downsizing from 990 sq. ft.?

To 430 sq. ft.?

Skippy lives like a king.

Do the math. A dog staked out on a 12 ft. chain has more space to roam than Skippy.

Grasswipe Judy has more space.

cbayer the thread slayer, cooped up in her tiny skiff, is the only DUmmy in smaller quarters.

Skip deserves every square inch.

 

[franksolich]

No, it's a tight garage.

That is smaller (abut 20'x20') than any of the individual rooms of this house other than the bathroom.

It blows my mind, that people are willing to live like sardines just for the "privilege" of living in California or New York City.  Sure, both places have certain amenities other places lack, but are they worth it if real-esate availability and costs compel one to live in a closet?

<<<would sooner live in the Algerian Sahara with room, than in the finest place in California with no room.

Damn.

[BattleHymn]

Having all the walls equally encrusted means you're living in a closet, not a flat. It gets claustrophobic pretty quickly.

If there is one thing the DUmpster has taught me about the inside of primitive homes, it's that everything is equally encrusted.    


Think about the Lioness primitive's kitchen, or Warpy's uppityperson's filthy tub.    

[franksolich]

If there is one thing the DUmpster has taught me about the inside of primitive homes, it's that everything is equally encrusted.   

Think about the Lioness' primitive's kitchen, or Warpy's filthy tub.

I think you're thinking of the snobbish primitive, the "uppityperson" primitive, not Ms. Hindenberg.

<<<has seen the snobbish primitive's bathtub.

I'm sure that Ms. Hindenberg lives in similar squalor, but I don't believe one can at this time associate an encrusted bathtub with her.  And it might in fact be a pretty clean one, because remember, she processes fleece--she's got an unnatural obsession with sheep's-wool--in her bathtub.

[BattleHymn]

Do the math. A dog staked out on a 12 ft. chain has more space to roam than Skippy.

I did some digging into tether length regulations in blue hellholes, and they don't even expect their dogs to live in such cramped conditions. 

As an example, NYC requires a minimum tether length of 15 feet, which works out to be over 700 square feet. 



 

[BattleHymn]

I think you're thinking of the snobbish primitive, the "uppityperson" primitive, not Ms. Hindenberg.

Oh yes, you are right. 


I've got uppity's filthy tub and that photo of her sitting on her chair on my mind, and somehow crossed a wire in my brain.   

[diesel driver]

Wow! Downsizing from 990 sq. ft.?

To 430 sq. ft.?

Skippy lives like a king.

Do the math. A dog staked out on a 12 ft. chain has more space to roam than Skippy.

Grasswipe Judy has more space.

cbayer the thread slayer, cooped up in her tiny skiff, is the only DUmmy in smaller quarters.

Skip deserves every square inch.

 

440 sq.ft.

Hell, my camper has 375...and if I was living in it, which I could, I'd could change the scenery as easily as I could change my clothes. 

DUmbass villager wants to move to a SMALLER space, off-grid...          

DUmmies can't wipe their own asses without government assistance, DUmmie villager living "off-grid" will be incredibly entertaining.   

[dutch508]

440 square foot efficiency apartment.  http://www.carolinavillage.com/senior-apartments-hendersonville-nc.php

This is from a retirement community, by the way. Someplace to poke your grandma in. (ooooo... that didn't sound nice...)

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/johanna-and-xs-bright-and-cheery-home-house-tour-186418#_

A couple in Brooklyn living in a 440 sqft apartment.

http://www.feau-real-estate-paris.com/buy-details-0075-17-9637441.aspx

I like this one.

[franksolich]

No way.

Talk about not even enough room to shift one's elbow.

<<<likes elbow-room.

[GOBUCKS]

I am reminded of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's dog house.