Thursday, January 10, 2013

Before and after remodel

My husband and I have been working on the house that we own in Palm Desert, CA.  We bought the house last December 2011 and spent quite a bit of time at the house discussing a kitchen remodel, re-painting, and overall fixing things up.  The house was built in 1995 and hasn't been updated since, so the house is in need of a few upgrades.

The first upgrade that we decided to do was the master bedroom closet.  We went to various closet designers such as Closet World and found them quite expensive.  Then I went to The Container Store as they have the Elfa closet storage system.  I gave the Container Store closet designer the dimensions of the master walk in closet and he drew up the design. In the end, the materials were really expensive and adding on the labor made it grossly overpriced.

Next we talked to a cabinet maker in the Palm Desert area and gave him the Elfa design.  After discussing price and materials, we decided to give the contractor a try, gave him the keys to the house and off he went. When we returned to the house over the Thanksgiving weekend, the closet installation had begun, but wasn't finished.  My husband, who is a structural engineer and is very type "A" on details could see all the errors where I was "oh, this is going to look so nice".. lol.   My husband met with the contractor, went over a few details and by the time we went back to the house in December the closet remodel was still unfinished.  My husband ended up finishing the detail work and deducted the amount from the invoice.  Needless to say, we won't use this contractor to do future work such as a kitchen remodel or bathroom remodel, but we were glad that it was only a small job and the end result turned out great.

Here is a picture of the master bedroom walk in closet before the renovation:

master bedroom closet before remodel
Master bedroom closet, before remodel (real estate photo)

And the finished walk in closet remodel:

Remodeled closet left side. 



The angle of the photo is a bit crooked.  I don't have a wide angle lens for my camera and had to take the photos in two parts. The left side of the closet has a spot for longer hanging items such as coats and dresses behind the door.  There are also shelves for purses, four deep drawers, and a slanted shelf for shoes.  At the back of the closet is a built in dresser. 

remodeled closet right side
Remodeled closet right side
The right side of the closet has much of the same: four drawers, slanted shoe shelf, and four sections to hang clothing.

I love the closet remodel.  I think it came out great!  I'm now wondering if the rug doesn't really belong in this closet.  I am considering a zebra print rug.  What do you think?

Cheers,
Monica
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47 comments:

  1. Boy I wish I had a closet like that! Your a lucky Gal!

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    1. Yes, but now I can't afford the clothing to fill the closet .. lol.

      Monica.

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  2. Looks beautiful! Love the way you arranged the vanity, it's making the closet look bigger. :)

    Sarah
    PrettyGloss - makeup, beauty & a lil gibberish

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    1. Hi Sarah,

      Thanks .. it's the same size of course, but I guess the white also makes the space look larger as well.

      Monica.

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  3. Replies

    1. Hi Joanna,

      Mine too :-) I've waited a long time for a closet like this.

      Monica.

      Delete
  4. Replies

    1. Hi Alyssa,

      Thanks for stopping by! I think if we left the finishing work to the contractor - it wouldn't have looked so nice. My husband can be a pain in the butt, but he has a great eye for detail.

      Monica.

      Delete

  5. I want that closet! You are sooo lucky! It's huge & gorgeous!

    xo Michelle

    Fierce & Fashionable

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi Michelle,

      I've wanted a closet like this .. forever :-)

      Monica.

      Delete

  6. Hey Monica!

    As much as I love how sleek Elfa is...it's true..SO overpriced!!

    But I love what you've done with the closet! :D It's roomy and most importantly organized ;)

    Lmao, maybe I should have done a post about my mini-closet renovation too :p

    I agree though, a zebra print carpet would be cute!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi!

      Yes, you should do a post on your mini-closet renovation! This closet is my first ever large closet, but many people have small closets and can benefit from what you did and how you organize your stuff. Go for it!

      Monica.

      Delete

    2. Oh that's true!

      I just...need to clear out my closet first LOL

      But this will be written down as another post idea! :D

      Delete

  7. I love it!! So organized too. I think a zebra print would be awesome - it would really spruce it up!

    -FashionEdible
    http://fashionedible.blogspot.com

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    1. Funny .. I started my zebra rug search and didn't like anything :-P .. so now I'm looking for something more contemporary.

      Monica.

      Delete

  8. right now we are in the process of looking for a house too so this made me so excited. so happy for you the whole process is so fun and exciting and prob. pretty tough with al the remodeling! the closet looks so amazing what a fantastic change. xx. gigi, www.gigikkitchen.blogspot.com

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    Replies

    1. I think looking for a house at first is fun, but then it becomes a chore especially when you're looking for your exact wish list items - and can't quite find the perfect match.

      Look at houses above, below, and in-between your budget to get the best idea of how what you can get for your dollar.

      Monica.

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  9. Your new closet is so pretty! And I know all about the A-type personalities, my husband is an electrical engineer and after 26yrs of marriage, i've learned how to ignore him. How do you like Palm Desert? We go to Palm Springs for birthdays, it's a trek from LA but I love stopping by the outlets.

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    1. My husband and I have been going to Palm Springs for years, so we decided to buy a house there. I haven't been to the outlet mall at Cabazon for a while. It's a 30-45 min drive from Palm Desert, but yes .. a GREAT place to shop.

      El Paseo in Palm Desert is another good place to shop .. high end, but still fun :-)

      Monica

      Delete

  10. Omg, you new closet is great! My closet is so tiny that it gets on my nerves! lol.
    The cebra print carpet would look great, or also any one in a bright colour like pink or bright blue :)

    Maria C
    http://shoesandgloss.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Yes, now thinking zebra will be too plain .. maybe a contemporary rug with brighter colors against the white? We'll see :-)

      Monica.

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    2. Exactly! You got my point :D Have a nice weekend!

      Delete

  11. Oh how I DREAM of one day having a large walk in closet!! I stalk pinterest for future walk-in closet designs, lol! I think a bright colored rug would look lovely with all the white! Or maybe a fun chevron print...

    www.darlingprepster.blogspot.com

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    Replies

    1. I know, I can't decide on the rug .. but know the blue one isn't quite right. I'll keep looking :-)

      Monica

      Delete

  12. From one pear-shaped gal to another: definitely a zebra-print rug!!! The closet is somewhere you can be daring and fun...it's like your own little secret that perks you up while dressing for the day. :)
    Thanks for sharing these photos: I'm working on decorating my new apartment right now, so I'm rabid to get ideas!

    xoxox
    theefface.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hi Caitlin,

      Thanks for stopping by - I left a note on your blog :-)

      Monica

      Delete

  13. Oh, it's great! I would love to do things like this in my apartment but I keep telling myself I'm only there temporarily! It turned out amazing! Congrats Monica!

    katiechamel.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Katie,

      I probably wouldn't do much with an apartment either. I do more decorative things than built in :-)

      Monica

      Delete

  14. SO awesome! So awesome that you have such a huge closet! One day, if I ever have a house, I'm going for something like this too.

    http://lasaloperie.blogspot.com.br/

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    1. Hi Isa,

      It took me a long time to get a closet like this ;-)

      Hey, I sure did like those cute mouse shoes that you posted on your blog .. too cute!

      Monica
      www.pear-shaped-gal.com

      Delete

  15. Great closet! Mine is more stark. I just have one painting of the Cuban Virgin Mary.

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    1. Sounds like an interesting painting to have in a closet :-)

      Monica

      Delete

  16. Ugh I would die for that closet!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hi Lissy,

      It is my first large walk in closet. I'm still in awe when I open the closet door :-)

      Monica.

      Delete

  17. I love your closet! Is it full yet?

    www.monicainheels.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Monica,

      The closet is quite empty. This is our second home so not keeping too much stuff there, but I'm sure the closet will fill up over time.

      Monica

      Delete

  18. Lucky gal!! I am jealous you get a walk in closet like that .. I think thats every girls dream?! My dream is to have a big one with a leopard print rug and a large chandelier! (lavish much!? LOL)

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    1. Hi Lauren,

      Thanks for stopping by .. I think a chandelier in a closet would be divine! I have a florescent light .. oh, well we can dream :-)

      Monica

      Delete

  19. Congrats on your great new closet! I would love something like this for my home. Right now, NO closet, only some bins (no drawers, I know- how beastly!) and some space for dresses in my boyfriends' closet. Soon, a rolling rack, but for now, I'm uncivilized.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Hi Bella,

      What ever works for you, right? My husband never had a dresser, he use to stack his clothing on a book shelf ;-)

      Monica

      Delete

  20. Your new closet makes me drool! I love it--and your blog. Thanks for letting us sneak a peek.

    Crystal
    http://dressedherdaysvintage.com

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    Replies

    1. Hi Crystal,

      thanks for stopping by :-) The closet is really wonderful. I pretty much enjoy just standing in it :-)

      Monica.

      Delete

  21. Oooh! Such an awesome closet. I have to keep everything on a free standing clothing rack because my closet is only big enough to fit the DH's clothes. ;P Tiny closet!

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    Replies

    1. Hi Megan,

      thanks for stopping by! I left a comment for you on your blog :-)

      Monica

      Delete

  22. Nice post, After remodeling your bathroom closet is looking nice and it is very open now and looking very big.All the things are properly maintained in showcases.I read all comments of your post and all people like this.Thanks for sharing.

    Birmingham Bathroom remodeling

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    Replies

    1. Hi Steven,

      Thanks for stopping by. Luckily, my husband is an engineer and so he was able to draw up the initial plans and then the contractors went to work.

      Monica.

      Delete

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