Closet makeover for under $50

So, I've finally tackled a project that I've been saying I'll get around to for months! Our 1960's home lacks all functional storage, so it felt like a no brainer to do some reorganization in our master closet (and by master I mean my closet ;)). I've been pricing for some time closet organization kits like the ones made by closetmaid, but being the tightwad that I am knew there had to be a cheaper alternative. Que the Angels. Target pulls through again with a $30 bookcase!y

First, I started by assessing my situation. My before closet had so much wasted space at the top and bottom and not enough rod space. So, immediately I knew I needed three rods. Two on one side of the bookcase and one rod on the other side for longer clothes storage such as coats and dresses.

Next came demo. I wanted to salvage as much as possible, so here was my agenda.
1. Reuse shelf
2. Reuse rod
3. Reuse wood shelf support pieces

This alone cut my costs tremendously. Once the closet was gutted, I slapped on a coat of paint to finally match the bedroom that's been painted for two years. I then tackled assembling the bookcase, which only took all of 20 minutes (once you've mastered an IKEA dresser that took 5 hours to assemble, Target furniture feels like a breeze!). Next, I rough fitted the bookcase in the closet. I had to use a saw and remove quarter round moulding around my floors for the bookcase to sit closer to the wall. Once the bookcase location was decided and level, I located studs and secured it to the wall with L brackets on the underside of the two stationary shelves (non removable ones).

From this point, I moved on to reinstalling the shelf. The previous shelf support piece was one continuous piece of wood, but I had to cut it down and end it at the sides of the bookcase to prevent distance between the bookcase and wall. I leveled out the support pieces and renailed them into place. Next, I put the shelf back into place securing with nails. I had some trim laying around in my garage that I nailed along the shelf front to hide the small gap between the pre existing shelf and the Target bookcase. This worked like a charm.

Next, I installed the rod hardware. These come in a variety of finishes from wood to metal. Use existing if possible, but my rods had attached mounting hardware which had to be cut off using a rod cutting tool in order to salvage the rods. Be sure to use a clothes hanger as reference for depth of rod mounting. For the side of the closet with two rods, I fully installed the top rod before installing the bottom so that an item of clothing on a hanger could be a height reference for the bottom rod. Next, using a rod cutting tool, cut down rods to fit between your rod mounting hardware. Repeat process for all rods. Once finished, step back and enjoy the maximum use of space!

Breakdown of supplies and cost:
Target bookcase- $30
Shelf and supports- Used existing, free
Rods- Used existing, free
L brackets- Already owed, free
Rod mounting hardware- $2.50 a set x 3
Trim- Already owed, free
Paint- Already owed, free
Pipe cutting tool- $10

Wall color is Cathedral Gray by Behr and shelf/trim color is Polar Bear by Behr.

One more topic I should touch on is the use of curtains instead of closet doors. This is my personal preference as I enjoy much more the ability to see all of the clothes at once verses opening one side then having to open the other. Don't worry, the closet doors are stored away safe for reinstallation upon moving :)