Closets: Custom or California Closets

You want to cut costs but you care about the look of the interiors of your closets? Really?

scottnov, if you really want to cut costs, Home Depot or Lowe's can provide you with fully functional closets. California Closets will cost you a pretty penny and I believe you can't really customize once they're set. Container Store (the Elfa series) is a pretty good middle-of-the-road choice. Fully customizable, look sleek enough, but won't cost an arm/leg.

Highly recommend Elfa. Go to the store or call the 800 number along with the dimensions of the closet, including height. They will draft-up a drawing for you, email it to you for your revisions and tweak it as many times as you need. The customer service/design help is amazing, imo. Also, they may have a good sale going on right now, we got ours at 30% off and free installation.

I second the Container Store for a mid-priced option, but you will work harder or pay someone else to. California Closets is worth the premium if you plan to stay a while. Twelve years ago I got California Closets to design and install two closets. Recently I called to get a basket glide replaced since it wasn't operating smoothly. California Closets instead replaced two whole baskets because they no longer make the old glide. They also added two screws to each of eight drawer fronts to make them more secure. It didn't cost me anything for the repairs, and the two baskets updated the whole look of the closet. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

Elf a is nice and there are other closet people that can give you something very nice but much less expensive then California closets and custom guys.

Highly rec EasyClosets.com. They're amazing Their customer service is super helpful - call them and they will help to get the design just right.

For installation - I just had our handyman help with the harder sections - the wall brackets - and I did the rest. Did 2 closets this way. Looks just like California Closets.

Practically free, gets the job done, cheap and easy to replace/reconfigure, long URL:

http://www.homedepot.com/Storage-Organization-Shelves-Shelving-Systems-Multi-Purpose-Utility-Shelving-Wire-Shelves-Accessories-Fixed-Mount-Systems/ClosetMaid/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbcdvZd4/Ntk-All/Ntt-closet%2Bsystem/h_d2/Navigation?langId=-1&storeId=10051&Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&catalogId=10053&Nu=P_PARENT_ID&omni=c_Fixed%20Mount%20Systems

(ClosetMaid wire shelving system)

Highly recommend Creative Closets--in business long time. Used them for apartments over the last 21 years. 40% less than California Closet for EXACT same thing. Exact! They'll come for consult, and then draw plans that you can tweak before signing off on them. I think the man I worked with was "John": http://www.creativeclosets.info/