Wasted Spaces

I love basically any show on the DIY network, HGTV or the property shows on TLC. I could waste days watching renovation shows, decorating shows and house flipping shows, especially the ones where the people are complete idiots and you wonder why any bank lent them money to buy a $400,000 fixer upper when they have no discernible means of paying to actually fix it up! That's quality programming right there!

I think it's DIY that has a show called "Wasted Spaces". They have a carpenter/host who shows people how to tap into wasted space in their house for additional storage. That is exactly the task at hand for my husband while Andy and I are living it up in this retirement community for the week! There is a good size chunk of space under our stairs that is just being wasted. I've decided that it's the perfect place to store my Christmas bins. My husband is going to cut an access door into the back of our coat closet so that we can utilize that space.

I think it's kind of crazy how much space is not utilized in new homes today. I look at the house my Grandfather built, that my Mom grew up in and I grew up in (from 8th grade on) and there were so many built-in shelves, extra closets and storage spaces. Every available space was used. I look at the house my husband and I just moved into, which was built new by a cookie cutter builder, and there is absolutely no creative customization. I know that the name of the game these days is to do whatever is cheapest so that the developer and builder can make the most money, but it just rubs me the wrong way. I do really miss living in our 1920 four square fixer upper. It just had so much character! Living in that kind of house is not an option where we live now, so I'm trying to figure out how to add character to our basic builder house. Not an easy task for sure!

Before I left I cleaned out the coat closet. It had a bunch of stuff piled on the floor. I only took a before picture and not an after. Basically the closet is empty now. My husband needs to finish putting the hardwoods in there and then bust through that back wall and into the space under the stairs. Thanks honey!!

The only surprise I found while cleaning was a container of mixed vegetables in a lunch pack I had packed for my son. I'm not even going to attempt to date it! I didn't see any fuzzy mold growing, but it was all kind of floating in a cream like substance, and I KNOW when I made it that it wasn't creamed!

I also took our old vacuum that was in there to Goodwill along with the bags that went with it. That felt good! I keep telling myself that I'm making progress one closet at a time! Eventually I'll have to get to the point where I will tackle whole rooms, right? And maybe, someday, the garage!