Storage Ideas for Every Part of Your New House

No Such Thing As Too Much Storage: 8 Areas of Your New Home That Can Cut the Clutter

 

Clutter is a fact of life for many, but it doesn’t have to be as long as you have sufficient storage space in your house. The fact that you are considering building your own home and looking at house plans for the perfect home design means that you have tons of options for storage upfront. You wont have to settle for limited storage space in a house built from a pre-drawn home plan.

 

 

 

Now is the time to think about your storage needs and ways to accommodate them in your new house. The future resale value of your home will also get a boost with ample storage space, so it’s a worthwhile investment when choosing a house plan.

 

Some initial considerations include your familys composition: are there small children or teens who play sports and so tote around equipment or dirty clothing? Or is the home a retirement home with different storage needs? Perhaps wine storage is something you want in your dream home. This article will present some ideas for areas all around the house to get the gears turning.

 

1.  Mudroom

The first thing that probably comes to mind when you think about home storage capacity is closet space, which makes it the best place to start evaluating ample storage area house plans.

 

It’s helpful to have closets near the front and rear entryways for use as coat closets for arriving guests and family members. These types of closets are a great way to keep your home more organized, as they provide a convenient and dedicated space to store hats and jackets when coming inside. They’re also wonderful for storing items such as umbrellas and rain boots, sports equipment, or anything bulky that you would need when leaving the house.

 

Ample closets are key to keeping a neat home and keeping clutter out of sight. One place that often turns into a mess of shoes, coats, and random gear is the mudroom or entryway to a home. 

 

 

 

A mudroom can provide built-in seating for ease of donning boots and shoes and provide storage underneath for frequently used items. The storage areas can be drawers or baskets that are open but slide out. Each person in the household can have his or her own cubby, or all similar items can be stored together—such as gloves/mittens in a basket—along with the more obvious need for hooks for coats, scarves, etc.

 

A mudroom or entryway closet, plus the above easy-to-access areas, work well, especially if one has children.  

 

 

 

 

2.  Bedroom — Master Suite

Lets start with the master suite. You are definitely going to want the closets to be functional and useful. Nothing will diminish the amazing features of a master bedroom than tiny closets, which means walk-in closets are hands down the way to go, ideally his-and her-closets. Walk-in closets are wonderful not only because they give you more square footage for storing clothing, but they can allow you more space to organize and simply see the clothing you already own. Standard closets tend to fall into disarray because there’s just so little space to work with, whereas walk-in closets can give you some much-needed breathing room.

 

Don’t just think of space for hanging items: a walk-in can have a dresser or custom cabinetry, depending on your budget and needs. This makes keeping clothing organized a breeze and is a great investment in the resale value of your home.

 

Every bedroom must have a built-in closet, and many designers include walk-in closets in secondary bedrooms. If you can afford the slight amount of extra space, this is a good option to include in your new house plans.

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Kitchen

Thinking beyond standard cupboards is important, especially if you have a big family or live a bit outside of town and don’t want to make frequent runs for groceries. This is even more important if you pick a house plan to build in an area with a long winter season.

 

Keeping a kitchen organized is all about storage space, and one of the best ways to ensure you have enough space in your kitchen is by looking at walk-in pantry house plans. Kitchens with walk-in pantries are sometimes more spacious overall compared with other kitchen layouts and provide an amazing amount of storage space that can really make all the difference.

 

Some walk-in pantries include built-in shelves and storage options, while others serve as a blank canvas for you to customize and design as you see fit. Regardless of the storage solutions inside, it’s important to think about the pantry location in relation to the rest of the kitchen and the living room or dining room, so you can make sure you always have easy access if you need it.

 

In addition to generous walk-in pantries, some home designs include a butler’s pantry. Large pantries were standard in older homes when canning and pickling were common, so if your favorite house plan is in a traditional-style home or farmhouse, a pantry will fit right in if there isn’t one already.

 

 

 

 

Kitchen islands have become a prevalent design choice, as they give lots of options. They could complement pantry storage.  They offer:

• Convenient storage of frequently used items, dishes, condiments, cookbooks
• Extra workspace and storage of knives and cutting boards
• A casual eating area 

 

 

 

You can choose a portable rolling kitchen island for maximum flexibility.  Click here for more on kitchen-island-storage ideas.

 

 

4.  Children’s Room

To keep a child’s room from becoming chaotic, closets with a kid-size organization are a requirement. Shelving within the room that is easy to use is another plus to get kids involved in organizing. You can also build storage into window seats and custom-made beds.

 

 

 

 

5.  Linen Closet

 

 

Linen storage in older homes was often a cramped little closet outside of the bathroom and down the hall. Consider the value of a linen closet in the bathroom with your house-plan options—no more running out of a clean towel just when you need it. And all bath supplies—soaps, shampoos, etc., especially if one buys in bulk, can be stored for easy access.

 

 

 

6.  Underneath Stairs

One commonly overlooked area with lots of potential is underneath a staircase.  The storage function can vary depending on the adjoining spaces. Here are some ideas you may not have thought of (click here for more):

• Office space—a computer desk, file cabinet, and built-in shelves can fit compactly under stairs.
• Wine rack unit—some beautiful units from pre-packaged to custom high-end wine storage can fit beautifully. Especially nice under stairs near the dining or living room.
• Slide-out drawers keep things neat and hidden.
• No clothes closet near an entrance? Build it under the stairs.

 

 

 

 

7.  Living Room or Great Room

A chimney bump-out fireplace that creates niches on either side is perfect for creating elegant or simple built-ins, shelves, or cabinetry—or both! The look of the built-ins can match an older or traditional home with cornices and elegant finishes. Or in a contemporary house plan, simple, unadorned shelving looks best, keeping a clean look.

 

 

 

 

8.  Garage

We’ve all seen the horrors of an overstuffed, jumbled garage with no organization and piles of “stuff.” The issue is that many homeowners don’t know how to make the most of the large, open space, and they start filling it up with boxes and bulky items without any real plan. The key is to focus on creating an organizational system before you put anything into the garage, which is easy when you’re looking for storage in home plans.

 

Simple actions like lining the walls with customizable shelving units or sectioning the space off into zones for certain items (such as one wall for garden tools or a corner that’s just for storing that old motorcycle you’re planning on fixing up) help bring structure to the garage and allow for better overall use of the space. 

 

Any good big-box store can provide options, whether it’s storage of out-of-season items, bikes, or sports gear. Click here for a generous cornucopia of garage storage ideas.

 

 

 

 

After really considering your family’s needs, check for floor plans with lots of closets in key places.  

 

And finally, if you see a house plan you absolutely love that has den or office space you don’t need, don’t ditch it. All the room may need to qualify as a bedroom is the addition of a closet. This can easily be added to the plan; get in touch, and we’d be happy to help.

 

Footnote:  The lead image in this article is a one-story, three-bedroom traditional home built on 1,826 square feet of space … and features plenty of storage space. For more on the home, view: (Plan # 142-1137)