Don't Just Remodel — Reorganize

<h2 style="margin: 10pt 0in 0pt"><font size="3" color="#990000">Don’t Just Remodel — Reorganize</font></h2><p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt">(ARA) – It seems the longer you live in your home, the more you want to remodel and reorganize it. While these tasks can seem overwhelming at times, consider doing both in one step — you’ll maintain the value of your home while making it more enjoyable to live in, no matter how long you decide to stay put.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt"><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="282"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/13b.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/13b.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="282"></embed></object></div></span></p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt"><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Here are some tips for combining remodeling with reorganizing:</p> <strong>Target three pockets of clutter. </strong><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Most of us store, drop or misplace massive quantities of "stuff" on counters, floors and shelves as the business of life goes on. While you likely can’t successfully sort all the clutter at once, there are usually three areas in your home that drive you the craziest. If you target and solve those first, you will find you have the energy, sense of accomplishment and relief that will make a significant difference in your life.<span>  </span></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">Common clutter traps include the kitchen countertop, pantry, utility closet and laundry room. Attack your top three pockets of clutter; renew and reorganize them; and apply the same principle in other areas of your home as time and budgets allow. Shove everything off a sloppy shelf and replace it with an elegant furniture-like bookcase. Delve into one drawer and install neat, wooden drawer dividers. Then move to a bedroom, and so on.<span>    </span></p> <strong>Find the perfect container. </strong><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">The key to organizing clutter pockets is finding the perfect compartment to contain it in. Diamond Cabinets offers a variety of perfectly sized and scaled cabinets for the way people really live. A double-duty cabinet called a Deep Drawer can help you create storage for tall and bulky items without sacrificing organization for smaller kitchen supplies. You can use it to hold large bottles upright, including a full-sized jug of laundry detergent. The bottom drawer fully extends, making it easier to see all the contents, too. This is an especially great addition if you have a kitchen with an adjacent laundry room, allowing you to extend your cabinet design from room to room.<span>  </span></p>  <p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">A six-inch-deep Utility Cabinet can be a pantry, broom closet and laundry room supplement all in one, creating usable, easy-to-access space in an otherwise unused place. It has adjustable shelves for differently sized items such as kitchen sprays and cleaners, and also provides a happy home for brooms and mops.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: center"><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="280" height="430"><param name="movie" value="../images/banners/13a.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="menu" value="false" /><param name="wmode" value="" /><embed src="../images/banners/13a.swf" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="280" height="430"></embed></object></div> <strong>Plan ahead. </strong><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal">The longer we stay in our homes, the older we get, too. And over time, both homes and people tend to need a little more help. As long as you’re remodeling, plan ahead for changes in mobility, physical strength or eyesight. Cabinets that have earned the Arthritis Foundation’s Ease-of-Use Commendation are accessible to people with physical limitations or chronic joint symptoms, but they are also easy to use for anyone. These products are so subtly designed that no one even has to know the cabinets are doing the work for you, with features like shelves that eliminate reaching, stretching or kneeling to grab things. By design, these cabinets can help you organize just about anything you need a place for, in your most beloved space — your home.</p>  <p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 200%; font-family: ‘Verdana’,’sans-serif’; letter-spacing: 1pt">Courtesy of ARAcontent</span></p></span>