I think this is the beginnings of an economy based on perpetual growth and fossil fuel energy running headlong into geological energy constraints. Basically I see an undulatory downward path for the rest of my life. From here out, I think any rallies in our economic condition are going to be met with spiking commodity prices that knock us right back down.
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 6:58 am Post subject: Re: Storage Space
Vertical is the key! Shelves to the ceiling in the basement, a spare, unheated (but it doesn't freeze) bedroom with more shelves, a yard barn for garden stuff, a woodshed, and a root cellar yet to be built, in our case. _________________ Local fix-it guy..
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 6:58 am Post subject: Re: Storage Space
Tearing out kitchen bulkheads is a wonderful idea. There's a lot of stuff that we use only on holidays and that's the perfect space to store it - up in the way high cabinets.
As an architectural historian, I spend a lot of time in other people's homes (consulting and such), and when I go into an old person's old home, I'm always impressed with their judicious use of space. And many of them "think vertically" installing bookcases and cabinets from floor to ceiling. I can't tell you how many times I've seen kitchen cabinets built to the ceiling. It probably adds 30% to your storage space.
The other idea is to really look at how your house was built. There are probably a few cubby holes that are not used. I've also seen old folks poke holes in walls, utilize the empty cubbies and stick a cabinet door on the front of the new hole, thus creating new storage space
In many old houses, there's often wasted space around the staircase, especially if it's boxed in (as opposed to being open, with a grand railing). I've yet to see an old two-story house that didn't have a little wasted space around the staircase.
Some old homes have an extra deep wall (usually near the kitchen or bath) that serves as a chase for plumbing. If you know where the pipes are (and how to avoid them), you can easily add storage space to this area. In my home, the chase wall is 10" deep and accessible from the kitchen side but was never utilized as storage. Sewer and supply lines are within a 12" space on the 14-foot wide wall. There's also an old gas line in that wall but it's been severed above and below.
Most old houses have nine or ten foot ceilings (to make them more comfortable in the summer) and bookshelves/storage shelves built to the ceiling provide a huge amount of space. And many older homes have basements, originally built to provide a space for the behemoth gravity-fed, coal-fired furnace. And by the way, if you've got old dead appliances/furnaces taking up space in your basement, now's the time to get them out. Scrap metal is worth a fortune these days and old furnaces/appliances have plenty of metal in them.
I'd recommend just studying your home for a few days and looking at how it's assembled. You'll see the "empty spaces" after you study it a bit.
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 7:21 am Post subject: Re: Storage Space
kublikhan wrote:
It seems most people who are PO aware advocate small square footage homes. But they also advocate stocking up. Don't those contradict? Don't you need somewhere to store your goods? I would think a shed would be too easy to steal from. So if you are one of those advocating stocking up and getting a small home, where are you stashing your stuff?
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 8:27 am Post subject: Re: Storage Space
Attics are great for things that are not temperature sensitive. As soon as I bought my house, I added one of those dorr/ladder combos and put up some plywood for a floor. The plywood also provides a little extra insulation.
I'm having trouble with temperature controlled storage however. I'm looking to buying several superpails of rice, pasta, dry milk, and beans to get through a year, but I don't have a basement or much room in the house. I need to check the temp in the crawl space. Has anyone used a crawl space for storing superpails?
Joined: Apr 03, 2004 Posts: 6967 Location: My Grandkids' Farm
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:01 pm Post subject: Re: Organization
Come on folks, at least peruse the threads on the front page before posting a new one - there are three here right now on the same topic: _________________ Make a plan and work it:
Joined: Apr 03, 2004 Posts: 6967 Location: My Grandkids' Farm
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:14 pm Post subject: Re: Organization
Sorry for the confusion Ron, I was referring to the first page of the PFTF forum in 2 other threads directing them to your (this) thread.
Some other Mod is merging those other threads here as we speak and can feel free to delete my comments as they go. _________________ Make a plan and work it:
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