Why Really Old Houses Don't Have Closets (And How To Fix That)
Houses that are older than one-hundred-fifty years and have not been remodeled but preserved, will not have closets. The biggest reason for this is that people from these prior ages and centuries frequently lived out of wardrobes and trunks. They relied heavily on furniture and trunks to store their clothes. If you recently bought a home that is almost as old as the Revolutionary War and it does not have closets, here is how to rectify that without destroying the historical value of your home.
Storage Units
Whatever it is that you absolutely do not need to store in your home, put it in a storage unit. This may seem like typical advice, but given that you own a home without closets, the advice becomes even more pertinent to your particular situation. The storage units that you rent can hold everything you would have normally stuffed into a closet, attic or basement (which were also fairly uncommon in houses of this age and era). Then you only need to store your clothes, which is easily accomplished in an upright wardrobe (as they did way back then) or in a bureau/dresser.
Storage Units Closer to the House
If you are uncomfortable with the idea of placing nearly everything you own in storage units offsite, you can always get the portable storage rental pods. These are the same sizes as most offsite storage units, except that you can drop them on your property and store your stuff in them like giant lockable sheds or mini-garages. They will serve you well as the walk-in closet spaces you crave but do not dare to install in a historic house.
Construct a Large Carriage House/Storage Shed on Your Property
Finally, you could just construct a storage shed on your property that looks exactly like a carriage house. Be sure to research the carriage houses that match the age/era/period of your home so that it does not look out of place, and actually looks like it was part of the original property. While this carriage house/storage shed is being constructed, you will still need to store all of your closeted things in storage units or pods. Most people in a similar situation to yours opt to skip the carriage house construction, since they already have to rent storage units and pods and the construction would be expensive. However, that decision is entirely up to you and your needs for storage space.
Share