from our "home remodeling" project library

Keeping Everything in Order

If your hockey sticks are falling down the mudroom wall and basketballs are rolling around the basement floor, it's time to take action. Start by taking an inventory of your sporting equipment. Then get serious about adding sports closets and rooms to help organize the mess.

There are many products available to help organize sporting equipment. As you make a list of your needs, pay attention to heights and widths. Sporting equipment comes in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, which can make storage a challenge.

If you have hockey sticks, you'll want a sports closet with suitable height and a narrow width. Also think about how you will maneuver the stick into its place.  If you have tennis rackets, then the sporting closet can be smaller with partitions or shelves for storage. With basketballs and soccer balls, look for large bins or tubs that can do the trick.

As you evaluate the various sporting closets, consider where you want to store the sporting equipment. A garage is a natural place because it keeps the equipment out of the main living spaces. There are sporting closets that attach to the wall, making them ideal for placement near the garage entrance to the mudroom or kitchen. Freestanding sports closets offer more flexibility, but you risk periodically knocking them over.

An outdoor shed is another location that works well. This keeps the sporting equipment in the back yard, where it is often used. The one downside to this location is the chore of carting the equipment from the shed to a vehicle at the front of the house.

In the end, consider the ease of using various sporting closets and the convenience they add. The result should be a much less hectic walk through your house.