You’ve heard of the expression “stack the deck”. Right.
But what about stacking closets?
The outcome is the same because you win.
But instead of having to cheat. You just have to plan ahead.
Include this in your plans today.
Stacking closets is something that you should include in your new house or renovation, that will benefit you in the future.
The idea is that you align closets one above another on each floor of your home. This creates a framework for a future elevator shaft. In the meantime you would use the space as storage and would outfit them like normal closets.
The elevator shaft foot-print will only take up about 54in/137cm square on each floor, and ideally would be near the main entrance on the ground floor close to the main stairway. This means the stairs and elevator share the landings, hallways and main circulation areas of your home. This makes good design sense and saves space.
With this elevator shaft in place it will:
- Offer you flexibility in the future. It may even be the difference of whether you are able to continue living in your multi-level home or having to move.
- Save you money and time down the road as the infrastructure is already in place. Adding an elevator after the fact would be next to impossible inside your home and building one on the exterior means you could lose some windows.
- Add value to your home. It would be a great selling feature if you ever decide to sell, even if you never install the elevator.
Re-assess your blueprints
So, if you are planning to build a house or do a major renovation of an existing one, take another look at your floor-plans and see where you can fit in the stacked closets/future elevator. It may only take a few tweaks now, to save you a huge headache and expense in the future.