Before moving into your Centreville, Virginia home, consider upgrading your garage, kitchen, and closets with custom storage systems that will make unpacking less of a headache.

If you’re moving to Centreville, Virginia, you’re in good company: The town is a popular destination for young families (and D.C. commuters) looking to buy their first homes. Since it was one of the first cities in Fairfax county, there are a number of older neighborhoods that make the area an affordable option for first-time home buyers.

If you’re considering an older house, we do recommend a few life-simplifying storage upgrades before moving in. This lets you spend your first weeks getting to know the neighborhood and maybe even exploring Cub Run Stream Valley park with your kids rather than grappling with outdated furnishings.

The kind of remodeling we have in mind includes areas like closets, garages, and kitchen pantries. We don’t mean you have to start tearing up flooring or knocking down drywall, either. Some relatively minor changes will do a lot for your quality of life—and can be done with relatively little hassle.

Closets Are More Important Than You Might Think

Standard reach-in closets are pretty typical in older homes (and many newer homes). That is, you get a single hanging bar that spans the width of your closet, along with a single shelf mounted above the bar. This type of closet may not provide the storage options you need, which can leave you in a pickle when you start to unpack.

Consider remodeling your closet to accommodate shoes and accessories. We can add adjustable shoe shelves that give you a proper place to store footwear, whether high heels for a night out or hiking boots for that Cub Run expedition. Hooks and slide-out racks are a great way to keep purses, belts and scarves neatly organized without taking up too much space, and you may even want to add a tilt-out laundry hamper so that you have a convenient place to keep laundry until you wash it.

Don’t Let Your Garage Become a Catch-All for Clutter

I see plenty of move-ins in my line of work, and I often watch empty garages fill up with leftover stuff. They’re an obvious dumping ground for anything you don’t need to unpack right away, but they can quickly turn into a labyrinth of boxes. Getting a garage storage system set up before moving in greatly improves the odds that you’ll still have room to park your car.

We’d recommend adding custom-designed storage cabinets. These can protect more fragile items, such as boxes of Christmas ornaments or lamps you haven’t unpacked yet, and they’re sturdy enough to withstand heavy use.

If you or your partner likes to tinker with the car or take on woodworking projects, you may even want to add a workbench and tool storage area while you’re at it.

Kitchens Function Best with a Well-Designed Pantry

Most families spend a good chunk of time in the kitchen, so it ought to be a welcoming, functional space. A well-designed pantry helps ensure this, becoming the one-stop shop for everything you need for your next great meal.

Pull-out baskets are a good way to store root vegetables and fruits, and we can create a custom design that puts enough space between your baskets to help prevent spoilage. We can also add a multilevel lazy susan in the corner of your pantry— a great place to store canned goods while retaining easy access.

One final pantry suggestion: Do you have a juicer, blender, or waffle iron that gets turned on less than once a week? We can add custom space in your pantry to house any small appliances that you’d like to keep around but that you may not want on the counter.

Make Small Changes to Your Home BEFORE Moving in

With a little foresight and some relatively minor remodeling, you can make a huge impact on the functionality and storage potential of your home. And if you make these changes prior to moving in, the unpacking process will be that much easier (and you’ll be increasing your home’s value right from the start).

If you’re in the market for a new home, or if you just closed on one but haven’t yet made the big move, give us a call to set up a free design consultation, and we’ll get you set you up for a smooth transition. If you’ve already moved and are now realizing that you missed an opportunity, don’t worry. We can help you upgrade your space to make your new home even better.