When I drill, I'll drill into a stud -- unlike my home's builder, who installed our closet system into drywall. (Photo: iStockphoto)
I once read that every woman should own her own cordless, 18-volt drill. I've never been much of a do-it-yourselfer, and don't know much about tools, but I am starting to think that the sentiment is right on.
You may have read that about two weeks ago, the closet rack in my master-bedroom closet came crashing down. (It was up for seven years, but I guess the additional weight of this season's clothes was the straw that broke the camel's back. And I thought I wasn't a big shopper.)
The event left nine holes in my closet wall. I have since patched all the holes and have emptied out most of the closet. Most of our clothes our now packed in gaudy (Halloween) orange and black plastic bins that I got on sale at the local big-box store.
I am hoping to paint the closet before getting new closet racks -- but, as you can see with the little I've accomplished so far, my closet project may take weeks to finish.
Going DIY
I could hire a company to come in and install the closet system, which would be quick and easy.( If only….) But going that route would be costly. I looked up the estimated prices at CostHelper.com (a good place to start for getting cost estimates on home improvement projects), and found out that I may have to pay about $75 to $200 get an up to 8-foot-long rubberized wire rack closet system that I can install myself in the master-bedroom closet.
Meanwhile, to have a professionally designed and installed closet rack system could cost me anywhere from $400 to $700. That's a lot more expensive.
So, I am going to attempt to pick out and install a system myself. (Or, perhaps, convince my husband to help me.) I am hoping to get a system much like the one shown in the Lowes.com video in my previous post. But, to install the system, I'll need a lightweight cordless drill. My husband has a drill, but it's heavy and I don't know how to use it. (And I suspect that the manual to the drill has long been misplaced.)
There are so many drill options out there, and picking one is quite confusing. I am thinking about purchasing a 3.3 pound Hitachi 12-volt drill for about $67, but I am not yet sure that I've made the right choice. I also watched a helpful video from Fine Living (see video below) on how to pick out a drill. Hopefully, I'll have a drill soon and will be able to get started on my project -- I've been a mess lately because I can't locate any of my good clothes!
Readers: Have any advice for me on installing a closet system or selecting a cordless drill? I'd love to hear from you.—Lauren Baier Kim