The biggest benefit of a custom closet is simple: it uses every inch of storage space your Toronto home actually has — vertical and horizontal — instead of the fraction an off-the-shelf unit reaches. Space Age Closets has been designing and building custom closets for Toronto and GTA homes since 1989, and this post covers why custom is worth it, plus the questions you should ask before hiring anyone. Including us.
Smaller Homes, Bigger Wardrobes
Most homes nowadays are getting smaller, with less storage space available, while the things we own keep multiplying — collectibles, laundry supplies, an extensive wardrobe all need somewhere to live. In Toronto that squeeze is real at both ends of the housing market: condo floor plans measure storage in centimetres, and many of the city’s older houses were built in an era when people simply owned less, so their closets are tiny or missing altogether. Whatever you’re storing, you need an efficient method of storing it in the footprint you have.
Custom Uses Every Inch
Off-the-rack storage is fine if you have ample space. Custom work earns its keep when you don’t: it uses what space your home has to its utmost maximum, climbing the full height of the wall and filling the full width of the opening, whether that space runs vertical or horizontal. A closet built to its exact opening has no filler gaps, no wasted corner, and no dead air above a lonely single shelf — which is exactly where builder-basic closets give up the most room.
Built Around You, Not a Catalogue
Design-wise, a custom closet offers features that simply aren’t possible with an off-the-rack system. Pull-out shoe racks can be sized for high heels and loafers — or for your favourite riding or hunting boots. An adjustable closet rod can move up as a child grows taller. One customer received his shirts from the cleaners folded to a specific size, so we built drawers to house shirts of exactly that size and nothing is wasted. And if you own a lot of jewellery, costume or the real thing, custom jewellery drawers keep every piece fitted, visible and protected — most jewellery is not inexpensive, and it deserves to be cared for.
The Hardware That Decides How Long It Lasts
It’s always worth finding out what goes into a closet besides the wood. A 1 1/4” round closet rod is the best way to go — round rods grab your hangers better and offer greater rigidity and strength, while oval rods, however nice they look, can’t match that strength. Drawer glides range from a couple of dollars a set to twenty or more, and they’re what determines how a drawer feels after years of daily use, so ask your designer which kind will be used. For shelving, avoid the cheap plastic shelf holders you’ll see in budget systems; metal pinning is far superior and rarely breaks down or turns brittle the way plastic does.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire
Warranties come first. We offer a lifetime warranty under normal use — meaning the product is covered for life when it’s used the way it should be — and any company you talk to should be able to state its warranty just as plainly. Ask where the materials come from: we use 100% Canadian material for most of our closets and other projects, which avoids the off-gassing issues foreign imports can have and offers a higher gram-weight. Ask whether you’re dealing with a franchise or directly with the owner — a non-franchise shop isn’t locked into rigid corporate pricing, so you’re negotiating with the person who actually builds your closet.
One more thing: expect to pay for experience. Drawings and plans aren’t produced in five seconds, and a designer who gives them away for free is telling you what value he puts on his own work. An architect expects payment for plans; a plumber charges a call-out fee before any work begins. Good closet design is the same kind of professional work.
Where Custom Makes the Most Difference
Once one closet works this well, the rest of the house starts to bother you. Start with the everyday spaces — see our custom closets for Toronto homes for what’s possible in any bedroom — and if you have the floor space, a custom walk-in closet takes the same made-to-measure thinking and turns it into a full dressing room.
Custom Closet Questions, Answered
What should I ask a closet company before signing anything?
Four things: what the warranty covers and for how long; where the materials come from; what hardware — rods, drawer glides, shelf pins — goes into the build; and whether you’re dealing with a franchise or directly with the owner. The answers tell you more about the closet you’ll get than any showroom photo.
Why does the shape of the closet rod matter?
A 1 1/4” round rod grabs hangers better and offers more rigidity and strength than an oval rod, so it won’t bow under a full load of clothing. Oval rods look sleek but give up strength for the styling — on a long span of heavy winter coats, that difference shows.
Do drawer glides really make a difference?
More than any other hidden part. Glides run from a couple of dollars a set to twenty or more, and the cheap ones are what make a drawer stick, rattle and sag years down the road. Ask what kind your closet will get — good glides are a large part of why a custom drawer still runs smoothly decades in.
What’s wrong with plastic shelf supports?
Plastic shelf holders turn brittle and break down over time, usually under a full load of sweaters when you least want a shelf letting go. Metal shelf pinning is far superior — it rarely fails, and it costs so little more that there’s no good reason for a builder to cheap out on it.
Are custom closets made from Canadian materials?
Ours are — we use 100% Canadian material for most of our closets and projects. Locally made board avoids the off-gassing problems some foreign imports carry and offers a higher gram-weight, which you feel as a denser, sturdier panel. It’s worth asking any company you’re considering the same question.
Ready to see what a made-to-measure closet does for your home? Call Space Age Closets at (647) 394-7557 and talk through your space with the people who’ll actually build it.
