Home without a coat closet?

[Gumby]

I wouldn't think a lack of coat closet would be a deal breaker for a sale. My house was built in 1857. When we bought it in 1992, it had very few closets of any kind, let alone a coat closet. Our 2006 kitchen addition does have a coat closet, right near the back door, which is our principal means of entry. It is handy, but we managed for the first 14 years without one.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

I don’t think I have ever used a coat closet.
I typically enter my house through the garage which opens into the laundry room. Right past the laundry room on the right is a coat closet. Or-where all things never used go to die when the garage is full.
I’m in California and really don’t understand winter clothes/gear that much though.

I had my house painted and new flooring installed 2 months ago. I decided to repurpose the coat closet into a cleaning closet. It’s working out much better now. I have my cordless vacuum, swiffer, and all cleaning supplies stored in there. Much better function for that space.

I say do want makes the space more functional to you.

 

[W2R]

[...] We like the free-standing tree type coat hanging rack. I prefer them over a closet and more practical for people when they come by.

I have one also. I usually go in and out the back door, since there are no steps there, my knees thank me, and my detached garage is right there. So, I have a coat tree just inside the back door and I can just grab a coat (or rain gear, more likely) if needed, and go.

My house has a coat closet but it is by the front door, so I don't use it for coats. Instead, I keep my brooms and mops in it.

 

[JoeWras]

Good perspectives, thanks. The closet is close to the garage entrance, but not the front door. When we expect guests, we empty the armoire and use that for guest coats. In a way, it is better than the closet.

Brooms and vacuums find a home downstairs. Probably better there anyway, but a bit inconvenient.

I normally don't obsess over resale. We've been here over 30 and expect 15 more . We have never done a "wall removal" remodel, so I'm a bit nervous about this. The coffee bar would be huge for us, and probably more attractive to anyone in the future too. Hell of a lot better than 3 closely spaced stud walls.

 

[JoeWras]

A while ago I posted some floor plans and got good feedback here. We decided to just zero in on this simple tweak of one wall, something I will do on my own. Attached is my plan. The top red circle is as it is today. Fridge too far on the left, tiny counter (brown), and lots of wasted space with stud walls and thick doors. Bottom is the proposed, with moving the fridge to the center of the golden triangle, cabinet pantry on left of it, and now more counter and cabinet space in lieu of the current closets. No more doors to get in the way either. I also considered getting rid of the peninsula and converting to an island. Maybe some day, but that's gonna be a real remodel with a lot of electrical complications.

 

[rk911]

...This is non-reversible. If I do it, then the house doesn't have a traditional coat closet. Bad idea? Deal killer (in normal times)? Doesn't bother us, but with our luck, we'll be selling at the bottom of a market where every nit is picked to death.

it would be a deal killer for us. wouldn't matter how nice the rest of the house was we would pass without proper closet space.

 

[MarieIG]

I like a coat closet, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me.

 

[RobbieB]

Make your home the way you want it and don't worry about the future.

 

[pb4uski]

OK maybe I'm wrong and coat closets don't matter, oh wait a minute don't winter down South?

We do winter in Florida now, but we lived here year-round for about 3 years before we started snowbirding.

Ironically, our Florida condo does have a clothes closet by the entry door. We do store coats, golf shoes, hats etc there but hardly ever use of for guests because they rarely have a coat to remove when they arrive.

 

[Qs Laptop]

A while ago I posted some floor plans and got good feedback here. We decided to just zero in on this simple tweak of one wall, something I will do on my own. Attached is my plan. The top red circle is as it is today. Fridge too far on the left, tiny counter (brown), and lots of wasted space with stud walls and thick doors. Bottom is the proposed, with moving the fridge to the center of the golden triangle, cabinet pantry on left of it, and now more counter and cabinet space in lieu of the current closets. No more doors to get in the way either. I also considered getting rid of the peninsula and converting to an island. Maybe some day, but that's gonna be a real remodel with a lot of electrical complications.

I love that new plan you designed. Definitely go for it!

 

[Katsmeow]

We currently have our house on the market and I've sold houses before. Honestly, there is just no telling what a particular buyer won't like about your house.

Particularly in warmer climates (not up North), I don't think a coat closet is expected. Many houses do not have them. My current house and a closet that perhaps someone might have used for that purpose but it had shelves in it when we bought the house (nothing to hang stuff on). We bought anyway. We even got rid of that closet and now don't have one.

I do have a closet that isn't a coat closet per se but a place I could put someone's coat if needed (although that literally never happens). Anyway, no one has complained that we don't have a coat closet. We didn't have one at our last house either and no one said anything. Actually, I don't think we've had one for the last several houses....

 

[ivinsfan]

We currently have our house on the market and I've sold houses before. Honestly, there is just no telling what a particular buyer won't like about your house.

Particularly in warmer climates (not up North), I don't think a coat closet is expected. Many houses do not have them. My current house and a closet that perhaps someone might have used for that purpose but it had shelves in it when we bought the house (nothing to hang stuff on). We bought anyway. We even got rid of that closet and now don't have one.

I do have a closet that isn't a coat closet per se but a place I could put someone's coat if needed (although that literally never happens). Anyway, no one has complained that we don't have a coat closet. We didn't have one at our last house either and no one said anything. Actually, I don't think we've had one for the last several houses....

Don't want to wander OT but you went ahead listed the house you live in? I'd be really interested in hearing how that goes in another thread perhaps. Good Luck!

 

[pacergal]

If the redesign makes the house more livable for you, then do it. Folks can always place hooks on the wall by an entry door for jackets.
Does you house have another closet space for vacuum cleaner, etc? That is really what we use our only tiny coat closet for, plus a few winter coats. Our light weight jackets and sweaters just hang in our bedroom closets.
When we have guests, they just place coats, etc on a bed in the guest bedroom.

 

[JoeWras]

If the redesign makes the house more livable for you, then do it. Folks can always place hooks on the wall by an entry door for jackets.
Does you house have another closet space for vacuum cleaner, etc? That is really what we use our only tiny coat closet for, plus a few winter coats. Our light weight jackets and sweaters just hang in our bedroom closets.
When we have guests, they just place coats, etc on a bed in the guest bedroom.

Brooms and vac go in the basement. It is probably the biggest drawback to not having a closet on this floor. I have an idea for a shallow broom closet in some dead space, however. This would be a non-traditional space, framed out in plywood. Tiny, just enough for a broom. Not sure I can make it big enough for a vac. See red below. This is in an area used as a duct and plumbing chase, but there is a little dead and clear area.

We love our house. It isn't tiny. But it sure doesn't have the amenities of current designs. That's mostly OK since the buyers in our neighborhood understand that.

 

[Koolau]

Most Florida homes that I am aware of do not have coat closets.

I was gonna ask what the heck a coat closet is?

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

I was gonna ask what the heck a coat closet is?

It’s where you put your surf boards.

 

[aja8888]

We have one here in our south Texas home. It has the vacuum cleaner in it, some touch up paint cans, a broom, some boxes of unidentified things (not mine) and a raincoat/windbreaker (mine).

 

[Ed Waggoner]

I would ask a local realtor about the coat closet.

 

[spudowns]

Fix your place to serve you, future owners of your home may find your fix's are in line with their moods as well, as long as it makes sense to you… it’s right.

 

[Sue J]

JoeWras, I like your plan for the kitchen even though it eliminates the coat closet.

Our house is from 1955. We have a coat closet, but it is not near the front door, it's in the hallway near the downstairs bedrooms and bathroom. Yes, we have some coats in there. And the vacuum cleaner and the dust mop and the extra leaves and pads for the dining room table. I don't think we've ever used it for guest coats!

We enter and exit the house through the attached garage which leads to the kitchen. We used to have a hall tree in the corner of the dining room next to the kitchen but when the first grandchild started crawling and cruising we got rid of it because it was a danger. Instead we hung two sets of hooks on the dining room wall and that's where we keep our everyday jackets and hats. It's worked very well.

Our son's house is from 1948 and I don't think it has ever had a coat closet. But they have a large enclosed breezeway between their kitchen and the garage. The breezeway has large shelves and hooks and benches. So shoes, coats, boots, bags and everything else ends up in the well used breezeway.

I enjoy a lot of the home improvement shows and they call this the landing space. Makes a lot of sense.

Enjoy your remodeled kitchen!

 

[Koolau]

It’s where you put your surf boards.

Oh, yeah, now I know what you're talking about!

 

[meleana]

So, we converted the coat closet to a pantry/appliance closet. The coat closet is not near the front door, it is in the break nook. So using it as a pantry made sense. For coats, we have a small armoire near the front door. The conversion can easily be reversed.

However, I'm thinking of doing a small kitchen remodel. This coat closet nestles next to a small pantry, very small. In 4 1/2 feet of wall space, we have three framed walls. Removing them would free about about a foot that is currently dead air. The walls have no utilities and are not load bearing.

I can replace that space with open counter and cabinets, freeing up sight lines, and providing a coffee counter, which is currently only 12" and too small. The pantry would be cabinets, so its walls would only take up about 1.5" of linear wall space, versus the approx 12" currently used.

This is non-reversible. If I do it, then the house doesn't have a traditional coat closet. Bad idea? Deal killer (in normal times)? Doesn't bother us, but with our luck, we'll be selling at the bottom of a market where every nit is picked to death.

Frankly, I think just hanging coats on racks looks really sloppy in a home. What about hooks in an attached garage if you have one?

 

[Amethyst]

I have a 3700 square foot souther Florida home (the FROG's another 300 sq ft) with no coat closet and, truthfully, not that much closet space, at least by Northern standards. The air-conditioned garage subs for a basement, and the large utility room has space for a small coat rack.

Hardly anybody ever wears a coat here anyway. It is all we can do, some days, to wear clothes.

 

[Koolau]

Frankly, I think just hanging coats on racks looks really sloppy in a home. What about hooks in an attached garage if you have one?

Or backs of chairs. I like that look and stuff is easy to find. DW isn't a fan of this method, but she has adapted over the years. YMMV

 

[badatmath]

Most Florida homes that I am aware of do not have coat closets.

I live in AZ and I have one. It mostly doesn't have coats though.