Easy Closets Review
We recently downsized into a smaller home so we could move from a 2-story house to a 1-story. One of the unfortunate aspects of the move was the loss of closet and storage space. In addition, it’s an older home with very dated closet organization — a pole across the closet and maybe a shelf or two. Having two dwarf parents and a dwarf child in the house, this became a problem real fast. We are trying to teach our dwarf child to be independent, so we did an extensive search for custom closet systems. Here’s what we found.
The Companies We Evaluated
Container Store / elfa
In our master bedroom at our old house, we replaced the standard builder-grade wire shelving with elfa from Container Store. Overall, we were happy with the product but considered it expensive for what you get. The installation was relatively easy — you install a steel track at the top of your wall, hang “standards” across the wall, and the shelves snap into the standards. Besides the cost, there was a limited variety of products. They only have ventilated pull-out drawers, with no fully enclosed storage options. The big box stores such as Lowes and Home Depot actually sell a similar product at a much cheaper price.
We originally planned to install elfa at our new house and even purchased the product during their bi-annual 30% off sale. We waited for their call to schedule delivery and instead they told us they shouldn’t have sold us delivery — they only offer delivery when you pay for installation (which costs like 30% of the product price). Since we were installing multiple closets on a tight budget, this was cost prohibitive. We tried to explain our situation — dwarfs with a small car — but they refused to honor the delivery they had already sold us. The store manager said he didn’t want to “impact the installation department” with the already paid-for delivery. So we told them to keep their stuff. No more elfa for us.
California Closets
We had California Closets come out and give us a quote. They are a large, well-known company — Costco even carries their products in-store with a discount in the form of a gift card for members. They gave us a very nice design and we liked their products. But they were just too expensive. Very expensive.
Closets By Design
Closets By Design is another well-known company that usually advertises in local coupon mailers. One plus: they do a design for you on-the-spot so you can ask questions and make changes in real time. They are expensive but more affordable than California Closets. We liked their product a lot.
Other Wire-Based Systems Worth Considering
If you prefer the wire-based system style similar to elfa, there are more affordable alternatives:
Rubbermaid Wire Closet System
Very highly reviewed on Amazon and rated by Consumer Reports above elfa due to the cost. A strong budget-friendly alternative for wire-based organization. Home Depot and Lowes also carry similar products in-store.
John Louis Home Solid Wood System
Real wood and looks nice — Costco was selling their closet organizers in the warehouse for a short period. We decided against it mainly due to limited configuration options (no drawer options) and online reviews mentioning the wood marks easily. But if you want a real wood aesthetic on a budget it’s worth considering.
The Winner — Easy Closets
We were pretty discouraged after our previous experiences. Easy Closets has a very nice online system that allows you to design your own closet and view it in both 2D and 3D. Their prices are very affordable and they have many customization options.
We first purchased a small hallway closet from Easy Closets as a test run. Happy with the results, we then purchased systems for both of our children’s bedrooms. Overall we are pleased with the EasyClosets system. The website design tool is easy to use and a talented designer will review your design and make necessary adjustments.
Once you’re happy with the design, ordering is simple and the product ships very fast. Packaging is excellent — the best we’ve ever seen from any online order. The material is melamine, so not super durable if you’re rough with it. But for us, a local cabinet designer to build and install a custom solid-wood system would not be affordable. And the ability to customize and move shelves, drawers, and rods at any time was very important for our LP family.
Visit Easy Closets directly at easyclosets.com to use their free design tool.
Tips & Tricks for DIY Installation
We made some mistakes during installation — here’s what we learned so you don’t have to:
When installing the cam screws in the vertical panels, go SLOW. It’s best not to use a power screwdriver — but if you must, put it on slow speed and low torque. Rushing this step chips the melamine finish.
At first I used a mini hacksaw and it was very time consuming to cut the top track. Invest in a good-quality hacksaw and 32 TPI hacksaw blades. Other reviewers complained about difficulty cutting the track — they probably used the wrong blade. You want lots of teeth working for you.
The cam screws have a Pozidriv slot (IKEA also uses this). A Pozidriv bit keeps the screw in place far better than a standard Phillips and prevents cam screw stripping — the most common installation error.
We originally installed the cam shelves at the bottom and worked our way up — wrong. Support told us to install the top cam shelf first, then the bottom, then the others. When we did this, everything fit perfectly.
If you have a cam shelf at the same height on both sides of a vertical hanging panel, you must use the double cam screws. I missed this and tried using single cam screws on both sides of the same hole — the finish chipped off and I damaged the panel. Learn from my mistake.
Recommended Installation Tools
Have you used Easy Closets or another system for your LP household? What configuration worked best for accessible shelf heights? Share your experience in the comments below.
For the price you paid Easy Closets, you could’ve had a local, non-franchise associated closet company design, produce and install a LOT quicker and correctly. Even a “handy” person will take much longer if they’re not doing it every day. They’re also [likely] less pushy, less money and more personal attention than the franchised companies. Support your local businesses!
We received estimates from 2 local, non-franchise closet designers. They wanted $1200 or more for a closet that priced at $500 on Easy Closets. Don’t believe John Q. You will pay more for local. Now if the local places had do it yourself options, maybe you’d get comparable deals.
Thank you for posting your Tips & Tricks. We will follow up after installation and give our feedback!
I have used easy closets on 3 occasions for very large closets and they are awesome. You can get design help if you need it or they will review your design and give you tips. The installation is so easy.
I work for CC, i did a closet for a handy guy in Williamsburg va.
He said paying us to do it wasnt much more than easy closets. He priced both out. Plus theres a built in warranty with CC, so he liked that as last closet he tried to do, whole thing fell down & his wifes delicate jeweled purse was ruined. . I designed very simple, wall mounted hanging areas , some . Shelves, some drawers. Our drawers real wood with undermount soft close hinges. 3/4” tfl all edge banded. ( No plastic pvc edging which creates an unslightly seam)
At that time in 2019, Easy closets 2000k
Mine quote 2500. So $500 extra for our w2 technicians to deliver & install plus warranty. Hope thats helps. Of course, More shelves, more drawers, doing closet all floor based, will drive / push price up. Depends on square footage on walls being built on.