We’ve been getting asked a lot about how what we do relates to the federal government’s new Home Renovation Tax Credit.  The short answer is that yes, nearly everything that we do does qualify for the tax credit.  Since everything we do is custom designed to be installed in the space, our solutions meet the criteria of being “of an enduring nature and integral to the space”.  So whether you are redoing your walk-in closet, a garage. a murphy bed, or even just a set of sliding doors, you should be able to claim the expense under this new initiative.  Qualifying expenditures start at $1000, and you may claim against up to $10,000 of home improvements.  Our receipts and supporting documents will contain the information required for your claim.  For more information on the tax credit and how it applies to you, visit the government website on the matter at www.cra-arc.gc.ca

Here’s a great example of what you can do the get the most out of a small space.  Our client lives in a 500 square foot condo in Liberty Village.  The rooms of course are tight, and the existing closet was not working for him.  While the room has a 9 foot ceiling, the doors were of standard height, which meant the upper space in the closet was inaccessible.  The builder had provided lightweight sliding panel doors, which further hindered the access, and the interior had a set of wire shelves which did not work well with the sliding doors - you could really only access clothes hanging from one side, and the result was an unattractive, inefficient mess.  We needed to find a way to make this closet work better and look better, too.

The first step, was opening up the space.  The client removed the doors, shelves and even the header above the doors, which then gave us full access to the entire space.  We created cubby storage up above with lift up doors for long term storage.  We increased his clothes hanging capacity by double hanging his clothes in cabinets at either end.  We added drawers to the center, where he can store ties and belts and other small things, and then some open shelves.  Not only are open shelves useful for quick access, but they also make the space feel roomier.  In the original closet, the plain white doors were dreary and overwhelming.  The open shelves help make the room feel a little bigger.  Click on the thumbnail below for a closer look.

The noteworthy details here are the framing, doors, and hardware.    By applying a simple face frame molding between the sections, we not only obscure the places where cabinets meet, it also beefs up the look.  These frosted glass doors are a beautiful detail that really make the closet, completing a hip, urban look.  Similarly, the stainless steel handles provide the perfect accent to cap everything off.

Watch the video below for a tour of the space, so you can see first hand exactly what we did.