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Hom e/FallStretching Space To Store The GoodsThis wall has been divided into closets or varying sizes and for differentfunctions to hide what is stored and to display a collection of china.BY VIRGINIA CAREYThe dilemma of a homeowner or aparimeni renter comes after they have moved in all their belongings and start looking for storage space. But in Brooklyn brownstones it is in as much of a demand as gasoline was in the summer of 1979. Here are some professional and amateur approaches that can be easily executed to maximize storage space within a home and with a few helpful hints you too can %u201c create space where there seemed none before.%u201dLocal carpenters consulted all agree on the following advice to keep in mind as one embarks on the space endeavor. Decide first what has to be stored, so that the shrewd craftsman can decide whether he or she can handle the undertaking or contract a professional. Then determine the degree of accessibility necessary, for example, the location of storage place depends on how often (once a month or ten times a day) (he items stored will be used. And, last but not least, be aware of the extent of the finishing touches you might want to pursue, and ask yourself should the efficient addition to my home be a permanent and decorative one or a temporary plain looking item?PLAIN AND EASYEvery level of a house can be explored for the location of space so let%u2019s start with a basement, where long term storage for the least used item is readily available. Winter boots, tennis rackets, skis, bric-abrac can be put on shelves built into walls going down the side of the stairs. Plywood seems to be the best suited material here because it is cheaper than most other woods and just as sturdy. Steel brackets on both sides of wooden planks help to secure the shelves in place and three boards places about six inches apart on top of each otherare adequate and useful.For compact storage of books or miscellaneous items in a basement area wooden crates painted attractive colors and available at any fruit market make great boxes for storing.Going up a floor, in the kitchen, nooks and crannies exist but aren%u2019t utilized. Vacuum cleaners and mops are often needed but difficult to conceal. The resourceful space seeker can camouflaee them bv hanging them on the sides of a cupboard by hanging a heavy tapestry over them or by installing a Mahogany hollowcore door.A convenient favorite for many clients of Ferris and Joos Carpentry by Women are oak boxes strategically placed in the hall disguised as benches with embroidered cushions strewn on top to enhance comfort. Beth Ferris says that the two carpenters also find a demand for shelves and elongated drawers built into the wall alongside loft beds. Everydav clothing and night table essentials are within reach making room for other items down below.Walls to some can mean a large space for open shelving and closets reaching from floor to ceiling and ideal for a living room. Accordingto carpenter Dick Lctham, a concern to those who want to build additions that function as closets on the bottom and storage on top, is the destruction of a ceiling's Victorian moldings. His suggestions are cither to leave enough space between the construction and the ceiling or a more attractive but more expensive route is to duplicate the design of the original molding and form it around the protruding closets.Open shelves for a single line of books or plants or other kinds of displays can easily be installed by drilling cither lead plugs for solid walls or toggle plugs for hollowwalls into (he frames and placing birch plywood atop of these anchor points.ALTERNATIVES TOCLIMBING STAIRSAn alternative to carrying linens and cleaning utensils to the third and fourth floor of your brownstone is wall to wall closets. All that is needed according to carpenter Peter Austin of Toconoma Design arc a wall and several hollowcore doors. To create a linen and cleaning closet attach Birchskin hollowcore or Mahogany hollowcore doors side by side bringing them out about 22 inches from the wall. One meticulous housekeeper who found the task of carrying the vacuum up to her fourth floor unbearable contracted Austin to have the wall just at the (op of the stairs made into a 24 inch deep closet by using wasted space in the room directly on the other side of the wall.. SPACE EXPANDERSFor the studio apartment dweller platforms seem to be the answer to expand space. Building anything on a platform can divide a small room into a multi-purpose living unit. They can be constructed 30 inches off the ground and make room for a dining table and chairs on top while louvered panelled doors below the platform handle the storage problem.Loft beds have always been a saving space specialty. The area underneath is ideal for drawers for daily needs and can be constructed by professionals or on a weekend by a knowledgeable amateru. The next time you find yourself with something to be put away and nowhere to put it find some extra space.Ferris and Joos Carpentry by Women can be reached at 788-7964; Toconoma Design, Peter Austin at 633-5392 and Dick Lctham at 625-7634.Tooling Up At Rental Outlets For Home RepairBY JEAN LENIHANIf you want to sand a floor, shampoo a rug, remove wallpaper or knock a wall down, there is nothing to hold you back. As long as you%u2019ve got the gusto, the tools and instructions you%u2019ll need are easy to come by. There are numerous tool rental establishments in Brooklyn, with equipment ranging from carpet kickers to cement mixers.All rental places require deposits on the machinery, (some larger than others) and the prices are all relatively the same. Few places deliver, so you%u2019d better have a car available to help you transport these heavy tools. Materials needed for the job you plan to do are sold separately from the rental of the machine. Professional instruction is given before any machine is given out for the day, and a usual day runs from 8-5. Some places offer special weekend rates, giving you more time toC IIOPOC fiitt y irq n c fn rm v o u r home.The self edging floor sander is the most outstanding tool available at Acme Tool Rental Co., 2122 McDonald Ave. (375-8700) Thiswonder machine combines the tedious process of sanding a floor and then having to remove the build-up with an edger, into one quick process. It costs $20 a day to rent, plus a $75 deposit. (Payable only in cash.) They also carry chain saws, circular saws, a steam carpet cleaning system, industrial vacuums, electric hammers, pneumatic hammers and welders. They also boast a 1/3 lb. bag cement mixer that is small enough to fit in the back seat of a car. (Great for building patios or stairs.) They deliver large equipment like a sand blaster and the larger cement mixers. They are open 7:45-5:30 pm weekdays and 8-5 pm on Saturdays. Your day can begin at 8 and end at 5, or if the tool is picked up after 12, you can have it until the following day.Bob%u2019s True Value Hardware at 288 Prospect Park West (788-4164) carries all the popular tools%u2014Sanders, drills, scrapers, waxers, rug shampooers and wall paper steamers. They do not deliver and are open everyday except Sunday from 8:30-6 pm. Rug shampooers go for $2 a day and sanders arc $20.Master Charge and Visa are accepted.Another local shop that carries tools is Borough Janitor Supplylocated at 19C'adman Plaza West. (624-6856) They will deliver to addresses in the neighborhood. They rent floor sanders, edgers and polishers and offer a special weekend rate ($25) where you can take equipment out for two days, but reservations must be made in advance. They are open 8am-5pm Monday through Friday and do not accept credit cards.The Do-It-Yourself Tool RentalCo., (748-5553), 84-22 13th Ave. (and 86th Street) may be out of the wav. but thev will deliver floor sanders, Stcamex carpet cleaners and 40 foot ladders to customers in Brooklyn. It is hard to get weekend delivery, so your best bet is to call during the week. It costs $19 for a sander ($100 deposit) and Master Charge and Visa arc accepted. Weekend rentals run from late iaturaay afternoon umii iv iu iid a y morning. Their store hours are 8:30-6 pm Monday through Saturday.As long as you%u2019ve got the gusto, the tools and instructions you'll need are easy to come by.Pintchik Hardware, 476 Bergen St. (783-1110)besides selling paint, lighting fixtures and other hardware supplies, rents out shampooers, wallpaper steamers, heat guns, power drills and belt sandders. They offer 24 hour rentals anytime (as opposed to eight hours), because they are open 7 days a week. (Monday through Friday 9-7, Saturday 9-6 and Sunday 10-5.) The average cost of any is $20 a day ($100 deposit.) Professional instruction is given and all major credit cards are accepted.Water pumps, paint sprayers, demolition hammers, pipe threaders. 50 foot extension ladders and rolling scaffolds are the hard-tofind tools carried at %u201cRent It%u201d,5022 Fort Hamilton Parkway (488- 1313) or 2080 Coney Island Ave. (339-1158.) They carry over 1200 different tools for rent and claim they have %u201c every kind of tool imaginable\Their prices run a little cheaper than the competing I tllim piacc.2>, auci inCy aCCCpt Master Charge and Bank Amcricard. They arc open 7:30-6 on weekdays, and 8-5 on Saturday.November 8,1979, The PHOENIX. Page 15

