Abigail* called in a panic to let me know her basement flooded and she plus her husband had to move out for the cleaning and repainting. A company came to pack up, put their things into storage for the big clean up and repainting. After that was done, the company brought the boxes back and Abigail was overwhelmed with the prospect of having to unpack it all.
Since she anticipated it would take three days, I suggested bringing on a team member to help speed up the project. We were able to get it done in two days. Boy, was I glad I brought on a team member. We needed a hand to move around heavy boxes that didn’t need to be unpacked such as memorabilia and photos.
After talking with Abigail about how she wanted the basement organized we went through the boxes. Some of the items went out of the house. She had not had the time to purge before the flood and with her full attention she was decisive.
One area of the basement was designed as a workout space. We got all the fitness tools in the workout area. That was Abigail’s domain and she set it up the way she wanted it to be while my colleague and I organized other areas of the basement. One area was set up for outdoor gear, extra chairs and tools. Another area for memorabilia, boxes belonging to her young adult children, extra furniture. She had shelves for her overstock of kitchenware and holiday decor, extra big pots for entertaining, BBQ set for backyard picnicking and so forth. Once the boxes were emptied onto the shelves, Abigail was able to make decisions about what she wanted to keep and let go, thus giving the shelves more breathing room to see what she has to use for any upcoming holidays or family gatherings.
Abigail was so happy to have a functional gym to use. We had a full car load of items to donate so the basement felt lighter as well.
Want to reclaim a space? I can help.
*Note: These blog stories feature real clients and their organizing solutions. To maintain client privacy, all names have been changed.
©SoloffSpaceSolutions, Chicagoland professional organizer