The benefits of a professional's handiwork are endless, but allow us to stress a few details:

• You'll experience the joy and magic of having someone else do it all for you!  Even if you're a budding or experienced handyman or woman, closet installation is a tricky endeavor.
• Organization professionals are like professors: They know a lot.  They can provide you with an unlimited number of options, including accessories and specialty items.
• Never underestimate the power of solid design.  Professionals are trained to maximize space while also making sure that structural integrity is never compromised.  By designing, fabricating and installing an organization system that's custom-tailored to your needs, they ensure that your storage dreams come true.
• If something goes wildly wrong with your custom organization system, you call the professional to fix it.  You never have to lift a wrench.
• Instead of debating with your family members over the specifics of a home improvement project, you can spend your time doing something you like better.
• It's inevitable: You can devise the most thorough of shopping lists for your DIY project, but, chances are, you'll still overlook a few essentials.  And that means racing back and forth to the home improvement store for more tools and materials.
• Professional storage companies install organization systems for bedrooms, garages, pantries, laundry rooms, home offices and just about any other room in the house.  That's all they do, and they do it well.  With a professional's trusty assistance, you might actually avoid a trip to the emergency room if a deviant part collapses on your head.

Let's compare pricing for a 5x7 walk-in, floor-based closet with hanging options and shelves (no drawers) made from white melamine components:

• If you send this design to a professional company based in the Midwest or the Southeast, the price ranges from $1,186 to $1,500.
• If you order this design from a DIY company, you'll pay $900 to $1,200.  While online companies ship to any address and big box retailers allow you to transport the materials yourself, you're on your own time while unloading, interpreting instructions, installing and cleaning up.

Just as closet storage can be a vexing organizational dilemma, kitchen's also produce an appalling amount of clutter.  So let's compare pricing for a 3x5 pantry with adjustable white melamine shelving.

• For this design, you'll pay a professional company anywhere from $800 to $1,200.
• For the DIY system, you'll dole out $600 to $900.

So far, we've only discussed projects that involve prefabricated materials, but how much should you budget for, say, wood cabinetry, instead of melamine components?

• If you've decided that melamine/thermofoil products are good enough for you, then you'll pay roughly $500 per square foot.
• If you prefer wood products, you could pay well over $1,000 per square foot.
• So, let's visualize: Of you've got an eight-foot wall that's perfect for wooden built-ins to house your flat-screen TV, you should plan to budget $7,000 to $10,000.

Remember: If you decide to install your own master bedroom closet, for example, then you should consider the distinct possibility that such a project will require more time and effort than what you originally plan for.  Even with years of experience, home organization systems designers spend a great deal of time mapping out the most efficient and effective possibilities.  Your time is valuable.  So is your relationship with family members when you try to convince them to clean up after a weekend of DIY projects.  

Why here, at ClosetsGuru.com, of course!  Whether you have a specific project you'd like to submit for professionals in your area or you just want some inspiration, our directory of preferred organization systems experts can help you find the right person for the job.  Plus, we offer content and multi-media that may trigger your own organizational genius.

But there are other sources of information, too.

• Ask your architect, interior designer, contractor, developer or real estate agent if he/she has an established rapport with any custom storage companies.
• The Web is a limitless source of information.  If you enjoy a little Internet research, then you can search out the websites of companies based in your area.
• Check out local design publications.  These are often geared "to the trade," so the companies that advertise in such publications are used to working with professionals who expect quality and service.

The process can vary, depending on the company's services or on the scale of the project.  But we'll give you a general breakdown of the transition from initial phone call to completed design.

• During your initial point of contact, both client and company representative alike should ask a variety of questions: Does your project involve every closet in the house, or simply the garage or home office?  What are some of your specific storage needs?  Does the company have experience completing the sort of project that you envision?
• Budgets drive the design and material selection, so share your time and financial considerations with your chosen professional before you spend an afternoon in consultation.  Clear communication is critical to a successful custom project.
• Once you've chatted about time and budget issues, schedule an appointment for an initial consultation.
• Before the professional shows up on your doorstep, make sure that the space you're planning to organize is accessible for taking measurements.  In other words, you may want to remove any cumbersome piles of clutter away from the walls.
• During your initial consultation, a storage design professional will ask you a slew of specific questions about your needs, your ideas for the space and what sort of organizational goodies or accessories are on your wish-list.  He/she may also show you pictures or material samples to get a better feel for how your project will look.  Consider this phase of the process a second round of interviewing.  
• Some professional storage designers will sketch a plan and offer prices on the spot.  Others will schedule a follow-up consultation to review a variety of options, while some prefer to mail, email or fax you their designs and then follow up with a conversation.
• Once you've decided on and signed off on final designs, you can anticipate putting down a 50 percent deposit in order to get your project into fabrication and to schedule installation dates.  Typically, the remaining cost is due upon completion of the project, but every company varies in its financial expectations.

First off, settle on a few specifics that you crave in custom storage solutions, whether your project involves expanding a master bedroom closet or adding innovative organization tools to a messy garage.  The more you know about your needs, the better off you'll be when when hunting for a company to design, fabricate and install the components of your project.

In a nutshell, a storage solutions company's experience and your needs should be compatible.  For example, if you've always dreamed of a home office carved from stained walnut, then you don't want to hire a company that specializes only in white melamine.

Before you ask a company specific questions about your project, ask a representative to tell you about similar projects that they've completed, and--if they're visually minded--to show you a portfolio of designs.  Then, feel free to fire away:

• How long has the company been in business?  How long has the designer specialized in custom storage solutions?
• Is the company licensed and insured?
• Ask them to describe the warranties they offer.
• Is the investment you're making in your custom project in line with other storage solutions that they've created?  

Most storage systems provided by professional home organization companies--especially for closets and pantries-- are constructed from ¾” thick furniture grade, thermofused melamine. Many big box retail stores use 5/8” melamine that doesn’t go through the same sealing and finishing processes as the furniture grade material.

In addition, many professional companies offer thermofoil products, which allow for doors and drawers to have different profiles (i.e. - raised panel or shaker style). Thermofoil is a flexible, vinyl laminate that is vacuumed and pressed onto a routered MDF (medium density fiberboard) substrate. 

Some companies that specialize in custom storage systems also offer cabinets with wooden doors (the real stuff).  In other words, if you can dream it, then a custom shop can usually build it.

Once you've finalized the design for your custom project, you should ask your storage professional how long installation will take.  He/she should provide you with a window of time to anticipate the crew's arrival and departure times.  

But generally speaking, custom storage companies plan to complete the installation of a project in a single day, albeit a long and grueling one.  However, if you're installing a large number of closets, a home office or anything that includes floor-to-ceiling or wall-to-wall pieces, then you can expect the installation to take more than one day.

No matter the scale of the project, consider the crew to be your tailors: You want your new organization system to fit right and to look fabulous.  But a rushed installation will only botch the results.  So take a deep breath and try to remain patient with the process. 

No doubt, this is the challenging part.  Once you've narrowed the field to a few possible contenders to take on your project, you now have to select the one that's best for you.  So, without further adieu, here are a few considerations:

• Since storage companies often buy melamine products from the same manufacturers, there is often very little difference in what they offer.  Sometimes, white color options will vary, but generally the quality will remain the same.
• Levels of design expertise can vary, so make sure that you ask your design professional how long he/she has worked in the field.  Then, you can always compare sketches and ideas to decide on the winning contender who best meets your needs.
• As for prices, the way any project is designed, fabricated and installed can alter the final cost, which makes the business of evaluating the differences between companies a decidedly tricky affair.  But pay close attention to material specs and then ask your storage design professional to clarify anything you don't understand.