Time in bottle and refrigeration

Howdy, fellow beer lovers! I've been making Midwest kits for awhile and they are turning out fantastic! I currently have 4 different brews in a closet in bottles. Midwest says to keep them in the bottle 2-4 weeks. Here's what I'm wondering though:

They have been carbonating nicely in the closet, though I'm always unsure exactly how to know they're done. What happens if I leave them in there too long? I typically wait 4 weeks and move them to my basement (not on the floor) which is cooler. At that point I sometimes put it immediately into my beer fridge, while other times I store it on a shelf down there.

So, I guess I'm asking about how long to leave it in the bottle before refrigeration and the ramifications of not doing so.

Ok, one last question, really! So beers that are meant to age for a year or two, where would I store them? Upstairs, downstairs? I would assume NOT the fridge?

Thanks for your help, guys!

There's no such thing as "too long." You can leave your beer at room temps in bottles for a hundred years or more. Most folks don't have fridges that can hold 48 beers, once carbed we only put a few in the fridge at any given time, and leave the rest alone at room temps...and nothing happens. You go in stores and beer's just sitting around at room temp for however long it takes to be sold, right? Why would you think anything is different with YOUR beer?

For long term storage, in a darker cool place is preferable. Like a cellar, or a cool closet.

Sounds like you're doing it exactly right by waiting 4 weeks then moving them somewhere cooler to continue aging. Sounds like it is also a good place to age your beers for a year or two too.