If your family lacks storage space, consider enlarging a closet.
There are several ways to enlarge a bedroom closet. Consider using floor space where a chest or dresser takes up room. It may be more practical to install drawers inside the closet and eliminate a chest or dresser. You can use built-in storage or a storage system. Making a closet bigger will help reduce bedroom clutter. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Figure out the maximum space you can carve out of your bedroom to expand a closet. Don't overlook adjoining rooms or a hallway. Seek assistance from a professional builder if you plan to knock down a load-bearing wall. A load-bearing wall supports the weight of the house. Nail or screw 2-by-4s to the ceiling to outline the perimeter of the closet.
2. Measure the height of the closet from floor to ceiling. Use 2-by-4s to build a wooden framework for the closet. Run electrical wiring--from the breaker box or a nearby outlet--into the framed space for an overhead light fixture. Install the housing for the light fixture.
3. Build shelving and cubbyholes into the closet's design. Cover the wooden frame with drywall. Nail drywall into place on the closet's exterior and interior walls. Use joint compound to smooth all surfaces for painting. Cut and fit crown molding at the edge of the ceiling on the outside of the closet.
4. Add a hinged closet door or install louvered doors on a track system. Paint the interior and exterior of the closet with flat or semi-gloss paint. Cover all wood trim and crown molding with semi-gloss or high-gloss paint. Connect the light fixture to its housing and wiring inside the closet. Install wire or wooden shelving inside the closet. Build wooden cubbyholes for storing shoes and sweaters out of interior-grade plywood or buy ready-made storage sections from a home improvement store.
5. Carpet the new closet area. Touch up the paint in surrounding rooms or hallways if you borrowed space for the closet from those areas. Install baseboard inside and outside the closet.
Tags: inside closet, light fixture, chest dresser, closet from, crown molding
