Sloping walls require using eaves in detailed planning.
Constructing a closet under eaves or a sloping attic wall requires detailed planning. To use all space effectively, it's important to design hanging space and shelving on graph paper. You will need to install hardware for rods to accommodate the slanted walls. Shelf space may require different configuration as well, because sloping walls may not work with standard hardware. Planning where you will store specific items will help you avoid wasted space and make items easier to find. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Design the closet shape with all house framing in the drawings. Sketch the room and closet space on graph paper, allowing one square to represent 3 inches. Define the closet footprint and closet door placement, so you can use a standard door, if possible. Use a door opening with a slanted corner on one side, if necessary, but plan to cut the actual door to fit this unique shape.
2. Use 2-by-4 boards to form the closet framework. Cut sections for the top plate, bottom plate and wall studs with a circular saw. Nail soleplate to the closet floor outline first. Nail the top plate outline to the ceiling and sloping ceiling. Check each vertical stud with a carpenter's level, installing closet wall studs on 16-inch centers. Cut and install a header board across the door opening.
3. Enclose the outer walls of the sloping closet with 5/8-inch drywall. Nail drywall sections into place over closet framing. Tape drywall seams and cover with joint compound. Allow the compound to dry and sand with sandpaper. Do this seam application with joint compound a couple more times. Paint the walls with satin enamel paint.
4. Use a staple gun to install fiberglass insulation between interior wall studs of the closet. Run wiring into the closet for a light overhead while studs are open. Cover the closet interior with bead board paneling with a factory-applied slick finish. Select white to reflect more light inside the closet. Use wood trim to seal corners or gaps for a polished look.
5. Build hanging rods and shelving to accommodate the sloped walls. Install a wall divider out of wood panels to form a vertical wall for the rod hardware on the right side of the closet -- if the right wall slopes on the far right. Use the sloping wall space for shelves only.
6. Use a triangular-shaped piece of wood to hold hanging rod hardware. Design the wood piece to fit the sloping wall angle on one side, but its opposite side will form a 90-degree angle with the floor. Nail the chunky piece of wood into a stud on the sloping wall. Secure this wood with 4-inch screws into framing before you add rod hardware.
7. Install hanging rods in a closet with a slanted wall by using ceiling wires or rope, as another alternative. Hang the rods down from the ceiling rafters, using strands of wire or rope, so that hardware to hold the rod is not an issue.
8. Screw shelving with stair-step lengths in place by securing shelves to the back wall of the closet. Install the shelves with L-shaped brackets on the back wall. Fit the staggered side of the shelves into the sloping wall nook. Don't use any hardware for the shelving on the wall that slopes.
9. Build a wooden storage unit that accommodates the shape of the sloping wall. Construct it as a bookcase unit with shelves and doors that you will screw to the back wall and floor -- allowing any odd shape on one end to fit the slanted wall.
10. Add finishing touches. Cut baseboard material to fit inside and outside the closet. Hook up the light fixture and hang a standard or custom-made door.
Tags: sloping wall, back wall, wall studs, closet with, detailed planning, door opening, graph paper