A corner closet will hide your "stuff."
You can never have too much closet space. Not only does it give you and your family room to grow, but it adds tremendous resale value to your home. Plenty of bedrooms, closet space, and cupboard space are all things potential buyers look for. The good news is, it is easy to create a closet. With an afternoon of labor, two walls and the price of a few 2-by-4 boards and nails, you can build a closet in any corner of any room in your house. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Planning Your Corner Closet
1. Design your closet before beginning, so that you will know exactly what you want to build. A rough sketch will help you visualize the project. Purchase the door for your closet entry as well before beginning; you will build the front wall of the closet based on the dimensions of the door you choose.
2. Locate the studs in the wall which will make the side wall of your corner closet. Tap on the wall to identify their presence, or use a drill and drill bit to see if it meets resistance. Find the stud closest to the desired depth of your closet; wall studs are typically every 16 to 24 inches apart, so you might choose the second stud out from the back wall for instance, if you want a 32-inch deep closet. Mark the stud you choose to attach the front closet wall to, at both top and bottom.
3. Find the studs along the back wall, which will form the rear closet wall. Choose the stud closest to your desired closet width. Mark this location at both the top and bottom of the wall.
4. Measure out from the side wall the width determined by the rear wall stud placement. Mark the floor and ceiling both to indicate the outer edge of the closet and placement of the front closet wall. Repeat this measurement from the rear wall forward, according to the determined depth of the closet. Verify these points match, indicating a square closet without measurement errors and determining the side wall placement.
5. Place a 2-by-4 board between each mark made on the existing side wall, rear wall, and along the ceiling and floor to line up all marks. Connect each mark to create an outline of the closet you will build. These lines will guide the placement of your walls.
Constructing Your Corner Closet
6. Cut two 2-by-4 boards to measure the depth of your closet (the wall marks created on the floor and ceiling). Lay one 2-by-4 on its thinnest edge, with the 4-inch side facing toward you; this will be your footer. Mark the board every 16 inches along its length. Line up the ends of additional 2-by-4, cut to the height of your closet, minus the header and footer, with each mark and nail into place, through the bottom of the footer and into the ends of the 2-by-4s as they lay flat. These will be your studs, attached to the footer. Attach another 2-by-4 to the opposite ends of the studs, nailing again through the board into the stud ends; this will be your header.
7. Build the front wall similarly, but do not attach studs in the middle of the wall where your door will be. Instead measure the door width and place studs on either side of the proposed door. Attach a 2-by-4 horizontally between the two studs on either side of the future closet door, at the height of the door (typically 82 inches). This will make your door header.
8. Spread construction adhesive along the bottom and top plates where they will contact the floor and ceiling, and along one outer stud as well. Lift each wall and line them up with their respective placement lines. Place shims underneath the wall as necessary to ensure a snug fit. Use a level, placed vertically against each wall, to make sure the wall is level. Nail through the outer stud and into the existing wall that forms your closet, spacing nails 2 feet apart. Secure every 2 feet into the floor and ceiling.
9. Provide extra structural support inside your closet for shelves, clothes racks, and other features. Cut pieces of 2-by-4s 16 inches long and insert between studs. Nail sideways -- so the widest portion of the board faces out -- to create places to nail into.
10. Finish your closet by cutting away the bottom footer in the door area and hanging the door. Cover the outside walls with paneling or drywall as desired.
Tags: your closet, closet wall, floor ceiling, side wall, each mark
