Your closet is sized for your particular needs.
A walk-in closet offers more space than a traditional closet, even if some of that space is walking room and an area to dress in. Walk-ins usually feature three walls capable of handling shelves for extra storage space, and though each has individual dimensions, there are some standards and general rules to follow in terms of designing yours. Does this Spark an idea?
Widths
A walk-in closet features an area in which someone can stand and walk around as well as space to hang clothing like suits, shirts and socks, which means the closet must be wide enough to include room to walk and space to hang clothing. Since the typical person needs about 3 feet of space to walk and maneuver comfortably, and clothing requires 2 feet of hanging space when hung on a hanger, the minimum width of a walk-in closet is at least 5 feet. In a typical walk-in closet, the clothing rods are hung on one wall, taking up 2 feet of width, and the other 3 feet of space in front of the rods is for walking and standing.
Height
The height of a walk-in closet is usually the height of the room's ceiling. Most walk-in closets are constructed by framing a section of the room in walls which go from the floor up to the ceiling. No reason or benefit accounts for making the ceiling lower than the surrounding ceiling, so in almost every case the height will be your home's interior wall height. Door height is usually a standard 80 inches. Although it may be framed in smaller in some cases, making the door 80 inches, or the same height as other interior doors, just makes finding and installing the door easier because a custom door does not have to be ordered.
Length or Depth
The length of the walk-in closet depends on how much storage you will need. If the closet is at least 5-feet wide, the length will be a little bit longer. Small walk-in closets usually measure 5 x 5 feet, or 6 x 6 feet. Larger walk-in closets will vary in length up to 15 feet or more. When choosing a length, factor in the number of clothes you wish to hang; about a 4-foot length of closet rod is required to hang one person's clothing. Adding more length only increases the amount of closet rod space available.
Rod Hanging
The other dimension to examine is the height of your closet rod. This height varies, but some standards make good guidelines. Normal closet rod height is 45 inches from the ground, just shy of 4 feet. If you have taller garments, like formal ballroom dresses, hang a rod at 60 or 65 inches. Double-hung rods hang at 80 and 40 inches while very tall closet rods hang at 72 inches, which allows the most room below the rod for hanging clothes. In walk-in closets, you can have both double-hung rods and one tall garment rod because additional space is available along the walls for both.
Tags: walk-in closet, walk-in closets, hang inches, closet least, feet space
