Choose your walk in size carefully to provide a balanced storage area.
A walk-in closet adds extra storage space to your bedroom, but it also takes room to build one. When planning a new walk-in, balance your need for storage with your need for living space, and you'll find your new addition more efficient. Taking into account a few specific measurements helps you decide what length and width to make your new closet. Use these standards to guide the planning process, and adjust them to your needs. Does this Spark an idea?
Width
The width of a walk in closet is one of the most important measurements and a good starting place to begin your planning. To give yourself a minimum of 3 feet of walking space and 2 feet of clothes hanging space make the width at least 5 feet.
Length
A good length for an efficient closet is 6 feet, which is very similar to the width. Adjust your length for the amount of closet rod space required, since the closet rods hang along the longer wall. The 6 foot wall accommodates a set of double stacked rods each 4 feet long, and one tall garment rod 2 feet long right next to them. This gives you a very efficient space for hanging all types of clothing including suits, dresses, pants and shirts.
Rod Height and Length
Another measurement to consider is rod height. Normally, a single rod hangs at 45 inches from the floor, because most clothes take up between 30 and 40 inches of hanging space. Double rods hang at 80 inches and 40 inches from the floor. Double stacking the rods doubles your closet rod space without a loss of storage space. A tall garment rod hangs at 60 to 72 inches from the floor, depending on the length of the garments. A typical shirt takes up about an inch of horizontal closet rod space, while a suit takes up about four inches. Use these measurements to plan your closet rod lengths.
Rod Placement and Shelves
The most efficient walk in closets have a clothing rod hanging along the longer wall, which is adjacent to the wall considered as the width. If the clothing rods hang along the width of the closet, the width determines the length of the closet rods. Using rod length to finalize your closet measurements makes a lot of sense because you can custom tailor the closet to fit your clothing collection. Always add some room to allow for expansion, and your walk in will always serve you well. However, do not build the closet too large or it will cut into your living space.
Tags: your closet, closet space, from floor, inches from, inches from floor
