Zach and Kelsey Gross are first-time homeowners who recently bought a beautiful historic home. The house has plenty of character, but like a lot of older homes, it was lacking in storage space.
In fact, the one closet in the master bedroom had barely enough space for Kelsey’s clothes, so Zach had to commute to the guest room closet. So, we helped the couple add a pair of closets to their master bedroom, without sacrificing the character of their home.
Creating Closet Space
Zach and Kelsey had a space in their master bedroom that wasn’t being used in the best way, so we used it to map out two new closets that, once finished, looked like they had been there all along.
After clearing out the closets and covering everything in the room, we carefully removed the old moldings, so we could reuse them later.
We assembled all three side walls before putting them into position – one on either side of the window and the third to cap off the righthand closet. Next, we framed in the front walls with a header above to accept the doors. Once the framing was complete, we drilled access holes for the electrician. Then, it was time to install drywall, followed by lots of finishing and sanding. Watch How to Measure and Cut Drywall for tips on this process.
Keeping in character with the house, we used old salvaged doors for the new closets and matched the existing moldings in every detail possible – from the door casings to the picture moldings.
Finally, we installed the shelves, closet rods and shoe racks inside the closets to make them perfect for Kelsey’s needs.
By adding two identical closets on either side of the window, we not only created enough new storage space for Kelsey to store her clothes, shoes and accessories, we also created the opportunity to add a vanity counter which she can use as a makeup table, complete with specialized lighting that’s perfect for the task.
Customizing the Existing Closet
After giving Kelsey her own closet space, we customized the interior of the original closet for Zach’s needs, so he could move his belongings out of the guest room closet. We added two closet rods and created shelving on the side for his shoes.
Other Tips from This Episode
Simple Solutions with Joe Truini:
Tip for Cutting Sheets of Plywood
Here’s a tip for supporting a sheet of plywood while cutting it with a circular saw, preventing it from pinching the blade and creating a dangerous situation. Watch the video.
Best New Products with Jodi Marks:
Empire Ultraview LED Torpedo Level
A level is a pretty simple tool, so innovating it is a bit tricky, but that’s just what Empire has done with their UltraView LED Torpedo Level. It is available at The Home Depot.
Watch the video.
