How to Build a Closet

If you are in an older home that has tiny closets – or worse, no closets! – you may find yourself scrounging for space. Why not figure out how to build a closet, and give yourself the gift of more storage space.

Of course, space can’t be made from nothing, so you’ll be giving up space in the room where the closet is located, or an adjacent room, in order to build your closet.

Decide what’s going to work best for you. Is your bathroom unnecessarily spacious? Does the master bedroom have a strange nook that would work well as a closet? Is there unused space under the stairs?

Next, determine whether you’ll have to knock out any walls, and if you do, determine if they are load bearing walls. Load bearing walls are necessary for the structural integrity of the house, and you cannot knock them down safely. If necessary, get a professional opinion on this part.

For any holes that need to be knocked in walls, saw shallowly first to make sure you don’t hit any wires or pipes. No need to electrocute yourself or flood the house for this project!

How to build a closet may include building walls themselves. Be sure to check into city or county codes to make sure you’re building the walls properly and safely.

Framing walls is simple, but you must do it right. Also decide at this point if you’re going to run lights and/or electricity into this space.

If you are, please hire a professional or at least get a professional’s advice. New walls need to be drywalled, and once that’s finish, you can paint the entire space.

Then, it’s time to decide on your closet system. Will you do built in cabinetry or ventilated shelving? You have many, many choices, so shop around and give yourself the closet of your dreams.

When you’re learning how to build a closet, there is so much more than just the structural part. You need to make the space your own, and as long as you are building it, build it to suit you!