Sunday, December 30, 2012

New Project for the New Year

By the end of next week, if everything goes according to plan, The Husband and I will each have our very own walk-in closet!  This is a project that I have been ruminating on for a long time.  (I mentioned it earlier in the year in THIS post about trying to find a place to store my shoes.)

For the past 5+ years, our hanging clothes have shared a long closet with 30-inch bypass doors and inaccessible dead spaces at each end.  I installed two rods in there, one high and one low, but it still was a barely-functional situation.  The smaller door on the left is a narrow closet with The Husband's jeans, tshirts, etc., folded on shelves.

 
 
I have been working with Peter, a contractor friend of ours, on the remodeling of our rental properties.  He and I communicate beautifully, and he always does a super job with anything we have asked him to do.  Yesterday, he emailed to say that he has a light week coming up ... and that he will be available to do my closet project!  (cue the happy dance)
 
The dotted lines are the current walls and door spaces.  The shaded lines are where the new closet walls will be.
 
 
The plan is to demolish the wall that forms the front of the current closets.  Peter will build a new wall that continues the line of the wall behind the bedroom door, then bisect the new space with a partition wall to form two closets.
 
The new wall will fall approximately along the line of the rug fringe.
 
 
The part of the project that has eluded me has been the design of the new wall with the closet doors.  My original idea was to reuse the sliding doors (which are solid wood and well built), making them into hinged doors, and center the doors in the new wall.  This bothered me because it seemed like too modern of a design in this old house of ours.
 
As I was up there folding laundry last week, I was staring at the wall and I realized that a solution to my design dilemma is SO simple.  The new closet wall can be built to look like a whole wall of built-in cupboards.  By reusing all three of the doors that are there now, and adding one more door and some molding that we will 'borrow' from another bedroom, we have the materials on hand to make the new wall look like it has been here all along. 
 
This is a quick Photoshop facsimile of what we plan to do.  The center 30-inch doors will open into each new closet.  The 24-inch doors on each side will be fixed, but they will look like they're operable. 
 
You have to imagine that the doors are painted a nice, clean white, and accessorized with antique glass doorknobs.
 
 
Peter and his crew will be here bright and early on Wednesday morning to get started.  In the meantime, I have to empty the closets, heaping our clothes wherever there's room for them, and move furniture to make way for the construction.
 
This is a small job for Peter, but it will be a HUGE improvement to how we function in this old house.  (It should only take two or three days.)  Stay tuned, because you know I will be in there taking photos of the whole process so I can share it with you as it's happening.
 
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The work on this project is being done by:
Peter Csemez
Homebrite Renovations
540-295-1337
(If you are in northern/central Virginia and you need a contractor, this one comes highly recommended ... by us!)  
 

18 comments:

  1. Nothing for marital bliss like separate walk-in closets (and washbasins). When we built our home we sacrificed the "powder room" in the plans so I could have a separate closet from Mrs. ProfessorRoush. But hers is bigger! I commend you for dividing the space equally, but Peter could always make a little mistake for you....just saying!

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  2. Connie-THAT is going to be wonderful....and still give you a good sized bedroom. Perfect-love the idea of the use of the doors-xo Diana

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  3. I can't imagine how people used to live without closets. My grandparent's home had none and it wasn't even as old as your home.

    Yours are going to be fantastic!

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  4. Congratulations on great design. Your life will be so much easier and the house will benefit as if it was original. Good work!

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  5. It's going to look wonderful and oh the room inside! I think a closet is something you only dream about, now you will have one! Hugs, Linda

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  6. Connie, Sounds like a great plan! I hope you have a wonderful 2013.
    xx, Sherry

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  7. My stone mason has had some days for me this holiday.

    A new flagstone terrace. Yipppeee.

    Isn't anticipation great ?

    Garden & Be Well, XO Tara

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  8. Ohhhh I can't wait to see I'm doing a happy dance for you all the way down here!

    XXOO
    Cyd

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  9. An excellent (and cool-looking) solution! Jealous of your walk-ins -- congrats on finally getting them done the way you want!

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  10. It's going to look great and will be so happy with the results. Have a great New Year!

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  11. What a nice treat for the New Year!
    You will certainly enjoy the added storage space. My grandmother had a trunk room with a wall of cupboards, I loved to look at her collection of linens and quilts. Her closet, though, was only deep enough for a row of hooks.
    Happy New Year!

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  12. Dear Connie, How wonderful! I do envy you the space to do this. The small cupboard my husband and I share in our little, old farmhouse is appalling really. Wishing you a very Happy New Year! P. x

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  13. OOOOOH....so excited for you. When I was finally able to move upstairs and into the "master bedroom" and my little walkin closet, was the greatest day. It's the little things that make us happy!!! Happy New Year Connie!!! :) donna

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  14. Sounds like a well thought out plan.......great way to start the new year.

    Happy New Year Connie!!!!

    Janet xox
    The Empty Nest

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  15. Sometimes the relatively small projects have the biggest impact. Closets are important and this sounds like a terrific solution.

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  16. What a great project that you will get a heck of alot of use and enjoyment out of!!... I can't imagine sharing a closet with the husband, and I know how spoiled that sounds. We are just so VERY DIFFERENT in the closet department.

    Happy New Year, Connie!

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  17. How exciting! Much added closet space, minimal construction issues and you didn't have to sacrifice too much floor space in the bedroom. At least I think you haven't. ;). Looking forward to seeing the progress.

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  18. How cool! I love that you're thinking of the style of your home and being true to it. I wish all renovators did.

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