How to Build a Closet

When it comes time to sell your house one of the first things that buyers look at and sort by when searching is the amount of bedrooms and bathrooms the home has. A room cannot be listed as a bedroom unless it has a built in closet. Because of this you may want to add a closet to increase the value and marketability of your home along with having more storage for your clothes.

Measuring for the Closet

You will need a minimum of 24” of depth for hanging clothes. If coats will be hung in the closet you will want to plan for 28” of depth. You will also need 48” of length for each person using the closet. These are the inside dimensions, you will need to add 4.5” for each wall you will be building, this will allow 3.5” for the stud and another 1/2” on each side for the drywall.

I had a small niche in my master bathroom wo I will not be framing the walls. I will be framing just the opening for a door.

Marking out the Closet

If you have the space it is time to start marking out the closet area. Start laying out the space on the ceiling. First mark the ceiling where the sidewalls will be by measuring 48 inches along the back wall. Use a square to draw these marks out perpendicular to the wall 24”. Connect the end points of these two lines creating a line parallel to the back wall for the front of the closet. Use a plumb bob to transfer the ceiling lines to the floor. This will ensure that your walls will be plumb when you drywall.

Next time I will discuss framing the closet.