The Closet That Never Was
With the framing work in the south upstairs bedroom complete, I have turned my attention to clearing debris and preparing for electical work.
Recently I cleared the fiberglass batts and blown cellulose from an area just off the living space that looks like it was designed to be a closet. I already knew the framing was mostly in place for this to have been a closet, but as I brushed away the cellulose insulation I found subfloor boards identical to those in the other closets, too.
It looks like the only reason this space was never finished as a closet is because the builder chose to have the vent pipe for the kitchen sink protrude right in the middle of it. A kitchen remodel some time in the past moved the sink to a different wall, so this vent pipe isn’t used any longer. There really is no reason I couldn’t remove the pipe section above the subfloor and make this space completely open and useable.
Potential uses I have considered for the space include:
- Closet for this bedroom. This would allow the old closet on the other side of the room to be claimed by its neighboring master bedroom closet to create a very large (though awkwardly shaped) walk-in master closet.
- Utility space for future air conditioning unit. We got bids last summer for a high-velocity a/c system but decided we didn’t have the budget for it right now. It could be an option down the road, though.
- Utility space for future upper level laundry. If we didn’t put the a/c in this space, I have considered installing a laundry set here that would be accessible from the upstairs hall to avoid carrying laundry up and down two flights of stairs.
- Secret room. The most frivolous use, this would not serve as a closet per se, but simply a small bonus space hidden behind a bookcase door. I have given up this idea because I concluded my son will get good enough at hiding things from his parents without me providing him a built-in stash room.
As you can also see in the photo above, there is some staining on the floor from water infiltration at some point. I haven’t seen any evidence of wetness in the kitchen ceiling below, so I think this issue is probably history though I’ll give it another look during the next heavy rain.
Tags: attic, bedroom, Closet, Ideas
5 Responses to “The Closet That Never Was”
Secret room! Secret room! If I can show my wife how awesome it is in someone else’s house first, maybe that’ll nudge her in my direction about *our* useless closet.
I would pick option #3… a secret room to store all your valuables
But of course tell everyone here it will be a laundry room.
My vote is for one of these:
http://www.hiddendoors.com/galleryThumb.asp?category=13
We’ve been thinking of one that would lead to a storage space in the new bathroom addition. It’s an awkward space, so this might be a good solution.
Wow, so the secret room is popular! I guess I’m not surprised. I may have to give that a bit more thought, though I don’t know how I could give one child a bedroom with a secret room and leave the other without. Ms. Bungalow just let me know she really likes the bigger master closet idea. The deliberation continues…