Add a Walk in Closet to Master Bedroom

6 years ago

Our master bedroom is a good size but the built-in closet is a bit of a joke. It is approximately 2ft by 5ft reach in that was custom built (and not well) which juts out into the room adjacent to a window (you can see it in one of our "before" photos on the far left, the other "before" is the entry into the room). We aren't using it yet as there isn't nearly enough space for both of our clothes.

As you can see in the floor plan, there is an opportunity to extend this closet out turning it into a walk in vs a reach in but I'm concerned that would further block one of only 2 windows in the room.

Alternatively, we could put a walk in where the bed is now and shift the bed to the opposite wall (which would create a "hallway" effect upon entry to the room) but we'd need to re-route the light switch and other electrical along that wall and create outlets along the wall where the bed would move to.

Our ideal scenario is to convert this closet into a stairwell to the attic (and make the attic a master closet + bathroom) but we know that long-term goal is too expensive now so want to at least fix the storage issue in the short term but put the closet in the right location for the long-term plans.

I would greatly appreciate opinions or floor plan ideas for adding a better closet in this space. It's a very old house so, while my dream is a larger attic renovation, I'm afraid retrofitting a 1920s house to make it work will probably come at a larger expense than my current budget allows.

Thanks in advance for any photos and ideas!

Comments (5)

enjoythejourney
6 years ago
Since you want to eventually put stairs where the closet is now, it would be a waste of money to build anything there. I’d suggest you move your bed to the opposite wall, get rid of your existing closet (if you want) and build a new walk-in or L-shaped one, where your bed is now. When budget permits, you may build your stairs, where the closet was.
PRO
NewLinkz
6 years ago
As an alternative for your walls, you might want to consider
something unique and easy to paint, personalize and install such as 3D wall
panels, textured wall paper or adhesive wall tiles (glass, gel or stone). Check
out some ideas here: https://www.houzz.com/projects/1258135/wall-decor
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What Kitycat says is true, leave the configuration of 3 bedrooms so that future owners can have the option since most families will need that with children around. It would affect the sale of your home. I say that because 2 bedroom homes are not that sought after. Our little cottage is 2 bedroom and it suits us. I figure the way we have it (planned) setup, it will be possible for this house to become a rental for two single individuals who want separate baths, closets, and some privacy. So each bedroom has its own bath, with the master having a walkin closet. And they do not share the hallway. The front bedroom (we now use it as a study) can be closed off making the hallway part of its suite and only using the bath if there are guests and the door to the hallway is not locked from the bedroom side. Part of my remodel to the kitchen will include closing off the master entry door from the (now shared) hallway, and relocating it to near the back door, as I also add a sitting area to the master. The sitting area COULD be left open to the kitchen area, but I have a nice old cypress door which will be mounted with barndoor hardware to close off the sitting area from the kitchen.....although I doubt we do that often, since we two old folks seldom have overnight guests. But, it is something I feel important for the sake of privacy. Anyway, you will sure get a lot more use from the space being set up to serve as a huge closet, more so than being under-utilized as a spare bedroom. Spare bedrooms or "guest" rooms, are probably the least used space in a home, followed by a formal dining room. In our house, the third least used space was the living room. We use the 2nd bedroom as our study and TV room. I now have my big parrot cages in the living room. We go through the LR to go sit in the sun porch, always a pleasant experience. I have ideas how to make the LR work harder and fit in with our lifestyle. With the return of french doors to the doorway, I now see the LR as our potential guest room. That way, our study stays intact and undisturbed because we use it more hours in the day/night than even the kitchen or the bedroom...or the bath, for that matter.
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Interesting perspective! Didn't think about that. My closet door is usually open. One thing that makes me hesitant about B, is additional construction (tearing a wall down, and adding 2 walls VS just adding one wall). Any other reasons B is better, helping convince myself it's worth the costs.
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Keep playing with drawing til something makes sense. I tried to sketch something out, let's see if I can attach it. Did you want to add a tub, or just a bigger shower? If windows can be added to the left wall, it would really add more possibilities! I made the bigger closet skinny so the window light still comes in. This loses the hall closets so it may need more work. I am not a big fan of the hall between the closets, it was my attempt to keep the window. Either of the closets where the master was could be removed to be a sitting area or a desk area. Obviously I am not a professional. I just like looking at and thinking about floor plans. I am sure others will jump in to improve my sketch by criticizing it lol. I left the toilet and one sink in place. I think the shower could use the same drain and it would not be too bad to extend the pipes to make it bigger, and add the second sink. The entry point is a bit crowded but I was having trouble adding a second sink if I made the bathroom door by the closets.
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Do you have another bathtub in the house...for bathing kids? Unless you or your spouse enjoy baths...maybe eliminate the tub in the MBA? I am glad I have a linen closet in my MBA. I agree with eliminating the reach-in closets and adding windows. Also think about how you dress; a walk-in closet can hold all the things people used to store in dressers. (You really don't *need* a window in a closet, although Mark gave it one.) I agree with him about losing the (dated) double doors -- and creating an entry, rather than plopping right into the living room. If you'll eat at the kitchen island a lot, consider seating that's not all-in-a-row. It makes conversation difficult.
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HALLETT & Co.
6 years ago
Realistically put the closet where the bed is shown, headboard flips to the long wall nearer the windows. Moving the stair is crazy expensive and may never happen, you need a closet now.
User
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
You need to sit down and do the storage math. In every single case, a reach in closet provides more storage per square foot than does a walk in closet. It only takes up approximately 28” in depth from the room with framing, and all of its length can be used as storage. The smallest depth that a walk in can be for storage on two sides is 84”, and that’s going to be tight in the middle once the walls are framed out.

A 10’ section of reach in closet swallows up 23 square feet of space, and gives you approximately 115’ linear inches of single hung storage after framing. Two 10’ reach in closets would give you 230” of storage vs the loss of 46 ft2. A 10’ walk in closet would give you the same 230” of storage on two of its walls, but result in the loss of almost double the square footage in the room at 84 ft2.

Id do a reach in across the bottom, and the side, where you have the bed. Move the bed to the upper left. The area in front of the closets becomes s sitting area that can double as an open dressing area.

You will never ever move a staircase in an older home. New staircases to code will eat up a ton more room to be able to comply with current building codes. That means a ton of structural work, as the stair opening needs to be much larger, because the rise is much less steep, with more headroom required. You lose an enormous amount of space in the required extra length too, top and bottom, as the runs are much longer to deal with the shallower required rise. The old stairs are grandfathered, and don’t need to be brought up to code. No one wants to spend 100K “just” to move stairs, and nothing else.
Jen G
Original Author
4 years ago
@User thanks for the advice! We are going to go for a reach in along the wall where the bed is now.

Add a Walk in Closet to Master Bedroom

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enjoythejourney

NewLinkz

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Add a Walk in Closet to Master Bedroom

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enjoythejourney

NewLinkz

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HALLETT & Co.

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Jen GOriginal Author

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Jen G
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