House & Home
The Weekend Warrior

• Inner Space:  Spring Cleaning Help? Why Not Get Simply Organized

• Weekend Warrior:  Finding Extra Space

• Links to House & Home On-Line:  Storage Projects

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Finding Extra Space

In conjunction with this month's Inner Space feature -- Spring Cleaning Help? Why Not Get Simply Organized -- we thought we'd devote our Weekend Warrior to finding extra space around the house.  ... 

The number of possibilities here are probably endless.  And we're sure you've thought of some of them, and maybe even completed such projects already.  But for those who may not have, we'll run out a few of the more space-creating projects you might want to consider, then focus on one that we think is a winner.  ...

Some places to look ...

There are lots of places around the house that you might claim for more useful duty.  Among the more common places to look  ...

• the attic -- with some simple plywood or particleboard down, and storage boxes and/or shelving.  You can even go the extra mile and insulate/drywall, and end up with an extra room in the process.  ...

• in a dry basement -- where you can build a simple storage closet, or frame out a small room for the washer & dryer that are taking space upstairs, along with a convenient table for sorting & folding   ...

• alcoves or the space under the stairs -- with a closet & shelving, or a roll-out unit.

The other things to consider when looking for space ...

• Look in the corners, which are often not used very well.

• Claim space up there near the ceiling for things that you don't need to get your hands on all that often, including spaces above already-existing furniture.

• And in that context, think vertical -- bottom-up, floor-to-ceiling.  There's no sense wasting space up high to collect dust.

All that said, one of our favorite places to look for extra space is ...

In the Walls ...

That's right.  In the walls.  ...  While it may not seem practical at first, interior walls offer an extra 3-1/2"-6" of space that can make a big difference for certain types of space-claiming.

Suppose, for example, that you'd like to have a hamper in a bathroom that seems just a little too small to handle it.  Recessing the hamper that extra few inches can make all the difference between feeling cramped in there and feeling like you've got enough room to maneuver. 

The same thing holds for lots of other storage solutions.  A bookcase, just to name another example.

Thinking It Through ...

Ok.  Let's say you're convinced that recessing storage or shelving in your interior walls makes sense to you now.  What's next?

Well, there are a few things to consider  ...

Differences for wall- recessed full-10" shelves for nominal 2x4 & 2x6 studs...

• The space you'll get depends on how your interior walls are built.  Unless your place pre-dates 'nominal' 2x4's, 2x4 construction will get you the nominal 4", or 3-5/8" depth.  Similarly, if the wall was built with 2x6's, then you'll net the 5-5/8".   ... If that doesn't sound like much, then look at the drawings to the right.  They'll show you the proportional differences for full 10" shelving for both 2x4 and 2x6 studs.  {A full 10" assumes you rip 3/4" plywood, otherwise you'll end up with 'nominal' 10", a much narrower shelf.}
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• In like fashion, what you'll have to work with in there also depends on the spacing between the studs.  16" on center will net you 14-1/2" between the studs, while 24" on center gets you 22-1/2".
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• What your walls are made of will also shape the scope of your project, as well as how you'll have to go about it.  Drywall is definitely the easiest wall to explore and deal with.  Tiles, for example, in the bathroom, present their own problems, while plaster and lath, especially metal lath, could make for quite a chore.
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• BEFORE you start tearing things apart, you'll want to do a little exploring.  Remember, some of those interior walls contain wiring and plumbing.  First check the exteriors, on both sides of the wall.  If that seems ok, then you can drill a small hole, grab your flashlight or small gooseneck, and look and feel your way around.  Again, even something this simple is much easier in drywall than other types.  But if you're facing tiles in the bathroom or kitchen that don't cover the whole wall, you can simply go in above the tiles.  If you're facing plaster, then you'll have to cold-chisel a section out.
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• If, after exploring, you think you've found a good candidate, then you have a few basic questions to ask yourself:

  • Can you use the existing studs for your project?  Or will you want to be cutting through them for a wider opening?  If you need to go wider, then you also need to make sure the wall isn't load-bearing or, if it is, plan on providing temporary support until you can frame it in, including, of course, a reinforced header to make up for the wider span.

  • Are you planning only a partial recess? Or are you planning on going floor-to-ceiling?  If you're going all the way, then you'll want to start above floor level to avoid cutting into the bottom plate.

Finally, if you're going to use the existing studs for shelving, a simple support solution is to drill two small holes, on level, in each stud, repeated & spaced for the height of your shelving.  You can then tap some dowels through, for your shelf supports.  Of course, the size of the dowels will be determined by the load on the shelving; but you won't want to go too large, or you'll weaken the studs too much.  On the other hand, at a 14-1/2" or even a 22-1/2" span, you shouldn't need to go too large anyway.

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