Thoughts on idea - closet access from 2 different rooms

[Scorpion]

I've been building a closet system for our master bedroom and, as I'm getting the carcasses close, we're wishing our closet was bigger (meaning we have a lot of clothing).  During discussions my wife mentioned keeping seasonal stuff in the guest bedroom which is right next to us (shares a wall).  While thinking about that whole process of moving clothing between rooms a couple times a year I realized that the guest room closet is actually on the wall shared with the master and if I were to cut a hole in the wall and add a door, we could use the guest bedroom closet from the master.

Now I'd do it a little nicer than just cut a door.  If build a built in that had access on both sides.  Sure twice as many cabinet doors to make, but think of the benefits.

My wife is thinking it would be stupid but I can't help but think it's damn near genius.  What do you guys think?  Will it kill or help resell?  Would the average homeowner look at that and think "hack"?

 

[Stone Message]

I would think that there may be some practical difficulties if you had anyone staying in the other bedroom. Cupboard doors may not be great for sound proofing and there is no way you would want to over hear your guests talking about you or have them hear you playing with you Festools when the lights are out!

Peter

 

[eddomak]

I don't know your budget, but if you had a motorised carousel (think dry-cleaners) you could literally rotate wardrobe from summer to winter, or anything in between, at the flick of a switch.

 

[DB10]

  In my experience with remodelling our own home, if the wife doesn't like my ideas then this only makes me more determined, I usually have to show her the advantages, but as Peter has pointed out there are a few practicalities with adjoining rooms that will need to be thought out.
Can you come up with a design solution that could be changed back more to the original configuration in the future if need be.

 

[Stone Message]

I just had an idea whilst mowing the grass...

Have you thought of mobile units that can be moved in and out of the wardrobes. They could be on high quality castors or just have smooth bottoms that can be slid across a carpet. You would have units for summer and winter. They then get swapped from one room to the other as needed.

Peter

 

[semenza]

I just had an idea whilst mowing the grass...

Have you thought of mobile units that can be moved in and out of the wardrobes. They could be on high quality castors or just have smooth bottoms that can be slid across a carpet. You would have units for summer and winter. They then get swapped from one room to the other as needed.

Peter

That's a cool idea! In addition to rolling them into a walk in closet they could be done to fit into a built-in opening or closet box in the room. With face trim that overlaps the fixed box so they look built -in.

Going to have to keep this one in the idea file.  [thumbs up]

Tall Sysports for clothes  [cool]

Seth

 

[six-point socket]

Hi!

Do you need the guest room? If not, forget the closet and think about a dressing room

I would never have a guest room directly connected to my master bedroom.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[bkharman]

We looked at doing something similar in a loft we had years ago.. but have the TV swivel between our bedroom and the living room.  I think you could do a similar concept if you needed to.  Here are some collectives on the TV thing, but rotating between two rooms was the idea.
http://www.homedit.com/tv-swivel-concepts-practical-perfect-modern-homes/

cheers.  Bryan.

 

[mike_aa]

[member=27782]Scorpion[/member]

Your question brought back some fond memories of my childhood.  We lived in an old house that was added onto over the years and had some unusual room layouts.  Two of the three bedrooms upstairs had an adjoining closet.  My brother and I shared one bedroom and my elderly grandmother was in the other.  We soon discovered that we could try to spook our grandmother by sneaking into the closet and making noises at her closet door.  After awhile, she would even play along with us and join in the shenanigans by trying to scare us!  [eek]

I don't remember how long it took, but my father soon built a wall separating the closet!  LOL

Mike A.

 

[sancho57]

Well your guest won't have any place to hang their clothes [crying].

I was considering doing something similar to my home in the states. We have a closet in the LR used to hang coats, store things like the vacuum etc. It buts up to the closet in one of the bedrooms. We could frame int the door and cut the wall joining the 2 closets.

Now for your situation.  You would have to think if the lack of a closet in a guest BR would affect resale. I think if it does it wouldn't be to bad of a hit if at all.

So I would go for it. Then just think you have another project of building a wardrobe for the guest BR. Could be a permanent install or a free standing one.

You will be making momma happy and get the opportunity to by more tools with mommas blessings.  8) 8)
See ya get a 2 fer

 

[Goz]

The International Residential Code (IRC), which is the residential building code adopted by much of the US, does not require a closet for a room to be considered a bedroom.  However, my understanding is that the rules for real estate appraisers are less well defined, so by removing the closet from your guest room you may be eliminating a bedroom from your home from a real estate perspective.

I agree with previous commenters on the sound issues.  I would not want a 2-sided cabinet connecting my bedroom to another.  Maybe explore the rolling wardrobe option Peter suggested?  Seems like an elegant solution to your problem while remaining flexible for future owners when you sell.

 

[Scorpion]

I would think that there may be some practical difficulties if you had anyone staying in the other bedroom. Cupboard doors may not be great for sound proofing and there is no way you would want to over hear your guests talking about you or have them hear you playing with you Festools when the lights are out!

Peter

Extremely valid point and thank you for pointing this out.  I agree that our guest room shouldn't share a wall with our master but it's the lesser of 2 evils...we have 4 bedrooms upstairs and the 2 most distant are the kids.  I think the 10 total days a year risking guests hearing me playing with my Festools is better than the 365 days of risk with one of the kids.

I don't know your budget, but if you had a motorised carousel (think dry-cleaners) you could literally rotate wardrobe from summer to winter, or anything in between, at the flick of a switch.

I like the idea but I don' have quite that much room.  If I did it would be more like a lazy susan.

  In my experience with remodelling our own home, if the wife doesn't like my ideas then this only makes me more determined, I usually have to show her the advantages, but as Peter has pointed out there are a few practicalities with adjoining rooms that will need to be thought out.
Can you come up with a design solution that could be changed back more to the original configuration in the future if need be.

I think I was looking to you guys to get me over the bump.  [big grin]

Have you thought of mobile units that can be moved in and out of the wardrobes...
Peter

Now we're talking.  Maybe the shelving doesn't even need to be the mobile part.  Maybe I just need some kind of a caddy that could easily be tucked away in such a way that it's unobtrusive...maybe a component of the guest closet and not part of the master so we don't have to look at it.  Great idea.

 

[Scorpion]

[member=27782]Scorpion[/member]

Your question brought back some fond memories of my childhood.  We lived in an old house that was added onto over the years and had some unusual room layouts.  Two of the three bedrooms upstairs had an adjoining closet.  My brother and I shared one bedroom and my elderly grandmother was in the other.  We soon discovered that we could try to spook our grandmother by sneaking into the closet and making noises at her closet door.  After awhile, she would even play along with us and join in the shenanigans by trying to scare us!  [eek]

I don't remember how long it took, but my father soon built a wall separating the closet!  LOL

Mike A.

...and your stories remind me of my childhood.  I lived a couple of years in Utah on a street with a lot of families each of which had a lot of children.  The memory I've retained is of me playing with toys in a closet that was positioned between two rooms of older kids doing older kid stuff.  They were so irritated...good stuff.

Well your guest won't have any place to hang their clothes [crying].

Guess the question is - what is the max stay a guest can handle before they need to use the closet.  My guess is it's about a week longer than they should be staying.  [wink]