How to Build a Closet in a Room With a Slanted Dormer

Define the dimensions of the room you will use for the closet. Draw the design on graph paper to show existing windows and door openings. Sketch walls that leave a dormer window on each side of the closet, for example. Envision the closet footprint as 6 feet deep by 8 feet wide; its walls make short hallways on each side of the closet that lead directly to a dormer window that overlooks the world below.

Nail a soleplate around the edges of the closet flooring. Using carpenter’s chalk, sketch the outline of the closet on the ceiling and the dormer wall. Nail a top plate on the ceiling to outline the closet, using a carpenter’s plumb and carpenter’s level at the corners to make sure the upper and lower frameworks are square. Install 2-by-4-inch boards on 16-inch centers to create studs for closet walls. You could elect to design a door opening that accommodates two standard doors facing into the room, making the closet more accessible. Install a header board across the door space.

Finish up the closet interior. Run any needed wiring for a closet light in the ceiling area. Add drywall inside the closet over studs. Finish all seams with drywall tape and apply joint compound. Allow the compound to dry before sanding to a smooth finish. Apply two more applications of joint compound, sanding the dried seams between coats. Roll satin enamel paint on the closet interior and nail baseboard material around the floor level of the closet interior.

Nail drywall into place on the exterior wall studs of the closet. Cut sections to fit snugly with the sloped roof. Cover seams with drywall tape where the closet meets the existing walls. Add drywall tape over seams between sheets of drywall. Cover exterior corners with metal drywall capping. Apply joint compound, allow it to dry, and sand the seams with sandpaper. Do two more applications of the drywall joint compound, sanding in between, so that the final wall surfaces are smooth, with no seams showing.

Finish up closet details. Hook up the interior light fixture and install a closet storage system. Buy premade shelving with a hanging rod section for the width of the closet. Use floor and eaves areas for boxes and bins to hold miscellaneous items. Use a storage system that will work with the sloped ceiling in the closet so hardware can accommodate a sloping roof inside the closet.

Hang closet doors last. Cut the door threshold soleplate at each side to make a flat threshold. Secure a metal threshold plate with 4-inch screws into the door areas. Add door jamb materials and wood molding with small paneling nails. Use an electric screwdriver to install door hinges with 3-inch screws before hanging standard closet doors.