Roommate Blocker 1.0

This will demonstrate how to convert a college dorm room double into two singles. For those who are unfamiliar with the term double, this refers to a single room occupied by two people. Whether you hate your roommate or just enjoy a quiet and isolated space to yourself this guide will explain all that is needed in order to split the room in half.

This project should be done at the beginning of the new school year.

The duration of this project is completely dependent on how large of a wall you need.

KEEP IN MIND, you will PROBABLY need to drill at least one hole into your wall. Do what you have to, to avoid making the holes too noticeable. In other words... PREDICT damage that may be seen at the end of the year, hint hint. My wooden frame uses about THREE wall holes.

Why: Your roommate smells. Your roommate is noisy. You have a girlfriend. You don't have a girlfriend. Your 21 and think it's unreasonable that your University does not provide adequate housing... you would understand if you knew what we paid per month.

Everything seen in this guide can be found at lowes/home depot... I'm sure you could also supplement some of the items used for hardware found at local stores.

The wall is also really sturdy, but I think I used the bare minimum in order to accomplish this.

Cost:
Without tools: $120,
With tools: Roughly $50

This project will reduce noise by about 70% and eliminate all light... mostly.

** Also, you should probably get your roommates permission.

*** The entire project took about 5 hours to complete.

**** There was no glue or joint compound used in this project, it is fairly clean and straight forward.

***** If you are concerned that your room may spontaneously combust, this project will probably facilitate the burning process.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Materials:

Drywall is pretty cheap so you should buy about 1.5 times more than you would think to buy.
Enough Wooden studs to build a frame in the are you want to frame off. (The length of your pieces should match up with the height of your ceiling. You also may want to have one long piece going to the door, so keep that in mind when picking wood. I used 1.5"x1"x9'. I think 96" is a standard ceiling size in college dorm rooms.

1xbox of concrete screws,
1xbox of drywall screws, ($6.23 for a 4'x'8'x1/4")
1 twin bed sheet,
1 sliding door kit ($12.99)
1 unmounted door ($19 at lowes... it's pretty light too)
A roll of velcro tape
Foam tape (cover up drill holes and adds sound insulation. It also helps create a seal)
1 inch Copper tube straddle ( this was just a cheap way to make a handle, you can get whatever you'd like)
1 Twin XL fitted sheet ($9.99 target(tar-zhe) )

Tools:
Drill
Saw
Miter Box ( for a college dorm room this is essential, the room is too small to use clamps in odd places.)
Hammer
Pliers

Comments

[kiafayce]

I wish I could do something like this. Unfortunately, the building owner doesn't want us putting any screws into the walls or any kind of construction project in our rooms...

It's extremely problematic when we bring guys back to the dorm. :/

[treekids]

when i was in college we built a nice structure that went concrete wall to concrete wall and held it in place by hammering wooden wedges between the wood and the wall- it held well enough for us swing from our new rafters, from which we hung beds, leaving the original bed area clear for living space. make your structure, whatever it is, strong and slightly narrower than your room, and a wedge or three will hold it in place with no screws at all

[bennettcrew]

3M Command Adhesive products. The strips work with all sorts of things. They're just adhesive on both sides... you don't really need to buy the hooks. However... The hooks are super awesome, and will hold quite a bit of weight. The wife and I lived in "married student housing", with the block walls and such... and I never did figure out a way to keep from hearing her!! hahahahahahahahahaha... Seriously though, those 3M strips would have been a lifesaver!

As for a room divider... try 7 men to a room, for a year! Military deployment life sucks, but it will definitely bring out the most creative solutions, for any situation imaginable! I've seen curtain dividers, lockers for dividers, storage containers, all sorts of things used to just have a little bit of privacy. If this sort of thing is really a problem for anyone... stay out of prison!

[Project_Nightmare]

You have one big dorm room. Then again I got shafted into a dorm that was meant to be a double that was converted into a triple.

[kevinhannan]

This is truly a great 'ible, well done! ;-)

Having recently come out of student accommodation, room-checks are done randomly, without warning and very frequently. This kind of thing would have resulted in a large repair bill as the accommodation office would insist on removing the offending installation as well as putting good any damage. My Uni also has a policy of withholding any degree awards if there are any outstanding issues like this.

I had to share with three Kenyan guys,each of whom brought their families with them (illegally housed in the student accommodation). In order to reduce the noise and increase the privacy we put in those free-standing office screens, that can also house doors and windows if desired. (see image).

We did this so it reached from floor to ceiling and the metal legs were stout enough to take the strain (besides which we put bookcases against it each side).

But let me emphasise - this is a great 'ible - and not just for the scenario you describe - all I wanted to do was show an entirely damage-free and removeable solution.

[WhiteTigerTails]

I agree with your solution.

[Scurge]

yeah, I'd think that putting holes in the wall would have reprecussions. I agree though, good instructable.

[mechaninja]

JOINT COMPOUND. USE IT.

[valhallas_end]

Heh, at my college it's completely illegal and results in expulsion, removal of credits from the records, or massive fines. Admittedly, I can see where they're coming from - something like this is a fire hazard in many cases. kevinhannan's idea would be a great alternative for stricter universities.

[Romado12187]

no.

[Scurge]

I dunno dude, unless your at university outside the US. Colleges have to abide by very strict fire and life safety codes, like Valahallas said. The rooms are designed with those codes in mind, which is why the only flammable thing in your dorm room is usually just your stuff (also why theyre remodeled so frequently). you know how govt organizations are with the voters kids. "think of the children" LOL (yes i know your an adult, but they still think of you as the kids.) I would bet $$$ on this being an issue with university housing at any US university, and if you havn't checked already you should. Another thing is that for a construction company to do as little as nail a board to the wall at a school (state run or not), they have have to be licensed, bonded, and insured for insurance liability reasons. I know this for a fact, as i have been the construction industry for over a decade. I would think that if they had to go through that, the school wouldn't let joe schmoe student even look at a hammer/drill in the building. not calling you a schmoe, but u get the picture.

[keng]

According to the assistant director of maintenance at the Univ of Mo Columbia, "we don't have to follow building safety codes." That was why they refused to replace the battery packs in the exit sign in my dorm group when I advised them that the signs did not light up during a tornado and power outage. He said they were expensive and they wouldn't be replacing them.

[NotOurKing]

As valhallas_end says, it's a felony to not meet building safety codes. No building in the US or Canada is above these codes. If you want to be nice, I would recommend going to the administration at you school about this and if you want to be mean, call the local authorities. Even if you don't go there any more, you could save many lives by reporting this.

[hitokiri_808]

Can't you report that?

[bobdog]

Good old Mizzou....

[Scurge]

...... I'm speechless.... At this very moment, I am Im putting the final touches on a haunted house that I run so we can get codes inspections next week. We are required to pass 3 different inspections, building, fire, and life safety to be able to send one customer through our attraction. It worries me that a place where you live has no restrictions or codes, while I have to have all that for someone to be in my building for an hour. Not that I feel I should be able to "get away with it", but I am worried for your safety. These codes weren't invented for fun outta thin air, just about each and every code has been written as a response to past injuries and or deaths (even the ones that seem silly). Failure to comply has proven many times to cost lives, like that nightclub fire at the white snake show years back for example.

[VagsmaCutter]

I think that it's cool and quite resourceful especially if he's able to get away with it. But, I agree with you; I can't imagine that this wouldn't require a permit. Butt coverage and revenue are the first two reasons that come to mind (not the official reasons of course). Having said that, my mom says she thinks if he and his roommate are responsible they could pull it off. Keep in mind she's nor I are qualified to make any recommendations regarding the safety or lack there of, just had to put our two cents in. Also she says the tragedy that you referred to occurred during a Great White concert. Anyway, I think you're right about the other stuff and I am in concurrence with you. Still a neat ible on testicular sackitude alone.

[valhallas_end]

Wow...that's an interesting take on a felony...the guy could have gone to jail for ages for violating fire codes, dorm safety, insurance, Department of Health, etc. regulations.

[demodk]

Kids do stuff like this at Iowa State all the time. So I think each school most likely varies on how hard they would come down on such a project, if at all.

[valhallas_end]

Plus there's the requisite sprinkler systems - if they can't flood a room (and they really do flood rooms - I've seen the aftermath after an electrical fire), then the building structure is compromised. Besides, construction in almost any dorm in America has to be officially licensed by the university. A breach could result in forced sale of the building (this happened to a local institute in my city) or massive fines.

[nakedwookie]

myself personally I have never seen a sprinkler system in any dorms that I have been in. just alarms :P

[valhallas_end]

Hm, strange. I've never been in a dorm without sprinklers...haha but then again, all of the dorms I've dropped by have had records of frat-inspired fires sometime in their histories...
Most annoying is the sensitivity of many of these sprinklers, especially the old ones. The dorm my kid sister lives in has an old-style sprinkler head that will gush water if you so much as touch it...they've had water damage from people who've received birthday balloons (there's just no way to control them...), beer pong accidents (I was passing by and saw that one in a dorm basement - it was a beautiful trick shot meant to ricochet off of overhead pipes...but it clipped the sprinkler), and people dumb enough to touch the heads when they are clearly surrounded by signs warning against such actions...

[sc0ped91]

yes

[Data643]

Nice Beatles posters, especially the one with the albums.

[Hermea]

Make sure you check with your Housing and Residence Life department before you build something like this. While I think it's awesome, it would be against fire code in our buildings. just another I wish moment.

[rcallowa]

incredibly clever... seems like a good solution for studio apartments as well

[saidthety]

Nice instructable, I really wish that I could do this in my dorm, but my school has about the tiniest dorm rooms I've ever seen, and I would have to walk through my roommate's half of the room to get to my half anyways. It's nice to look at projects like this and dream about what it'll be like to have my own apartment though...

[komecake]

  Well... I think this is great. And honestly? If you made a bed out of wood and added a sheet, isn't it just as flammable? Anyways, great job. I never would of thought of this. :)

[Human Being]

nice Beatles posters lol i have 1

[g chord]

THE BEATLES ARE THE BEST !!!

[driesyo]

an the best is that you know it

[Smeeon]

well done! well documented for those who are unsure how to start a project like this.

[chuckr44]

In college we had bunk beds pushed against the wall. We could "privatize" the lower bunk by tucking in 2 blankets under the mattress of the top bunk. But how do you privatize the top bunk? We used thumbtacks to tack blankets to our sound proofed ceiling, which was like a thick cardboard. Never in a million years would I think those tacks would hold up a whole blanket but it worked great!

[kathynv]

I think this is a terrific idea and one that can prevent major roommate squabbles. However, considering the concerns expressed by some of the other folks here, I'd add three more steps to the Instructable: 1. Add a second layer of drywall, which will do wonders to decrease sound levels as well. 2. Tape the drywall seams, which is really easy if you don't have to have nice, neat, paintable seams. Again, this will reduce sound transmission from one side of the room to another and 3. Put at least one battery operated smoke detector on the side of the room without one, and both sides is even better. There are many schools that will forbid a solution like this to exist in their dorms, which is too bad. I think one of these walls is a heck of a lot safer than the ones I've seen made of beer cans and the like. Sure they're light and it's easy to tip over the cases, but it isn't exactly easy to wade through a knee high sea of cans and cardboard, especially during a fire alarm event. This idea has a lot more merit if you look at it as a way to have roommates share a single bedroom in an apartment. The rooms are generally bigger, so the wall would cost more. We've put up normal, non-load bearing walls in a day, so I know it's doable. If you split a good sized bedroom in a one bedroom apartment, you could save a ton of money over having to rent a two bedroom unit. It's also a good work around when parents are stuck with having kids of opposite genders sharing the same bedroom. I think this a good work around for many different situations, and can be made safe, as long as the wall-makers are aware that each "room" needs two methods of egress (one can be the door in your wall), and that buying a $10 double pack of smoke detectors should be mandatory when picking up the materials for this project. Thanks for sharing this terrific instructable!

[dmnhunt3r]

pocket door?

[newroger]

muito bommm! vou usar aqui em casa!

[uncle frogy]

I like it and would say that along with the considerations mentioned like permission and relative impermanence and of course fire safety I would add some consideration with good ventilation of the space and how it partition would effect the ventilation the over all room. a note a firewall is covered by two layers of dri-wall both sides keep thinking!

[altontoth]

That sheet trick is super clever! If you press fit the wall into place, as you put the frame in, you could actually wrap the sheet around the edges of your studs, no stapling required on edges. Super awesome though!

[skipernicus]

You can get even more sound reduction by putting a layer of masonite underneath the drywall. Masonite is super cheap, easy to work with and is great for blocking sound.

[altontoth]

A second layer of drywall, especially if the seams do not overlap, can assist in the sound deadening process greatly.