bookcase door

Ok this is my first Instructable and it's a bit on the large side so here goes.
Who doesn't love secret passages? I bought my first house last summer and over the cold winter ideas started forming in my mad scientist brain. As soon as it was warm enough to spend extended periods of time in the garage I got to work.

Step 1: Location

First up is the where. There is a closet under my stairs and about a one foot indentation along a nine foot wall. Seems like a pretty good spot! I pulled the door off and widened the opening to accommodate the bookshelf.

Comments

[enagel3]

interesting

[zelback1]

I just realized something. If you were to sell your house, you could probably get some extra bonus cash just for having that room! If it were equipped with power outlets, and it was aesthetically pleasing on the inside, it might make the value of the house as a whole rise even higher. I'd pay the extra cash just for the bragging rights. How many people can tell their friends back home: "We moved into a house with a room hidden behind a bookcase!" ^.^

[zelback1]

Would it be possible to make the door revolve from the center instead of opening on a hinge so that way, when you walk in, it shows a different wall on the other side? or maybe a different bookcase? I thought it would be very interesting to have a revolving bookcase door. They have a whole wall that turns around in Science City, (an indoor amusement park with wacky things like holographic projections of diamonds hidden behind paintings and rocking chairs that double as power generators.) in Kansas, but it is almost a trade secret since they won't tell me how it is done. Could you figure out a way to do this?

[soundgod06]

I'm not sure if a hidden room is a good storm shelter. What happens if your house does get hit by a bad storm? The rescue personnel come to your house looking for survivors, but can't find any. Why would they think to look behind a bookshelf that obviously isn't a door?

[tinker234]

wow this is a amsome one lots of detalis

[PS118]

"Who doesn't love secret passages?"
Indeed!!!

I do have a question tho. I'm not clear on how you made the "door" part swing out. With the shelves being as deep as they are, how did you get enough clearance on the sides to allow it to open?

[cross_eyed]

Well, first the door swings into the closet, not out to the room. As for clearance, that comes from the 6" trim.