Redone Small Entry Closet

Frustrating dealing with the crooked walls but I like the end product and so does my wife.

Step 1: What to Do With a Narrow and Deep Entry Closet

We have tried many things over the years to make this space work. Most of the time it ended up being a jumbled mess. So I tore everything out and found out that there were not 90 degree angles or flat walls or straight wall. I decided that I would have to make something to insert into this space. Because of this I chose not to tell you the size of this whole thing in detail, nor did I include a cut list. You space is not the same as mine. The rough size of the space was 23 1/2" wide, 80" tall, and 37" deep.

Step 2: First Thing Make a Shoe Box.

I build most things with pocket screws. This is a simple 16" tall, 16" deep 23 1/2" wide box with a shelve in the middle. I then made a face frame out of 1/2 MDF. I did the whole project with MDF. Kreg make a smaller step bit and smaller screws for 1/2 stock.

Step 3: A Quick Primer on Pocket Holes

You can search Youtube to find better information, but I thought I would discuss why I use pocket hole joinery. First, I don't do woodwork as a job. Second I don't owned a lot of expensive tools. Third I am not that talented.

You can see from the photos that pocket holes use a step bit to drill holes into wood at a 15 degree angle. The wood you are drilling the hole into is held in place by a clamp to a jig so you can drill the angle hole. You can see the drill and driver I use. You also use a clamp to hold the pieces together and down so you can drill the screw the piece together. You use a specific type of screw as you can see. The last reason I use pocket holes it is very easy to use, most the time the pocket hole is hidden and it make a very tight and good joint.

Step 4: You Can See the Joint

Here is a joint on the back side of the shoe box. This joint will be hidden.

Step 5: Storage Space at the Back.

At the back of the shoe box I added just a box that will become extra hidden storage. As my wife stated that will be for things we use once a year. It is 16 tall, 22" deep and 23 1/2" wide. I then test fitted the box. If the closet space had any square corners or walls I would have made the insert in one piece. However, due to how bad the original construction was. I had to make the box and then figure out the rest of the insert once I put the box in the closet.

Step 6: The Shaker Style Side and Back Panels.

The two side panels are 61" tall 36" deep and the back panel is 22" wide and 61" tall. The frame is 3/4" MDF. Rails and stiles are 3 1/2" However the center style is 6 3/4". I adjusted the placement of the center style base on how much space was needed to hang coats and how tall I wanted the upper shelf to be. Both the top and the top shelf are 36" x 22" and the shelf is 13 1/2" from the top shelf. I decided to tack on a backer board rather than rout out a place for the panel inserts.

Step 7: Finishing Up

You can see the hooks we decided to go with. I decide on a simple trim that both fit how we are planning out the style of our interior. To make the hidden space I simple added cleats and a short back board, added some simple hinges and drilled a finger hole. It is simple but it works. I really like how it turn out after all the frustration of having walls that were way out of whack.