Hidden Potential

[Redoverfarm]

You may want to rethink your choices when considering 2X4 vs. 2X6 interior wall partitions.  Will you loose interior square footage or not?  The loss is only 2" but what is the gain.  Consider built-ins in your design.  Some of the hidden potentials might surprise you to gain useable space which would normally be a blank wall.  Their uses are unlimited in the terms of storage.  I have enclosed a few ideas.

Laundry & Utility Rooms-  Ironing boards, Broom and mop storage, Cleaning supplies,  Tool Storage,  Coat racks . Flashlight storage( where you will always know where it is and can include charging ports)

Kitchens-  Spice racks, pantry canned goods, Verticle dinner plate storage, Silverware storage,  food storage containers( including foils, papers, storage bags), frypans, coffee cups. 

Bathrooms-  Cleaning supplies, health and beauty products, hair dryers, Toilet papers storage and dispensing, unsightly plungers, Towel and wash cloth,

Entry way- Gloves, coats, hats, unbrella, key storage, shoe storage.

Although firewood storage is not capable of fitting into a wall cavity a access door is.  With an optional outside doored storage cabinet this may be the key to eliviating stacked firewood indoors thus taking up valuable space and a cleaner interior.

With very little effort and some 3/4" stock for box framing and shelves, a trimmed cabinet door, couple of hinges and you are thinking inside the box. So when you look at your walls invision a 5-1/2" X 22-1/2" X 7' storage area.  Now take several of them and visually move them into your room.  Although there are several retail products that you can buy and incorporate into your design there is a lot of racks that can be made with dowels and shelves.  If you like the open country look leave the doors off.

How much storage space are you missing?  How much square footage are you actually loosing in comparison to cabinets sitting out into the room?

[MikeT]

I am doing this exact thing, or at least trying....  In the common stud wall between my bathroom and the kitchen/entry way, I plan on using the stud bays that are not carrying pipes as set in shelves for supplies (what supplies those are, I have not determined).  I am trying to maximize space wherever I can. 

mt

[Redoverfarm]

Good job Mike.  I wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel.  I was just throwing out some ideas that people have not thought of.  Maybe some have but just didn't know what to store in them.  A real small cabin with an open floor plan might not be the ideal setting for this application but hey there has to be a least one interior wall (bathroom or bedroom) that could be utilized.  Another storage plan that I utilized is in loft area to utilize a kneewall storage areas. By simply moving the insulated wall back to the top plate the area normally for a standard kneewall in a attic truss situation can give tons of storage.  Although not a cabin my house was attic truss cape cod. I gained 4' of storage for a length of 48' down both sides(exception of dormer areas). I just used drywall scraps on the interior and 1/2" ply foors. A raised panel access door and an occassional light. They are filled to the brim already.

[glenn kangiser]

Good write up, and good ideas, John.

Here is a pix of a wall of built-ins I did at our other place about 10 years ago.  It was a remodel and we had a small kitchen and big bedrooms and utility room so things got changed.  Fridge back and broom closet went into utility room and oven and microwave backs went into the bedroom.  The picture display area is exactly as you mentioned to the point of adding a header and taking out a stud for a larger area.  We only had 2x4 walls there though.



Only problem with this is Sassy will really be after me for more storage here -- Oh well -- she is anyway.  I have some plans pretty soon.

This was before I learned chainsaw, and sledge hammer construction.

[Redoverfarm]

I was debating whether to start a new thread or add it to Builtins. Well you can guess which one won out.  Maybe this will get the thinking in gear.  Exchange ideas and let people know they can door more to maximize their smaller space. The only thing some might find intimidating is the finish look. Hey go buy some salvaged cabinet doors.

Thanks for the "pat" but I enjoyed it.  Heck it's too cold to go out and work and I really don't want to start with the IT stuff.

[Sassy]

Here in the cabin we built the "medicine cabinet" into the wall - it is odd shaped - it's triangular shaped in the back to fit between the studs - 8 in deep on the right side, approx 4 inches deep on the left - its about 30" tall by 18" wide - so gives more room than the average medicine cabinet... 

Bay windows are another nice feature in homes - Glenn's son had built a beautiful knotty pine window in the dining room; I had him take out the regular windows in the living room & put in bay windows there also.  Makes the rooms look much more spacious & you can display your knick knacks etc or depending where the window is, make a nice reading nook like some have done here in their cabins. 

[ScottA]

In the cabin I'm building I framed a 2x6 wall between the kitchen and bath for a built in spice rack.

[Sassy]

In Homegrown's remodel of their kitchen, they put in a nice built in shelf...

[jwv]

Wow, Sassy the urns in the first pic are beautiful!

Judy

[glenn kangiser]

Replica's but cool.