Two Projects in One flat: #2 The Bedroom

After our two sons left home, we downsized to a two-bedroom flat. Shortly afterwards, one son returned home, followed by the other a few months later.

Our flat is fairly spacious, but lacked storage for four adults’ belongings and a third bedroom. Using PAX wardrobes, my husband managed to build a walk-in cupboard and, using Billy bookcases, built a bedroom for my younger son.

As we didn’t want to make any permanent change to the layout of the flat we decided to use the dining area of the living room as a bedroom for our younger son using bookcases and plasterboard sheeting to build the walls. The bedroom was constructed using: five Billy bookcases; one CD storage unit; one door frame kit, one interior door; hinges; door handle.

Any number and combination from the Billy series could be used depending on how large you wanted the room to be. We have three of the bookcases and the CD storage unit facing into the new room to give our son storage for clothes, books, cds, etc. The two bookcases which formed the side wall of the room we faced outwards into our kitchen area, giving us some much need storage there. Again, any arrangement could be used to best suit individual requirements. The following steps are how my husband did it:

PAX Bedroom

1. Place one Billy bookcase facing rear wall, at right angles to side wall at desired depth of room and fix to wall and floor using metal brackets.

PAX bedroom 1

2. Leave a gap of standard doorway width and then affix one Billy bookcase, one CD unit and one more Billy bookcase together facing the rear wall and fix to the floor with metal brackets.

PAX bedroom 2

3. Place two more Billy bookcases side by side and align with the Billy bookcase wall which is already affixed to the floor and fix to the floor using metal brackets.

4. Attach wooden batons to the back of the longer Billy bookcase wall and to the ceiling.

PAX bedroom 3 PAX bedroom 4

5. Push insulation sheets into the gaps between the batons on the back of the bookcases cutting to fit where necessary.

6. Attach plasterboard sheets to batons.

7. Attach two wooden batons to rear wall of living room aligning it with the front and back of the two Billy bookcases.

PAX bedroom 5

8. Attach wooden batons to the rear of the two Billy bookcases, extending to meet the wooden baton on the wall and fix.

9. Push insulation sheets into the gaps between the batons on the back of the bookcases cutting to fit where necessary.

10. Fix plaster board sheets to the frame at the back of the bookcases forming an interior wall for the bedroom.

11. Fix plaster board sheets cut to size to for a wall in the kitchen and above the bookcases.

12. Skim walls.

13. Fix door frame cutting to fit.

PAX bedroom 6 PAX bedroom 7

14. Fit door and handle.

15. Fit skirting board.

16. Paper using wallpaper of choice – we used white brick effect.

Again, this has been a wonderful solution and I am so proud of my husband for doing all this work.

~ by Denise Grant