Bookcase Doors: Part 1

Of all the things in our house, the mysterious bookcase door is a favorite!  The ingenuity never gets lost when kids get to see a secret hide-away.  In our case, the bookcase doors don’t really hide the fun stuff: I set these up to conceal the air handler for our HVAC system, the water meter, and some long-term storage.

With our basement, I wanted the utilities to not take center-stage as they so easily do in an old house.  Luckily for me, previous owners moved the climate-control system when it was changed from a boiler and radiators to a ducted forced-air system.  We upgraded from a furnace to a gas-free heat pump, and moved the water heater.  The utilities are all tucked away now, but ever-useful.

Head here to see the plan for the whole library.

Framing

To get this area framed, I worked on setting the remaining two bookcases in their spots permanently.  Locking these between studs helped define where the rest of the remaining space was for the new bookcases.  I was able to repurpose the old bookcase door into the side wall, and spread out the other two original bookcases around the doorway.  Framing these in locked everything into structure, and I added framing around where the new bookshelves would be.

The most important part of these was getting a new bottom plate and top plate installed.  I essentially framed a rectangle into the area using my chalk line as a plumb bob, my framing level, and the locked-in bookcases.  I glued and anchored the bottom plate into the concrete slab, and installed the remaining stud to hang the top plate.

To get this area framed, I worked on setting the remaining two bookcases in their spots permanently.  Locking these between studs helped define where the rest of the remaining space was for the new bookcases.  I was able to repurpose the old bookcase door into the side wall, and spread out the other two original bookcases around the doorway.  Framing these in locked everything into structure, and I added framing around where the new bookshelves would be.

The most important part of these was getting a new bottom plate and top plate installed.  I essentially framed a rectangle into the area using my chalk line as a plumb bob, my framing level, and the locked-in bookcases.  I glued and anchored the bottom plate into the concrete slab, and installed the remaining stud to hang the top plate.

Before I started on the doors, I wanted the set-back bookcase outside the kid’s room to be more finished.  So, I added the panel in for the wall along the set-back.  Eventually, we’ll have a light switch in this spot (rewiring will happen at a later date!).  Then, I got the panel above the bookcase in, which included some additional supports from behind.

I installed casings around the bookcase, and finally finished installing the casings around their pocket door.  I then decided there really isn’t enough space to add lighting to this little alcove.  I’m honestly not that broken up about it: when we rewire the lights, the ceiling fixtures will be plenty. Plus, we’ll have other lamps!