Updating the original post to include pictures of the current condition.
BLUF
1) Is 21" depth of a closet ok?
2) How good of a job should I expect a re-model company to do a door jam that is only 2" thick with interior french doors that are 1.375" thick.


I am remodeling an upstairs room that was a "Sunroom" with, three windowed walls, resulting in horrible temperature swings and no closet for bedroom consideration. I think I have a solid design but my last question is closet positioning. I would love to put the closet right behind the door to reduce dead space but from the casing of the existing entry door to the studs is only 23.5". The second alternative is to put the closet in the NW corner of the room, but that results in more dead space near the door. The two designs are below. Any thoughts or comments are welcome.

I have been leaning more and more to not worrying about the space due to the size of the room.

Cost: $6500
Project: Remove six windows, frame as necessary, and install R-19 insulation.
Frame out new closet 3x5.5 to include solid core wood door, trim and light fixture.
Paint to match windows.
Remove existing carpet.
Sand, repair and repaint rope sashes in remaining windows.
Cut trim to match on last window in North wall.
Install five receptacles one outlet on East wall, one outlet on South wall, two outlets on West wall, one on North wall.
Install and repair Sheetrock, tape, float and texture.
Sand and repaint base boards, walls and ceilings.
Install new matching carpet including 6 lb 1/2" padding.
Exterior close in area where windows were removed. Cover in plywood and install matching vinyl siding.


Closet 1



Closet 2

I wouldn't really stress out over closet size. Bedrooms in homes of your age aren't going to have large closets to begin with.

If you're going from something like 4 bedrooms and this will be bedroom number 5, hell, even 3 to 4, I wouldn't even bother with setting it up as a bedroom. Make it an office. GLA is were the value is for the most part, not bedroom count.

2 bedroom to 3 is different though.

24 inches finished inside is my preference


I like the first option

Any reason the door is swinging toward the chair/bed instead of opening to the dead space ?


And why is the width 5' 6" ?


I would frame it 25 x 49 on the inside dimensions to open up the room more and then add a double rod if you are wanting more hanging space for clothes.

24 inches finished inside is my preference


I like the first option

Any reason the door is swinging toward the chair/bed instead of opening to the dead space ?
This is a quirk with the software I used to draw it (LucidCharts) it actually does open to the wall but for some reason I could not get it to do that in that corner.

And why is the width 5' 6" ?

As P_Bub mentioned above, this is a 106 year old home. I have 3000 sq ft in the main house but not a ton of closet space. I have been adding large closets to the rooms as I have gone through the remodel.

I would frame it 25 x 49 on the inside dimensions to open up the room more and then add a double rod if you are wanting more hanging space for clothes.

Thanks for the idea. I did double rods in both the men's and women's master closets. I was aiming at leaving some more space for toys and things and not having as high to reach for clothes if it was a kids room.

Can you move the entry door over a few inches? That would pick up space to make the closet deeper.

Cowhop, the entryway sits just to the left of the stairwell so there isn't any room to move the entryway. That would be a good idea if possible.

Halconblack said:

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24 inches finished inside is my preference


I like the first option

Any reason the door is swinging toward the chair/bed instead of opening to the dead space ?
This is a quirk with the software I used to draw it (LucidCharts) it actually does open to the wall but for some reason I could not get it to do that in that corner.

And why is the width 5' 6" ?

As P_Bub mentioned above, this is a 106 year old home. I have 3000 sq ft in the main house but not a ton of closet space. I have been adding large closets to the rooms as I have gone through the remodel.

I would frame it 25 x 49 on the inside dimensions to open up the room more and then add a double rod if you are wanting more hanging space for clothes.

Thanks for the idea. I did double rods in both the men's and women's master closets. I was aiming at leaving some more space for toys and things and not having as high to reach for clothes if it was a kids room.

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If y'all are around for the King William Fair, stop on by the shack. I'm throwing a party.

Could you install a pocket door to prevent those doors from interfering? Either pocket door into the bedroom or single closet pocket? I've always felt that once installed they open up a good bit of usable space since you don't have to maintain clearance for a swinging door.

P_bub,
I think we will finally make it by this year.

Kenneth and the rest,
I moved around the furniture this am and feel good about option 1. By keeping the closet 3' deep I also have enough room to set a dresser against the side of the closet wall and feel like it is a pretty good use of space. Thanks to everyone. I will post before and after pics.

Have you thought about installing mirrored sliding closet doors? We used them in our spare bedroom and they were great by eliminating the prior existing bi-fold doors and also provided a full length dressing mirror. Plus it makes the room look larger...

Gary,
That is a good idea but the Mrs. and I don't think it really fits with the rest of the home. The house was built in 1913 and we have tried to stay "Modern Victorian" on most things. That means that all the doors in the house are some version of the image below. Thanks for the idea though.

Build your own with 2 sliding doors like the ones above in lieu of the mirrored sliding doors...just a thought

So,
Now the family is giving me grief about taking out all of the windows on the far wall. I am debating leaving one to look something like the below. I am concerned that I might not achieve the improvement in efficiency by doing that and might drive up costs for my project by asking them to navigate around that window to insulate. I feel like there would be plenty of light without that window on the wall as well.

Any thoughts on this?

Don't remove windows unless you have to. JMHO...

Final pictures and a note... don't leave your remodel company and the household 6 alone to execute a project. It didn't come out bad but the closet is a little over sized. No real trouble points. (Note I contracted most of this job out).

As always with a remodel in an older home the most important considerations are matching the existing. For this job it involved saving the casing and trim to use on the closet and then going with wood doors for the closet instead of something else.

I had some trouble matching the stain on the exterior of the shudders and it turned out slightly more red than I intended. We also had heck with the windows and had to install some shims to get the latches to align.