My $30 Closet Makeover

Here's a great way to get some extra storage out of a standard 75" wide closet. Items purchased were:

1. 1 - 4x8 sheet of cabinet-grade plywood (about $26)
2. 2- closet rod hangers (about $2 ea)

Items I had/re-used are:

1. 75" shelf that went across entire closet
2. metal rods (extended long enough to cut into 2-40" long pieces and one 16" piece).
3. paint

I got the plywood at Home Depot and had them rip 2-15.5" boards, leaving one 17" board which was used for the shelves. The 15.5" boards were cut to 80" tall and the 17" board was used to make 6- 15.5" shelves (the leftover 3" piece was used for the toe kick). After the pieces were cut, they were sanded, primed & painted before assembly. (I used a Kreg Jig to join using pocket hole screws) The bookcase was then assembled leaving about 12" between shelves with no top shelf (a scrap 1x3 was used for the board on the top to attach to the wall). The bookshelf was then anchored in the closet leaving 40" on the left and about 16" on the right (only one rod on this side - for hanging dresses).

The 75" original shelf was used across the top, also re-using the cleats used on the side walls to rest the board on. I gained a little rod space - going from 75" to 96" total, but gained 102" of shelf space on the bookshelf!