DIY Network

Girl's Attic Bedroom Storage Karl frees up floor space with a built-in cabinet under an angled roof. From "Wasted Spaces" episode DWSP-205

Karl helps this mother-daughter team build storage with style.

Angled roofs eat up a lot of space in attic bedrooms like Katie Goodwin's – and a huge, overloaded storage cabinet doesn't help the problem. This bonus room-turned-bedroom could be a great sanctuary, if it weren't so crowded.

Host Karl Champley steps in to reclaim Katie's wasted space under the angled roof. In the first part of this storage remodel, he joins with Katie and her mom, Angie, to mark, cut and knock down a section of the knee wall, then remove studs to make room for a custom storage cabinet.

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Girl's Attic Bedroom Storage

Materials: wood glue mask screws nails foam insulation adhesive for the foam insulation birch plywood beadboard trim paint brushes, rollers, other paint supplies drawer pulls rubber feet

Tools: safety glasses dust mask gloves carpenter’s pencil tape measure chalk line hammer level utility knife keyhole saw framing square nail gun chop saw circular saw reciprocating saw

Paint Colors:
Benjamin Moore semi-gloss

white
Ladybug Red 1322
Fiesta Orange 084
Golden Groves 313

Opening the Wall Section

Demolition can be a lot of fun – and kids can help pull down unwanted drywall with proper supervision. Katie helped Karl and her mom remove the drywall for her new storage unit, but stayed out of the way for the more hazardous work of cutting away wall studs.

	Karl helps reclaim this wasted under-roof space.
	There's a lot of potential storage behind the old drywall.

• The countertop and cabinets in the project room were attached to the wall studs to prevent tipping. To remove them, Karl backed out the screws using a power drill with a screwdriver bit, set to reverse.

• Determine the finished size and position for the inset cabinet that will nestle under the angled roof. Make sure to avoid any load-bearing wall studs.

• Using a straight edge and a pencil, mark out the space to be removed from the drywall.

• Score the drywall with a utility knife, then cut through the drywall with a keyhole saw.

  Safety Alert: Wear safety glasses and a dust mask when cutting and removing the drywall. Wear work gloves to protect hands from rough drywall edges and embedded screws, nails or other hazards.

• Knock through the drywall with a hammer and remove it.

• With the drywall out of the way, remove the studs from the open area of wall. Again, make sure to avoid any load-bearing studs. A reciprocating saw works well for this part of the job.

  Safety Alert: Always wear safety glasses and use caution when using a power saw or other power tools. A reciprocating saw can have a powerful "kick back" that makes it difficult to control; if using this tool, make sure you are able to control it safely.

• Clear away the demolition debris and any debris found behind the wall before going to the next part of this project.

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