Closet rough opening

Three studs were cut and removed. Well, actually two. I scavenged a whole piece for use as the new king stud on the left and inserted a new cripple piece above the header. I don't know why it looks grey. It's just the mid-wall blocking. The other two were cut at the top of header, then reused as trimmer studs (sometimes called "jack studs") to hold the same header, which is a 4x4 that I happen to have lying around. Without roof load, the header beam doesn't need to be any bigger than that. (Continued from earlier)

Clean sheetrock removal, 5of5

Next will be careful measuring of where to cut along the studs. I want to minimize wall patching again on the other side (inside the closet), so I'll keep the top end of the studs as cripples to sit above a new header beam. The wallboard attached to it on the other side will remain intact -- hopefully. This is similar to the new doorway in the office room. Both conditions have the ceiling joists and rafters running conveniently parallel above, putting no load on these walls, so practically any size header beam would be okay.

(Continued from earlier)

Clean sheetrock removal, 4of5

The nice thing about these recently built homes (this one is circa 1964) is the simplicity of construction. The "unfastened" wallboard simply swings out like a door (it could have also flipped downward or just flopped out). Debris was literally less than a handful, so the extra hour of nail pulling also pays off during cleanup. Eventually the unused pieces must be tossed, but overall it's still good condition sheetrock. (Continued from earlier)

Clean sheetrock removal, 3of5

A strategic sawcut from floor to ceiling along a stud was helpful. The existing wall on the right will have its wallboard refastened to that stud, while new patch pieces on the left will also fasten to it. The wall corners above and to the left were knife-cut to break the taped seams. Needless to say, it's important to remove every nail before yanking on the wallboard, but a slight tug will reveal if there are any remaining fasteners. (Continued from earlier)

Clean sheetrock removal, 2of5

Knowing the wallboards are fastened with nails, I just had to spot them using a magnetic stud finder, then grab them with a nail puller. Dents from the nail pulls are nicely localized on the surface and in roughly one-inch round divots, making them easy to fill later with joint compound. (Continued from earlier)

Clean sheetrock removal, 1of5

Swapping closet access from one room to another starts with creating a new doorway, which means removing gypsum wallboard (AKA plasterboard, wallboard, Sheetrock, drywall). The same opening size will be patched in the other room because I'll be taking that closet door to reinstall here. I also want to reuse the wallboard because the finish wall texture is again difficult to replicate. I'll have to remove a large section anyway to get to the studs, so I want to minimize the damage to it.

Two-part scaffolding

Using scrap material (the studs from the closet removal), I attached the lower part of the homemade (what isn't around here?) platform to the wood stairs using screws. The stairs, being a future repair/removal item, is actually the weakest link. There were spots of softness during screw attachment. But having every contact point fastened with at least one long and strong screw, this is as steady as it gets. It's not going anywhere.



And to reach the top of the window (purpose of the scaffold), I measured my comfort zone standing on the platform. I needed a 24-inch rise.

It's important to leave enough separation from the wall because most working movements will have you pressing against the wall with your upper body and pushing outward with your lower. Appropriate diagonal bracing was used, and all contact points were again screwed down.

Egress window

Windows in a bedroom have to meet certain minimum egress requirements. The actual opening has to be a certain minimum area (currently 5.7 sq. ft. in my municipality), width (20 inches), height (24 inches), as well as some other requirements (not relevant here). Sill height must be low enough to the interior floor (44 inches). All these requirements affected my window replacement in Bedroom #3.

The solution was as easy as choosing a 6040 glider to replace the old aluminum 6030. But I had to cut a lower sill. It helps to know the precise new window frame size so that cutting could be done strategically inside and out to minimize work and effort.