[JulieMor]

This is in the master bedroom looking out to a dining room (now construction storage). Ambient light comes from an 8' patio door.

Best guess is this used to be an 8' sliding glass door that led to a lanai. A former owner enclosed part of the lanai to make a dining room. When I stripped off the knotty pine that was in the bedroom, I found mold in the drywall and stripped the walls bare, 1x2 firring and all. Some of the firring was rotted.

The white painted backing is 3/4" plywood. Looks like it was a bookshelf in the past.

Options I've come up with is to stud over it and be done with it. Other options are:

1. Make the empty space a bookshelf
2. Put in frosted glass to bring more light into the bedroom
3. Move the double door to the left so the one door doesn't block the wall switch (the wall switch is now behind the door when it's opened) and then add frosted glass on either side.
4. ????

Any suggestions?

 

[ktkelly]

Pocket door with a stained glass insert.

Eliminates the switch problem, still allows some ambient light, and would just look good.

 

[JulieMor]

I had eliminated the pocket door idea because I would need 84" in height for the pocket assembly to fit. Existing opening height (to the concrete beam) is 81-1/4".

After doing some measuring, I discovered the old doors had been cut to 78-1/4". If I remove the track from the rough assembly, I'll have the track at 1-1/4" with another 3/8" space between the bottom of the track and top of the door. Using the old doors, that would give me 79-7/8" leaving me 1-3/8" clearance on the bottom. That would leave enough for the laminate flooring we plan to install. Of course, this all assumes the bottom of the concrete beam is level.

The old doors are 24" wide 6-panel pine. We had been talking about removing the panels and replacing them with some kind of privacy glass. The doors are not thru-mortise so I'd be reluctant to remove the entire inside for one large glass panel.

I do like the idea of pocket doors. Gotta think this one over some more...

 

[ktkelly]

I had eliminated the pocket door idea because I would need 84" in height for the pocket assembly to fit. Existing opening height (to the concrete beam) is 81-1/4".

I do like the idea of pocket doors. Gotta think this one over some more...

I see no reason you couldn't use a pocket door kit, and I do recommend the Johnson Hardware version over the other "name" brand you might find at some of the big box stores.

http://www.johnsonhardware.com/images/install/pd/in1500pd.pdf


You can actually use a slightly shorter door with the pocket door kits.

I did our master bath with a stained glass pocket door, and it worked out great. Good privacy, and it helps let more light into the master bedroom.

Another option in your case would be to use two swing doors, that swing into the bedroom, with stained glass to give you more light and a wider opening...

 

[JulieMor]

As part of this remodel, I installed a pocket door for the walk-in closet and used the Johnson kit. By far, it's the best pocket door hardware I've ever seen.

The only issue with putting a pocket door for the bedroom entrance is height. My SO said the door height is already too low. If we can get by that objection, we'll go with the pocket doors.

 

[ktkelly]

Sounds like you might just be stuck going with a set of french doors if the SO can't handle the doors being a bit shorter.

Just yell DUCK!

 

[MariaD73]

Another alternative to a bookshelf could be a fold-down desk that folds back up to a framed mirror, with shelving behind it to hold office/desk "stuff". Then maybe a folding stool that hangs below it? Or even a fold-down vanity.

I'm fascinated with convertible furniture and such right now, so I keep seeing places to put it.