Joining two bedrooms together

squirt13 · Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:04 pm

I want to join the front bedrooms together by cutting a passage through one of the clossets. I know the marriage wall is the wall with the closset opening in, but all I want to do is cut an opening in the wall board the same height as the closset door on the back side. This would open the two rooms to each other. I would then frame the opening like a regular door with out putting a door, just hanging a curtain. I also plan on leaving the upper part of the wall I am cutting into in place. I am attaching pictures of the closset I want to cut the back off of and the other side of it in the other room. Sorry for the strange poster in the picture, it's my son's room.

Greg · Thu Dec 11, 2008 5:46 pm

I have always maintained that with enough planning and money you can do anything. I would be VERY careful when it comes to messing with a support wall. At the very least You will need to double up the door frame studs. Greg

squirt13 · Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:10 pm

The wall with the marriage line is not going to be touched. I was planning on just cutting the wall board off the back of the closset and frame it as a doorway. This would make the closset into a passway between the two rooms. All the original studs and framing would stay the same. I don't believe the wall board hold any weight on it so cutting a section out shouldn't change the strength of the wall, should it?

Yanita · Fri Dec 12, 2008 9:01 am

Hi,

After following this post then all you really want to do is remove a section of wall board from the studs? The studs in a marriage wall will only be 16" apart, is that enough of an opening?

The wall board is not structural, and will cause not cause structural failures. BUT, if you remove a stud I would make sure that the marriage wall then gets a full header and king studs. To not do so would cause a loss in structural integrity.

Yanita

squirt13 · Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:56 pm

Thanks for the quick reply from all. The marriage line wall is not being touched at all. It is the wall at the back of the closset that is. What I want to do is just cut the wall board off and frame it in like a door way. There may be one stud in that section closs to the the corner and I was just going to leave it and make the opening slightly smaller on the back side.

Greg · Fri Dec 12, 2008 4:39 pm

As long as the marriage wall will remain intact you should be OK. As Yanita said you will need to remove at least one stud and add a header to have enough room for a door. Greg

Yanita · Fri Dec 12, 2008 5:33 pm

Hi,

Well then if the marraige wall is not compromised you have made your decision.

LOL, I gotta ask though, what is the reason behind a 16" wide pass through a closet into another bedroom for?

Yanita

squirt13 · Sat Dec 13, 2008 10:42 pm

My son wants to turn the two rooms into one. He is 18 and he and his girlfriend live with me. They want to open it up so they have a sitting room and a bed room of their own. This would give them a little more privacy and me some of my own. By doing this way when they finally move out I can convert the rooms back to original and use them for what ever.