Kapple, William H.

Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship Repository

: ~ · ~ .s rJ"J '"' 0 0 ~ .s • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Small Homes Council-Building Research Council COUNCIL NOTES INDOOR STORAGE Requirements for Good Storage Space This publication describes storage needs within the house, including minimum dimensions for certain clothing and linen items. Also, techniques are shown for developing storage in usually ig-nored spaces which exist in most houses. Kitchen storage is covered separately in C5.32, Kitchen Planning Standards. Storage arrangements for special interests, such as woodworking, sew-ing or hobbies are not given. Many items of furni-ture are well known and do not require discussion. Good indoor storage space provides: a. order-ly storage; b. visibility and easy identification of stored items; c. direct accessibility; d. economical construction; e.flexibility to meet changing needs; and f. safety from fire or injury CLOTHES CLOSETS The capacity of a clothes closet depends upon the accessible length of rod. Three types of closets are common. Reach-In Closet. The minimum front-to-hack depth of space for hanging clothes is 24". The ac-cessible rod length is equal to the width of the door opening plus 6" on each side. Reach-In Edge-In l accessible .J \ rod length I ' ' L----accessilile _J 1 rod length 1 ' ' c ~ --=-+-----,.,--:;'-'-"-"--?C--'-'-----N .... . 24" . f--min.-1 door Edge-In Closet. By providing an edge-in space of at least 18", the accessible rod length can be mu~h longer than the door width. This requires less wall space than a full front opening. COUNCIL NOTES Volume 1 Number 3 Winter, 1975 © 1975 by The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois Material in this publication by William H. Kapple, AlA Consultants: Seichi Konzo, Wayne L. Shick Cover: Susan M. Zagorski illustrations: John Sadowski Graphic Design: Joan R. Zagorski Editor: Henry R. Spies Published quarterly by the Small Homes Council-Building Research Council, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, One East Saint Mary's Road, Champaign, lllinois 61820. 25c per copy. Application to mail at second class postage rates is pending at Urbana, Illinois 61801. Page 2 Walk-In Closet. This type provides rods on one or both sides of an access path at least 20" wide. A wider access space within the closet may be used as a dressing area. T. QI..C :QC, ·- c:: :::Ill ~~~-... ., ~t Walk-In 68"min. 24'Jimin. 20" 24"11min. min. -clear. (f --L2~" _I l mm.l door Rod Lengths and Heights .T QI..C :gc, ·- c:: :::Ill ~~~-... ., ~f The Minimum Property Standards of HUD (1973) require that each bedroom have a closet, with rod and shelf, with minimum dimensions of: For double-occupancy bedrooms 24" by 60" For single-occupancy bedrooms 24" by 36" For closet at entrance to house 24" by 24" A more desirable front-to-hack depth would be 28" fo.r bedroom closets and 30" for entrance closets to accommodate bulky outer garments. The average rod space per garment is about 2" for women's clothing, 21/4" for men's clothing, and 4" for heavy coats. Recommended heights of rods are: 68" for long robes 63" for adult clothing 32" for children's clothing Shelf Space and Lighting The shelf is normally located 2" above the rod, and another shelf may be located 12" higher. Shelves higher than the rod may also be installed at the end of the closet. A fluorescent fixture over the door is recom-mended for lighting a closet. Deluxe cool white tubes match daylight for selecting clothes. University of lllinois SHC-BRC ~ ( Closet Doors Four types of doors are commonly used for closets. The factors which influence the choice of doors include cost, appearance, ease of operation, ven-tilation, wall space required, door projection or swing (both inside and outside the door), and net opening size. Closet doors are usually 6'-8" high, but some are 8'-0". Air leakage around doors may help reduce mildew formation in the closet in humid condi-tions. Louvered doors are recommended for closets on outside walls, where moisture conden-sation is more likely to be a problem. Hinged Door. There must be adequate space in front of the door to allow it to swing. The doors are available in stock widths varying from 24" to 36" wide, and may be used singly or in pairs. This is the only type of door which can accom-modate closet accessories on the inside face. Most flush doors have a hollow core; Therefore, closet hardware can be fastened only to the side or top rails or to a wood strip at least 1/2" thick glued across the door face. 0 By-Pass Sliding Doors. These doors do not inter-fere with access space or traffic in front of the closet. However, part of the opening is always blocked by a door. Such doors are available in widths of 18" to 36", and can be used in multiples for large openings. C5.12 Indoor Storage Multi-Fold Doors (accordion type). With this type, the entire width of the closet ope~ing, ex-cept for the space occupied by the folded doors, is accessible. The doors are made of narrow sections of wood or fabric-covered metal frames. Multi-fold doors are available in widths of 25" and up. Bi-Fold Doors. Two panels, 12" to 18" wide, comprise a hi-fold door. One or two such hi-fold doors can close openings from 24" to .72" wide. Clearance in front of the closet must be provided for the projection of the panels into the room. Drawers in Closets A stack of drawers, pull-out trays, or shelves can be placed at the end of or between hanger rods. Page 3 Work and Play Clothes This storage should be near the service entrance and have a washable floor surface. Work and play clothes can be stored on hooks. A low slatted shelf provides ventilation for damp boots and shoes. 0 LINEN STORAGE Suggested space requirements are shown for bed-room, bathroom, and dining linens. The amounts shown are based on the needs of a family of four. Linens may be stored in closets, built-in cab-inets, or furniture, on fixed or adjustable shelves, or pull-out shelves. The suggested shelf area of 29 square feet for bedroom and bathroom linens al-lows for extra storage, since the HUD minimum requirement is 15 square feet for a three-bedroom house. Shelf or drawer shapes may be different from those indicated, but the front-to-hack di-mension should not exceed 24". Dining Room Linen Flat linens, especially dining linen, become more accessible and less subject to wrinkling if stored on a sliding shelf or shallow drawer. 3-dining table cloths 20-napkins 2-small table cloths 8-place mats paper cups, plates, napkins, etc. Alternate: ~6" wide x 20" deep Page 4 1-pillow 3-heavy blankets 2-light blankets 6-full sheets 2-twin sheets 8-pillow slips 2-bed spreads 1-mattress pad extra linen items Alternate: 36" wide x 16" deep Bedroom Linen The linens shown are for two twin-size and two full-size beds, in addition to linens in use. Bathroom Linen The recommended space accommodates the items shown, plus paper products, lotions, soap, cleaning supplies, water bottles, etc. The space should be in or near the bathroom(s). extra shelf for other linen 1-bath mat 6-wash cloths 4-guest towels 6-bath towels 6-face towels Alternate: 30" wide x 12" deep University of Illinois SHC-BRC • GENERAL STORAGE ROOM Household storage space is always needed for common items. A general storage room can pro-vide this space, with the items visible and acces-sible. For better accessibility, the front-to-back dimension of the shelves should be less than the vertical spacing. Shelves more than 72" above the floor can be reached from a step stool. The space shown is 7'-6" by 8'-0", with a ceil-ing height of 8'-0". This 480 cubic feet of general indoor storage exceeds the HUD minimum stan-dards of 425 cubic feet (including both indoor and outdoor storage) for a three-bedroom house. Such a storage room with only one door will be less ex-pensive than a series of cabinets or small closets of equal capacity. If space is not available for a general storage room, these items may be stored on shelves in closets, wall cabinets, or suitable GENERAL STORAGE ITEMS A. Cleaning Equipment and Table Leaves. The main items include broom, dust mop, vacuum cleaner, step stool, dining table leaves, and possibly an ironing board. This space is near the door for con-venience. B. Christmas Ornaments. C. Miscellaneous Items. D. Cleaning Products. E. Card Tables and Chairs. Space for three tables and eight folding chairs. F. Small Tools. Tools for minor household repairs -C5.12 Indoor Storage 2'-0" r---' 1 I 3'-0" 2'-6" ---l I I I l I ___ J areas in a dry basement or attic. The general stor-age space shown could be reduced to the extent of the other space available. workshop or hobby shop requires separate space. G. Cleaning Items. Small cleaning tools can also be hung on the wall panel hangers. H. Hand Luggage. I. Paints and Supplies. Only water-base paints and supplies are shown. A metal cabinet in basement or garage is recommended for storing flammable paints and supplies. J. Toys. Other toys may be stored in a toy box in the child's bedroom. K. Office File. A single-drawer file is shown. Page 5 FINDING MORE STORAGE SPACE In every house or apartment, space exists that may not be readily recognized as suitable for stor-age. The examples shown are based on experi-ence, and can be adapted to fit the specific needs of a particular household. Shelf Assemblies. Shelves should be of adequate front-to-hack depth for the items to be stored. Most books will fit on shelves 9" deep, but .greater depth may be desirable for larger volumes. Shelves are commonly supported on project-ing clips or brackets which hook into shelf stan-dards. One assembly uses portable posts which are spring-loaded to fit snugly between the floor and ceiling. Shelves with supports only at the ends will sag with heavy loads such as books and magazines. Such shelves, of nominal1 x 10 or 1 x 12 boards, should be 32" or less between supports. By fasten-ing the shelf to the back wall as well, the span can be 48". The side members of a tall bookcase should be stiffened or anchored to the back to prevent bowing. To avoid tipping, tall shelf units should be fastened to the wall or ceiling. Shelves along a hall only 36" wide should be located well above head level. When lower shelves are placed along a wider hall, allow for a clear passage of 36" or more. Within Walls. Shelves for storage may be instal-led between studs, provided insulation, wiring, or piping do not interfere. If studs are removed to form a wider opening, a new header will be need-ed if the wall is load-bearing. In new construction, a greater depth may be provided by using larger studs (2 x 8 or 2 x 10) with shelves of matching depth. Page 6 High on the Wall. In frame construction, shelf brackets must ordinarily be fastened to the studs. However, shelving can be installed near the ceil-ing of any room by fastening inverted shelf brack-ets to one of the 2 x 4 wood plates at the top of the stud wall. If only one plate exists, the attachment screw must be angled upward into the plate. The shelf is then bolted to the bottom of the bracket. Washer Supports ~ Shelf I~ Divider walls. Storage units can be placed to di-vide a space. If placed near an entry that opens directly into a living room, a tall unit also serves to deflect drafts from an open door. University of Illinois SHC-BRC Bathroom Cabinets. The spaces below the lava-tory and above the toilet tank may be used for storage. Allow access space above the water closet for maintenance. Medicines and some hazardous items, such as cleaning compounds, should be lo-cated in cabinets that can be locked for the protec-tion of small children. Below the Bed. Most beds have a space below the bed frame that can accommodate a storage box. This can be as simple as a cardboard box with a cover, or a wooden platform mounted on casters. Seating Storage. Built-in seating below a win-dow, along a wall, or alongside a raised hearth can be used as storage bins. Fireplace wood should be stored outside to avoid insect infestation. Near Laundry Equipment. Laundry supplies can be stored in wall cabinets 12" deep above the laundry equipment, or in standard 24"-deep base cabinets nearby. 0 0 0 Open Joists in Basement Ceiling. Some joist spaces in basements can be used for storing long objects. Avoid spaces containing electrical wiring. C5.12 Indoor Storage Attic Space. If truss construction is used for the roof, the attic space should not be used f'Or storage, because most trusses are not designed to carry the extra load. In many attics with sloping rafters, a suitable space for storage is over a central hall, which is usually well supported and has the most headroom. Storage is feasible over ceiling joists if their load-carrying capacity is adequate. Conservative practice permits allowable spans as follows: Attic Floor Joists Maximum Span Between (nominal size) Supporting Wails 2 x 4 not to be loaded 2x6 6'-0" 2x8 8'-0" 2 X 10 11'-0" Note: These sizes and spans are based on an attic load of 30 pounds per square foot, which corresponds to stacks of books or magazines 12" high. It is also based on a joist spacing of 16". For longer spans or wider joist spacings, the loading should be reduced to avoid cracking the plaster on the ceiling below. The attic space should be protected against the entry of pests, leaves, and rain or snow. Items stored in the attic may be subject to a large vari-ation in temperature, from well below freezing in winter to as hot as 140°F in summer. Humidity can also vary widely. -.---- . -f- -· --- --t / Storage over a central hall with stair access to attic Page 7 Above Upper Stair. Space above a stairway may accommodate storage with shelves that are access-ible from the floor above, or even from the stairs. The required clearance above a stair is 6'-8". Below the Stairs. The space below some stairs can be used for storage. To protect against dirt, the stairs should have risers and be covered on the underside. (If installing risers, note that the tread should extend at least 1" beyond the face of the riser for safety.) This may be a good area for out-of-season clothes, especially heavy garments, which can be placed in garment bags and hung from steel pipe storage racks. Crawl Space. Only a fully-enclosed crawl space that is free from moisture can be considered for storage. A portion of the space that is most access-ible can be.paved if desired. A dehumidifier may Page 8 be necessary to limit humidity. For proper crawl-space construction, see F4.4, Crawl-Space Houses. Converting a Crawl Space to a Basement. A crawl space that is adjacent to a partial basement can be expanded for easy access to storage by dig-ging out the center. A ledge must be retained to support the original foundation. It should extend one foot horizontally for each foot of excavation depth. The soil must be firm; obtain an expert opinion on soil stability before digging. The ledge can be surfaced with concrete, and a new wall can be extended up from the new basement floor. It may be necessary to install an under-floor drain. If the floor joists are supported by a pier, they should be temporarily supported while the pier is removed and replaced with a full-height steel column. Uni~ersity of Illinois SHC-BRC 

Indoor Storage

IDEALS @ Illinois

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/49261/1206810_C5_12_1975_indoor_storage_opt.pdf?sequence=2

Indoor Storage

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship Repository

IDEALS @ Illinois