What would you do with a 200 cm long x 80 cm wide x 220 cm tall closet in London?
Here's a to-scale SketchUp base showing the exact dimensions of The Closet with human for reference; not a lot of space...
And with the Skirting Board, Light Switch and Mains Socket:
Tip: If you have never used SketchUp, here's a link to download it http://help.sketchup.com/en/article/115548 (without having to register - choose SketchUp Make 2015 to avoid registration nagging messages!)
My initial idea for the space was to use it as storage for our (extensive) collection of Technology + Business (& other interesting) books. e.g:
But I soon realised I was missing an opportunity!
- More Creative Home Libraries: http://www.interiorholic.com/rooms/specialty-rooms/creative-design-ideas-for-designing-home-library/
Since living in a hostel in 2007 I've been thinking about the idea of minimalist sleeping quarters (while still having privacy ... most hostels are shared dormes)
So I did a bit of googling...
A capsule hotel (カプセルホテル kapuseru hoteru) is a type of hotel developed in Japan that features a large number of extremely small "rooms" (capsules) intended to provide cheap, basic overnight accommodation for guests who do not require the services offered by more conventional hotels.
This is a picture of a "Pod" Hotel in Singapore.
Highly recommend reading: http://www.thecoolist.com/the-pod-hotel-singapore/
See: http://matchbox.sg/
- Manhattan shoebox apartment: a 78-square-foot mini studio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4FoAr8i26g
- Simple life Manhattan: a 90-square-foot microstudio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZSdrtEqcHU
- Paris micro-apartment stacks kitchen, bed, bath in 129 sq ft https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuLJLJZ69zI ( a mansion compared to the Manhattan ones above!)
- Japan's Micro Apartment Boom 200 sq ft https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13ssbuyaqZI
- 10 x 10 x 10 ft cube house https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXtMpQk9Iyw & http://www.cubeproject.org.uk/
- Inside London's smallest apartment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PuLxiS8GFg
- The $1 million foldable apartment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-JVUH2a0vo & Before/After video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYV0qATsyts
- P2P Brooklyn: from apartment to shared flat, restaurant/club: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHGxfWtl_70
While at first I thought a single bed in the closet would be good for a visiting (solo) friend/relative (though only the kind who does not mind a camping-matrress-width sleeping space) it got me wondering if, I could re-coup the investment I'm going to have to spend to transform The Closet into a useable space.
So I took to AirBnB to see what the cheapest beds in London are...
You may need to edit this search depending on when you click the link: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/s/London?checkin=01-10-2015&checkout=02-10-2015&price_max=20&ss_id=198vb2a9
At the time of writing a sofa bed in London is going for £20 per night. see: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/2317813
Whereas a bunk bed in a shared room would set you back "just" £10 per night:
Bearing in mind that The Closet would be a self-contained (albeit small) private space which
- Sleeping pod hotels: the new craze? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/constructionandproperty/11081164/Sleeping-pod-hotels-the-new-craze.html & http://www.podtime.co.uk/podtime_case_studies.html
Given that the walls of The Closet are Plasterboard we cannot simply fix shelves up using brackets & screws.
(it would be great if we could just put up a few "store-bought" shelves, but they would come crashing off the walls because plasterboard is not designed to support load...)
A T-Beam Will give us fantastic structural rigidity
However, once we placed the T-Beam on our (virtual) skirting board we notice that there's a 2mm gap which means the structure would not be 100% stable:
This is because the 12mm Ply I'm planning on using for the T-Beams is 2mm wider than the 10mm skirting.
This might be the project that finally "justifies" getting a decent routing table...
This Bosch PBD Bench Drill: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-PBD-710W-Bench-Drill/dp/B00766C1A8 Looks amaze! But I don't "need" it...
#### Multimedia
- Dell UltraSharp U2515H 25 inch 2560 x 1440 px Res IPS http://pricespy.co.uk/product.php?p=2940400 £249.98
- Samsung LU28D590DS 28 inch Ultra HD (4K) LED Monitor: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NW66XFK/ £353.19
- Samsung 32 inch 1080p TV http://www.johnlewis.com/samsung-ue32h5500-led-hd-1080p-smart-tv-32-with-freeview-hd/p1455216 £259 (5 year warantee)
- Panasonic TX-42A400B 42-inch 1080p http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B00IOQ5XC2/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used £219.99 (amazon warehouse deal)
- Neet® - WiFi Wireless Music Receiver - AIRPLAY + DNLA: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00O0U37HO £29.99
Given that The Closet is gets no natural light, I plan on brightening it up with som LEDs.
- Super Bright LED Light Panel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLia59KfkSw
- Perspex/Acrylic cut-to-order: http://www.theplasticpeople.co.uk/product/cut-to-size-clear-as-glass-acrylic
- UK-based retailers over-charge for LED strip lighting... http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00JQV6Q9I ordering it from HK/CN (as I've done in the past) is less than half the price.
Q: How many 12V power converters do I need for each 5m strip? (I need to buy 6 x 5m ... how many 12V power converts should I get?) Thanks! Q Hi, does your 5050 300 LED Strip have self-adhesive tape on the back?
Found the ones we need: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-Lumen-Bright-5050-5M-300-LED-STRIP-PURE-WHITE-Ceiling-LIGHT-3M-adhesive-New-/350894086664 also need some transformers: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-3-PIN-DC-12V-2A-Power-Supply-Charger-Adaptor-F-Light-/260951130880 or http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-5A-60W-UK-DC-Power-Supply-Adapter-Transformer-For-LED-Strip-5050-3528-RGB-UK-/151146733091
- Custom-made Memory Foam Matress: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221496406088 £93.99
Seller: http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/time-4-dreamz
- Blooma Steel Latch (L)50mm: http://www.diy.com/departments/blooma-steel-latch-l50mm/308545_BQ.prd (keep fold-down bed securely closed when not in use)
- Rosco Chroma Key Green Paint https://www.stagedepot.co.uk/scenic-effects/chroma-key/paint/rosco-chroma-key-green-paint or http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rosco-Chroma-Key-Green-Litres/dp/B00HT97XC8 £59.47 (free delivery)
if we can get 20% occupancy at £15 per night its: £15 * 365 * 0.20 = £1,095 (per year Gross)
AirBnB would take their cut and we would have to clean the room (change sheets etc) but if we were able to turn around the room in 20 mins at £10/h it would cost us £4 per stay.
Cost Breakdown: