DIY Custom Built-Ins for a Small Walk-In Closet

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April 29, 2026

On April 29, 2026

4 years ago, I bought my first house. And since then, I’ve pretty much DIYed every single room to turn it into our home. I changed finishes, layouts, and vibes, but there was just one thing I could not DIY my way out of, and that was an epic lack of storage, especially in the bedrooms. The low slanted ceilings upstairs meant every design idea felt boxed in. No matter how much I reworked the space, I just couldn’t make the house bigger.

So, I decided to go bigger. Instead of moving into a bigger house, we decided to stay put and dormer. We blew the roof off, added a half dormer, and turned our upstairs office and guest room combo into what is about to be the primary suite of my dreams! Starting with the one thing I wanted most…closet space. In this blog we’re customizing the first of two brand new closets, and I am so excited. So, let’s get started friends!

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Want to see this build in action? You can watch my build video here (+ make sure to subscribe to my channel)!

Here are links to other projects on my channel that I referenced in this project!

DIY Home Renovation/Dormer

Tools + Materials + Decor

Tools

Materials

Decor

This was the biggest project for this house and I’m absolutely in love with it.

Recap

Before we dive into customizing my new closet, I wanted to give a little recap because a lot has happened in this house since I purchased it 4 years ago.

This is what this space looked like when I first got the keys. It was an office space, kind of a loft-style setup. There was no door so it didn’t really count as an official bedroom.

I did end up giving it a full-blown makeover and turned it into my home office for a couple of years. You can check those videos out here, Part 1 and Part 2.

I always thought it would be really epic to turn this office space into our bedroom, but I didn’t want to do that because the ceilings were so low. And honestly, it functioned really well as a home office.

But then it started to hit me…I don’t want to move. I really love this house, and I’ve put so much work into it. So instead, I decided I just needed to make it bigger.

In case you missed one of my more recent videos, I documented this entire dormer project from start to finish, from the planning process all the way through to completion, so make sure to check it out to see how it came together.

A quick moment to see the progress shots as the closets were framed out.

Sam Taps In

Here is closet number 1, as you can see it still has a slanted ceiling. We only dormered the back half of the house so the front half still has the slanted ceiling. In the living room, that’s where the vaulted ceiling is, but up here it’s still a really low ceiling.

Originally, the closets were framed so that you could still see the slanted ceiling in the main part of the bedroom but I wanted the bedroom to have the illusion of full-height ceilings.

So, we moved the wall forward and added a couple more studs between each closet to make space for an HVAC unit, which will probably be in our next closet video.

Paint

Unpopular opinion, but I really think every good project starts with a solid paint makeover, so that’s where we started. I did have to prime everything since this is fresh drywall, and you definitely want to prime before painting. It makes everything look so much smoother and helps the paint absorb better.

Is anyone surprised that I ended up going with the darkest option out of all the color samples I had on the wall? I’m hoping this was the right call because it’s going to have to match the rest of the room.

Hang the Hardware

I’m going to share some tips and tricks that I learned from my dad growing up. If you’re new here you know that as a teenager I went to job sites with him and that’s where I learned a of of what I share here.

After I finished painting I hung the closet rod brackets along the back wall where it’s lower to maximize the storage in these angled closets.

Then I installed the closet rod. It makes the most sense to hang the clothes in the back and closest to the wall so I can use the taller space for more vertical storage.

While working on this project I turned my new main bedroom into my workshop. It just made more sense and honestly felt like it was the same size as my garage.

Cut + Sand

This is a totally normal way to measure your plywood right?

I used my track saw to break down the plywood.

Sure a fancy workshop is great, but sometimes the bedroom you’re working on is all the workshop you need.

Well I’m calling this a walk-in closet because technically, you can walk into it. But it really is a small closet at about 70 inches wide and 4 feet deep, so ya not huge.

I had Jordan do the big brain math and find out the angle of the ceiling (35°) so I could make a test piece cut at that angle.

Then with all of our pieces pre-cut we were ready to rock.

So if you’re working with closets that have crooked or slanted walls like I am, I highly recommend getting some kind of angle finder or protractor. Even though I already knew the measurements, it was still a little tricky getting these pieces into place, not going to lie.

Thank you to Jordan for sanding the shelves, there were a lot of pieces.

Of course I used pocket hole joinery to install the shelves.

Frame Out the Drawers

So this room has two almost identical sized closets. This one that I’ve started working on is going to have some closed storage in the form of drawers.

The other closet will have a similar but different layout because I need to run some HVAC lines through it, which comes with its own challenges. I’m thinking I might even do some IKEA hacks in that one. You’ll have to stay tuned for what we do there.

My goal with these two closet builds is to show a couple different ways you can approach storage when customizing a closet, because everyone’s needs are a little different.

As with most projects on my channel, my goal is to make these really approachable. Like I mentioned, I’m using pretty minimal tools and building everything right in the space.

That really is the magic sauce for custom builds, especially when you’re working with weird walls. Build it in place, and everything ends up looking more polished, more finished, and honestly more expensive than it actually was.

These are the kinds of projects my dad taught me woodworking and carpentry on, and it always kind of feels like home when I get to build something cool in a weird space.

Fill in Pocket Holes

If you’ve been here before, you’ll know that I’m a bit of a pocket hole snob. I absolutely cannot stand when you’re looking at a piece of furniture and you see exposed pocket holes. This is a pocket hole plug. One of the easiest ways to cover up those dang pocket holes.

Plugging pocket holes is honestly one of the easiest ways to fake that you’re a really good woodworker. Ask me how I know.

Shoutout to DAP Products for making the wood glue I use to hide all of my pocket holes. They are the real MVP of pretty much every project that I do.

Just tap in those plugs and sand them so they’re smooth.

You would never know!

Stain

Shout out to Jordan who is willing to do the things that I definitely don’t want to do, like staining the shelves after they’ve already been installed. Yes, it would’ve been so much easier to stain them before they were installed but I was really indecisive about the color and he crushed it after they were installed anyway.

End of day progress pic.

The Other Side

The side I built earlier doesn’t have shelves that go all the way from floor to ceiling because I’ll be adding drawer boxes and basically creating a mini dresser on that side of the closet.

This side, however, is going to be completely open, with shelving that runs from floor to ceiling. This is where all the folded clothes will go.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to organize a small closet, this is it. Building simple shelving gives you so much flexibility. You can leave it open, add wicker baskets, or adjust the spacing to be taller or shorter depending on your needs. The possibilities are pretty much endless. At the end of the day, you’re just building a frame and adding shelves wherever you want them.

Trim

As for hiding those plywood edges, you’ve got a lot of options. Personally, I like using 1x material, which you can grab at any local home improvement store.

I went with maple to match the maple plywood I’m using. Around here, that actually ends up being the cheapest option, which still feels kind of wild.

To attach the trim, I used DAP Weldwood wood glue along with my nailer. Since this is a closet we’ll be using every day, I wanted to make sure those pieces are really secure and not going anywhere. At this point, they’re pretty much permanent.

Once the trim was up, it was time to shift the focus to building the drawers for the other side of the closet. Now that I knew the exact spacing with the trim in place, I could size everything properly.

Drawers

Building drawers started with a lot of pocket holes of course.

My trusty pup helped with the drawer assembly. I actually get asked a lot how he handles all the noise and construction. Honestly, he loves being around it. I think it’s because he’s been exposed to it since I got him when he was about five months old.

He’s great, and don’t worry, he’s safe. I’m always mindful of where he is, and I never let him get near anything that could hurt him. We keep a bed nearby, and when I tell him to hang out there while I’m working, he listens.

I really don’t mind having him around. I actually love it and prefer it to him being alone all day.

He’s my shop dog. My shop buddy.

So he helped me glue and nail these drawer boxes together like the good helper pup that he is.

So because I put the trim along the fronts the drawer slide would bump into the trim if I attached them as is.

So I took this scrap wood, added some glue and nails we’ve got ourselves a workaround.

More specifically I used DAP Construction Adhesive to add a little more strength to the bond than I would’ve gotten from just using wood glue.

As always, I used spacers to make sure everything is evenly placed.

But ya, the construction adhesive truly makes sure your drawer slides and drawers stay put once everything is fastened and there’s a little weight in them. I like the extra insurance that nothing’s going to move once it’s installed.

Thankfully Jordan was willing to sand and do the edge banding, it’s really great to have him on the team.

While he did that I got the boards stained and ready to go.

I made sure to put a spacer below the first drawer front so the drawer doesn’t scrape along the floor.

And then once the fronts were spaced and clamped I just screwed them into place.

Finishing Touches

Black matte drawer handles were exactly right for this project.

Because I modified the opening of this closet to accommodate the HVAC unit that’s eventually going to be between them, I ended up with a pretty awkward door size.

So I added some extra 2x4s and a 1×4 to the door frame to make the opening slightly smaller and fit the bifold track doors I picked up for these closets.

I chose doors with frosted glass because I like the idea of having a little ambient light coming through if we leave the closet lights on at night.

I’m thinking about painting the doors, but I haven’t fully decided on the overall look for this bedroom yet. I do have a mood board, and I’m leaning toward something dark and moody, kind of like the guest room, the Metallica room, with some cool wood accents.

But I’m also a little nervous it might feel too dark if I go all in with that same color throughout the space.

What do you think? Could I pull off a dark and moody room up here without it feeling too heavy? Let me know in the comments. I need your advice!

I attached the trim with my nailer and finished it by caulking around the edges.

Fun fact: doing trim work was one of the first jobs my dad gave me as a teenager when he brought me to job sites with him, mostly because he hated doing it.

I ended up really enjoying it though. It’s actually pretty therapeutic for me.

And now I’m slowly teaching Jordan how to do it too, which has been really fun. It’s one of the first things I’ve had him learn how to measure and cut as he starts working with me.

But yeah, after some trim, caulking, and wood filler, it was finally time to put the finishing touches on this first of two small walk-in closets.

The Reveal

I am so excited to finally have storage. I’m also really excited to have a door on this closet so we can actually start putting things away, because my basement is looking a little rough right now.

But this is a big moment, because from here on out, most of the projects I’ll be working on are upstairs. We’re really going to start seeing this space transform, and it’s going to look so different from how it used to be.

I mean, just take a look at these before, during, and after shots. It’s kind of wild that this is even the same space, right?

I know I still have a lot of work ahead, but I’m genuinely so excited about it. I haven’t felt this excited about working on my own home in a long time.

This dormer has opened up so many possibilities, not just for fun new projects I’ve been wanting to tackle, but also for more space for our family. We’re really starting to fall in love with this house in a whole new way now that we can truly make it our own.

And honestly, we wouldn’t be able to do that without you. So thank you so much for being on this journey with me. It really does mean a lot.

I hope you’ll stick around and subscribe for more projects like this, because I’m telling you, there are so many more coming, and I can’t wait to share them with you.

But until then, friends… happy DIYing!