Upgrades To The Closet and Nightstand

Most projects we start stem from problems or annoyances we experience while living in our RV. Whenever we say ”I hate” or “I wish”,  the brainstorm part of our brain comes alive and we focus on how we can fix the issue or make it better. 
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This week we updated our bedroom closet with a more functional layout and a built-in a nightstand with charging capabilities. 

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RV closet space is obviously small, but the setup in our RV was inefficient and didn’t maximize clothing storage. The original setup was a single rod across the top.  We were initially happy to have a hanging closet and while we hung some clothes and stored some baskets in the bottom, in the end the closet was wasted unusable space. 

Another issue was the closet side of the bed had no nightstand.  This was super annoying. I didn’t have anywhere to put my glasses, charge my cell phone, or have a drink while laying in bed. There is a nightstand on the opposite side of the bed with an a single outlet, but that's obviously not convenient for me and charging devices back there was a pain. 

So we redesigned it.  We built 3 big shelves for storage and left a small rod for hanging jackets.  We also borrowed some closet space to make a night stand cubby. 

This project was easy and cheap, it cost less than $50 in material including all the charging outlets and wiring.

Buy List

• 8 x 4 x ½ inch sanded plywood
• 12 x 36 x 5/8 inch thick All Purpose Composite Shelf
• A box of 1 Inch screws
• A box of 2 inch screws
• Charging outlets
• 12 volt wire
• Butt Connectors
• Sand paper
• Paint

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Nightstand Cubby with a Charging Station

1. Plan out where your nightstand cubby should go.

In our case, we wanted it to occupy the back half of the closet in one corner. Measure and cut out a hole exposing the closet.  We used a multi-tool to cleanly cut the hole out. ​

2. Build the cubby to fit inside the hole.

1. Cubby Requirements:
   1. Fit my cell phone while being charged, a drink, and my eye glasses
   2. Take up the same footprint as a basket
   3. Be as small as possible
2.  The cubby is a simple box made from a piece of PVC shelving. You can find the shelving in any home improvement store. The box measures 9" wide x 7" tall x 12" deep. We put a wall inside the box to attach the charging outlets. We put the back wall 7" inches deep. This gives me enough room to place my cell phone attached to the charger inside. We enclosed the wiring and the outlets to prevent them from being hit when baskets were put in and out of the main closet space.

3. Test Fit.

​After you make the box, place it in the hole and see if it fits. Ours needed some coaxing because our hole was a little too small. Again the multi-tool helps a lot here.

4. Install the outlets and figure out cable management.

​There are many options and combinations of outlets on Amazon. We went with a 5amp usb C outlet with a voltmeter on one side and a cigarette lighter charger on the other. I felt this combination would give us the most flexibility. I really like having the voltmeter option as well. I am always paranoid about battery life. This gives me another way to quickly see how my batteries are doing. My other check is my Victron BMS App on my cell phone, but that takes longer to bring up. ​

5. Level and secure the box.

​Put the box back in the hole and level the box by placing legs under the cubby to level it.  To secure the cubby, I screwed 3 2.5 inch screws through the cubby and legs and down into the floor of the closet. This box isn’t going anywhere. 

6. Add trim and caulking.

​To give it a more finished look, add trim and caulking. I placed the bottom trim piece a little higher to give the cubby a little lip. This should help things from sliding out when driving.

7. Adding power to the outlet.

​First you need to investigate where you can bring 12 volt power to your box. In our case, we have reading lights above the bed. I traced the wires from the overhead lights. Luckily the bundle of wires ran through the wall near the box. Next, identify which wires are the light wires you need from the bundle. I used the process of elimination. Next to the reading light are speakers. These had smaller gauge wires compared to the light wires. This helped identify the correct ones. Then remove the fuse to stop power running to the light. Cut positive and ground wires in half. Splice in your outlet wires to the light wires. I used crimp style butt connectors to make the connections. Use electrical tape to secure the connectors and bundle the wires neatly.

8. Test and enjoy.

​Plug the fuse back in and test if your wiring is done correctly. ​

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New Closet Layout ​

1. Measure and plan out our closet design.

​We wanted to add shelves and retain some hanging options for clothes. This gives us a lot more storage in the closet. We also have some baskets that fit nicely on the bottom which we wanted to keep. The bottom shelf was set at XX so the basket has space to move in and out of. The 3 right shelves measure XX wide, XX tall and XX deep.  The hanging side measured xx wide. We installed  doubled up plywood ledgers to support the shelves. ​

2. Plan cut list.

​ We had 3 shelves and a vertical divider and all the shelf supports which came out to ¾ of a 8 x 4 piece of plywood

3. Buy material.

​We used a sheet of ½ inch sanded plywood because it was one of the cheapest options and 1 inch drywall screws and 2 inch drywall screws

4. Cut out pieces from your cut list.

​We used a table saw to make our cuts but you can easily use a circular saw.

5. Test fit.

​Make sure your measurements and cuts are right. ​

6. Sand and Paint.

​This step is a lot easier if you do it before installation. We sanded down the edges and went over it quickly with 220 grit sandpaper. As for paint, we used leftover paint from a previous project. I recommend keeping the color as bright as possible. The closet is a dark space so keeping it a bright color will help.

7. Install shelves.

We started with the bottom shelf and then added the vertical divider. Next in were the 2 upper shelves. Finally, we cut the hanging rod down and reinstalled with the old brackets in the hanging portion of the closet. 

By: Kevin Quiambao

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