Installing Closet Shelves in a Casita 17' Spirit Deluxe

[wahlfamily]

Any tips or idea on installing shelves in the closet of a Casita Spirit Deluxe? (I did a forum search but most threads seemed old, so I thought I'd open a new one.)
We're new to the Casita and I humbly do not know if all types of shelves or hardware can be used.
And if you have pics of any mods you made, my wife and I would love to see them.
Also, are there any specs for the layout or dimensions of the closet.
Thanks! We're excited to get away from our Class C RV and enter the world of travel trailers and Casitas.
Tom

[Ed Harris]

Originally Posted by wahlfamily

Any tips or idea on installing shelves in the closet of a Casita Spirit Deluxe? (I did a forum search but most threads seemed old, so I thought I'd open a new one.)
We're new to the Casita and I humbly do not know if all types of shelves or hardware can be used.
And if you have pics of any mods you made, my wife and I would love to see them.
Also, are there any specs for the layout or dimensions of the closet.
Thanks! We're excited to get away from our Class C RV and enter the world of travel trailers and Casitas.
Tom

Old threads should be just fine not much closet change ever!!!

I just used wire shelving I had from other projects and it is easily cut with a hack saw or big side cutters so I could fit each shelf easily by bending the wire out of the way for fit and then cut ot off clean when I had it where I wanted it.

I used another piece for the one side in the closet middle and wire tied it to the closet rod which provided plenty of support.

A wood piece at the rear and or sides for the shelves to ride on and it all took less than an hour both times I have done it too.

I leave 1/2 the closet open for hanging and bigger stuff and jus shelf the other half.

There are just so many ways to do this one.

[mary and bob]

You need to look on little house customs website, lots of neat things there you just can't live without. At one time there was patterns available to make closet shelves, but I didn't see them when I just looked. I've seen some small changes in the closets, for example our '96 SD has a storage area above the closet, where I believe later models did not. A lot of the stuff that little house sells is available other places, but their prices are comparable and they are real nice to do business with. One item I like is the trailer plug holder, listed as "connector storage bracket". Another item we bought there, but now listed as out of stock (hope they get more) is the under cabinet storage cubby. We also have the modification for when the range hood is removed. We found it was necessary to get the coat hangers that snap over the closet rod so they stay on when traveling. We've made a couple other mods, Ultimate Jack, drawers under table, stop / turn light over rear window, coiled light cord, stretch straps on bottom of blinds, longer sewer hose tube, electric rod in water heater.

[wahlfamily]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

You need to look on little house customs website, lots of neat things there you just can't live without. At one time there was patterns available to make closet shelves, but I didn't see them when I just looked. I've seen some small changes in the closets, for example our '96 SD has a storage area above the closet, where I believe later models did not. A lot of the stuff that little house sells is available other places, but their prices are comparable and they are real nice to do business with. One item I like is the trailer plug holder, listed as "connector storage bracket". Another item we bought there, but now listed as out of stock (hope they get more) is the under cabinet storage cubby. We also have the modification for when the range hood is removed. We found it was necessary to get the coat hangers that snap over the closet rod so they stay on when traveling. We've made a couple other mods, Ultimate Jack, drawers under table, stop / turn light over rear window, coiled light cord, stretch straps on bottom of blinds, longer sewer hose tube, electric rod in water heater.

Thanks! I'll head over and look at Little House Customs (though I thought I read where he is closing up after this year). The info you provided is great. We just purchased out unit and I'm trying to figure out what mods or add ons would be helpful.
What is the benefit of the Ultimate Jack?
And do you go without a fan since you removed the range hood?
Thanks, Tom

[Nor Cal Mike]

Is it a square or rectangular closet or a front corner closet with a rounded back? Here is my suggestion.

Square or rectangular:
Cut vertical floor to ceiling uprights for each corner. A 1X4 piece of pine should do it. Figure out your shelf heights then mark those on each upright. Cut the inside edge as if it were a stair shape with each step 1/2" in from the one below. These steps correspond to the height of the shelfs. Stand the vertical pieces in each corner as if they were spokes in a wheel. You can screw in a scrap piece of wood across opposing corner pieces to temporarily hold the pieces in place. Calculate your angle across the axis from that temporary piece. Cut out a shelf the shape of the closet. Cut a 3/4" notch in each corner at the angle you just found The notch should only go far enough in to allow the shelf to rest on its step. Repeat for the next shelf and then the next. Each consecutive shelf will have slightly shallower notch based on which step it fits. If you cut your pieces accurately, your shelf assembly should fit together snugly inside the confines of the closet like an assembled puzzle with no need for any screws or hardware.

Front Corner Closet:
Build the same way but with the radius corner upright somewhere along the radius somewhere close to the center of the radius.

[mary and bob]

Tom, I installed the Ultimate Jack so that I can open my truck tailgate with the trailer hooked to the truck. There was some discussion recently that one dealer was no longer going to sell them because of some problem with the jacks. Don't know what those problems are. We do not use the stove, previous owner had removed the hood because it takes up a lot of space and is a head banger. I had a plastic cutting board custom cut to fit over the stove and it is screwed in place. I had not heard about little house closing. Because we do not cook in the trailer, and use electric for the water heater, I downsized to one 7 lb propane tank. Also removed the bathroom door because we wanted to have heat in the bathroom in cold weather, and with the door open it is right by the forward dinette seat. Just have a curtain there and we don't use the shower. Also modified the angled board under the table at floor level to be a flat shelf where we set a small electric heater or mini dehumidifier.

[Captleemo]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/106277...57667562154669
Here's some pictures of how I did mine. I used shelf brackets and to make the pattern I bought some sheets of some kind of hobby board I got at Walmart for .88 cents each. I believe they are about 20 by 30 inches.

[Casita Greg]

Added nice heavy duty shelves several years ago. Unfortunately, the kit I installed is no longer being produced. Shame, it's really well made. Also added a floor inside the closet, even with the bottom edge of the closet door, and then I created another hatch below it. The door hanging pockets are home made from a chunk of Herculite, which is the same stuff that many long haul truckers use for their load tarps.

To install the lower hatch, I had to relocate the duplex outlet over towards the centerline of the trailer, closer to the closet/bathroom partition, and while I was at it, I also added another outlet up near the roof line in the closet too. My wife especially likes this upper one for plugging in her "girlie appliances" near the big door mirror. I like it too because I no longer have to trip on her cords that used to run from under the side dinette outlet.

I added an LED light strip inside the closet along the hinge side of the door for lighting up the whole closet. It's fed from the 12vdc hot wire under the front toeboard and it's attached to a magnetic make/break contact switch, (similar to those little magnet and steel bars which are commonly used in security systems to let you know if a window is opened.) and it turns the light on when the door is opened, (magnet pulled away,and automatically shuts it off when the door is closed, (magnet switch attracted to the bar on the door). The magnet does the work. If you want to get those magnet switches, get one that is NO, or normally open, when in proximity to the steel bar. When in proximity to the steel bar it opens the circuit and shuts it off. They sell them in smaller quantities, but why not buy a "six pack" and install them in all your cabinets.
https://www.amazon.com/SpeedDa-Magne...70_&dpSrc=srch

[rad]

Little House is only closing the Shop as I understand from a recent conversation with Debbie.

[tractors1]

[QUOTE=mary and bob;695377]You need to look on little house customs website, lots of neat things there you just can't live without. At one time there was patterns available to make closet shelves, but I didn't see them when I just looked. Another item we bought there, but n [ow listed as out of stock (hope they get more) is the under cabinet storage cubby.[QUOTE]


Actually the plans for the closet shelf templates are on my web site, and I'm shipping 20 more of the under cabinet storage cubbies to them this week.

[mary and bob]

Charlie; those cubbys are great, been thinking about adding a couple more

[Gilda]

Here's a photo of our shelves in our 13' Scamp, custom made by my woodworking husband. The bottom shelf pulls up to reveal the storage in the wheel well below. Modified shoe pockets make great holders for odds n ends.

[upfisk]

We bought 2 stackable bins from Home Depot. They are about 8" deep and fit full width in the closet. Along one side and back are stored boxes of cereal (side) and 1 gallon square containers of flour, rice, spaghetti, etc along the back. We have 4 of these 1 gallon container stacked up at the back. On top of the shelving unit there is a homemade plywood shelf that fits side to side. That is filled with somewhat lighter stuff, without a front edge things can jump out from the top when the closet door is open. The lower bins have a lip that prevents much movement.

Our Casita 17' is the one with 1/2 a closet, so we could only place 2 stackable bins, then ran into the curved side and top. We just spent 3 weeks traveling and our pantry was a good size.