Temporary Walls In A Rental House

[Keith Starosta]

Howdy, Folks! Been a while since I've ventured into The Creek, but here I be...and I've got questions!

We will be moving into a new rental home in just a few weeks, and I'm trying to figure out the best way for us to maximize the space we will have. The house has a very nice, fully-finished basement. The dimensions are approximately 25'x30'. My hope is to divide this large room into two smaller rooms, to be used by my daughters as bedrooms. The simplest way would be to just hang a big 'ol curtain right down the middle, but I'd like to try to give them both a little more privacy than that. I'm open to putting up a temporary wall (all screws, studs/drywall, no tape or mud), but am wondering if there is a more "elegant" solution than that. The only limiting factor would be that I would have to de-construct anything at the end of our lease.

So, what say YOU fine people of The Creek?

Thanks!

Keith

[Jim Becker]

Keith, I'd do it with metal studs which screws together fast and only use wood at the doorways. Throw some insulation in the wall and use inexpensive panelling installed vertically with appropriate colored pan-head screws. While bead-board would look nice and is also very paintable. A cheap passage door finishes things off.

[John Goodin]

There are lots of great ideas out there. What is your budget, how old are the kids and how long do you plan on renting? The answers will help in providing suggestions.

[John Goodin]

Run the drywall vertical and install a board and batten type frame to cover where tape should normally be applied. Battens at the ceiling and base would help give it a finished look and cover all the seams. Skip applying caulk where the battens contact permanent walls. Paint all the bedroom walls the same color and all the bedroom trim and battens white. In essence you would be creating an accent wall while hiding the fact it is a temporary. Go ogle interior board and batten for visuals.

[Keith Starosta]

Thanks, guys! I like both of these option a lot.

The top plate isn't that big a deal, as long as I find the ceiling joists to screw into. The floor plate, however, is a different story. Since it has to be removed at some point, how should I attach the 2x4 to the carpeted floor?

[Ray Newman]

Question: does your landlord have any issues with what you want to do?

[Keith Starosta]

I did fail to mention that. This is all contingent upon the property management company being good with the temporary modifications.

[Richard Coers]

If you build the stud wall just a bit short, you can drive in wedges at the ceiling joists and wedge it to the floor. After the wedges are tight, shoot a screw through them. A small dollop of silicone under the floor plate won't leave much of a mark if you want a tad bit more resistance to moving in the wall. Even a small intermittent bead of caulk on each side of the baseplate could be taken off with a razor scraper if you take them down.

[Nike Nihiser]

Is there legal egress in case of fire. By legal I mean you need something like a 3' x 5' window in an exterior wall generally, to be legal for a bedroom.

[Lee Schierer]

Warning: basement bedrooms without proper egress is a building code violation.

[Bill Dufour]

Would the rental company allow you to build a permanent wall and leave it behind when moving?

[John Lanciani]

No space without two means of exit should ever be used as a bedroom.

[Martin Wasner]

Look for cubical dividers on Craigslist. Cheap easy way to split the room.

[Earl McLain]

No space without two means of exit should ever be used as a bedroom.

Whether it's code or not. Appropriate egress paths in the event of an emergency are lifesavers.
earl

[Tom Bender]

If you hit a wall with the management company and if you can justify a bit more material this could work'

Build a room divider out of giant bookcases and wardrobes. (the girls might have some clothes to hang) If you separate them with a hallway you could forgo the door.