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Loft Conversion > Episode 11: Building a Closet System

Discussing the Hallway Walls

Project: Loft Conversion, Episode 11, Part 1

Architect Greg Rochlin is on-site to oversee the fabrication of the hallway closet system-- a multicolored design pieced together in Formica laminate. Lighting designer Markus Earley returns with some snazzy fixtures and controls, and the stackable Maytag washer/dryer unit is installed in the closet.

Part 1: Discussing the Hallway Walls: Bob highlights the long curved wall in the loft's hallway. The wall provides a great deal of storage, and serves as a divider between the private and public spaces within the apartment. It was made in a shop off-site with plywood and masonite. The additional storage allows for fewer freestanding pieces of furniture.

Bob meets with TJ, the painter, who provides some pointers on painting with a spray gun. To avoid messes, he says, you must keep the gun one foot away from the spraying surface, move it at a consistent rate, and overlap passes for complete coverage. (For a gradient effect, spraying is superior to rolling).

TJ fades the paint by backing off with speed and stepping away from the wall. Bob reminds us to clean the machine, nozzles, and hoses before switching shades and colors.
Part 2: Oven Hood and Shelving Installation
Part 3: Mounting Plantation Shutters
Part 4: Discussing Built-In Storage

Bob Vila highlights the world of stylish city living by chronicling the conversion of a loft apartment in Boston's Leather District. This unit is getting a top-of-the-line treatment: cutting edge design, custom-made furniture and casework, sleek modern fixtures, and up-to-date appliances.

Also from Loft Conversion

Episode 1 - Loft Conversion Initial Tour
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Description:
Bob takes a walking tour of some of Boston's best-preserved antique commercial buildings in the Leather District with architectural historian Brian Pfeiffer, ultimately winding up at the gracious brick front of the project building on Atlantic Avenue.<br> <br> The developers, Neal and Ron Gold, have gotten started converting this old fur storage building to residential loft space. Architect Greg Rochlin and carpenter Bob Ryley are on-site to consult about the possibilities for this unit.
Episode 2 - Plumbing, Heating, and the "Big Dig"
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Description:
Window installation gets underway in the project apartment, six stories above Atlantic Avenue, after Bob inspects the basement to see how the plumbing and heating installations are coming along. Also, Dan McNichol takes Bob down into the bowels of the earth to see how Boston's famous highway project, the "Big Dig", is progressing.
Episode 3 - Plastering the Loft
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Description:
The plastering crew is hard at work on stilts, while Bob goes on a field trip to Cambridge, where world-renowned landscape architect Martha Schwartz has made a spacious, and imaginative, home and office out of an industrial building on the railroad tracks. Back at our site, the architect and designer have modeled some intriguing ideas for Bob.
Episode 4 - Elevating the Kitchen and Bedroom
Episode 5 - Paint and Plate Glass Windows
Episode 6 - Framing a Wall With Built-In Cabinets
Episode 7 - Installing Plumbing Fixtures
Episode 8 - Installing Stainless Steel Countertops
Episode 9 - Drywall and Plastering Tips
Episode 10 - Installing Track Lighting
Episode 12 - Kitchen Work and Shutters
Episode 13 - Loft Conversion Final Tour

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