I'd put the bed on rollers and do a simple fabric swag from the ceiling to hide the door, as it could be easily moved aside for quick and easy access. A small tieback could even be hidden up top next to the door frame.

I think you just have to decide how often you are going to need access to the space- monthly, seasonally, etc.?
If it is often you need something super easy like above. If it is once a year then heavy furniture would work. But life being what it is I would guess it would be more often :)

Are you saying that access to this room would be blocked by furniture if you put a bed or dresser in front of it? What was your builder thinking in using the only good wall in your room for this? There was absolutely no other place for that access door?

I'd put the bed in front of the window before I'd put it in front of that door. If I had to move a bed or dresser anytime I wanted to get inside that space, I'd never use the space.

The bonus room will only be fininshed with drywall and some lighting, the floor will not be fininshed.

It sounds like this project isn't completed yet. If that is the case, if I were you, I would do whatever it took to get that doorway moved. The builder made a huge mistake in placing that door there. There has to be another solution.

Imagine down the road when you go to sell the house and a potential buyer walks in and notices a door directly behind the bed. Do what it takes NOW so that you don't have to live with this situation.

You could do a hidden door -- with drywall facing to blend in with the wall. I have no idea how to construct such a thing, but I have seen them. You would have a touch latch on it.

Building on what jakabedy has suggested, construct the door so that it has a drywall face that is flush with the wall. Put decorative molding around it and add more of the molding to the wall so that it appears part of the design.

And, since it will never be anything but a storage room, the door could be quite short, maybe 42 inches high - just enough to bend over and walk in.

But still, I would get the builder back in and try not to have the door there at all.

Yes, get that builder to come back and put the door somewhere else. Can you possibly get into that space from another room?

It means carefully cutting and pulling off some drywall to frame the new door opening, pulling off the existing door trim, continuing the cut studs from the door framing down to the base plate, redoing the drywall, and some painting. (Make sure he completes those studs in the existing opening.)

It's messy and a pain, but not a great big deal, and shouldn't take very long to do. Before you decide on a short door, think about what you might want to put in there, so you don't make it too difficult.

Another vote for moving the door. Agree that it is messy and a pain, but not all that difficult and definitely much better than the alternative of living with the mistake for years.

I don't know the building code for your area but why could the builder not put a pull down ladder in the garage to access the storage room above it? Or a spiral staircase if there is a tiny amount of room for it?

Can you post photos of the space? Maybe someone here could come up with ideas for you to discuss with your builder. As someone else mentioned the door from the bedroom to the storage area does not have to be very high (unless your code says so).

Also, not to pry, but what are you planning on storing in there? It sounds like you might be better off making the area into a huge bedroom for yourself with maybe a built in wall of storage and giant walk-in closet right in the room. Again, if your building code would allow for it to be done this way.

What I meant above was to combine the current bedroom with the bonus room into one large room. I don't think my writing was clear. It should meet the fire code that way.

"but why could the builder not put a pull down ladder in the garage to access the storage room above it? Or a spiral staircase if there is a tiny amount of room for it?"

I could have had a set of stairs put in the garage ceiling - BUT - have you ever tried to get things up and down those stairs? It's not easy!
The things I want to store in there are excess decorative items/ christmas/holiday item/maybe suitcases. Those things are VERY heavy and ackward to lift.

I will be living alone, so I really don't have anyone to

help me get things up and down a set of stairs like that.

"It sounds like you might be better off making the area into a huge bedroom for yourself with maybe a built in wall of storage and giant walk-in closet right in the room."

oh, it would make a nice big bedroom, but I put my master on the first floor, because I hate stairs!

The two bedrooms that were planned for upstairs will really only be used for a guest.

I looked at the space again, and the only thing I think that can be done, is to move the door off center, which then you don't walk into the center of the space, and the door would need to be alittle smaller and angled at the top.

I don't know how to post pictures - but try to imagine this the room is 13X15. When walking in the room. Wall to the right has 2 windows (centered) straight in front of you is the long wall (which will have the door in the middle) left wall is a long closet.

The bonus space/room is 6'2" high by 13'5 wide by 28 deep. 1 window at the far end. You can only access the room via the bedroom that is in front of it.

I really only put it in for resale and for storage. My thought was that someone "could" finish the flooring and add heat/air if they wanted to. It could be use for a workout room or an office, or just storage.

I will ask him about finishing it with drywall. The drywall hasn't been put up in any areas of the house yet.

The only other thing I can think of is to make the closet smaller. Rather than using the whole wall just use half of it, but then if I put the bed there , there wouldnt' be much room to get out of the bed. That might be worse than trying to hide a door.

Why oh why did I decide to build????

Maybe you could come up with some trim and panels that would create a paneled "headboard" over the bed, but part of it would be a door into the storage area. The door would not need a real knob on it, you may just be able to have a magnetic catch on it with a flush pull, perhaps below the level of the bed. If you used hidden hinges the whole thing could be very discreet. Then put the bed on wheels so you can push it aside seasonally to get at the space.

If you decide on the wheel option, make sure the wheels can be locked. You don't want your guests' romantic inclinations to turn the bed into a bumper car....

Jeannie, is there any way to get into the storage area from the closet? I'm trying to picture your room, but a headache is keeping my brain from working like it should. Sorry if I'm way off.
If that won't work, with the storage room only 6'2" high I'd have the door moved to the side of the room using a shorter door as you mentioned before.

Justgotabme and I are thinking alike. Try to find a way to put an access door at the end of the closet, or if that won't work, then I would move the door over to the side next to the closets, and create uniform doors so that it looks intentional, rather than a mistake.

Or, move the closets to that end wall, and put them on either side of the center entry to the storage, again with uniform doors so it looks intentional.

Here is an inspiration picture I have. There is not a window behind the bed (I remember from the accompanying article), it is just a decorative curtain. I have done the same in my guest room behind a four-poster bed.