New temporary wall

I have an open space upstairs that I will need to enclose for a couple of years. New carpet is being installed throughout the upstairs prior to the new wall and I will need to minimize (eliminate) any damage to the carpet. The wall will enclose the area making it a bedroom. There is no need for any electrical in the new wall. I am trying to figure out the best way to complete this to save the sanity of the family and eliminate the need for kids to share a room. When the oldest moves out I want to remove the wall and have the space returned to the current state. Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

I have built walls right on top of the carpet. Just build it like a traditional wall. If you make the wall a tight fit which is best for rigidity but it will press a flat spot into the carpet that's hard to get rid of.

You can also build the same wall but make the framing a bit shorter. I set spacers under the bottom plate for the new wall. I like using nuts, as in nuts & bolts. Put a few of them on the floor along the length of the wall and it helps hold the sill plate off the carpet. It presses in dots where the nuts are but it does not leave a big strip like the wall. I just drive framing nails down through the bottom plate and through the carpet. You can sheet rock like normal. Just leave the sheet rock up off the carpet and you conceal the gap with base molding put down to lightly press the carpet. Hard enough to block sound & light but not so hard to make a permanent flat spot in the carpet.

Screws sound like a good idea for removal but you have to be careful. Screws love to grab the fibers of carpet which wraps around the screw starting a fray.

 

I have done what Dane illustrates, and have also "suspended" the wall from the ceiling using hand drive nails in the bottom plate just to keep it from moving sideways. When the client finally did as you plan and removed the wall, they had no crushed carpet and it was easier to remove since we didn't drive them flush and push on the carpet. With that said, however, suspending the wall will depend on the structure above. Do your joists run parallel or perpendicular to the proposed wall? If perpendicular, then it's a home run. If parallel, you will need to go into the attic and place "nailers" across every other joist bay to attach your top plate. Yeah, don't use screws in carpet
OH, and not to bust your bubble, but you WILL need electrical if the wall is over 2' in length. But that's up to you and the kids.

 

Yeah, as Chandler said, code dictates any wall 2' in length or greater is required to have electrical receptacles within it. You also need a closet and a means of egress, though I doubt the latter will be an issue.

 

Try to get it in writing, when the oldest offspring is planning to leave. Trust me, I've known a few (and related to one of them) who hung around until they were well into their 50s and beyond. The parents were enablers, not even charging rent or asking the "kids" to help pay for the food they ate.

If you've got one like that, might as well build the bedroom "permanent."

 

I have 4 boys, I know what you are experiencing… be sure to have an egress (escape) window (as said) for the new “sleeping room”, closet is not required (but suggested).
Remember the new smoke detector in the new room as well.

Welcome to the forums!

Gary