Dorm Room Drilling

[Jsf721]

Hi everyone,

I will be driving my oldest to college this week. Leaving Wednesday night. So I am expecting to have to install some shelves, hang a TV and some signs.

Walls a block concrete and I need to do as little damage as possible. Already own the cordless hammer drill.

thanks,

 

[fourjeepin]

Check their policies, but most do not allow drilling of holes. Everything must be freestanding.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Highly doubt you can drill any holes. I know my school prohibited it.

 

[kiatech]

Highly doubt you can drill any holes. I know my school prohibited it.

This.

 

[Warrenator]

Command Adhesive from 3m is made for this sort of thing. Sticks strongly, can be removed. Maybe not shelves and a TV but certainly signs and posters.

 

[Farmall450]

Highly doubt you can drill any holes. I know my school prohibited it.

Check their policies, but most do not allow drilling of holes. Everything must be freestanding.

Expect a hefty fee if you try.

 

[e-tek]

Check their policies, but most do not allow drilling of holes. Everything must be freestanding.

How and why would you think otherwise

 

[methomas70]

Torch, hammer drill and BFH.
If they give you any trouble, say it was that way when you got there.

 

[wornoutoldman]

Hey this isn't penthouse forum...

 

[Jsf721]

Walls are white from the online picture. I thought i would back our a d screws and either spacke or toothpaste the holes?

 

[signcrafter]

Man I was way off on the title of this thread when I clicked on it!

I would not drill into the concrete, pretty sure if you look they will prohibit it. Just think if every year each person put 10-12 holes in the blocks, it wouldn't take long until the blocks were nothing left except "toothpaste" and "spackle".

I would look into building a bed/desk combo that will incorporate anything you want to put in there. I've seen some pretty amazing setups in dorms, even ones that basically turn the whole room into a two story.

 

[Farmall450]

Man I was way off on the title of this thread when I clicked on it!

I would not drill into the concrete, pretty sure if you look they will prohibit it. Just think if every year each person put 10-12 holes in the blocks, it wouldn't take long until the blocks were nothing left except "toothpaste" and "spackle".

I would look into building a bed/desk combo that will incorporate anything you want to put in there. I've seen some pretty amazing setups in dorms, even ones that basically turn the whole room into a two story.

Exactly

Walls are white from the online picture. I thought i would back our a d screws and either spacke or toothpaste the holes?

And what type of example does this set

I think the floor "moms" wouldn't fall for the floating TV act...

 

[4xdog]

This would have been a *big* problem where I went to college. A simple "it was already there" wouldn't have BEGUN to work. You'd have had to take it down immediately and pay the university to put it the way it was.

Thumbtacks weren't even allowed. Back in that day we had "Plasti-Tack", a removable sticky stuff -- sort of the 3M Command adhesives of the day. An all rooms in my freshman dorm (build in the 1910s-20s, and I was there in the 70s) also had a moulding across the top that could be used to hang things by wire.

Plan for non-destructive mounting. Don't plan for the hammer drill.

 

[bczygan]

Add a shed out in the quad for all your extra stuff. A pole barn type build would be the most economical. 40x60 should be adequate.

 

[torqueman2002]

Both the schools my kids went to (U of Michigan, & Michigan State University) the policy for lofts was they needed to be free standing, meet school standards, but could be 'wedged' between the concrete floor and ceiling.

When I rented, I built bookshelves /stereo center (2x12) that had adjustable pads for feet that would 'wedge' the shelves between the hardwood floor and plaster and lath ceiling.

 

[devoncoolman]

Alot of dorms wont even let u bring your own beds so your probably SOL there too. You csnt hang stuff from the walls either. And even if you did you wouldnt get away with it. They would see it eventually and make you take it down and pay them to fix it. Just buy a small tv and keep everything small. They typically wont let you have your own fridge and or microwave. You have to rent them.

 

[Matrazzo]

I was in school Last year and I wasn't allowed to put any holes in the walls not even a thumbtack. So I used tape and found that wasn't allowed unless it was painters tape cause it would cause damage to the paint. I'm assuming most colleges are the same way and when dorm inspections roll around you'll have a real tough Tim explaining how that shelf is freestanding. Check the policies or even ask the resident assistants on move in day. They're there to help. You'll be happy you followed the rules when you don't have a 300 dollar damage charge for four holes and a paint chip

 

[TAMPAGT07]

I remember watching "Back to school" with Rodney Dangerfield....I think he did a few things to the dorm room, which possible included some drilling..

 

[jeffmoss26]

All of our dorms came with furniture anyway.

 

[BFBOB]

Here I was wondering how you'd have enough space to march in formation ...

 

[theoldwizard1]

Command Adhesive from 3m is made for this sort of thing. Sticks strongly, can be removed. Maybe not shelves and a TV but certainly signs and posters.

If I recall correctly, the adhesive does not reach full strength for 24 hours.

It does come off clean !

 

[theoldwizard1]

Newer university dorm rooms come with lofts already.

When my daughter was a freshman back '02, she moved into a brand new dorm. Each room was set up as a 2 person suite. 2 small bedrooms (tiny, but you had a door), a bathroom and your own kitchenette ('fridge, stove, sink, no microwave) and cable TV.

Unbelievable !

 

[4BT]

Monthly dorm inspection would catch this

 

[crewchief888]

I remember watching "Back to school" with Rodney Dangerfield....I think he did a few things to the dorm room, which possible included some drilling..

now thats what i call marine biology

 

[KEH]

The OPs child must be female. They like to rearrange the twigs in the nest, and it dosen't get any better after marriage.

Back in the stone age when I went to college the rooms had adequate shelving, but I was in dorms that were old then. When my daughter went to college she and her roommate rigged up the loft arrangement in a newer dorm.

KEH

 

[venturesomerite]

I have never seen a college dorm that allowed you to drill into walls. even for a picture.

Everything you put on the wall cannot leave a mark, including those sticky things for posters. You will have to pay to paint the walls if they pull the paint off (in most cases I've seen)

 

[ritzblitz]

Monthly dorm inspection would catch this

Monthly? Did you go to school in a prison?

 

[retrobuilder]

Forget drilling anyway..

If the ceiling is capable, make a pair of wood or metal floor to ceiling "a frames" with rear piece flat against the wall. take foam rubber and wedge to and bottom to add stability. that way you can mount shelves or suspend from the top. which leads to another option. If you have tiled ceiling make simple metal hangers and suspend pictures, light duty shelves, wall tapestry..my daughter did that at Georgia Tech..platforms made by desks as supports and hinged plywood, futon under main bed frame.

Command tape and plastic wire ties are a dorm room duct tape staple.

 

[4BT]

Monthly? Did you go to school in a prison?

Nope, they inspected the common living quarter and from the doorway looked to make sure there wasn't a 5ft stack of dishes in the sink or garbage piled up. College kids can be real slobs

 

[Buckgnarly]

Find an exterior wall, knock out a nice opening for sliding doors and add a deck. Bonus if it's on double digit floor!

 

[justanengineer]

If YOU are paying for any part of it, Id send the kid with a bag of clothes and basic school supplies, leave the junk at home. Theyre there to learn not to live, and should be spending more time in the library and labs than in the dorm.

 

[woodrail]

I moved my son back to school this past weekend for his senior year. His college has been buying up the old **** houses in the neighborhood, doing minimal rehab, and renting them out as student housing.

He ended up with a pretty sweet deal. 2 bedroom, 1 bath, POS ranch house, 2 residents, all utilities inc. cable TV and WIFI for $1,500 each per semester.

They cannot put holes in the walls, but can certainly decorate as they see fit.

 

[Kevin54]

I remember watching "Back to school" with Rodney Dangerfield....I think he did a few things to the dorm room, which possible included some drilling..

And so did John Belushi in Animal House

 

[Pumpman1968]

Man.........I had completely different expectations of content when I saw the title.