I’ve been wanting to make a set of shelves in the basement for everything I canned over the summer, and other bulk food storage. Now that the weather is sufficiently non-conducive to outside work, I was able to get around to it. The design is roughly based on these plans.
I started with a bunch of 2 x 3’s (nine, to be exact, standard 8′ length), a couple 2 x 4’s (for the rear supports), and a couple 2 x 2’s. Two of the 2 x 3’s will become the supports, five are cut in half (4′ sections for the arithmetically challenged), and the rest will need to be cut into 13″ sections (10 total). The 2 x 2’s are cut into 13″ pieces; you’ll need 5 pieces total. These will be the center supports. I also had one 4′ x 8′ sheet of 1/2″ OSB, cut into six 4′ x 16″ sections.
Start by making a frame consisting of the 2 x 3 pieces (see pic below) using two or three screws at each joint. In addition to the sides, I put a piece of 2 x 2 in the middle to help prevent eventual sagging. When the frames are finished, simply nail the OSB sections on top of each to make five shelves.
Now for the assembly. Getting the first shelf mounted to the supports is kind of a pain – I ended up laying two supports on the ground and attaching the shelf, then flipping and attaching to the other supports. I used a couple screws at each attachment point for a little redundancy, and I may put a nail into each side as well, since nails are less prone to shearing (just in case I end up with a lot of weight on the shelves). Mounting the rest of the shelves is slightly easier than the first, but more so if you have a helper. I didn’t, so I ended up putting a couple small nails in (not too deep) to hold up one side of each shelf while I screwed in the other side. Take the nails out when you have everything up. Each shelf’s bottom is about 14″ above the shelf below.
Finally, I added some diagonal supports (2 x 2 pieces cut at 45 degrees). These things should be able to hold tons now. Literally.
I’d also like to attach the tops to the floor framing so it’s not a stand-alone structure. I’d hate for the thing to become top-heavy and topple over. As it is right now, the tops are about 6″ too short, so I’ll need to rig up some kind of extension in order to get them secured. Other than that, they’re fully functional, and I can finally put all my canned goodness somewhere.
Well, we successfully got the barn done (enough) before the seasons changed too much. Less than two months from start to finish – not too bad. Side note: I use barn and shed interchangeably – is it only a barn if it houses animals, or only a shed up to a certain size? Not that I really care, cause I’ll call it whatever, just curious if there’s accepted barn vs. shed terminology.
Anyway, I got the gutters up and the last window installed during that beautiful Thanksgiving weekend weather we had, so we’re good to go. I’ve started moving the wood into the lean-to, and the lawnmower has already vacated the garage. There’s still some paint touch-up to do, and putting something on the floor (crushed lime?), and continue to move wood from the other piles, but that’ll likely wait until the spring, unless we get another warm weekend this year. Structurally, it’s sound, and it’s more or less weatherproof, so I’m considering it done.
I’m not going to get into detailed plans, but I’ll talk through the construction a little for anyone interested.
It’s a pole-style building, so instead of footers and the usual foundation, I just dug some holes (about 24-30″) and put a 4 x 4 x 10′ and a bag of concrete in each hole. Making sure to level before it dries. The footprint is 12′ x 16′, with the lean-to about 8′ x 12′ and an overhang extending an additional 4 feet in the front. Posts are three per side (including corners), spaced every 6′ in the back and every 8′ on the long sides. The front has four posts to account for the doors. Once the posts are in, attach 2 x 4s between each pair to make a frame (I did five per, about every 16-18″; spacing doesn’t need to be perfect, except where you want to install windows). Finally, use 2 x 10’s to create a header. Be sure to secure well, as this will bear most of the weight from the roof.
When the frame was complete, we did the rafters. First securing a 2 x 6 x 16′ running down the center of the frame (extended up to account for slope, of course), we cut 2 x 6 x 8’s to fit, leaving about 12″ overhang. We attached the rafters by cutting a wedge out of the board, and resting that on the header. Probably not suitable for larger construction projects, but it should hold up here. Once the rafters were in place, we put up sheets of OSB (plywood would also work). To finish the roof, staple some roofing felt, then nail the shingles down.
With the roof up, we put up the siding, 4 x 8 sheets. Just cut to fit and nail to the frame. Siding complete, I was able to paint everything, install the windows and doors (just build a couple rectangles to fit the opening, and attach the hinges), and put up some trim to clean things up a bit.
Yes, those instructions are very simplified, but it wasn’t an overly complex project, just time-consuming because of the scale. Not overly difficult either – the only thing requiring multiple people was getting the roof up. Most everything else, I was able to do on my own. I tried to recruit C to help, but he was content with watching me while banging on the window of his playroom.
Basic structure, but I just wanted a place to keep some yard equipment and have a supply of logs under cover, and this will do the job just fine. Now I can check that one off the list and move inside for the winter.
Leaves are still green in this one – feels like so long ago.
My scarcity over the past week is due in large part to a new project I’ve been working on (I know you all noticed I was missing, right?). Since we moved in, we’ve been using the kid’s bathroom as our shower has been nothing but studs. Well, I finally started to take steps to remedy that situation, and eventually we’ll have a nice tile shower in our own bathroom. I took a couple days off from work to go with the long holiday weekend, and spent much of that time working. And the rest, as usual, just trying to keep some level of containment on C.
I’ll walk through what I’ve done so far, but probably a much better guide, and one that I’ve been following, can be found here.
I started fresh, from just studs. If you have to do a full demo too, good luck. First thing, make sure that you have a solid “bowl” around the base of at least 6-8″ up from the floor. This is necessary for proper installation of the liner that’s going to go in later. I got a few 6″ x 6′ boards (3/4″ thick), then cut them to fit between the studs, making sure I covered all the gaps.
Next step was to prep the floor for the first layer of mortar. I cut 15# roofing felt to fit, then covered that with metal lath, and stapled in a few spots to keep it flat. Also at this time, prepare a curb (this is what the door will rest on, and keep water in the shower!). This is as simple as stacking a few 2 x 4’s (I used three) and putting a couple nails in them.
Now for the first messy part. The first mortar bed goes down directly onto the lath base. Use Quickrete’s Mortar Mix for this. Keep in mind that you need to maintain a positive slope toward the drain (experts recommend at least 1/4″ drop per linear foot), so using the height of the flange as a guide, add the appropriate height and mark on the walls so you know where to start (and make sure the lines on the walls are level!). Mix the mortar and apply, keeping your slopes, and the floor in general, as smooth as possible – you don’t really want any high or low spots. Let dry for a day.
When the first mortar base is dry, you’re just about ready to put cement board up, but first, you need some kind of membrane covering the studs – cement board is water-resistant, not water- proof. This means that it won’t mold, but moisture can still wick through, and if it hits the wooden studs, game over. Any 4- or 6-mil plastic sheeting should work (found near the paint drop cloths). They usually come in rolls, so cut to the appropriate length (make sure you go almost all the way to the floor, or at least far enough to cover the pan liner), then attach to the studs using a plastic-approved adhesive. Make sure that each sheet overlaps the one next to it by at least a few inches – redundancy is a good thing when it comes to waterproofing.
When the walls are done, it’s time for the liner. This is a 40-mil PVC and should be found in most home improvement stores. It’s tough stuff, but still be careful with sharp or pointy objects. Any hole in here will pretty much render it worthless. It can be a little stiff to work with, so take your time. It was very flexible after it had been sitting in my hot car for a couple hours, but alas, when the time came for me to install, it was cloudy and 65 out, so I managed as best I could. Make sure you only staple at the very top – you want at least six inches of pure PVC; no holes. The corners are tricky, just fold up and cram to the best of your ability. Definitely don’t cut anything to make it easier. Cut carefully around the drain, and apply some adhesive only between the liner and the bottom part of the flange. The liner should also extend over the curb, but only staple it on the outside.
When the liner is finished, you can go right onto the cement board. Pretty straightforward – cut to fit, and attach to the studs with 1 1/4″ (minimum) screws. As mentioned earlier, make sure the plastic sheeting from the walls is hanging over the liner, not behind it, before you attach the cement board. I just mounted the board for now, I’ll do the taping later, before I tile.
I appreciated the effort, but he doesn't quite have the coordination to operate the drill.
And finally, the second mortar bed. This is what the tile will actually be laying on, so take your time with it. As before, measure and level your lines on the wall, accounting for the appropriate drop in elevation to the drain. Also, don’t go all the way to the top of the drain – leave some room to account for the thickness of the tile. When the base is done, do the curb. The instructions in the link above are much better. I attached the metal lath over the curb, then did the best I could to pack the mortar in and keep it even. It was a little tricky, but it turned out pretty well.
So far, so good, but there’s still a lot to go, and then the actual showering part. This is the first time I’ve attempted anything like this, so I’m being careful and trying to follow the instructions of someone who’s done it many times before. There are lots of good resources online, so if you’re not sure of something, look it up first!
It’s been a loooong time coming, but the wait is finally over: the mudroom shelves are done (0r at least my part of it – S wants to do some cutesy pillows or cushions, but I won’t be involved in that process). The construction phase was over two months, and they’ve actually been up on the walls for over a month, but we’ve been waiting on some hooks, which I finally got up a couple weeks ago. So I can officially cross that big one off the list. For anyone interested, I’ll attempt a rough how-to below, though I don’t have many pictures until it was mostly assembled:
The shelves and bench ended up being pretty big (like, eight feet big), which is typical of one of my projects. Go big or don’t bother. The room is fairly long, so there was space, and the boards all came in standard eight-foot lengths, so why make an extra cut if you don’t absolutely need to? I was originally thinking something more like six feet, but tossed that idea out very quickly. Besides, now instead of a flat wall, we have a potential eighty-two cubic feet of storage space, most of which we will probably manage to fill in the next three weeks.
Materials list for basic assembly:
8 – 8′ x 10″ boards (3/4″ thick, I used pine, but anything works)
4 – 8′ x 12″ boards
4 – 6′ x 10″ boards
2 – 8′ x 4″ boards
2 – 8′ x 8″ boards
1 – 8′ length of decorative trim
1 – 8′ length of 1/2″ thick trim (this goes under the deco trim, so size can vary)
1 – 8′ length of quarter-round
2 – 2′ pieces of 1/2″ poplar
box of 2″ drywall screws
6 – 3″ wood screws
Liquid Nails or other construction adhesive
24 shelf brackets
1 gallon of paint
12 coat hooks
Equipment (what I used; you could get by with less):
Miter saw
Table saw
Drill, with an assortment of bits
Jigsaw
I started construction by selecting and then gluing boards together. I spent, easily, a couple hours going through lumber, looking for straight, even, unwarped boards, or at least as close to that as I could get. The downfall with using eight-foot lengths is that it’s probably just about impossible to find a perfect board that size, let alone a dozen. But I got as close as I could, and it adds to the rustic appeal, right?
The bench part consisted of two 8 x 10’s glued together for both the top and bottom and two 8 x 10’s for the divider (this will be cut to fit later). For the supports, I glued two 6 x 10’s together and just cut one side down to fit – this was entirely a cost-cutting measure; it was cheaper and produced less waste than buying 8 x 10’s, though required a little more work (if you don’t care about cost, just use 8 x 10’s for the supports and you won’t have to worry about making any cuts). Finally, for the back, glue the 8 x 8’s together (and, though I didn’t know it at the time, tack on one of the 8 x 4’s as well – when it was all put together, the top was a little low for my liking, so I added one 8 x 4).
The only gluing needed for the upper shelves was for the back – two 8 x 10’s and the other 8 x 4.
Once the glue is dry (in my case, the glue dried for about a month), begin assembly. The bench consists of the top (8 x 20″ total) and bottom (8 x 20″) and the supports. Cut the supports into 16″ lengths; you’ll need seven total. Starting from either end and working inward, attach the bench top to each support piece using a couple screws (note: I put the supports one every 15 1/8″ – be careful to include the width of the wood in your measurements!). Flip and repeat the process with the bench bottom. You should now have a top and bottom split into six (hopefully) even compartments. Lay the entire assembly flat on its front, and screw the bench back onto the main bench assembly. Because I wanted the bench flush against the wall, I started the back 4″ off the ground to account for the baseboard. The back should extend approximately 6″ above the bench top.
Lower shelves, mostly assembled
The upper shelves consist of a top (one of the 8 x 12’s), a bottom (another of the 8 x 12’s), the supports (the other two 8 x 12’s cut into about 16″ pieces; again, you’ll need seven total), and the back. Similar to the bench, attach the top to the supports, flip and attach the bottom, then flip and attach the back. The back will be even with the top, and extends about 6″ below the bottom.
To create the dividers for the bench, take the final 8 x 20″ piece and cut into 15 1/8″ sections (six total). Drill four 1/4″ holes (two per side, about 8″ from the bottom) into each side of the lower boxes – this is where you’ll put the shelf brackets. Definitely make sure your marks are level before you drill these holes, otherwise your shelves could end up tilting – not ideal. The maxim “measure twice, cut once” applies to drilling too.
For the finishing touches, I cut one of the poplar pieces into about 3″ sections (seven total) and traced what was basically a right triangle with a wavy hypotenuse (don’t remember what a hypotenuse is? I’m not going to tell, you have to look it up), and then cut each one out with the jigsaw. I also routered a little bit of a fancier edge on them, but that’s not required. I then glued each one of these on the upper shelves in line with each support board. It serves no functional purpose, but does visually divide the upper part and just looks nice.
Upper shelf, mostly assembled.
I did the same thing with the other poplar piece, though cutting this one into two 12″ pieces, and just making that wavy hypotenuse a little longer. These two go on the sides of the bench.
Poplar cut into dividers.
And finally, for the totally unnecessary, cutesy part (that was all S’s idea), cut the deco trim, the flat trim, and the quarter-round into six even pieces, about 15 1/8″ long. In between each of the upper dividers, glue the flat trim, then the deco trim on top of that, then the quarter-round below the two. Again, no functional purpose, but I will admit, it does add character 🙂 When it’s all fully assembled, paint it! I did two coats in an eggshell finish.
Painted trim.
And, of course, getting them mounted. The lower part was easy – it’s actually not even attached to anything, just floating. I did put a couple of those felt furniture pads on the bottom to get it off the ground just a little. Attaching the upper shelf requires at least a couple people, unless you’re Superman or can make objects levitate by looking at them. In which case, leave me your name and number. With one person holding up each end, drill some pilot holes (make sure you find the studs!!!), and when you’re satisfied that everything is level, go ahead and put in the wood screws. We used six – I’m not sure what the weight-bearing capacity of each screw/stud is, but the thing probably weighed close to 100 lbs unloaded, and who knows how much junk will end up in the cubbies, so I tried to err on the side of overdoing it. And now you have a nice new set of shelves.
Here’s a real quick and dirty Paint sketch of the overall project, just as a reference:
Feel free to ask any questions. I think I covered everything, but certainly may have left something out. I’m by no means a carpenter, but they turned out pretty nice, I think.
Another view of an individual section (upper).Lower shelves, installed. The middle shelf is removable. Also note the bottom right, where the back piece ends above the floor to leave room for the baseboard.Upper shelves, mounted.Before…And after.
Gotcha. I know you were all expecting the big shelves. But, they are up! Pictures and a post will be forthcoming later this week.
This little shelf has been up for a couple weeks now, and was built to hold our stash of reusable bags, though it’ll probably hold a further assortment of hanging stuff sooner or later. It was very easy to put together, but as with just about everything else lately, it was several weeks from start time to the time it was mounted.
I started with a simple poplar board (4′ long x 4″ wide x 1/2″ thick; the type of wood shouldn’t matter). From there, I cut two 20″ and two 4″ pieces. The two longer pieces were attached to form a back and a top using some wood glue and a couple small screws in the corners for some added stability. On the two smaller pieces, I traced a template for a rounded bracket, and cut them out with a jigsaw. We got a little fancy and routered a decorative edge onto the two brackets, and a rounded edge onto the top part of the shelf, but this isn’t necessary – a good sanding will work fine.
When fully assembled, S painted it a very light bluish-gray. We also like to do a little faux aging on the corners and some edges to add a touch of character. To do this, I just take a fine sandpaper and rub until the wood starts to show through the paint – try to keep it to a place that would be naturally worn over time for best effect! Finally, we picked up a few vintage-y looking knobs from Hobby Lobby (I did have to cut down the threaded part of these by an inch or so, otherwise they would have been poking through the back). Drill a corresponding number of pilot holes, screw the knobs in and mount onto the wall (preferably, find some studs to screw into; or, use drywall anchors, and don’t hang full bags from the knobs). There you have it – a fully functional shelf that also doubles as a place your wife can put some of her cutesy non-functional stuff.
Cost – <$30, assuming you have the tools you need, and depending on how fancy your knobs/hooks get.
Time – could easily be done in one day, including dry time for glue and paint. With kids and an unending list of other projects, add an extra day or week (or two).
