IN-n-OUT

Here is my latest home improvement project. Really I should rephrase that. Here is "our" latest home improvement project. My sister Brigette came up for a couple of days and we had a great time playing with her power tools. Thank you Getti for motivating and helping and pushing me. I love the result!

Here is what I had to begin with. A fine idea, really, just proportionally off. The cubbies were too small to put a backback wtih any books in it and still be able to shut the door. There were only four cubbies, two which were usually blocked by the bifolds. It could only hold like four pair of shoes, and the bifolds were always open which ran into the narrow entry hall and often hit the garage, bathroom, closet doors that are all right in that same small hall. There was a lot of wasted space. Craig and I had no place to put our keys, purse, etc... Hence began the project to create an In-n-Out.

First came a couple of inspiration ideas from Pinterest.

First was demo. We removed everything except on two foot board in the center of the closet. We tried to be careful, but banged up the wall pretty good. Then we layed some leftover hardwood into the floor where the closet had been. It got me really excited for adding a wood floor to my music room.

Then we cut new 3/8" drywall so that we didn't need to fix all the holes. Mudded and sanded screw holes.

Next came the excitement of using the table saw, something that certainly took some teamwork and trial and error. I still never figured out what I was doing wrong with the skil saw. I did however, LOVE< LOVE, LOVE the nail gun. That would certainly be a fun Christmas present! Anyway, Lots of leveling, measuring and cutting and we got the shelves, bench, and bracket in. Then came the more tedious stuff. Priming, sanding, staining the bench, caulking, painting. Finally, I cut the boards for the board and batten. At first I used thinner boards, but it was obvious they were too narrow, so I tried the 2 1/2 boards and loved them. Again more caulking and painting. Finally, found these great hooks for 1.50 at Hobby Lobby. I had to wait a while to get enough because they were on backorder, but it was worth it. They are very solid, simple and have just the right shape to fit under the shelf. I have to acknowledge that asthetically it would look better to have only four hooks, but asthetics sometimes have to bow to practicality, and I needed more hooks.


So, there it is again. Pardon the messy shoes, but that is how it always looks. Now I can fit about three times as many shoes and still have room for library books, lunch bags, etc... Craig and I have laid claim on the top shelf for keys, phones, purses. Someday, I'll find or create a large Be Kind sign to put above the baskets. I learned alot and had tons of frustration and fun. Enough fun to have wetted my appetite for other wood projects! Thanks again Getti!