DIY: Built-In Bookcase

Jacob and I have two things we habitually impulse buy: books & vinyl. The problem with a small house is that there is only so much room for bookcases and cupboards and other storage furniture. We had so many boxes and bags of records and books that we needed to come up with a sensible solution, which is why we took it upon ourselves to create additional storage without losing out on floor space! Our dining room has a closet that I have vowed to get rid of from day 1, and since the world kept telling me I could not transform it into a hallway, this seemed like a great way for it to be reborn. The plan is a two part project:

part 1: stairwell bookcase

part 2: built-in hutch

It made sense to create the bookcase first from the inside of the closet...which of course meant our first ever wall demolition! Jacob did an awesome job on this bookcase.

Materials:

5 - 2x4s
2 - 5' prefabricated shelves
1 - 6'x6' panel of bead board
1 - box of carpenter nails
1 - box of finishing nails
2 7' pieces of trim
1 gallon of white paint
Spackle

Tools:
Rubber mallet
Hammer
Drill
Circular saw
Electric sander
Hand saw

We started by putting a hole in the wall to get to the lathing. Let me just tell you...throwing a hammer through plaster is an incredible feeling. Using a hand saw,  Jacob then cut the lathing as close to the outside studs as possible. Once those were free he removed all of the plaster, stud and lathes so there was an opening 42 inches tall by 16 inches wide.

Once the hole was cleared out and ready he began working on the frame for the shelves. It was made with 5 2x4s. These fit well for the project since he had 2 inches on the inside of the closet for the frame to sit flush with the opening. Once the two halves of the frame were built he fitted them into the closet.

We had purchased one large piece of bead board, but Lowe's cut it to our dimensions for free! He nailed these to the frame and applied Spackle to any gaps. After the bead board was installed he marked out where he wanted the shelves to sit. After some trial and error he realized there was a half an inch difference from the width of the opening to the width at the back of the built in. Because of this he had to make sure that the rest of the shelves were each 1/2" wider at the back. After all the shelves were cut to size they were painted and installed. It still was not a pretty sight.

Once the shelves were installed using small L brackets, he painted the entire inside of the bookshelf. and applied a layer of Kilz to the wall. Now it was finally coming together!

The last big step was the trim. Jacob measured each side for the exact length, taking into account an extra 2.5 inches on each end so he could cut it at a 45 degree angle and make the trim fit together. The trim went on pretty easily and then it was a bit or patching up messy spots. After wrapping around the half-wall and repainting the molding, the project is complete. We now have four extra shelves of storage, plus a good test run before we work on part 2...the hutch!