The DIY Equivalent to “More Cowbell”

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Do you remember the “More Cowbell” skit from SNL? If there was an equivalent to building things with wood, it happened to me over the weekend. I got a fever, and the only prescription was more building.

After trying in vain to find enough space in my garage to make sufficient progress on my laundry room shelves Friday night, I went to bed in a huff. A one car garage is just not a lot of room to move around in, and I’ve completely misused most of its square footage into a disorganized, cluttered mess. As a result, all night long, I tossed and turned while DIY plans danced in my head. I woke up uncharacteristically early just to write them all down.

I probably took about five trips total to Lowe’s and Home Depot over the weekend. It seems that even with plans and a measuring tape in hand, my DIY style is to buy materials, change my mind on a few, return those materials while picking up stuff I forgot and buy other materials for the change of plans, and then repeat ad nauseam until Sunday evening. But let’s separate each project out to give you a hint at what’s to come:

1. Laundry room shelves

The damn shelves in the laundry room have been a total bear. The walls aren’t square, the back wall proportions are all off, they are nearly 70 inches long each, and I’m making matters difficult by insisting on creating some of the thinnest floating shelves possible while still providing plenty of support (am I the only one who isn’t a fan of the super chunky shelves all over Pinterest? Every time I spy one that’s a little too thick I think, “HULK BUILD SHELVES!”).

Needless to say, it’s been an experiment that requires a few attempts with each step until I get it right.

By the time I added supports for the top shelf, I managed to get them secure, sturdy, level-ish (still accounting for the other strong angles in the room that would make a perfectly level shelf look off-kilter), and ready for their finishing details. And all without breaking the tile work I did along the back wall (even if it meant gouging the wall a little, as you can see in the below pic). I’ll have a reveal for those coming up, but first I’ll be sharing several small tutorials related to solving the various issues I ran into along the way.

2. Office project

I decided that some additional organization in the office could be accomplished with just a few pieces of wood, so I created some picture ledges to rest behind the door using my Kreg Jig. They need to be painted and installed on the wall, but for around $10 per shelf, I’m going to be able to use some often-overlooked space in the room. What I plan on storing on them is a bit unusual, so stay tuned for that reveal coming later this week!

3. Garage organization

I’m only going to hint at this one for now, but believe me when I say that it is going to be awesome. Nearly everything I find on Pinterest for garage/workshop ideas are for people with the luxury of at least two cars worth of space, so I’m determined to show how I’m going to make it work with only 10 feet!

Happy Monday! What did you get yourself into over the weekend?