To say that I was excited to have a pantry is an understatement. As a designer, of course I wanted it to be pretty, but more importantly, I wanted our pantry storage to be functional and manageable for our family of 5.
Pantry Base Cabinets
We left off with the bottom portion of the pantry complete. You can read about it here.
I knew that I wanted sturdy shelves that looked built in. I’ve built plenty of shelves before so I was confident that I could build these to my specifications. Since the bottom cabinets are 14″ deep and the countertop would be 15″ deep, I opted to make my shelves 10″ deep to accomodate containers and baskets.
2×2 Shelf Frame
To get started, I attached 2x2s to the back two walls making sure they were level and screwed into the studs.
I then added 7″ 2×2 supports to the side wall and the middle using wood glue and my Kreg Jig.
Shelf Bracing
I then glued and screwed another 2×2 to the front of the supports.
Trimmed Shelf
Once the framing was done, I added a 1×10 to the top of the bracing and nailed it in place. I then glued and nailed a 1×3 to the front to give the shelves a finished look.
Framing 2 more shelves
In full transparency, I made one shelf completely first to make sure it would work and be sturdy enough before I built the other two. Those two I built together at the same time.
The underside of the shelves
I attached 1/4″ white hardboard to the bottom of the shelves with nails to complete the look. Then to make it look polished, I wood filled all the nail holes, caulked the edges, and painted everything white.
Are you ready to see the final result?
Here’s a closer look at some of the different sections of the pantry:
I can’t get over all the pantry storage we were able to add to the space!
When we were in the process of building our new home, one thing I wasn’t willing to negotiate on was having a decent pantry. We ended up with a 5×5 corner pantry and I asked the builder to not install the wire shelves so that I could DIY Pantry Organization to our family’s needs.
Empty Pantry Before
I knew that I wanted our pantry to house all of our dry goods as well as some of our small kitchen appliances like our air fryer and toaster. So, I decided to create built in cabinets with a countertop and shelves above.
I started by building a base out of 2x4s for the cabinets to sit on. I made sure the base was level and attached to the studs.
Frame for Cabinets
Once the frame was built, I installed a corner cabinet making sure it was level and screwed into studs.
Corner Cabinet Installed
I then proceeded to install a cabinet on each side of the pantry making sure they were level and attached properly to each other and the wall studs.
Pantry base cabinets installed
After all the cabinets were installed, I added shelves to each cabinet.
Pantry Base Cabinets with shelves
I couldn’t get over how much larger the pantry looked with the cabinets installed! There was so much room for pantry organization and we still had all the vertical space to go!
Stay tuned to see how we finished the rest of the pantry!
It’s Week 6 of the One Room Challenge…Only 2 weeks to go! Surprisingly, I actually have some office progress to share today…we may just make it after all.
Hexagon Tile Installed and Grouted
It only took 15 hours to install all the hexagon tiles and grout the whole floor. I love how it turned out!
This was the first floor that I’ve ever tiled and I made sure each tile was level with the tiles next to it. This made grouting so much easier and faster!
Office Progress – Final Tiles being installed
Not only did I finish the floor, I was also able to install the two small side cabinets and the countertop in between.
Office Progress – Finished Floors
We painted the walls Sherwin-Williams color Repose Gray and the window trim with Benjamin Moore Advance Paint.
There’s still a ton to do (build the bookcases, paint the built ins, install hardware, hang the curtains, wire the lights, add baseboards, etc), but I couldn’t help myself and had to start styling one of the corners.
We are officially half way done with the Fall One Room Challenge! Based on that fact, you would think I would have the major components of the room done…or even started. But if you’ve been here a while, you know better.
At the end of last week, my only progress was cutting my countertop down and adding the Ditra XL to the floors in preparation of tiling.
Week 3 Progress – Ditra Install
While this week’s progress isn’t amazing, it still is forward momentum, especially considering that I’ve never installed a tile floor before. Most of it was done after the kids went to bed by the glow of a work light and warmth of a ceramic heater as we didn’t have power or heat.
To get started, I dry fitted some tiles to see where I wanted the cuts to be. I had been debating on where the tile should end, but once I marked where the doors would go, I realized I could have a full tile when I walked in and on the opposite back wall.
Dry Fitting the Hexagon Tile Floor
Once I figured out the placement from entry to the back wall, I found the center of the back wall and the the doorway and marked them. I also marked the center of my first tile and laid it. I used my laser to make sure that my first tiles were lining up straight with the doorway.
Installing the First Hexagon Floor Tiles
You wouldn’t believe how long these six tile took me to lay. I utilized the QEP LASH Flat Floor Leveling System (it’s two parts and a tool) to make sure my tile were evenly spaced and level which I verified with my small level.
Installing the Hexagon Floor Tiles
I decided to install all the whole tiles and fill in the cuts later on. I completely lucked out and a whole tile fit perfectly in front of the cabinets. I’m pretty sure I couldn’t get that lucky again.
Between the construction crew working on the nearby basement stairs and the front porch, I wasn’t able to work on the floor as much as I would have liked. I made it about 2/3s of the way done with the whole tiles and will be wrapping up the rest of the floor this upcoming week.
End of Week 4 Tile Progress – Installed Hexagon Floor Tiles
If you also follow along on Instagram (@boxwoodathome), you saw that I also made some purchases for the room! I’ll show you those next week!
Dont forget to check out the other amazing transformations here.
I promise I have a lot of ideas for my office, but actually accomplishing them was a definite problem this week. Minor progress may even be an overstatement.
As a reminder, last week ended with the drywall finished and the base cabinetry counters installed.
Week 2 Progress
And, here it is at the end of week 3…
Ditra XL Installed
Tons of progress, right?
To be honest, I did get a few things checked off my list. I was able to get the electrical figured out for my printer drawer which consisted of cutting a hole in the side of my cabinet and plugging in this recessed power strip.
I also vacuumed and wiped the floor then applied mortar to adhere the Ditra XL uncoupling membrane to the subfloor so that it is ready for tile.
I also was able to cut down the other portion of the countertop. It will be ready to be installed as soon as the floor is finished and I’ve painted the walls.
Countertop cut to size
Lastly, I was able to dry fit the tile. I’m super excited for how it fits as I was nervous to attempt a hexagon floor tile.
My hope for this week is to install the tile floor and to get it grouted. I would also love to get the ceiling and walls painted so that I can work on the built ins the following week. However, we still have limited power in the house and no heat so it is slowing down the progress with the temperatures in the 40s and 50s.
To follow along with other participants (who actually made progress!), visit the ORC website.
I am so excited to be participating in the Fall 2022 One Room Challenge. The challenge encourages participants to renovate a space in 8 weeks. You can follow along with other participants here.
When I signed up originally, I was planning to do our new laundry room, but we are several weeks away from the framing and inspections being complete.
So, what room did I choose instead?
Empty Home Office
I opted to renovate my new home office which is a blank slate. I have been running my own businesses for over 15 years and this is my first ever home office.
The space itself isn’t huge (it’s 8.5 feet deep by 14.5 feet wide), but I’m thankful for every square inch. The office is located right off of our main entry so one of my goals was to create enough storage to keep it clean and manage all my design samples, client files, reference books and more.
Budget Friendly Home Office Design
The design includes built-ins on the back wall, a desk floating in the middle, and an accent chair in the corner. While creating my moodboard for the challenge, I realized that I couldn’t afford most of the items that I love. We will be finding alternatives to create a designer office on a small budget.
Easthaven Drawer Bases
To create budget friendly built-ins, I purchased 4 unfinished Easthaven Drawer Bases from Home Depot. I originally planned to use butcherblock for the counters, but then found a faux marble countertop at Lowes that was perfect for my vision.
I started installing the cabinets by screwing two of them together and using shims to level them. I then attached them to the studs with 3 inch screws.
Cabinets and Counters installed
I then cut and installed the countertops leaving a small overhang. At the last moment, I decided to add a small 12” upper cabinet on the inside of the other cabinets to help support the long stretch of countertop.
Budget Friendly Home Office Base Cabinets Installed
Next week, we will be working on the built in shelves and adding lighting as well as picking up the tile for the floor.
In the beginning of 2020, we made the decision to build our new dream home on a piece of land that we were already building a shed on. We locked in a builder and designed what we thought was the perfect home for our family. It was a 3,100 square foot 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath, ranch with a three car garage.
Little did we know, the entire world was about to be turned upside down. Lumber prices were going to skyrocket, the lead time for supply chains would be extended, and more.
Exterior of Dream Home
We had already sold the home we were living in so we focused on finishing our shed that we were in the process of building. Then came the news that our build was being delayed until spring/summer 2021 and that the cost had increased by almost $85,000.
Our previous modular home
It was at that point, that I started researching whether we could make changes to lower the cost or if we should go another route. One option was building a modular home.
While our home we had just sold was a modular (we didn’t know when we bought it), we had been mostly happy with it and it was very energy efficient. I looked at so many floor plans, but couldn’t find what I was looking for. We had decided to still go the traditional route when we came across a local company that could customize a modular home for us.
We met with the modular company in November 2021 and this is what we learned:
Timeframe
The first thing we learned was how quickly a modular home could be built. Because it is built inside a climate controlled warehouse, there arent weather delays and they can control the humidity for drying times. We were told that our new home could be built in about 6 months based on the amount of other homes ahead of us.
New Modular Home Exterior
Price
With prices steadily climbing, we were surprised to discover that building a modular home was quite cost effective. Because of the number of houses they built each year, they received and passed on savings on materials, etc.
Some of the upgrades we decided on were:
9 ft ceilings instead of the standard 8ft
Adding more windows throughout the house
Building a 6’x32′ front porch with a dormer
Adding in-floor heat to the basement, garage, and approach
Quartz countertops and an oversized kitchen island
8 ft ceilings in the full basement
Oversized dormered 32’x32′ garage with 10′ doors
The price of our stick-built design was over $100,000 more than our new modular dream home.
Layout Customization
While designing the stick build floorplan, I had to be constantly aware of what a change would do structurally. With the modular floorplan, I was able to move things around easily based on how the home is constructed. We did have one wall that we had to be conscience of as it is the seam of the home where the pieces attach during assembly.
Original Floor Plan – Saxony Ritz-Craft
When I say we customized the layout, that may be an understatement. We basically moved everything around to fit our needs. A few must haves were:
Great Room facing the backyard – We have small kids that love to be outside and this allows us to keep an eye on them from our main spaces
Split layout – The 3 kid bedrooms are on one end of the house and ours is on the other
Dedicated Office – The original floor plan called for a Owner’s Retreat, but we decided an office for my business would be better utilized
Owner’s Suite with Dual Closets – I’m so excited to have my own closet area as I’m weird and color coordinate all my clothes by type and my husband definitely does not
Half Bath -We wanted a half bath for guests so that they wouldn’t have to use the kids’ bathroom
Mudroom with Garage and Backyard Access – I’m hoping if they have a space for muddy shoes and coats that they won’t be throughout the house
Custom Layout
Is a modular home right for you?
This will depend on your expectations and the builder that you choose. Our builder has been very flexible in allowing me to put my own spin on things, however, there have been a few things that I couldn’t change. You need to make sure both you and the builder are on the same page and that they can accomodate your wants and needs.
