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Intro by Robin & Steps by Ed
Storage can be beautiful! Our DIY built in cabinet made our basement storage look attractive while organizing so many things. Our easy basement built-ins were also designed to hide the electrical panel, wires and pipes.
Can storage do so much and still look great? Oh yes! We’re pretty proud of this final project in our Basement Hobby Room and Pub
Our DIY basement built ins needed to work very hard for us. We had the following requirements for the design:
Hide the electrical panel in a safe way
Hide wiring and pipes, but still have them be accessible when needed
Be beautiful, but not visually obtrusive (I always call this sort of design “quiet”)
Function well as my crafts cupboard, especially to fit the big sewing machine of my Grandma’s which I love. The design I had in mind meant that the sewing machine could pull out easily for use – and it wouldn’t be piled with stuff on top. (We are bad at tidy horizontal surfaces.)
Storage for bulky items like our fun size pool table, air hockey table and wine making jugs
Affordable to make
What is a built in cabinet?
Built in cabinets are made custom to the space. They are anchored to walls vs furniture pieces that can move around. Think: a closet vs a wardrobe. We find building built-ins so much easier than building free-standing furniture!
We made a lot of simple DIY built-ins that are as beautiful as they are functional. (You can find them all here.)
Is it cheaper to build or buy cabinets?
We find it’s often cheaper to build built-ins vs buying furniture pieces to meet our needs.
The exception would be if you’re buying the furniture piece used – you can find great deals on furniture this way. For example, we just made over an old buffet and hutch that cost us $60 WITH delivery. You can’t make anything for less than that.
For this DIY built-in cupboard I had priced out new free-standing units for the space and it would have cost more than twice as much as the materials we used. And they wouldn’t have looked nearly as good or been customized to our needs.
We also believe that well made custom built ins add to the resale value of a home.
So the short answer: used cabinets might sometimes be cheaper than built-ins, but they will never be as cool and custom.
How deep should built-in cabinets be?
It’s up to you! That’s one of the wonderful things about built-ins. You can customize them exactly to your needs.
For example, if you were looking for a space to store canned goods or to display a collection, you would want to make the built-in less deep than if you were looking to store bulky items.
We made this basement built in just deep enough to slide the sewing machine in and out. If it weren’t for the sewing machine, we would have made it much shallower. It’s easy for things to get lost at the back of a very deep cupboard. To solve this problem we designed the shelves in our unit to fit some tubs and bins that hold smaller craft supplies.
How high should built-ins be?
Built ins can be as high or low as you need them. That’s one of their beauties.
For example, we made this bookcase at top of stairs built in quite low – but that’s what makes sense for the space. (It was also our very first built in!)
Robin and Ed are a DIY-loving couple with over 20 years of design and build experience. Also, Robin is a former Registered Dietitian and Ed is an award-winning Business Educator. We share strategies for living a rich life on a DIY budget: creative money-savvy ideas for a stylish home, healthy meals and family fun. Our work has been published in the pages of Farmhouse Style and Better Homes & Gardens magazines.
Your projects always make me feel...well...not worthy! 😂 But seriously, you two are amazing! That storage area is truly beautiful and more than that...functional. My word is 'functional aesthetics'. Well done!
frugalfamilytimes
Friday 19th of November 2021
Oh, Lynn! You leave the best comments - you leave us with such warm hearts. Thank you so much. As far as "not" worthiness - no way! Your work always amazes me! Always so beautiful and well taught! :) Robin
Lynn Spencer
Thursday 18th of November 2021
Your projects always make me feel...well...not worthy! 😂 But seriously, you two are amazing! That storage area is truly beautiful and more than that...functional. My word is 'functional aesthetics'. Well done!
frugalfamilytimes
Friday 19th of November 2021
Oh, Lynn! You leave the best comments - you leave us with such warm hearts. Thank you so much. As far as "not" worthiness - no way! Your work always amazes me! Always so beautiful and well taught! :) Robin