Let me answer the first question you have. Customization. THAT's why you should build shelves as opposed to buying them from Ikea, Home Depot or any other store.
By building shelves yourself you can make sure to use every inch of space that you have and even build your shelves around the boxes you know you're going to be storing on them. No wasted space, no fits when you find out your massive stock pot is ½ " taller than your biggest shelf.
Now that we have that out of the way, I'll give you an idea of the sort of thing I was dealing with when I built my basement shelves. My basement is a nightmare. A place where demons dance. It's creepy and old and built out of rubble.
My basement is 175 years old and is home to an equally aged band of centipedes.
What is has going for it, is it's dry, fairly large and seems to be ghost free.
My basement is a bit of an odd shape with a weird cement ledge all the way around it. This made installing store bought shelves kind of useless. It's hard to describe, but by putting up high shelves, I'd be losing space behind them. Many, many square feet of space.
So. I never put up shelves.
Instead I dumped stuff upon stuff upon stuff. I'd find old shelves at garage sales or on the street and throw them down in the basement hoping they'd help solve my storage problems. They did not. They did not help at all.
When I had my basement sprayed with foam insulation this summer, I had to move every single thing down there into the middle of the basement so they guys could have room to work spraying around the outside walls of the basement. It was such a huge job I figured while I had everything moved I might as well think about building actual shelves.
It took $100 and 1 day.
That's right. All you need to do is basically build a series of rudimentary ladders. I've drawn the plans up so it involves the minimum amount of cutting on your part as possible.
This project is simple enough that someone with a basic knowledge of tools and building can make them in a day.
To do this you will need a few tools though.
The wood you use to build your shelves will depend on the height of your ceilings and the size of your wall. But if you follow the general plan I've given you in the picture above you can adapt them to build shelves to your heart's content.
The only thing you have to remember is to install one "ladder" for every 3-4 feet. This will give your shelves the proper support they'll need and prevent them from sagging. Also make sure to buy ⅝ths plywood and nothing thinner. Thinner will sag over time.
The 2x4 s will be the tall supports of your ladder shelves.
The 2x2 s will be what the plywood shelves rest on. (You can use almost any wood for this. I used a bunch of 1x4 s I had hanging around for instance)
The plywood will be your actual shelves. The more shelves you plan to have, the more sheets of plywood you'll need.
These plans will make a shelving unit that's 6' long, 6-8' high and 2' deep.
Your tall supports will be attached to the floor joists at the top (floor joists are actually in the ceiling) and into the concrete floor at the bottom.
To attach into concrete you need to use special screws called Tapcons. Tapcon is actually a brand name like Kleenex. When you buy a box of Tapcons they usually come with the drill bit you need for pre-drilling the concrete so you don't need to guess at what size of bit to use. It's all ready to go.
That by the way is part of the reason I say it's best to have 2 drills if you can. Even if you have to borrow one.
One drill for the pre-drilling of holes ... and one drill for setting the screws.
Otherwise you're constantly wasting time having to change back and forth between bits.
To attach the wood to other wood, you just need to use 4" wood screws. I had leftover decking screws, so that's what I used. I used up a lot of crap doing this project actually.
For extra, added security you can run a length of wood across your wall. If it's cement, attach the wood with Tapcons.
This will give you something extra, along with the ceiling and floor to attach the tall supports to.
Again, for this I used an extra length of 1 x 4 I had laying around.
So you'll be securing your supports in 3 places.
#1 ... the floor joists in the ceiling
#2 ... the floor
#3 ... the wall
You can either build your entire ladders first, including the shelf supports and attach them to the ceiling, floor and wall,
or
You can build your ladders with one shelf support a few inches up from the bottom, and one at the very top, attach them to the ceiling, floor and wall and then attach the rest of the shelf supports once the ladders are up and secured. Doing it this way is useful if you want your shelves to be at custom heights for big boxes and such.
Just measure you biggest box, then measure up from your lowest shelf support. Cut your plywood shelf to fit, and then do the same with the next box and shelf support.
As you can see, I did a variety of shelf heights to accommodate the variety of boxes and things I had to store. This way I wasn't wasting any space at ALL.
When I first started to take the after pictures of my basement for you it wasn't looking so hot. So, I styled my shelves and got them looking pretty by putting stuff in baskets and boxes.
I recommend you do the same. I love going into this basement now, not only because of how organized it is, but because it looks half decent. Take your garbage bags out of their ugly cardboard box and put them in a nice basket. Ditto for storing potatoes or anything else.
I never would have done this if I wasn't taking pictures and I'm so glad I did.
So that's my word of advice for the day. If you redo your basement, do it like someone's going to come in and take pictures of it. It'll make you happy every single time you go down into that hell hole.
One section of my shelving unit is devoted to Halloween and random house accessories that aren't in rotation at the moment. Those 2 shelves look really messy and ugly so I covered them up by tacking up a burlap coffee bag I scored from my local health food store. You could do any kind of drape or a length of plain cotton fabric. Just tack it in place and lift it when you need to get into that area. It just helps to get rid of some visual clutter.
Bags and bags of heirloom garlic courtesy of my super-fantstic neighbour Jane who picked it up for me when she was on vacation this summer.
Just waiting to be planted in late October.
Getting organized allowed me to make use of a few things that were just thrown into the original messy basement.
Things like my kitty cat clock were pulled out and hung up.
By the way. You haven't lived until you've gone to Costco and bought the jumbo packages of paper towels and toilet paper because you actually have somewhere to PUT them.
I feel like a princess.
Once I got the hang of it I was putting shelves everywhere I could fit them.
This one isn't exactly pretty, but drilling into boulders is a LOT harder than you would think.
This area is a work in progress ... I'll be showing you how to build a handy little basement table in this very spot in the near future.
And now onto the other side of the basement.
The workshop area.
The one shelving unit I saved from all the pieces of crap I'd collected from the side of the road over the years was this one metal shelf.
It's very narrow and has a lot of shelf space.
Perfect for my canned goods, extra paint cans and craft supplies.
I actually have an entire shelf dedicated to my moss collection.
Yes. Seriously.
It's only been a week or so since I finished the basement and I've already used it for projects I could never use it for before because I just didn't have the room.
Plus everything was all over the place and disorganized and I was always knocking something over ... bleh.
Now? It'll make reupholstering this little footstool a breeze.
You can't see it but I have a small television hooked up in the corner and also installed a phone line.
Tools? Got em. Whadda need? 'Cause I know exactly where it is.
It's right there. On the wall.
Unless it's a drill or something larger, in which case it's in the cupboards below.
Yup.
I searched all over for jars to put my assorted deck screws in but decided I liked them in their paper bags, so I just rolled down the edges and hung the bags.
Nowhere to put the antique fishing creel? No problem.
Hang it on the wall and fill it with ribbon and bows.
Definitely one of my favourite things.
The ribbons are all on a dowel so they spin. I can just pull out the length I need and cut it.
I realize this may not look like the makeover of the century but I've already gained back the time it took me to rebuild this basement. I've saved 17 hours in the past week just by knowing where my duct tape is.
The best part of all of this is I found my old saddle. I love that saddle.
Now that I have so much time on my hands, maybe one day I'll go for a ride if I can manage to strap it on one of the centipedes.
Deb J.
Good job! I am totally envious! Especially your tidy tool collection. I just finished rebuilding the deck on the sleeping cabin on our cottage and resurfacing the deck on the cottage itself - BIG deck, SORE knees - and have a total appreciation for organized tools and supplies. Only problem - as fast as I tidy and organize, the wrecking crew (aka salad bowl) comes along behind and disorganizes. Sigh. Still worth the effort but ...
Karen
The fella NEVER puts away my tools. Ever. Uses them then throws them on the workbench. HATE IT. Good job on the deck! ~ k
Janelle
What an AWESOME dustpan!
Laura
Did you ever find your fireplace tools??
karenagain
My old house doesn't have a basement. It was flash built in the 30's when the Forestry Industry exploded here and the housewives rebelled against the trailors. God bless them. I have an old but sound garage that needs shelves. I so need to go out there and organize it. I have a deep freeze out there that came with the house. It weighs a ton and we didn't know how to get rid of it. Now that I look at it all curvy and retro, I have to keep it.
Jodie
Beautiful work!
Sebrah
I can tell how proud you are of this little project, I don't think I've ever seen you reply to so many comments! So jealous, I wanna basement!! - Love being organised, it's one of my dreams that someday it'll happen, but not before I have a basement to call my own :-)
Karen
LOL. I just happen to have extra time today. Because I've saved so much time in the past week with my newly organized basement. :) ~ karen
Spokangela
Awesome post! Incredibly useful information. My husband and I are going to tackle our shop/gargage next weekend and will definitely be using some of the info contained in this post.
If you stop hearing from me it will be because we were overwhelmed by our stuff and cannot make our way out. If we do manage to get everything organized maybe we could actually park a car in it! Imagine, a car in the garage...
Karen
Spokangela - Don't feel bad. I actually don't know a single person who can park a car in their garage. ~ k!
Amanda
We can! Both of them! But only as of this weekend when we cleaned the garage. Majorly cleaned. Hauled a ton of stuff away, vacuumed up pounds of dead bugs, live bugs, and mouse doody, then chased the still-breathing mouse under the compressor with a 2x4, where he hid until he made his escape. I'll get him. What was the motivation, you ask? Hubby got a new car. Not just any car, but the one he has been eyeing and saving for for almost 10 years. No way is a bunch of lumber going to keep that thing in the driveway! So all you have to do for a clean garage is buy an Audi! It is almost worth it just for the garage, and totally worth it for his glee.
Leena
You have some cool stuff! But most importantly you did an amazing job with the shelves.
This post combines the two things I highly enjoy: building and organizing. Love it!
Susan
I'm so proud of you! I envy your energy...
You found your saddle!! Either you must bring it to my house and use it on my horse or you must display it!!! Hugs, S
Karen
LOL! Thanks for the offer but you're a bit of a trek! I'd have to well my saddle and everything else in my basement to make the trip. :) ~ k
Barbie
That little footstool would work PERFECTLY with the chair I just reupholstered last year...it's just sitting in my warehouse waiting for the perfect footstool! I'll send my address.
Nancy Blue Moon
First..I wish I had a basement..Second..I am looking for an original Kit-Cat Clock..He is worth some bucks you know..I am so jealous..Third..You have a moss collection????.....Oh yeah..Your basement looks great..BIG improvement!!
Jeannie B.
Great job Karen! I always wanted one of those Kit Cat clocks. I'd just go down to the cellar to watch the tail go back and forth. There was one, in a store, when I was a kid, and I was mesmorized watching it. I think the eyes moved too. I love your beautiful preserves and those beautiful cups and saucers. Why don't you have them upstairs on display? Anyhow, well done!
Laura McG.
Not sure where this comment lies: complaint, heads up, or plea for help from you or a reader. Here goes: for about two weeks your blog post has a most annoying advertisement from Macy's that appears as two lines, approximately 3/4" wide that dance and move throughout the post and scrolling on the iPad makes the post skip sections. It was impossible to read a post like today's because I could not get the directions on the screen with accompanying photo. Anyone know how to circumvent this on iPad, or should Karen tell Macy's to take a hike?
Karen
Laura - That complaint has already been mentioned in this particular post. Since I'm in Canada I can't actually see the offending ad because it's targeted to Americans. If someone can send me a screen shot of it I can send it to my Advertising Network to bring it to their attention. All ads on my site are supposed to have an "x" so you can close them and they don't come back. ~ karen!
Dawna Jones
Good for you Karen you are officially my hero!!!!
http://www.dawnajonesdesign.com/
ajith
hi my dear you are more beautiful. have a great day
Patti
YES!! I have been WAITING for this post FOREVER!!! Well, not really, but I`ve just been ridiculously excited about it. TheGuy has been chomping at the bit to build shelves in the basement and get it organized, and I was like "YOU CAN`T DO IT TIL KAREN POSTS HERS ON HER BLOG." He is a skilled craftsman, so I think he thought I was a wiener - but that means he over-builds things sometimes. Now I'll show him this post, and he'll see this comment and (hi babe!) hopefully he'll still build me these shelves (but if he doesn't, that's okay - I could do it myself!).
Love the baskets - you're right - if you 'stage' even the most mundane things, it totally makes you smiles!
Kris
Looks fantastic! I too am a member of the 150 or more year old basement club, so I feel your pain regarding the old walls and creepy crawler things. Do you think there is a product we could spray down there to get rid of the spiders and bugs, maybe deter them from coming back? And a little tip, in case the paper bags for your screws don't work out, my husband uses coffee jars (or any jar with a screw on lid) and attaches them to the underside of a shelf, them fills his jars and screws them up into the lids. That way he can see whats in there, and they are all lines up and out of the way. Did I explain that right? Thanks for the mental shove to get me re-organizing our basement. Again!
Karen
Kris - That's funny ... I actually have a spinning wheel thing that's the same sort of idea, but with baby food jars for smaller screws and stuff. They just don't fit larger screws, :) ~ karen
gogothrift
Wow, I got tired just looking at all the work you must have put into this basement makeover.
BTW, when you die will you will me that $7 mirror in your living room that you found at a garage sale?
Karol
I have had the organization of my garage lurking over my head for years. We have no cars in it because it is full of everything but a car. Once I tried to organize by pulling everything out onto the lawn (which took hours) I was going to make piles of "keep" "donate" and "trash". As soon as I started making headway, a Florida thunderstorm came through and I had to drag it all back in. It's amazing how fast you can move when lightning is around. So now my garage looks 100 times worse than it did before I started.
I would kill for a basement, but if you dig deeper than 6 inches in Florida, you hit water. With a western exposure, our garage stays at a constant temperature of around HELL, so I only go out there if I have to. We do have an attic, but it makes the garage feel like the inside of an igloo.
Cynna
Nice work on the storage shelves, but I would like you better if you put that poor old saddle on a proper saddle rack.
Karen
Cynna - Tree's fine ... I've kept it like that for a year or so now. ~ k!
Woodencanoe
Yes, the poor saddle. That was my first thought too when I saw it looking abandoned there. Horse or no horse !
Debbie
Karen thank you! This post couldn't come at a better time! Was just going to go measure out the furnace room and see what I could find at Ikea... but I like this idea wayyyyyyy better!! LOVE your basement... I think I could spend hours poking around in it looking at all your neat stuff!!