This week's project was kitchen-centric once again. We have an odd little nook that we're converting into a pantry storage space. The first effort to add storage to the space was a small wire shelf. We couldn't get a taller one because of the ceiling slope, and I felt like the shelf under utilized the depth of the space. The best solution was a built-in shelf wrapped the interior of the nook.

I decided to re-purpose an adjustable shelf/rail system that was elsewhere in the house as the rear wall supporting brackets. There are several switches and electrical receptacles towards the front of the niche, so I use a level to trace where the shelves needed to be placed in order to avoid any collisions. A quick mock-up of the connection showed me where the screw holes would need to be (relative to the shelf top) and captured this measurement with a template. By measuring down from the shelf line with the template, I find the height at which I should drill the holes to mount the rails.

With the lower shelves, I had to cut out an opening for an unexplained pipe occupying the niche. Wanting to keep the rear shelf support as far back as possible I cut out a notch to fit it around this pipe, and did the same with the shelf above. As an aside, if you don't care about the look of a cutout, only it's depth, simply cut that depth in. Since the cuts are across the end grain of the wood, the notch will snap off easily rather than trying to saw out that 90 degree opening. I cut a (cleaner) notch in the shelf as well.

While I now had support along the back, I needed to add some for the front shelves. Rather than setting up another rail, I decided it would be cleaner (and cheaper) to buy individual brackets. I started by screwing the brackets into the shelves, then using these to locate the wall attachment holes. Since there were no conveniently placed studs I had to attach these to the walls with drywall anchors (fingers crossed that it holds!)

Then followed a great deal of drilling and screwing to lock everything in place. After a quick paint job from my roommate to clean up the unsightly cut edges. We had an excellent custom built shelf!