Now that the rock demolition took place and we had a plan to build, the next steps were to put up drywall, build the bookcases, and install the cabinets.
Dan and his dad spent a whole day and then Dan spent hours each night after work getting drywall up on the walls.
It takes so much time because you have to measure, re-measure, make any needed cuts, and get the drywall hung on the wall. We used a professional to do the tape and mudding, but were able to save some money by getting the drywall up ourselves. Because the bookcases, cabinet, and mantle would be going up on the fireplace wall, we didn’t need our drywall contractor to come before working on this wall. But, if we weren’t adding built ins, we would have needed the contractor to tape and mud that wall too.
Now, as I mentioned in a previous post, the cabinets we bought were standard, unfinished cabinets from Home Depot, which we sanded and painted ourselves. One thing I didn’t mention was the the cabinets are uppers, not bottoms. Why did we do that? We didn’t want drawers in the cabinets. You ever notice that most bottoms have drawers? Plus, we wanted a slimmer profile, which are how uppers are built. Bottoms typically are larger in depth so you have a good space for your counters.
The cabinets went in first, so our contractor could build on top of them. After the cabinets were attached to the wall, the butcher block we had already stained and sealed was cut and placed on top. Finally, each bookcase was built and secured to the cabinets and the wall.
You’ll notice the built ins hug the sides of the room, bordering each adjoining wall. Remember, we’re trying to camouflage the fact that the bookcase is so far to the left, so that little wood nook will be built in just to the right of the fireplace.
To save a bit of cash, we told our contractor to leave the bookcases unpainted. You guessed it – we’ll be painting those ourselves.
So ended Day 1 with our contractors. Next up: building out the fireplace mantle and wood nook.
never settling 