Come On In and Have a Seat!

There was a lot of thought that went into how to build the bench for the entry way. Initially, I wanted to the bench to span the entire length of the back wall. But after finding out that the jut in the wall was actually part of the third bedroom addition, I changed my mind. Rebuilding a wall for only three feet of extra bench seemed like a little too much work.

After that somewhat disappointing realization, I began to contemplate how to build our "plan B" nook bench. There were a few problems to consider:
1- I wanted the bench to be open underneath so that people could kick off their shoes and leave them underneath the bench. This meant that I had to still be able to support the weight of 1-2 people without the bench tearing off the wall.
2- The wall on the left of the nook is 8in, and the wall on the right is 15in. Obviously, an 8-in bench is not wide enough for even a little butt. I had to think about how I was going to allow the bench to be the width that we needed but also keep it securely attached to all three walls.

Considering both obstacles, here is what I came up with:

The bench was essentially a 2x4in. wood frame with additional 2x4s spanning the width for additional support. On the sides, I used two 2x8in boards so that they would go down to the ground and I could screw them into the wall. My bench will be able to hold a small army. Once again, I picture a (non-existent) kid jumping up and down on the bench. No skulls will be cracked due to my faulty handy work! However, if the next owners don't like the bench, they may have a real hard time taking it out, but it won't break while it's in there.

Incase you have a very similar lay out and would like to know the cuts that I made (or rather, made my husband cut for me), here they are:
1- 2 x 4 x 44in (for the back wall)
1- 2 x 4 x 37.5in  (front of the bench)
1- 2 x 4 x 6.5in  (angled side of the bench, measured from the inside)
2- 2 x 8 x 19in (side pieces spanning to the floor)
1- 2 x 4 x 4.5in (additional piece on the right side)
1- 1 x 4 x 12in (to securely connect the pieces on the right side)
5- 2 x 4 x 9in (support beams going the width of the bench)
1- 1 x 4 x 40in (face of the bench in front)
1- 1 x 4 x 9in  (face of the side angle)
plywood:
1- 47 x 13in (top of the bench)

Once the bench was put together, we fastened the bench to the studs using four, 4in. hefty bolts.

I also secured the legs to the wall with 3 1/2in. screws. You may also notice I found another use for a strip of our bead board: the flooring under the bench.

This bench is going nowhere! It can actually hold both Nabil and I with no hands (or feet), but no one was around to get that picture. ...but we tried it.

Next, I added the baseboard and trim pieces, caulked, mudded the holes/gaps, sanded the surface, and primed and the unpainted wood. This is the part that I hate the most because the end is in sight, but it always seems like this stuff take FOREVER! Once it was all said and done though, this place was actually starting to look like an entryway with a pretty kickass builtin bench if I do say so myself (and I do).

Here is the view as you walk in the front door:

To wrap this post up, let's look at that entryway to-do list shriveling away:

- tear out the bookshelf
- take out the paneling below where the picture shelf is going to be and add another texture to separate from the rest of the paneling
- build a picture shelf to span the length of the back wall
- incorporate hooks for hanging coats/purses
- build a bench to go in the wall "nook" with a place for shoes underneath (in progress, just need to finish painting and add the cushion on top)
- replace all the outdated trim and add crown molding
- replace the light fixture with something a little more modern
- replace the front door (eventually! Realistically, this is probably a few years down the line)

Picture Shelf

Aaaahhhhh... That is the sound of the heavens reigning cheers of glory on my half-way done entry way.

I have always loved the picture shelves in the dining room of old houses, so I knew that I wanted to incorporate one in our new house somewhere. ...and why not cross it off the list on our first house project right? When building the picture shelf, I had to keep a few things in mind. (1) The shelf had to be sturdy enough to support the weight of frames and other decorations over the years but also not stick out of the wall too much. In my mind I kept picturing an eight or nine year old boy doing pull-ups or just hanging off the shelf. I'm not sure who this boy is because he obviously isn't ours, but it seems like a prime idea for some pre-hormonal kid with bottomless, unfiltered energy. I don't know where I get these premonitions, but I wanted to make sure the shelf could support the weight of this non-existent child before he got hurt. (2) The shelf also had to have some kind of stopper on the end so that the frames didn't slide off the end hitting some un-expectant guest on the head. And (3) the shelf would be the divider between the gray wood paneling above and the white wall below where people would hang their coats.

Keeping all this in mind, here is what I came up with:

I use a 1x6in. board to cover the gap between the two boards. This would also serve as the base for the shelf, so I made sure it was securely fastened to the studs. Also, at this point, I had decided that I wanted to use knobs as coat hangers. Luckily I decided this before hanging the board, because with knobs, they have to be screwed in from the back of the board, so before securing the board to the wall, I drilled eleven holes and placed the screws where the knobs would eventually live.

To assemble the shelf, I used a 1x4in. board and two rounded 1x1in trim pieces. Once measured and cut, I wood-glued and hammered on the trim piece on the end of the picture shelf because that would have been more difficult to do once the shelf was already assembled. Next, I screwed the shelving pieces directly into the edge of the 1x6 support boards. If you do it this way, make sure to drill pilot holes so you don't crack the wood since the screws will be so close to the edge of the board. I then added the 1x1in. rounded trim on the underside of the shelf. This was mostly just for aesthetics, but I suppose it could be adding just a little more support too. Below is a cross-section of the shelf which probably explains it better on it's own than my long winded descriptions.

Just incase you were wondering, I do realize that the corner cut has a big gap. I quickly realized that the wall was not exactly 90 degrees, so my corners were a little off. Nothing a little mudd and sanding can't fix, right?

This is the view right when you walk into the house. The coat closet is on the left, and the living-room is to the right.

Once it was all mudded, caulked, and painted, here's what we have:

I love the look of the knobs instead of hooks. We also decided to use all different kinds of knobs to keep some interest. They are all bronze or oil rubbed bronze (or at least they look it), so it isn't too distracting. Love love love!

So there you have it, a step-by-step on how we built a picture shelf. If you'd like to see the before pictures, you can check them out here. Once it's all complete I will post more pictures of all the fun details, but for now, let's take a look at the things we have crossed off our enrtyway to-do list, shall we!?

- tear out the bookshelf
- take out the paneling below where the picture shelf is going to be and add another texture to separate from the rest of the paneling
- build a picture shelf to span the length of the back wall
- incorporate hooks for hanging coats/purses
- build a bench to go in the wall "nook" with a place for shoes underneath
- replace all the outdated trim and add crown molding
- replace the light fixture with something a little more modern
- replace the front door (eventually! Realistically, this is probably a few years down the line)

Phew, half way done! ...and all this was done in time for all of our Christmas holiday guests arrival (barely). Next up, the bench to go underneath the shelf.

Until next time...