First of all- holy cow. We just had a crazy earthquake a few minutes ago. Very strong! It was completely unexpected for our area (we’ve never had a strong one before). The epicenter was right outside of Richmond (only about 35 miles from our house) and it registered about a 5.9! We’ve even heard from friends up in NY who felt it. Miraculously nothing fell off the walls or broke, but the whole house shook violently and it was insanely loud (we all gathered under a steel-enforced doorway and stared at each other). So yes, we were all shaken up by it but very thankful that we’re ok and hope that everyone else who experienced it is too.
Now for the cabinets. We promised to share all of the other places we hunted/solutions we considered when it came to the office built-ins (mentioned here) – because our thrift store cabinets definitely weren’t the first things we found. And we figure since not everyone can stumble upon six cabs for six bucks (uh, we never even thought that was possible until this recent discovery) we hoped that detailing a few other options that we considered might help anyone else who can’t find secondhand cabinets that work for them. So here we go, on a virtual cabinet-hunting whirlwind of sorts…
Our first stop was actually the Richmond Habitat for Humanity ReStore, but we didn’t find much in the way of cabinets. We did find that Clara loves the breeze from a big industrial fan.
And that they had this crazy big leather / zebra-print lounger thing if anyone’s interested. Tres practical for storytime, no?
The cabinet situation though was almost enough to make us give up on the ReStore entirely (everything was too tall or too wide and we couldn’t find six identical cabinets (or three identical double-wide-ones) that would work to make our wall of built-ins look related enough (and not like a mismatched secondhand cabinet sale). They did put us on a notification list in case anything that matched our needs came in, which was nice (never knew they did that).
So next we dragged the kiddos (yes, Burger included) to Lowe’s and Home Depot to see if their stock cabinets could do the trick. They had a lot of affordable-ish options for unfinished cabinets in a slew of shapes and sizes. Our rough math put us at about a $300 investment for three double-wide cabinets (to create left, middle, and right cabinets with two open spaces for our chairs along the built-in wall like this). Then we could have just painted them and topped them with a wood counter, which wouldn’t have been too bad for a wall of built-ins and a nice long two-person desk (around $400 for two desks or something custom built-in along an entire wall sounded about right I guess).
The only hitch in our plan were the cabinet sizes. Base cabinets were the perfect depth for a standard counter (24″) but their toe-kick made them too high (35″) for our chairs (27″). We contemplated adding casters to our chairs to make them higher, but weren’t sold on the idea (especially because 2″ casters might be cool, but 4″ casters would be a bit much for our chairs). So we looked at 30″ upper cabinets instead, but at only 12″ deep it’d make for either a super narrow desk or cabinets that floated a foot away from the wall. Definitely something we could remedy by buying additional lumber, but again, not ideal.
Then it was time to do some Craigslist surfing, but nothing turned up in the way of cabinets that would be the right depth or height off the bat (and we worried about sacrificing stability and making things look a little – uh, shady- by trying to cut something down or build it out). If we had found something super cheap or almost perfect (like our much-shorter-than-average $6 ReStore cabinets) we would definitely have pounced on them. Even for around $100 for the set. But nothing with the right dimensions came up after a few consecutive weeks of checking back.
Then we turned to Ana-White.com to see if we could find any awesome plans to build something ourselves (like the plans that inspired our giant console table build). There were definitely a few workable options, but we realized that a lot of the plans would cost more than $30 per cabinet (thanks to lumber, hardware, hinges, and interior fittings) – and because we noticed that many secondhand cabinets on craigslist and in thrift stores were under $30 (and some were priced waaaay under that), it made us wonder if we’d actually spend more building something than retrofitting something existing.
Next we checked out Ikea. From their website, it looked like we could build their cabinets without a toe-kick, making them the perfect height (around 28-30″ instead of 35″+, which would be too tall for our existing chairs (even if we added casters to them). Score! And we all know Ikea has tons of customization options, so it was starting to feel like a perfect solution… even if it was a bit pricier – roughly about $500 if I did my math right, since we definitely wanted doored cabinets over open shelving (for Clara reasons along with the general desire to very roughly mimic the look of the base cabinets from our built-ins – though not exactly). We were actually pretty invested in this being a good solution, so I started mapping it out using their online planner tool (technically for kitchens) since we were planning a stop there after our visit with Cat, Travis, Elsa and their new son Edison.
But that trip to Ikea never happened, thanks to our decision to give the Alexandria Habitat For Humanity ReStore a chance while out of town. Though even that trip started off somewhat discouraging. They certainly had more cabinets than our ReStore in Richmond…
…but the prices weren’t necessarily screaming “take me home” at first. Yowsa.
Of course, that was until we came across the ones in the very back with $1 stickers on them that screamed “You’d be an idiot not to take us home. We’re six friggin dollars!” And the rest, as they say, is history.
Well, not totally history – there’s still lots to do to these puppies. But that’s a story (and a project) for another day. Someday soon hopefully. You know Sherry and her propensity to paint anything that doesn’t move…
So in summary, it was harder than we thought to find cabinets that were deep enough (24″) and not too tall (over 30″) and we ended up checking two thrift stores, two home improvement stores, an online build-it-yourself website, a Swedish warehouse, and the list of a man named Craig. The cost of the project ranged from around $300-$500 at most places that actually had things that might work (not including a countertop), which was definitely making us sweat a little. Custom built-ins can obviously add function and value to a house, but unlike adding a patio to a monkey-grass-riddled side yard, it somehow felt a bit more like a rushed gamble to spend half of 1K on a desk, at least for cheap-os like us (who built our current desk from an old bathroom door). So we’re glad we took our time and eventually came across something around 95% cheaper. The lesson: hold out if you can, and leave no stone (or store) unturned (unvisited?). Whenever we dive in too soon we get all nervous and twitchy and sometimes even lay awake wondering if we rushed into something that might not be the best thing for our house/lifestyle in the long run. So there you go.
What have you hunted down after visiting a bunch of stores or googling a ton of options? Is there some sort of magic number (like five places) that usually results in a major score? Have you been searching for something for months or even years that continues to allude you? Isn’t it funny how the perfect thing is always in the last place you look? Probably because once you find it you finally stop looking.
Psst- The lady wife did a fun little interview about how our blog has grown and revealed a lot of behind the scenes blogging and book-writing info for anyone interested right here (it’s long, but full of tons of juicy stuff, at least in my humble husband opinion). We’re also over on BabyCenter talking about a sweet little boy’s nursery that we crashed (coolest light fixture we’ve seen in a long time).
katea says
wow, it was a big one, wasn’t it?
we felt it up here in Ottawa, Ontario as well.
mostly just a tremor, but there it was.
glad you guys are ok!
I found an awesome metal half filing cabinet/half just cabinet at the restore here in Ottawa. I love it!
Kim at Yellow Brick Home says
Just listened to the ENTIRE radio interview while making dinner – and finished it up while clearing the dishes. Sherry, you sounded so cute! Great interview!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Kim! I’m so surprised people are being so nice about it- I was cringing the whole time! Haha. I thought I bombed.
xo,
s
Ashley says
Well, I feel quite jipped. It’s been over a year since I’ve felt the ground move here in Los Angeles. So happy to hear there have been no reported injuries in the Northeast. I listened to your WHOLE interivew, Sherry. You are so wonderful!
Happy Tuesday,
Ashley
anylovelything.blogspot.com
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Ashley!
xo,
s
eileen marie says
3 words: (the ever-elusive) Ikea farm vase
Cannot.find.the.darn.thing.anywhere!!
But persistence always pays off -I am very patient. It took nearly a year to find my wedding gown (from a photo).
eileen marie says
PS: Glad you are fine after the quake!
Chrissie says
I’m glad everyone’s ok after the earthquake! How scary for everyone.
It’s so interesting to see how much work is behind finding good deals on things, thank you for posting this :-)
Also, that interview will make great listening while I’m sorting through everything I’ve pulled out of our spare room (aka the junk room). I’m secretly working on cleaning it up as a space for my fiance to play his drums since I’m off work this week, wish me luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Lots of luck! We have a junk room that could use some attention…
xo,
s
Chrissie says
Thank you :-) Your interview was really good to listen to while I worked, lots of very helpful tidbits about the running of blogs and how you guys work. It’s good to know that you can procrastinate too, I’m terrible for it.
The junk room is looking vaguely more like a usable room, I’m just waiting on delivery of our new sideboard (a second hand one from an old friend) so I have some more room to put currently homeless items away. So far, so good!
Allison says
I’m in Raleigh, NC at NC State University and I was in a science class when the whole classroom started shaking– it was unreal (my first experience with tremors). I’m just so glad no one seems to be hurt!
The Orchard says
We felt it here, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada! Yikes!
Danielle says
Felt it all the way in Kentucky! Glad you all are okay. So jealous about your cabinet finds.
{hooked on hickory} says
holy smokes what a deal.
ashley
Jill says
How bad is it that when I first heard about the earthquake on the radio, I immediately thought of you guys and hoped you were ok and that nothing fell off your walls and shelves….an hour later I get a text from my sister saying sarcastically “Oh don’t worry about me, I survived!”
She lives in DC. D’oh!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man- so glad everyone’s ok! My mom (who lives in NY) had been trying to call us for hours and couldn’t get through on any of our phones (all circuits were busy for a loong time and no voicemail was coming through) so she was so nervous. She never thought to check the blog to see if we were ok (which is where most folks could see we were fine) so she was losing it! Poor mom!
xo,
s
Courtney says
That picture of Clara and the fan is by far the cutest thing I have seen in a good minute! I love it! So precious. Keep doing what you’re doing :)
Mollie says
so i completed a significant portion of a gallery wall in my apt this weekend (inspired by your project!). i work on capitol hill and no-joke almost wet my pants for a few moments today. after i realized i was going to survive, one of my first thoughts was “this is the yhl gods telling me i shouldn’t have cheaped out and not bought the velcro strips!!” sure enough, it’s a sad little crooked sight this evening. :/
glad you all are safe!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man! Crooked is better than shattered, right? So glad you’re ok!
xo,
s
Genie says
Glad there was no damage! Having experienced the ’89 quake of the Bay Area in California, I never, ever hang anything near the bed. Ever. (A book shelf fell on my empty bed.) So when you guys hang stuff over your bed and Clara’s crib, I always hold my breath and say, “They aren’t in California. Don’t tell them what to do!” Hmm.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- thanks for the tip! We’re so glad we anchored everything for general childproofing reasons (like bookcases and leaning mirrors) and even screwed right through the green mirror that used to hang over Clara’s crib (that sucker’s not going anywhere!).
xo,
s
Janelle says
We felt the earthquake in Cleveland. I wondered about you guys. Glad you’re okay. How did Clara do in her very first earthquake?
I guess it’s a good sign that nothing fell off the walls — if that mirror in Clara’s room didn’t get knocked down from an earthquake, there’s no way she’ll ever pull it onto herself, right?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, that sucker is drilled directly into the wall- haha. So it’s there to stay! As for how Clara did, she seemed completely unphased. Meanwhile Burger lost it and John and I were right there with him. It really was one of the most unexpected and scary things, but we’re so glad everyone’s ok! It felt so strong that I thought we were going to see a town in shambles when we looked out the window. It’s kind of amazing how strong homes and trees really are.
xo,
s
Briel K. says
I’m glad to see you guys are okay after the earthquake! I mean look at all the damage it caused elsewhere! http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/stunning-photos-of-damage-caused-by-the-east-coast ;) hehe
I’m listening to your interview Sherry. Loving it! :]
Lindsay says
Finally got a chance to listen to your interview! I loved it. You did great! Seriously cannot wait for the book.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Lindsay!
xo,
s
Julie Anne says
I just got home from a latish night away from the news, and heard about the earthquake! When you live in an earthquake zone as I do (Seattle), that sort of news is very seriouss, indeed.
I was born in Northern Virginia, but we don’t have family there anymore, so when I heard the earthquake was centered there, my very first image was of YHL and the two of you running down the hallway to Clara’s room (where in my mind, she was peacefully napping) to protect her. I’m very glad you didn’t have to run so far to keep the bean safe!
YoungHouseLove says
Miraculously we were all in the kitchen and John already had Clara in his arms! Burger came howling through and we grabbed him and just waited for it to pass. It was deafeningly loud though (hence Burger = hot mess). Never expected that!
xo,
s
karen says
glad you guys are all okay…we felt it here north of Toronto!! It really is ‘a small world after all’!
Roberta says
WOW…so glad to hear that you guys were okay at YHL…some of us felt it here in Raleigh and even though I didn’t feel it I was freaked out that some of our books were moved around. oh boy! I blogged about it so that I have the notes for my album in the future: http://con-tain-it.typepad.com/love_shack_nonsense/2011/08/earthquake-shakes-up-the-love-shack.html
Sharee A. says
First, thank God everyone is OK. I was raised in Salinas, CA and have experienced a lot of quakes. Second, I didn’t know HFH had Restores! I checked your link for them & found one here in Chicago. Going to check them out for sure! Last, now that you’ve survived the quake, now’s a good time to access your ER preparedness…and blog about it. A PSA if you will.
YoungHouseLove says
We actually put out a call back in the comments to any emergency preparedness experts (since we’re definitely not that) – we’d love to share that info!
xo,
s
Susan says
I had been looking without luck for an affordable shelving unit for my office–I needed about 42 inches wide by 28-30 in. high. Everything seemed to be too high and narrow, or 48+ inches wide. Then, my daughter and I stumbled on a 42 inch upper cabinet at Goodwill for $12.99! We took the doors off, took out the two fixed shelves and replaced with one centered one, painted it all white, and it’s wonderful! We plan to put a slightly deeper top to give a bit more surface area.
YoungHouseLove says
Such a lucky find!
xo,
s
Hilary says
Definitely felt the quake strong here in NOVA! And gosh…can so relate for your search for cabinets. We are building a built-in and it looks like we’ll be using bases from Lowes (36″ width) since they’re deep enough for desk…but actually starting the desk portion under the drawer part (so at like 30″ish)- figure we’ll hold the desk up with brackets/screwed into side of base cabs. Blahh…it tooks hours contemplating the options. Your cabinet find was miraculous!
ashlee says
that’s officially the best thrift find i’ve ever seen (the cabinets).
ashlee says
ps. i clicked your link to the bathroom door turned desk. that is the most friggin’ clever thing i’ve ever seen! i can’t get over it. i never would have thought of that. genius!
can i ask what kind of palm sander you have? do you know of a good brand to recommend? i’m in the market for one with this week’s pay cheque.
YoungHouseLove says
I believe it’s a Black & Decker mouse sander (it’s in the basement at the moment, so forgive me for being too lazy to go check). We’ve had it for a few years now and have been very satisfied with it. Hasn’t broken and seems to get the job done!
-John
ashlee says
…..mouse? more evidence i’m not the least bit handy – i have no idea what a mouse sander is, lol.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it’s one of those little ones that kind of looks like a computer mouse.
xo,
s
Emily says
Was pretty intense outside Charlottesville, VA too! Funny enough I was reading your blog when a picture frame fell from the top of my desk hutch and my dog came running in. I was home alone and live basically in the middle of nowhere, it was pretty scary! Glad you guys are OK!
Pip says
I’m enjoying listening to your radio interview – it’s like a fast forward through 4 years of posts (with even more personality!). Thanks for sharing so much info, you’re so patient talking through the details of social media for those who aren’t so aware.
Glad to hear you guys weren’t affected by the quake! Burger will need a good lie down!
Jess says
Felt it in Maryland!
I have found my best pieces at Homegoods, local antique stores, and Second Chance in Baltimore. I did splurge on a couple pieces of furniture at Pottery Barn (sectional wicker sofa, writer’s desk) and Restoration Hardware (leather couch about 4 ft deep with down feathers in all of the cushions).
Sara says
Love you on the radioshow!
Good job Sherry! Love your voice, your choice of words and your humor.
Great job. :)
Sara says
Oh! And congrats on the book! SO FUN!
Will it be able to by for us who do not live in the states? :)
So exciting!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a very good question. I definitely hope so! Maybe from amazon.com? I’ll have to ask for you!
xo
s
Kimberly says
We have an average of 2 earthquakes a week where we live here in Japan. I don’t even bother with straightening the pictures on the wall anymore!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- I can’t even imagine that! It rocked my world. Literally.
xo,
s
Christine says
We felt it up here in Northern VA.
BTW I still cannot believe you found those for 6$. What a total score!! Gotta love when things work out like that.
Shannon {aka}|design says
Glad you guys are safe!!
Loved the interview!!
Shannon {aka}|design says
Oh and serious score on the cabinets!!!
Julia Fain says
we just visited 8+ stores last weekend (not including craigslist!) looking for new dining chairs…http://1088churchill.blogspot.com/2011/08/hunt.html
I feel your pain! But so impressed that you found such a good deal!
diana says
I live far-far away, the earthquake was at the 22:30 news last night for us, and the first thought that passed through my mind was of you. Glad to know it’s not affected you in any way. Actually, I THINK I remember having read somewhere that it is not that dangerous close to its epicenter, but further away.
As for the door/table or whatnot, I’ll look up an oldish email I had, it was explained why one has to crouch near the table, it made sense to me at the time.
Great hunt for the cabinets, can’t wait for the big reveal, but in due course, of course. Love from here!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Diana! Everyone has been so sweet to check in on us!
xo,
s
Samantha Smith says
Please oh please let me find this type of deal tomorrow! I went to our Habitat ReStore (in Savannah) yesterday, only to find it is open three days – Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. I’m looking for cabinets to make an “island” in my sewing room! Cabinets exactly like what you found… so…. if you have two spare, let me know! ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Sending lots of good luck your way!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Could Clara be any cuter?!? =) I love her facial expressions!! She and Burger make this post! Also, I love to hear about the adventures in cabinet searching, it makes me feel better about how long it takes me to achieve some of my own DIY projects. Thrifting can be hard sometimes! =)
Sara says
I love how Clara barely has any hair! I was a baldy myself for a long time, and I think it’s adorable! She is a very photogenic baby! So, glad you guys are okay, checked your site out as soon as I heard about the quake.
Steph @ Birdhouse says
So glad to hear that you are all fine after the earthquake! And, I can’t believe that you got those cabinets for 6 dollars! That’s the deal of the decade! You’re super lucky, although I realize you probably did a lot of research to get there. So great to hear that the dimensions are nearly perfect. Can’t wait to see them all painted up and set-up as a desk!
My favorite (recent) under-ten-dollar finds were a bunch of things I found at the Midland Antique Festival, most of which were less than ten dollars:
http://birdhousefamily.blogspot.com/2011/06/midland-antique-festival.html
Heather says
Wow what a steal on those cabinets! I picture that old IKEA ad where the lady is leaving like she just robbed the place yelling “start the car, start the car!” to her husband. I also listened to the radio show and you were so great Sherry! I’m so excited for your book now too. Can’t wait to give my house some love with your tips.
Lindsay says
Glad you guys are okay. We live in Eastern North Carolina and felt the earthquake! Crazy!
Diane says
Sorry about the earthquake. I find them highly unnerving. When we lived in San Francisco, my husband was very calm and unruffled by them. He used to laugh at me for hiding in doorways when a small one would happen. Then the 1989 earthquake happened. It started and I was standing in our living room thinking, “OK, don’t panic. No need to stand in the doorway and be mocked later.” My husband ran into the room shouting, “THIS is a big earthquake.” He grabbed me, yanked me into a doorway, and wrapped his arms over my head. I suddenly didn’t mind all the prior mocking. But I still hate earthquakes. ; )
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man- so scary! Glad you were ok!
xo,
s
Diane says
Oh, yeah, I don’t mean to be a pessimist, but if you haven’t already, you might want to have someone come out to check your foundation and make sure it’s not been damaged by the quake. : (
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Diane! We have done a few walk-arounds and haven’t seen any issues. Thank goodness! A neighbor of ours has a crack though!
xo,
s
Amanda S. says
Yikes! Glad you are okay! I was wondering how you fared when I saw it was centered near you! I’m sure multiple people have already said this…. but I’ll say it anyway, as I live a mile off the San Andreas fault in Central California! :) Doorways are a last resort, ideally you want to be under a table or desk. If the building collapses, you want to be under something that will create a void. You want to take both hands and cover the base of your neck to protect your spinal cord. Also, most injuries come from moving around during an earthquake, so you want to go to the closest table or desk to you. If there isn’t one, a doorway, but that’s last choice! If you are outside, make sure you are not anywhere near power lines or buildings! Clear open sky above you!
As for your cabinet score – $6 is unbelievable!! Good catch!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Amanda! We didn’t know what the heck we were doing!
xo,
s
Barbara says
I felt it in Connecticut. I thought of you two when it happened. Thought: Doesn’t that cute DIY couple live near Richmond? I don’t know anyone in Virginia!
CP says
If you wind up building a base: Sometime in the past few months there was a picture on Curbly (I think) of a kitchen where there were drawers down at toe kick level. THey were using them for trays, baking pans, etc. Big flat drawers might come in handy in an office. Kind of like flat files.
YoungHouseLove says
I’ve seen that project- so cool! Seems a little complicated for us (haha) but it would definitely be awesome!
xo,
s
Ashley says
Loved the interview link; lots of great information. I think it is awesome that you’ve been able to make a career out of something that you are passionate about. I think you’re writing has definitely drawn people in, but I think your candidness keeps them hooked. It’s fun to see personal things mixed in with the DIY.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Ashley!
xo,
s
Allison @ House of Hepworths says
Hey guys! I just finished listening to your interview, Sherry. It was so intriguing. I loved it. Congrats on your book deal. It was exciting to hear all about it in your interview. Thanks for sharing that part of your life with us. Also, thanks for your blog. I’m {still} a huge fan.
xoxo
Allison @ House of Hepworths
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Allison!
xo,
s
bw1426 says
Such a deal!! How do you usually get your oversized treasures home since you don’t have a truck?
YoungHouseLove says
In this case we brought two of them home in our car and John’s dad luckily was in the area and had room for the other four in our truck. You can read more of the details in the post before this one (linked in the beginning paragraph), but usually we miss out on good deals because we don’t have a way to haul things. So this was a nice surprise!
xo,
s