Building a desk out of kitchen cabinets.....

[Jason M. Cornellier]

I have a question for the professionals out there. I have a loft are in my home. My wife does mortgages and we wast to make a L desk along the walls of the loft. I bought kitchen cabinets from my local home depot and a laminate countertop she liked. So I get these cabinets all stained and take them up stairs and I could just shoot myself. They are like 35" tall....Man I am screwed. She doesnt want a lab style chair (sits too high) and I dont know what to do next. I thought about cutting off the 5" base around the cabinets but would that look stupid??? Someone please help I am useless with any home project. (Thats why I work in computers)

Mostly Pissed in Michigan :)

Thanks!!

[Edwin Pawlowski]

It should not look stupid. The door may swing a little close to the ground but as long as it opens, it will work. You may want to enlist a friend with proper tools for the cutting though. Ed

[Wilson]

I bought cheap filing cabinets and made wifey a desk using beautiful doors I got from an office remodel. It's low (26" or so), but she's 5'2" and that's just right for computer. The corner area makes lots of room for her old CRT monitor. She also has drawer sets from an old desk. I took off the feet and they are almost the same height as the file cabinets.

[Morris Dovey]

Ouch. Unless your wife is unusually tall, the desktop will probably still be uncomfortably high. Your target height for the work surface should probably be in the 27 - 29" inch range for writing and keyboarding.

Since you don't seem to be a DIY person, I'd suggest selling the cabinets (but not the top) and starting over with a visit to a local cabinetmaker.

There are /two/ lessons here; and they relate to your field:

[1] Don't begin coding until the specifications are complete. (Figure out what the real requirements are before you commit resources) [2] Avoid having the vendor establish the design requirements. (The good price from HD didn't include the benefit of experience

- or even common sense. In order to "retrofit" these necessities, the price will work out to somewhat more than you had planned.)

[Tom]

In the area where she will be writing or typing, install a pull out surface using drawer slides, lowering it to the right height for writing, etc. You could even cover the pull out in matching laminate. You'd have more work space, plus be able to conceal the keyboard or desk pad when the pull out was retracted. Tom.

[Secret Squirrel]

[e-mail] (Jason M. Cornellier) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

one possibly simple solution would be to build a platform large enough for her chair to roll around on, in front of the desk to get her to a more comfortable height

[bridger]

cut off the bases and live with it as long as you can- then build the real thing...

[Kelby]

Get a taller wife.