“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” ― Marcus Tullius Cicero
I have always dreamed of having a library. Maybe not a library in the traditional sense, but I have always dreamed of having a wall of bookcases in my home to hold the books I love.
Anyone who has looked into buying a bookshelf, whether it is made of wood or of wood-looking particle board, knows how quickly the price tag goes up for size and quality. For years, I have priced out building Ikea shelves and fastening them to the wall, or placing a series of tall shelves side-by-side to get the built-in bookcase look. But the look, quality, and size put together that way kept me from building the piece-meal shelves.
Meanwhile, my small bookshelves piled higher and higher with precarious stacks of books I want to keep. (I lead GreatNewBooks.org — great books are important!)
For some reason, this June I decided I was going to try it. How hard could building bookshelves be?
I compiled a collection of Pinterest photos, read as many How-To manuals that I could find, and began to measure and draw up plans.
How to Build a Built-In Bookcase (without any carpentry skills)
Steps 1 – 10 … this is what I started with:
2. Measure and plan: After I measured the width of the room and the height, I divided it up into 3 sections and calculated the lengths and types of wood I would need.
3. Buy lumber. I bought Pine “whiteboard,” which is economical and solid.
*Learning: it helps to live close to the home improvement store. In my case, I visited Lowe’s 5 times more than I thought I would.
*One learning — insist on buying only straight wooden planks. Some were warped, which meant I had to work hard to get them to mount to the wall straight.
*Another learning: I am not a carpenter. I did have to work carefully with a level, etc. to ensure the angles would be straight. Even still, there is some degree of inaccuracy. I am okay with it. The imperfections emphasize that this is mine, built with my own hands. 🙂
The result? A very happy me.
I agree with Cicero, who also said: “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
Yes.
Cheers to working hard and accomplishing the things we dream of.
Now, I can rest, read more books, and enjoy my built-in bookcases.
Impressive ! Hope the bookshelves, over the years, represent amazing reading adventures !
What a great way to phrase it — thank you, Barbara!
It’s fantastic, Jennifer!
Thank you, Beth!
Wow. You must be so proud. The shelves are amazing. Good for you for just getting in there and doing it!!!
Thank you, Christine!
Your book shelves look great! When I went back to college (after my divorce), I took 3 years of woodworking (along with the classes required for my education degree.) I had been asking the men in my life to make a blanket chest for each of my 4 children. When I didn’t get the help I wanted, I decided to sign up for woodworking and do it myself. I loved what I learned and am very proud of the projects I made–as I’m sure you are of your shelves. Congratulations on the realization of a dream 🙂
That is a fantastic story, Kim. I love the way you embraced a skill that isn’t traditionally female-filled. I especially love that you made your own heirloom projects for your children! Thank you for sharing!
Wow! You did an amazing job!!! It looks beautiful! I have the piles of books syndrome as well! You may have inspired me to do something about it!! Congrats!
Thank you, Felicia! Let me know how yours develops!
I’m so inspired! When my second child moves out and I have a mostly bare room, I’m going to do this, too! Thank you for sharing.
I look forward to hearing about your experience building it exactly the way you want it to be, Jennifer!
LOVE this! You’ve inspired me. xox