DIY Entryway Mudroom with Cubbies for Under $150

The next step is to build a base.  I built a basic base out of 2x4s.  I cut two pieces the length of my box above, and then measured (including the width of the front 2×4 and the back 2×4) out four pieces that would fit exactly in the footprint of my box.  I screwed these together in the same manner, but from the front and back instead of the top and bottom.  Make sure your 2x4s are standing tall and not lying flat.  You want your box to be lifted the full height of the 2x4s. Don’t worry about how rough the 2x4s look…they will be covered with trim later.

Screw in, (with countersunk screws) through the floor of the box, into the base in several spots to secure it.

Go ahead and install your bench cabinet in it’s final resting place, and then add the wood planks to the top with a nail gun.  I cut these at varying lengths to give the appearance of a wood floor.  You just sort of fit them together like a puzzle.  You want to install it first and then add the planks because you want the planks to sit flush with the wall on the sides.  So cut these to fit the space wall to wall, instead of giving it a few inches of wiggle room on the sides.  I also made the planks have a 3/4 inch overhang over the top of the front of the cubbies.  I just thought it looked nicer.  I Measured out which planks my locker dividers would end up resting on, and I did not attach those to the bench just yet.  I left those loose, so they could be attached to the bottom of the locker dividers before they were installed on the bench.  You can either stain them now, or wait to do it when everything is all finished.  I waited to the end with mine.

 An in progress shot of my girls dancing on the base of the project.

Next I built the top box.  I made it to these specifications, in the same manner as the bottom box.  Notice that it is quite a bit more shallow than the bench.  This is to give head room when sitting on the bench.

(Note: All of the dividers in this project will line up.  So it is a good idea to match them up to the previous section already built as you go…that way, even if your measurements are slightly off, they will still line up when the project is completed)

Next I added the homework shelves.  I wanted these to recess a little bit underneath the top cubbies, so I cut my board  2 inches less deep.  So in other words, the top cubbies are 14 inches deep, so the homework shelf will be 12 inches deep.  The dividers were rectangles cut at 14″x 4″ and then I took the jig saw and made a little curve in them that cut off two inches.  So that the top portion matches up with the 14″ bottom of the top cubbies and the bottom portion matches up with the 12″ bottom board that will become the homework shelf.  

Here is where it would have been really nice to have a Kreg Jig.  Pocket holes would have made this so much easier.  I, however, got creative and used these little dowel rods.  I drilled holes in the front and back of each divider on the homework shelf, just deep enough to cover half of the dowel rod, then I drilled matching holes on the bottom of the top cubbies.  I added wood glue, and then the dowels, and put it all together.  I let it sit under the weight of itself and didn’t work on it until the glue dried.

Here is how it should look after fitting the pieces together. 

The next step was to add the locker dividers.  I got three boards that were 12″ wide and 31″ long and free handed a design on the front of one of them.  I decided to take the width from 12″ at the top all the way down to 6″ at the bottom.  I cut out the design with a jig saw, and then traced it onto the other two boards, and then cut them out as well.

 I joined these dividers to the bottom of my top cubby in the same fashion as I joined the homework shelf to the cubby….with wooden dowels and wood glue (see above). 

After that, I dry fitted the top portion in it’s place, with the locker dividers sitting on top of the wood bench.  I traced each square of each cubby on the wall behind it, so I could see where I could line up my “L” brackets with both the studs in the wall and the top of the cubbies.  I also lined up the bottom of the locker dividers with the, still loose (see above), bench boards that they will rest on.  I taped them to the bottom of the locker dividers with some painter’s tape and flipped the entire thing upside down on the floor, so that I could screw the bench boards into the bottoms of each locker divider.  I then put the whole unit back in place (the bench boards fit perfectly, like puzzle pieces where they belong) and installed it with the “L” brackets (with my husband’s help, because…..yikes, it was HEAVY).  Once I had it hung on the wall, I nailed in those last few loose bench boards.  We also added a couple of pieces of scrap plywood to the walls on either end of the top cubby. Since the cubby was cut a few inches short, we added the wood to make it sit flush against the wall.  We screwed the wood into the studs and then screwed the top cubbies into the wood through the sides.

UPDATE: At reader request, here are some extra photos of the brackets. I painted them over with white paint to make them less noticeable. 

 Once it was all hung, we added lots and lots of moulding all around the perimeter of the unit to cover gaps, and across the horizontal portions across the front.  We also wrapped the existing baseboard across the front of the base of the bench to give it a built-in look, and then added bead board wallpaper half way up the wall behind it.  I added a medium baseboard between the wall and the top of the bench seat, and wrapped around each locker divider (my favorite part) and then I added a larger baseboard, upside down around the top of the bead board wallpaper.  I hung my hooks in between each divider on the larger baseboard.  I was so happy to hang those hook, you have no idea!

After that, I sanded, puttied, sanded, caulked (and caulked and caulked) and then painted three coats of white semi-gloss paint on top.  I didn’t even prime it…..I know….baaaad!  You guys should totally prime yours!

One thing to note….yes, it’s weird that I only have two shoe baskets at the moment.  I am in the process of making these and wasn’t able to get them done in time for this post.  I still think it looks pretty though 🙂

These pictures were SO hard to get.  This tiny space has zero natural light.  You see I had to crack the door just to let in a small amount of light.

My mother in law is a contractor and I asked her how much something like this would have cost me if I had had it done professionally, and she said about 1700.  My price breakdown was

• wood $60
• screws $7
• L brackets $15
• trim $30
• paint, sandpaper, putty….already had
• polycrylic $16
• wood dowels $2
• caulk $2

This was a labor of love for me, and has turned out to be my favorite thing in the house, and the one thing everyone remarks on when they walk in my door.  It also solves all of my storage problems too!  Good luck Thanks for reading and happy building!

xoxo Anna

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Great job, Anna — you go, girl, building it all by yourself!

Be sure to pop by Home Heart and Hands to pay Anna a visit, and check out her tutorial for those great shoe crates!