Homemade kitchen cabinets for under $1,000 !

Corley5 · April 15, 2005, 11:35:26 PM

Hang in there U.B. you're getting it and it's lookin good

8) 8) If it's any consolation it took me 2 1/2 years to finish my house and the decks still aren't on it 7 years later. ;) ;D Maybe this year I'll get to them??? I know just what you mean. I'd get so burned out on working on this place that I wouldn't even come here for month. Then when I was unwound I'd get back at to it. I didn't have a fiance that wanted a house either ;) ;D. Keep it up you're on the downward slide now. Getting a house roughed in is just the beginning. There's 80% of the work yet to be done

UNCLEBUCK · April 15, 2005, 11:43:29 PM

Hee Hee ! :D Yeah I should do that asy but everytime I looked up at it I would sit and mumble like yosemite sam looking at her . :D :D :D Last pic until I finish or I will get sick of it myself . Thank god I got a whole quart of Massachusettes Maple syrup from a forum member ,that stuff is like drinkin dynamite !

Thanks for keepin me upbeat !

UNCLEBUCK · April 15, 2005, 11:47:33 PM

Thanks Corley , I sure can understand what your saying . Looking forward to a trip across the u.p. in a few weeks and drive through gods country and see my mackinaw bridge !

Corley5 · April 16, 2005, 12:01:47 AM

You're gonna hafta stop in for a visit on your way through one of these times. I'm only ten minutes from I-75

UNCLEBUCK · April 16, 2005, 12:09:33 AM

10-4 Corley , that has always crossed my mind when I get running down the freeway , I must relax and see people instead of going on my 15 hour driving marathon . Bad habit I got of not stopping . I sure would like to stop sometime and the same for you if you get over this way ! Well if I finish my shack . ;D

sandmar · April 16, 2005, 12:20:49 AM

Uncle Buck,I am only 5 minutes off I-75 also,if you would like to stop by anytime!...........Did I mention that I was off I-75 in Georgia though? ;D
Still be glad to have ya!

Sandmar

UNCLEBUCK · April 16, 2005, 12:34:35 AM

Thanks sandmar . You better get yourself a jug of that Massachusettes Maple syrup and see if it has the same effect as it does on me . I think that stuff should be put in a shot glass instead of over pancakes . Its like pure energy ! I have found the fountain of youth , its pure maple syrup ! I better wean myself off that stuff or I might end up in Georgia ! :D

sandmar · April 16, 2005, 01:15:33 AM

HHmmmmm Buck......sounds like some stuff they make around here,just not quite as sticky.......yep you can still get 'shine around here,just some old guys that think distilling is a dying art. I don't drink but been told that stuff is so smooth that it will make you spit Jack Black in the fireplace :D Sounds like you better find yourself a PERMANENT source for that syrup Buck so's you can get-r-done on the new house.....looking great by the way ;)

Sandmar

asy · April 16, 2005, 02:06:14 AM

Quote from: UNCLEBUCK on April 15, 2005, 11:43:29 PM
Hee Hee ! :D Yeah I should do that asy but everytime I looked up at it I would sit and mumble like yosemite sam looking at her .

You know if she ever sees what you wrote she'll be fiercely proud!

Good job for finding out about the Maple Syrup, sounds like you'll be needing another container soon!

I wanted to ask, a couple of people have said things about building their own cabins or houses etc... Over here, you aren't allowed to build a house unless you have a builders license and the council have approved all your plans etc. Then they come and check it all... What are the rules over there?

asy :D

Furby · April 16, 2005, 02:13:09 AM

For the most part you are allowed to build your own house in this area without a license.
Plans must be preaproved and you must follow all the required codes and pass any required inspections.
You can not however build a house for someone else unless you have a license.

Some areas don't really have much by way of codes, but there is a general set of codes in each state that "should" be followed even if the locals don't enforce them.

Not sure how the license thing carries over from state to state though.

ScottAR · April 16, 2005, 02:48:30 AM

In Arkansas, your allowed to build one house per year without a liscense provided it is to be your residence. Since one has to live there for two years for tax advantages, one every two years what most building type folks do that don't want to be "contractors". One can work themselves into a nicer house than they could just buy although it takes time and motivation.

asy · April 16, 2005, 05:28:35 AM

Interesting...

Here, you can build a house without a license, but you have to do an 'owner builder' course. The house MUST be your own house to live in, and you can only build one every 6 years.

You can't build for anyone else. And there are different requirements with respect to the insurances required after completion.

Every 6 years!!! It's Archaic.

asy >:(

beenthere · April 16, 2005, 08:47:33 AM

Asy
Not 'archaic', just that you have been 'liberalized' faster than we have been, and we are catching up all too fast.
Gov't intervention via the do-gooders that want to control everyone else's lives.

But they come up with 'good' reasons, such as safety, looks, re-sale, codes, license money, etc., etc.

I built my own.

Norm · April 16, 2005, 08:54:43 AM

Good work UB, we moved into our house 3 years ago but have probably 2 or 3 years to go before the inside is finished. Lately I've been doing one of my least favorite jobs......painting!

I was lucky though, Patty was already stuck with me so she had no choice but to move in before it was finished. ;D

asy · April 16, 2005, 06:19:47 PM

Quote from: beenthere on April 16, 2005, 08:47:33 AM

But they come up with 'good' reasons, such as safety, looks, re-sale, codes, license money, etc., etc.

Grrrrr... Don't get me started!!!

This is one of the worst burrs under my saddle.

When did we get so DanG STUPID that they have to tell us what to do!? >:(

I mean... Gee... If I don't know that freshly served coffee is hot... Should I really be allowed out of my house?

And if I have to be TOLD that knives are sharp, or not to put my head inside a plastic bag... Well, um, Maybe I NEED to get a Darwin Award, preferably before I pass the genes on. :-\

* asy gets off soap box now...

asy :D

Minnesota_boy · April 16, 2005, 07:12:28 PM

Quote from: asy on April 16, 2005, 02:06:14 AM

I wanted to ask, a couple of people have said things about building their own cabins or houses etc... Over here, you aren't allowed to build a house unless you have a builders license and the council have approved all your plans etc. Then they come and check it all... What are the rules over there?

asy :D

Rules? What rules? I can build any building on my land without anyone getting nosey except for the tax man, and he only wants to know the value so he can tax me the proper amount.

Ok, there are a couple of rules. Seperate the well and sewer system by a minimum distance of 100 feet unless you have a well more than 50 feet deep and you need to get an inspection of your electrical, although you can do the wiring yourself.

UNCLEBUCK · April 16, 2005, 08:13:02 PM

Lookin good Norm and a great view you have overlooking the countryside there. I cant tell if you still have your old silo still standing ? I remember once how I said I took my old silo down with 2 boxes of shotgun shells and a 12 gauge . Is it still standing ? As for the permit stuff there is no building code in my township yet for where I am located but had to buy a building permit from the township for 70$ which is good for a dwelling up to 70,000$ . Electrician give me a bid for 3,500$ and made me feel stupid by trying to confuse me about new arc fault codes and other codes so I called the electrical inspector and he laughed and said arc fault is just a breaker you connect in the main panel so he came out and I purchased a do it yourself electrical permit for 100$ plus 40$ more for 2 visits . Sewer permit was 400$ and needed to be approved with a licensed septic designer , sounds like a joke but the lakeshore management inspector around here is very stern because of all the lakes close by. Here is a pic of all 15 drawers done so now its attching hardware and the cedar faces and doors . The hard parts over and lookin forward to being done . Only had one drawer come out crooked from a careless cut. I didnt do a lazy susan in the corners because I couldnt comprehend it all so I got a good hiding spot back there for whatever . I like all your pics so dont be bashful . I would be happy eating on a old tipped over wire spool for a table and a stump for a chair but my bachelor days are coming to a screeeeeeeeeeching halt so I gotta scrub up ! :D

etat · April 16, 2005, 08:37:24 PM

Those are looking real good! When I did mine I rebuilt some old pine cabinets I'd got out of a house someone was remodeling. I rebuilt em and recovered em with oak plywood. Made all new doors and drawers out of oak plywood. Then I used some 1/4 inch stainless steel plate I had laying around for the countertops. Cut it to size and cut out the sink hole with a skillsaw and some real good metal cutting blades. Then I sanded the edges and polished em up and glued em down to some doubled 3/4 inch plywood I'd already fastened and glued together. I managed to arrange the steel so I only had two seams one of which I put where the sink sits on so you can't hardly see it. The other seam is over in a corner. First cabinets I'd ever made in my life but I'm dang proud of em. And I wouldn't trade em for the cabinets the folks that I got em from replaced em with. I like mine better.

I didn't make a lazy susan either! ;D

UNCLEBUCK · April 16, 2005, 08:46:05 PM

Good job ck , I like the sound of that stainless counter top. I dont think I would recommend ever using this melamine particle board because screws dont grab hard enough and its oddball thickness so a 3/4 inch router bit is a 1/16th to small and same for 1/2 inch sheets and the sheets measure 49"x 97" and glue will not stick to the outer surface so it has to be routered . I think you should show a pic sometime of that stainless invention ! ;D

etat · April 16, 2005, 10:00:38 PM

Uncle Buck. When I originally talked about my cabinets I built I titled the thread 'the cowards way out', and called em 'country cabinets', and 'economy cabinets' ;D cause they wasn't professionally made. And they still aint but it still don't matter. I'm proud of em, and I always will be. The stainless plate was some I had I had scavanged out of a welding shop that went out of business a few years earlier and had been saving for something important one of these days. Now it might not a been as pretty as if i'd a went and bought new stuff but it's 1/4 inch plate, and bulletproof! ;D

The Cowards Way Out!

UNCLEBUCK · April 16, 2005, 10:07:30 PM

ck what you talkin about , that looks awesome ! Heavy duty ! Way to go ! Thanks for the pics .

Fla._Deadheader · April 16, 2005, 11:52:19 PM

Unclebuck, there are very coarse thread screws for that melboard you are using. Use a belt sander on that epoxy covering to scratch it up. Contact cement works real well. Be sure to wipe down with Lacquer thinner before gluing. Nice lookin cabinets. ;) ;) 8)

asy · April 17, 2005, 01:47:29 AM

Lookin' real cool UB!

Hey CK! I gotta tellya, I'd be sure pleased to have those cabinets and that counter top in my kitchen, they look GREAT!

My dream kitchen is an All Stainless kitchen, like a Commercial kitchen which is set outside, under a verandah with a ceiling fan. So if it gets grubby I can bring in a high pressure hose and hose it all out.

I don't guess I need to mention now that it doesn't snow here!!!

asy :D

ScottAR · April 17, 2005, 02:03:20 AM

Bet one could bust open a tube of biscuits on that counter... ;D

All these pics are great!

UB, be careful, that melamine will cut ya if you catch the edge just wrong...

Keep on truckin'

Norm · April 17, 2005, 09:20:45 AM

Yep that old silo is still standing UB, I remember you saying how to take one down with a 12ga. Not sure my shoulder could hold up to it. :D

Your cabinets are turning out nice, we built our own countertops out of 3/4" plywood and tile in one of our houses. It turned out looking nice but was a major pain to keep clean. You guys that do your own really have my respect, they look so much nicer than the factory made ones.