Inexpensive Food Storage Expansion – Day 1

It was called a pantry, but as small as it was, I called it a broom closet for food.

                         
                        The Broom Closet Pantry Before

Homely little thing, isn’t it (and I stress little)? Not to mention, barely enough room to store a month’s worth of food.

Actually, I love to cook for family and friends, and that requires storage room, which I didn’t have. And did I tell you, I also love to can and preserve food in various ways?

So What Did We Do? I Gave Up My Desk

3 years ago, I made the move from desktop to laptop. With that switch, came the unused desk, aka “catch-all”.

Built into the wall next to the pantry, the desk served its purpose, for a time. It did give me some small cabinets above, but nothing to write home about in the storage for food issue.

When I came home from work, about 6 months ago, my husband met me at the door and said, “I just had a brain storm.” Now, I don’t know about you, but when my husband says something like that, I want to run. All I could say was, “Uh oh!” His answer? “Don’t worry, it’s a great idea.”

Uh oh……..

Needless to say, I was wrong (thank goodness).

He had a great  idea for an inexpensive food storage expansion by removing the desk, extend the pantry; so simple yet ingenious. So I picked up a couple extra freelance jobs, we bought the material and off we went.

Step 1: Tear it Down

                                    Going, Going, Gone

I think this was the hardest part about the whole project, mainly because it was so messy; sheet rock dust everywhere. But, I must admit, it was kind of fun taking a swing at the wall.

Step 2: Framing it In

                                      Framing Going Up

The framing was completed the first half of day one. It surprised me how quickly it went up and it was relatively easy to do.

Step 3: Now the Walls

Sheet Rock Walls are Up

      Track for Sliding Barn Style Doors

This was the last job at the end of day one. It went a lot smoother than we anticipated and much quicker.

Look for my “Day 2” post to see the final results and a rundown of what we spent. With a little research and some creative ideas, it cost a lot less than what you might think.