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When we moved to Asheville and into a house (instead of a condo), we decided to take our time filling the space up with furniture rather than rush out and get new things.  Both Serial and I are learning how to build our own furniture and it's much more fun (and affordable) to take our time working on each piece.  I love me some Ikea, don't get me wrong, but this furniture that we build is just so solid.  Not to mention, exactly what we need for our space since we draw up the plans & dimensions ourselves.

The first thing I tackled was a desk for the home office.  I work from home full-time so having a space that is organized and dedicated to work is important.  The first few weeks that we lived here, this was my set-up. 

It's not awful and it worked for awhile, but long-term this just isn't going to cut it.  Check out those Peonies though - so pretty.  Serial found them growing in our front yard and brought them in to my desk one day.  Instant happy.

Back to the desk.  I had been searching around for desk inspiration and found two things that I loved.  The first is the massive desk that Young House Love built for their last home office.  The second is the tower desk from Ana White.  I knew I wanted to combine these two desks somehow so I drew it out with the dimensions for the room.  I'll be honest... I'm still learning so this took a good hour just to figure out what lumber I needed to buy.

The desk I built ended up being really large, but I love it.  If you follow the plan below you'll end up with 3 towers and one continual desktop.  The overall dimensions of the desk are 10' L x 20" D x 30" H, but you could easily adjust this to your space. 

Shop List
9 - 2"x2" @ 8'
2 - 1"x12" @ 10' (these are your desktop panels so make sure they are straight and flat)
2 - 1"x4" @ 10'
1 - 1"x10" @ 10'

Cut List
2"x2" - 12 @ 29.25" / 33 @ 16.25"
1"x12" - no cuts, unless you need to even the 2 boards to be the same length
1"x4" - 12 @ 16.25"
1"x10" - 6 @ 16.25

Tools Used
Miter Saw (could use any saw)
Kreg Jig
1.25" Kreg Screws
Power Drill
Power Sander (could use sanding blocks by hand)
Level Square
Clamps
Nail Gun (could use hammer or screws)

First, I assembled the 3 towers.  It's important to take your time and make sure that each joint is square.  I stop after each step and make sure that it's square and that the overall piece is level.  Annoying?  Yes.  But not more annoying than finishing a tower and having it wobble or be uneven. 

Once the towers are assembled, give them a good sanding and then wipe them down with a dry brush or rag.  I decided to paint the towers white so I chose to use paintable caulk to seal up some of the gaps between pieces of wood.  This step is totally optional, I just like the way it creates a more "finished" look.  If you're staining your piece, use wood filler instead. 

To use the caulk, you basically just run a thin strip of caulk in the gap, then use your finger or a little caulking tool (5 bucks at hardware store) to smooth it out.  Wipe off excess with a wet rag. 

Once the caulk dried, I painted all of the towers white.  I used Valspar in a satin finish.  While they were drying, I started to get my desktop panels ready.  I sanded them thoroughly and made sure that they were smooth.  Then I wiped them down with a dry brush and a dry rag to remove all dust.

I decided to stain the desktop.  I like the contrast of the white paint and the dark stain.  I'm a big fan of using pre-conditioner before stain.  I think it helps the stain absorb more evenly and consistently.  So I did one good coat of pre-conditioner and let it sink in for 10 minutes.

Next up was the stain.  I used Rustoleum in Kona and LOVE the color.  It took three coats to achieve the dark color I was hoping for, but the time was well spent.  Here's how it looks through the stages of staining.  If you've never stained before, you basically paint or foam roll it on, then let it sit for a few minutes.  Not long enough to dry or pool though.  Then you use an old rag to wipe away the excess.  Let it dry then you repeat this process until it reached the color you're looking for.

I let the boards dry overnight then used my nail gun to attach them to the towers.  Since they are so large, it took some maneuvering to make sure everything was even and level, but once it was all lined up it was a breeze.  After it was nailed into place, I used a water based Polycrilic sealant to protect it.  I opted for three coats, sanding lightly between coats, and let the final coat dry for a full 24 hours to be safe.

It's been a few days since then and it's definitely durable.  I have my computers, phone and food/drinks on it all day and it seems to be holding up really well.  I still need to decorate the room and add some organizational items, but here is how it looks today. 

I'll be back with pics once I get it all prettied up, but I couldn't wait any longer to share the plans.  If you have any questions about building it or about the tools I used, leave them in the comments and I will answer you with a reply comment.  :-)

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I also have a few little tools that are in regular rotation.  From left to right in the images below. 

Level.  I use a small level that has a ruler on the side of it.  Mine is only a foot long, but I rarely need anything larger.  Having the ruler on the side is super helpful too. 

Stud sensor.  I don't use this as often, but whenever I have to hang something up on the walls, I try to find the stud in the wall and utilize it.  If I'm hanging something heavy, this is a must.  Sometimes I measure the studs first and then custom build my piece just to be sure it hangs from a stud.

Measuring tape.  This is a no-brainer.  I use this on an almost daily basis.  For my small space, I only need one that is 16ft long and I rarely use the whole length anyway.

Clamps.  There are a ton of clamps out there and you can get one for relatively cheap.  I opted to spend a little more and get these Irwin quick grip clamps.  They are so easy to use and only require one hand to tighten.  I have 4 of them right now, in two different sizes.

I've mentioned in other posts that I build furniture and other DIY projects on a limited budget and in a small space.  Today I thought I would show you my workspace and a few of the tools that I use on a regular basis.  I'm going to do this in a few different posts because I have a ton of tools and lots of information that I'd like to share. 

Here we go!

I live in a 800 sq. ft. condo in Chicago and I do all of by building and projects in our family room.  Whenever I have my workbench out, Terry and Rooney have to step around me and I can only bring a few tools out at a time, or I make a big 'ole mess.  I also don't have a garage or any outdoor space so if I need to paint or stain, I need to use low odor, quick drying options. 

When we first moved into this condo, I felt really discouraged and was afraid I wouldn't be able to build as much as I wanted to.  But now I know that I can build anything here, I just need to be smart about how I do it.

Here's a peek at how I set up my workspace in our family room.  When I'm not working, all of this gets packed up and stored in a closet. 

<<Side note...we have a distinct lack of decorations up right now.  We moved in 2 months ago and just haven't gotten to it yet... I swear, we have a plan!  Kinda...

Ooh, side note number two...see that bare piece of furniture in the background?  Whelp, that's a bookcase I made with Ana White plans.  A post on that is in the near future! >>

My absolute favorite tool is my Kreg Jig K4 Pocket Hole System.  I don't even know what my building game would be like without it.  If you've never seen one of these before, it's a system that let's you use your own drill, with the Kreg drill bit, to create pocket holes that are the perfect size and location every time.  Then you use the special self-tapping (i.e. won't split your wood) screws from Kreg to join to pieces of wood together.  It creates a super tight joint and makes your furniture, or any wooden piece really, super sturdy.  I'll do a full post on how to use the Kreg Jig soon because it's just that awesome.  This system costs about 100 dollars, but it is worth every penny.

One question I get often is "what kind of saw do you use in your condo?!?"  The answer is....(drumroll....) a hand saw!  Oh yea, I'm old school.  Well, no, that makes it sound like I use a hand saw on purpose to keep it old school, when in fact I'd love to use a big, bad miter saw.  Whenever we move into our next place (which will absolutely have a garage workroom), you best believe the first thing I'm buying is a kick ass miter saw.  But until then, I'll saw things by hand.  I mean, it's a good arm workout, right?  ;-)  I picked up a plastic miter box and a hand saw for a whopping 15 dollars and it takes me about 1 minute per inch of cutting.  Not bad!  For bigger pieces (anything wider than 6 inches), I ask the kind folks at Home Depot to make the cuts for me.  They are always really sweet and helpful (shout out to the Lincoln Park store!).