For quite a while I have wanted to move our kitchen TV and sound bar higher (relative to seating and standing height), plus reclaim space beneath the TV. Finally got around to building what we wanted. For structural reasons I couldn't mount the TV to the wall, so had to chose a different path.
Below are before and after photos. Took both shots from roughly the same location to show the new difference in height. The before...
And after...
Here is what you now see when entering the kitchen. A better HDTV picture with little to no reflections. Sound is cleaner, has more concise mids and highs, with better bass. Plus, we now have useable space on the table. Still left to do is hiding the cords seen behind the table.
A quick note about construction. The list of stock materials needed is really short:
- 2' x 4' sheet of 3/4" plywood (1)
- 4' of 1.5" trim (1)
- 2' of 3/4" trim (1)
- Shelf brackets, two sizes. (4 total)
Only 8 pieces of wood are made from the stock material. To put it all together, though, will take:
25 cuts with a circular saw.
4 cuts with a jig saw.
8 cuts with a router.
15 holes drilled.
5 finishing nails driven.
2 plywood edges beveled with a wood file (to hide 2 brackets from view for a cleaner appearance).
That's 59 "things" you have to do for a simple project like this. Amazing. Look at the finished product above. Tiny. Uncomplicated.
Think about this the next time you ask a carpenter to make a custom piece of furniture for you. It is always more complicated and involved than you would think.
And yes, even today I still sometimes curse my dad.
For teaching me so much about how to build and repair stuff. Life would have been so much easier, though much more expensive, if he hadn't taught me so damned many do-it-yourself-you-fricking-jackass skills.
Naw. Thanks dad. I wish more kids had the chance to grow up with a father like you.
