Mrs. McFrugal

After we got all the old floors removed, it was time to prep some cabinets for our built-in desk. We went with pre-fab kitchen base cabinets because they were already built and they were 15% off at Home Depot. Why did we want to install those before we laid the floor? Well, because kitchen base cabinets have a standard height of 36", and desks have an average height of 32", and we knew that the tile floor would add about 3/4" of height, so we wanted those base cabinets to sit as low as possible when all was said and done. We also decided to lower the cabinets even more by cutting them off from the bottom. Here's a shortened cabinet vs. the original height of the base cabinet, side by side: First, we had to prep the cabinets for their "haircut": We removed all of the "brackets" that were holding the bottom boards on. I believe those boards around the bottom are called "toe kicks" or "toe strips". The toe kick in the

Updated Master To-Do list, now including the basement! Basement Family Room 1. Tear out old carpet and padding 2. Paint walls 3. Paint doors and trim 4. Lay ceramic tile floor -  two/thirds done with this! 5. Build built-in desk - the base cabinets are ready to be installed! 6. Build and stain countertop for desk 7. Install baseboards, and paint them 8. Build shelves above desk 9. Build storage cubes/cubbies under stairs 10. Mount TV on wall between windows 11. Hire electrician to fix outlet below the TV so it's not controlled by the light switch 12. Install ceiling lighting...recessed pot lights? 13. Finally hang the artwork that I've been collecting for the last year or so :) 14. Replace 2nd window (one window was replaced by previous homeowners) 15. Sew and hang new curtains Basement Bedroom 1. Re-carpet floor 2. Remove wallpaper 3. Paint walls 4. Paint trim 5. Install better shelves in closet 6. Sew duvet cover for bed 7. Build a headboard Living