Money in the Banquette

We have a cute house – it once was an ugly house, but it is coming along. Steven built me a 13x13 dining room/craft room in place of the front porch last summer!! I LOVE it.  I  finally got the IKEA shelves I had longed for for so long.  But that’s not what I’m all excited about right now. (I’ll show you those another day, when they are better organized.)
I am excited about the banquette we made! I like my table. It’s been through a lot in the last 11 years I have had it.  I WANT a farm table and Steven has said we can build one, but not today. (I feel like a little girl being stalled at the grocery store candy isle.) The table is big – seats 12 pretty comfy – we have 8 chairs. The chairs are getting tired as well. 
We need more storage. And WHO on earth doesn’t need more storage?? SO we built a L-shaped banquette to use instead if these chairs.
I went to the Habitat for Humanity Restore near us. (LOVE that place!) They had just gotten in a HUGE bunch of cabinets. An apartment complex was changing them all out at the same time = lots = discounted right off the bat!
     75 percent off!
yay!! OK, I can be calm. {breathe}
I was able to get 2 6’ strings of upper cabinets (17 inches tall = perfect seating height)
(2) 6’ cabinets: 60 dollars each = 120
             75 percent off:  – 90
final cost for 12’ cabinets       30 !
amazing I know!

I got them home and cleaned up. They looked good to begin with.
I needed 8’ of seating on one wall and 4’ on the other. I had 2 6’ cabinet strings.  So, Steven cut them for me. Then we attached them together at the right lengths. (inserting inner boards where needed)


We grabbed some 2x4’s from the stash (free) and made a frame. I wanted the seat to be a certain depth so as to have pillows behind the back while seated. My sweet man made up the frame so fast I didn’t even have a chance to help. 


We bought a piece of hardboard at Home Depot 20ish dollars (I don’t remember, it’s been a few weeks in process) and we cut it to fit the top. LOVE the feel and the ability to router the edges. NICE.
Truffle approves of the bench, as does Steven. Doesn’t he look so pleased with himself?


before the router
(after the router and preparing to paint. I didn’t want the doors getting painted.)
The best part, I think, is the painting. (free paint – left over from craft night a year ago. So not actually free – probably 5 dollars worth of paint was used.) We did 2 coats on the edges and 3 coats on the ends and top.  I think it looks GREAT!

And I must add – NOT bad for (let’s add it up…)
12’ cabinets        30
2x4’s from stash    0
hardbaord         20
paint               5
TOTAL PROJECT COST 55
$ + $ + $ + $ + $