Workshop Makeover, part 16 - Dust Collector Closet - Wall Demolition

I had an hour this evening so I figured I'd get a head start on this weekend's work and decided to remove the cabinets and start the wall demolition.

I removed the counter top in two pieces. It didn't require any cutting, the counter was already two pieces that had been stuck together with caulk. I got one small corner and one length. After the counter I started pulling the base cabinets.

The base cabinets came out pretty easy. Just a few screws and then muscling them out. One of the cabinets was pretty beat. I'll have to take a closer look at it to decide if it is worth repairing or if I should just throw it out. With a very cursory inspection the wide cabinet and the narrow cabinet seemed to be in okay condition.

After the bottom cabinets there were just the two top cabinets left. They came out pretty easy as well. I removed all the screws but one from the top of the cabinets and then carefully removed the last screw while holding the cabinet up with one arm. Then I lowered the cabinet to the ground.

On the gross factor, there was mouse feces on the top of the cabinets.

When we moved into the house there was a drop ceiling in the room that became my workshop. It was apparently a race track for mice. When I removed the ceiling it was covered in mouse droppings. The top of these cabinets were apparently part of the track. We've had cats since we've moved in so I know we don't have mice now and haven't for the seventeen years we've lived here.

Anyhoo, I didn't get pictures of the space after the cabinets were removed but it looked good. I'd get pictures now but I cannot. I got all excited and ripped off the drywall and pulled the 2x4 studs.

View from workshop to back storage area

View from back storage area into workshop

Not bad for an hour of work.

Yesterday I didn't get into the shop but I did get some more accurate measurements and made up another set of plans.

BETA plans

I've labeled these plans as 'BETA' because the final construction almost certainly wont match. First off, that 49" back wall is a little awkward. The T1-11 siding is about 48 1/4" so I might narrow the closet to 48" wide. If I move the inside wall (left from this perspective) over an inch that makes the last shelving unit a little awkward (It will have to stretch 49" then). The\ awkwardness with the outside wall (right hand from this perspective) is that half of that wall already exists. To have a flat wall I'd have to shim it.

Either way, my friend "John" who is a woodworker and has worked in construction might come over this weekend. I'll definitely seek his advice. There's four perfectly viable solutions, I just need to pick one and adjust to make things work.

Hopefully by the end of this weekend I'll have the dust collector closet walls raised and paneled. If I'm really lucky we'll fashion some kind of door for the front and have a way to install furnace filters for venting.