First—wow. We just experienced a very strong earthquake a few minutes ago. It was completely unexpected for our area; we’ve never had anything like this before. The epicenter was just outside Richmond, about 35 miles from our house, and it registered around a 5.9. Friends as far as New York even felt it. Miraculously, nothing fell off our walls or broke, but the entire house shook violently and it was incredibly loud. We huddled under a steel-reinforced doorway and stared at one another, shaken but grateful to be okay. We hope everyone else who felt it is safe as well.
Now, on to the cabinet hunt. We promised to share the other options and stores we explored while searching for office built-ins, since thrift-store cabinets weren’t our first find. Not everyone will stumble across six cabinets for six dollars, so detailing our process might help anyone who can’t find secondhand cabinets that fit their needs. Here’s a rundown of where we looked and what we learned.
Our first stop was the Richmond Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It didn’t yield many cabinets that would work for our project. We did discover that Clara loves the breeze from a big industrial fan, and the store even had an oversized leather-and-zebra-print lounger that would be surprisingly practical for story time.
The cabinet selection there almost discouraged us from using the ReStore for this project. Most pieces were too tall or too wide, and we couldn’t find six identical units—or three matching double-wide units—that would create a cohesive built-in look rather than appear mismatched. They did offer to add us to a notification list if cabinets matching our needs came in, which was a nice perk we hadn’t known about.
Next we took the kids (yes, Burger included) to Lowe’s and Home Depot to examine stock cabinets. Both stores carry affordable unfinished cabinets in many sizes. Our rough estimate put the cost at about $300 for three double-wide base cabinets, which would form a left, middle, and right section with two open spaces for chairs. Topped with a wood countertop and a coat of paint, this could have created a functional two-person desk along the wall for a reasonable price.
The sticking point was cabinet height. Standard base cabinets are 24″ deep, which is perfect for counters, but their toe-kick raises them to about 35″ high—too tall for our 27″ chairs. We considered adding casters to the chairs to gain height, but it seemed like an awkward solution (2″ casters might work, but 4″ would be excessive). Upper cabinets at 30″ high were the right height but only 12″ deep, which would make the desk too shallow unless we built them out. That would have meant extra lumber and work, which wasn’t ideal.
We tried Craigslist next, but candidates with the right depth and height didn’t appear. We were hesitant to drastically modify cabinets and risk stability or a shabby appearance. If something nearly perfect and very cheap had come up, we would have jumped on it, but after weeks of checking there was nothing suitable.
We searched Ana-White.com for build-your-own plans that might match our needs. There were a few promising designs, but building cabinets can become expensive once lumber, hardware, hinges, and interior fittings are added. Many plans would have cost more than $30 per cabinet, which made us wonder whether building would actually be more costly than retrofitting secondhand units—many thrift finds were under $30 and often much cheaper.
Ikea seemed like a strong option. Their cabinets can often be used without a toe-kick, giving a finished height closer to 28–30″, ideal for our chairs. Ikea offers many customization options and seemed like it could produce the look we wanted—doored cabinets for concealed storage and a consistent appearance. The price estimate for an Ikea-based solution was roughly $500 for the pieces we wanted, excluding countertops. We even started mapping it out with their online planner, but a trip to the store never materialized because we decided to try another ReStore while out of town.
The Alexandria Habitat For Humanity ReStore ended up being our lucky stop. They had a larger selection of cabinets than the Richmond store, and while some items were pricier than expected, we eventually discovered a set in the back marked with $1 stickers. Those stickers meant we could take six cabinets home for a total of six dollars, and that find changed everything.
We still have a lot of work to do on those cabinets—sanding, painting, adding counters and hardware—but finding them made all the earlier searches worthwhile. The project will come together over time, and there’s plenty to be done before they’re finished.
In summary, finding cabinets that were 24″ deep yet under about 30–31″ tall proved harder than anticipated. We checked two thrift stores, two big-box home improvement stores, an online DIY plan site, Ikea, and regularly scoured Craigslist. Prices for workable solutions ranged from roughly $300 to $500 (not including countertops) at most places that seemed promising. The lesson for us was to be patient and persistent: don’t rush into spending a lot until you’ve checked thoroughly. When we waited, we found a solution that was dramatically cheaper and suited our needs much better.
Have you ever searched through many stores or websites for a specific item and finally struck gold? Do you have a favorite resource or strategy for hunting down hard-to-find pieces? It’s amazing how often the perfect find shows up in the last place you look—usually because once you find it, you stop looking.
P.S. Sherry did a long interview recently about how our blog has grown and some behind-the-scenes book-writing details if you’re curious. We also contributed to a nursery feature on BabyCenter showing a great light fixture we loved.