Build and Run: Shoe Rack Building Process

The Finished Shoe Rack

Apryle and I had been looking a eight spare 2x4s on our porch for the last three months and after about an hour of pondering, Apryle came up with the brilliant idea to build a shoe rack. In addition to the 2x4s we had amassed an extensive shoe collection on our porch as well. The shoe rack solved the issue of what to do with the 2x4s and the shoes (collecting two birds with one pair of binoculars). 

Me with my favorite tree - Larch

We first arrived at our dimensions and landed on 18 inches in height with a depth of 9.5 inches and a width of 30 inches. This would allow us to store nine pairs of shoes. Next came the fun part, testing out our new Ryobi cordless drill/saw combination. The saw worked well, though it just barely cut through the 2x4 with the small blade. Once we had (4) 9.5 inch pieces, (4) 30 inch pieces and (4) 18 inch pieces we headed to the local ACE Hardware for some screws. 

Ebey the Sloth

We went with basic Power Pro All Purpose Wood Screws (9x3) that came with its very own star drill bit (this way no subtle vandal could swing by with a basic Phillips head bit and unscrew our shoe rack). Once we arrived home we realized the saw had sapped the battery and had to recharge it while we watched an hour video on Sloths (highly recommended – PBS “A Sloth Named Velcro”). 

After our daily dose of Sloth education I headed back to finish off the project while Apryle took a nap. From this point it was simple, marking out the middle point to mount the middle shelf and marking out the locations for the support cross beams. 

About 10 minutes later the shoe rack was complete and I organized the shoes into there new home. 

2x4 Pieces: $7.44 
Screws: $6.49 (only used 12 out of the 1lb box) 
A few Kilowatts of power for the charger (maybe $.50)
Organizing Your Shoes: Priceless 
About 1.5 hours of labor for 2 individuals Bringing the grand total of the project to $14.43 +/- an extra $100 depending on how much you value your time.