Posted By FarmerJ on January 8, 2010

It all started on New Year’s Day, when I began moving the remaining items and shelving units from my under-the-stairwell closet pantry location to a section in the Man Cave ~ the unfinished portion of the lower level of the Farmstead barn house.

I had the shelving units situated along the wall, taking up one little corner.  I had been working for several hours; I was taking a detailed inventory of each item, making note of the expiration date so I can be sure to rotate things properly, and then placing each item ‘just so’ in its new location.

All the diced tomatoes next to the tomato sauce, next to the Ro-Tel, next to the green chiles.  Then, green beans next to the peas, next to the corn, next to the mushrooms, and on and on.  Each row precisely stacked two high, each label facing straight forward.  I’m telling you, I couldn’t think of anything I would have rather been doing on the first day of the year.  This project was tickling every OCD bone in my body!

My absolute glee must have been radiating across the Man Cave, because Darling Husbie finally asked me if I was having fun.  “Yes!  This is awesome!”  He said he could tell from my body language.  I say there’s a husband who knows his wife, eh?

Darling Husbie suggested we make that area the permanent pantry location instead of the area we had originally planned ~ we had planned on placing it adjacent to where it now is on the other side of the house.  At first I hesitated, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked Husbie’s idea.  It will actually make our projected lower level floor plan flow much better.

So, on Saturday, in the middle of a mini blizzard, we headed into town to purchase some raw materials to enable us to begin our first OSB Palace project for 2010.  We got some 2×4′s, a really nice Pine door, a couple of lights and all the little doo-dads that have to come along with that stuff in order to be installed.

Sunday morning, we started Project: Pantry!  My pantry is going to be 8 feet x 15 feet!  I’m absolutely ecstatic!  It will be large enough to keep two of the freezers in there, along with my four shelving units.  Darling Husbie is also going to build in some shelves on one wall for my home canning stuff.  Did I tell you I’m just thrilled?!

Darling Husbie worked on getting the wall frame up and the door installed, while Dominic did all the wiring for my light switch and two overhead lights.  We’re nowhere near finished ~ but it’s a great start.  Darling Husbie and I will work on getting the walls and the ceiling finished, and then figure out what we want to do for flooring.  I’m trying to decide between three options ~ tile, wood or paint the cement…there’s actually some really amazing floors done that way.  Dominic still needs to wire a heavy duty outlet for my freezers.

And, just like they did with Darling Husbie’s shop, Peanut and Abigail wait for the pantry door to be opened before entering.  Me, I just walk through the wall and make those little knuckleheads wait ‘outside!’

This put the kibosh on me moving and arranging the rest of the items that belong on the shelves, though.  I’ll have to move it all out of there in order to get the walls and the floor finished.  But, oh the joy when the room is all complete and everything is finally put in its place!

Stay tuned for more photos as we progress along on Project: Pantry.  ♥

Categories: OSB Palace Projects
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