The Ultimate Bachelor Expedit [Entertainment Unit]

Materials: EXPEDIT 2x4

Description: It all started when I realized that my new stereo receiver would not fit inside a standard EXPEDIT 13" x 13" cubby. I found a mod on here on how to easily double one up, and it just went from there.

So I'll start from the left and move right.

The EXPEDIT
In the left-most column, I simply drilled four new holes about 3" higher than they initially were to accommodate my PC tower below and SNES on top, and installed the shelf at that height instead.

In the middle double-column, you are seeing a reversal of parts. Normally the longer board goes vertical, and then short boards horizontal. Instead, I have a short board vertical on the bottom, and the long board horizontal across the middle, without completing and instead leaving the other short board out. (Which now acts as a rolling platform on castors for my printer, which hides under a table for space-saving.)

Then, I felt there was too much room above my receiver, so I went to work again. I acquired an extra long board from my local IKEA's spare parts section, and installed it above my receiver to add an extra shelf.

NOTE: Because the cubby-spaces are now misaligned, the holes I drilled for the custom height are exposed on the opposite side. To compensate for this, I had to first cut the little wooden pegs in half using bolt cutters so they did not stick out, and second, fill the remainder of the hole with Poly-Fila and paint over it. (Not pictured.)

The Drawer
This shelf height was designed to spec, as I then custom-made a drawer out of MDF from my local hardware store. The sides and back are 9/16" primed/unpainted MDF (I got lazy), the back is 1/8" poster board, primed white on the top side, and the front is the coup de gras - a plaque I had made out of a PDF I designed with "Overworld Maps" from one of my favourite.

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I secured the drawer together with predrilled/countersunk holes and MDF screws, and attached the front with small L brackets. The drawer moves on long foam sliders, because rails was going to be too much work. And of course I needed to add a knob, which turned out being harder than I expected because I didn't measure first - but it worked out eventually.

The drawer height was designed to accommodate my SNES game collection and Magic: The Gathering cards (don't judge). I secured a piece of oval-shaped quarter round to the floor of the drawer at the right space to fit both nearly perfectly.

The Rest
To complete the piece, I added a red LEKMAN box/drawer thing in one of the un-modified cubby spaces and filled it with board games and other fun goodies. The cubbies also beautifully fit standard size LPs, and the top space is perfect for a record player and a 32" TV.

Next Step
The final step will be a simple one, I've just been lazy. On the back side of the unit, along the vertical "beams", I will place MONTERA cable management strips to hide some of the smaller cables and give it a cleaner look.

Summary
I hope you enjoy this and it helps you out! With a bit of thinking and elbow grease, I turned an $80 bookshelf into an attractive (if I do say so myself) unit that holds everything that my bachelor pad living room could possibly need.

~ Alex Wolf, Ottawa, Ontario