Easy Do-It-Yourself Shelves: Overhead, Window and Under-Sill

Overhead shelves are one logical answer to the do-it-yourself dilemma of finding more space in your home, condo or office. At home, shelves hung over doorways, above cupboards or over windows not only add storage space, but also add a whole new decor update opportunity.

If you manage your own office building, overhead hallways shelves can save you valuable space and time by keeping necessary but infrequently-accessed notebooks, binders and paperwork close at hand but out of the way.

Windowsill shelves are especially nice for growing herbs year-round, to provide sun for indoor plants, or to keep bottle collections that reflect the sunlight and look lovely to passers-by.

Overhead Hallway Shelves

Building overhead shelves to span hallways is great use of completely wasted space. Store books, display trophies, highlight a collection or just keep board games organized on your overhead shelf; add a trailing green ivy plant to the mix and you’ll go a long way to cheering up those narrow and dead-end halls.

You’ll need:

* Two 1 x 4 pine ledgers per shelf (more ledgers, if you’re doing multiple shelf units)
* 3/4-inch plywood for shelves, 24 inches wide (you’ll cut to it to fit hallway width)
* One 1 x 4 brace for each shelf, to reinforce plywood
* Assorted nails
* Spreading anchors, as needed

The optimum way to secure the shelf is to nail the ledgers (supporting side-mounted panels) to your wall studs. If you can’t find the studs, or aren’t sure, you’ll use the spreading anchors to secure the ledgers to the wall.

1. Locate the studs and mark the wall where you’re going to put your shelf unit. Measure the space across the hallway at that point.

2. Cut your plywood to the width of the hallway. The edges will rest atop the ledgers, so measure width of span before securing ledgers.

3. Measure the height of a door leading off the hallway, if there is one. You’ll want the base of your shelf to be higher than door-height. Mark both sides of the hallway.

4. Secure the ledgers to the walls by nailing the boards into the studs or by securing the ledgers with spreading anchors.

5. Measure the hallway span from ledger to ledger. Cut your 1 x 4 support board to fit that width. Mark the underside of the plywood shelf to note where to secure the support board to the shelf.

6. Attach the support board to the plywood shelf by nailing it from the top of the shelf.

7. Simply rest the entire shelf with support board atop the ledgers. For additional security, you may nail the ends of the shelf to the ledger tops.

Overhead Door and Window Shelves

In many homes, space above doorways, windows and cupboards is wasted. Why not fill that space in with narrow wooded shelves to help eliminate counter clutter and drawer overflow?

Most horizontal overhead shelves can be built using simple L-shaped brackets (sometimes called angle irons), secured to the wall or to a ledger board, with a cut-to-size board or wood strip placed atop the brackets.

Screw or nail the brackets to wall studs. You’ll place your brackets approximately 24 inches to 32 inches apart. If you’re using spreading anchors, you have a little more flexibility in spacing, but three feet between brackets is about as wide as you’ll want to go.

For a lightweight, inexpensive shelf, use 3/4-inch plywood, cut to size. Lengthwise, allow for two inches on both sides (four inches total) to extend beyond the brackets. Trim the width to about 3/4 of an inch narrower than the bracket.

For a studier shelf unit, simply trim a piece of one-inch pine or fir to fit, following the above instructions. Many home supply stores today also carry an assortment of ready-trimmed and pre-stained wood shelves to fit almost any size project.

Over-Window and Under-Sill Shelves

There are other ways to give that above-window space new shelf-life. For narrow windows, secure a pair of two-foot notched, chrome uprights (or tracks) to the wall flush up against the window trim, with half of the upright extending above the window-top. Place your metal brackets into the upright notch that’s 3/4 of an inch below the window top, and place a one-inch pine shelf on the brackets, with about six inches of wood extending beyond the brackets on either side.

Window-sill shelves are arguably the easiest shelf of all. Use woodscrews to attach a pair of wood brackets or angle iron to the bottom window molding, and trim a pine or fir board to fir the brackets. Another solution: place your trimmed-to-size wood shelf directly on top of the existing sill, and secure it with woodscrews.

Whatever style you choose, the project is as easy as it is rewarding!