The pantry box with the hinged door attached was ready to be attached to the wall in The Palms.
This is the "before" photo showing where the pantry will be. It's a perfect size and place for the pantry.
Tom put it on the wall to be sure it still fit after he inserted the top, center and bottom interior cross boards, and it still fit. He leaned it against my closet and went back for his tools.
Next, fitting the pantry between the floor and the two finish strips on either side of the wall space. He nudged it a little here and a little there, and then started drilling in screws on the top corners and bottom corners and the middle section on both sides. There weren't any studs inside this wall, so he double-screwed the center and each corner and it's very secure.
Next step was attaching the four "double roller catches with spear spikes." The catches were screwed to the inside of the Pantry wall.
Some of these pictures were taken after the pantry was in use.
Then attach the four spikes to the inside of the door.
Next was inserting the "spoon" cabinet shelf support pins into the drilled holes and laying the selves on them.
These are the original cabinet handles in The Palms.
Here it is, all done and full... very full!
View from the dinette:
It is only four inches deep; the room I lost was so minimal, I don't notice it. The cabinet is 75" tall, 20" wide, and 4" deep and has 11 shelves, counting the bottom of the pantry. I took out one shelf to get a taller space - they are adjustable for the things I need to put in there. And as you can see, Tom matched the stain color perfectly.
The Roadrunner knot in the wood is on one of the shelves. :)
And that's the Pantry upgrade mod install. I can't tell you how much
The morning it was finished, Tom headed up to Disneyland to meet up with his family spending the day there and I took off east to wait for a week for my next doctor appointment. When I stopped at Viejas Casino, I was beat, but got super energized as soon as I got things settled in the rig and walked Katie.
I started putting things inside the pantry and filled it completely. I was on a roll and had so much room in the cupboards now, I was able to move things and re-arrange some of the spaces. I totally cleared out my shower (so now I can just jump in and turn on the water), and threw away bags and bags of things I no longer needed or never used. I had four bags of "good" stuff to give away, and did that when I went on to Hot Springs.
The funny thing is, from the first day I filled the pantry, I've never accidentally reached up for the cupboard that used to hold most of my non-refrigerated food. All my spices are in the pantry, dry goods, canned goods, sweets, grains, oils and vinegars, etc. It holds a ton of stuff!
When I drove back to San Diego for my last doctor appointment, Tom took me out to lunch and picked up a few things that I needed him to store for me, and he looked in the pantry. "You've really utilized this space!" he said. You bet, every available inch, and I can find everything. I used to have my spices in a small decorative suitcase in the cab of the truck, and the canned/dried foods four deep in an upper cupboard in the kitchen. I didn't realize I had four cans of re-fried beans!
All that reorganization led to a major cleaning frenzy, too, in the rest of The Palms. Funny how one thing leads to another.
THANKS, TOM! for doing all that work for me, spending so much valuable time on my project, and picking up the cost. Win/Win/Win for me, and I so enjoyed spending the time with you and watching how you work. I'm so proud of you and the way you handle yourself, your work ethic, and all your skills. And the pantry is
