Drawers Like Grandpa Used To Make

My grandfather was a man who could build anything. As a child, I loved to go out to his shop and see his literally thousands of tools and accessories. Not only did he build that shop, but the house that it was in, my great-grandmother's garage across the alley, and numerous other buildings and projects, for most of which he never received credit. He didn't do it for money, indeed, most of these were volunteer projects that he did for people or with his fraternal organizations, but he definitely left his mark in the buildings he constructed.

I wish I shared his skill. Unfortunately, I didn't grow up near him, so I missed the opportunity to learn from him, and now that he's gone, I really wish I had found a way. We just moved into a new house, and while the kitchen and baths are okay, I would love to install some custom drawers that are more to our liking. Not only that, but we have a large unfinished basement and I would love to be able to add some customized drawers and storage space.

I remember this one set of drawers in particular that had some extended drawer runners. It seemed like you could pull those drawers out forever, and the extended runners made them very convenient in the shop. Not only that, but the way he built them added a great deal more space which, when not in use, didn't clutter up the rest of the show.

He also created a lot of overhead storage space on specially designed pulleys and runners that could be lowered or raised flush with the ceiling, making it all but invisible to those who didn't know that it was there. Those are the kinds of thing I would love to install in our new basement, especially as I am considering creating a shop of my own.

In our kitchen, I would install a more efficient center island, with custom drawers, a duel lazy susan, and a custom overhead spice rack and storage shelf that could be raised or lowered. For the bathroom, I would have recessed shelves with those extended runners so that the towels and other sundries could be stored completely out of the way, giving the bathroom a sense of spaciousness while adding more storage space. I may not have developed the man's skill, but I definitely can see that I picked up his sense of efficiency and style.