Custom or IKEA?

I've long admired all these DIY bloggers I follow. Many of them aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves and custom build themselves something they long for. In theory, I'm not either. I can roll up plans and measurements with the best of them. But executing those plans is another story. I'm strangled by fear of screwing up and wasting tons of money. I'm also hampered by the cost of getting someone else to build my plans professionally. Suddenly, this morning I cast my thoughts to a post I've been enamored with by Kenz over at IBK.

Why not take something with the bones you want and make it into what you need?

And wouldn't you know there's an IKEA just over the state line in Atlanta, Georgia? :-)

Now, this is a lucky turn of events for us. It would cost us about $60 in gas to drive my dad's truck there and back. Why is that lucky? Because shipping to our house would cost twice as much as the actual product! Try a minimum of $199 the last time I calculated. However, despite the savings I definitely don't want to make the trip more than once, so I'm measuring and plotting and planning exactly what I'll need.

There will be seams where all the pieces fit together. That can't really be avoided. And I hate the idea of all those little holes running down the insides for "adjustable" shelving. Before we spend any big bucks, I'm going to get a few brands of white filler putty and see how well they cover and how much it'll take. Then, of course, I'll have to run moulding around the crown and base to give the pieces a more solid look.

I've actually already figured out that I can build a five-cabinet media and book shelf over our couch for about $150. Not too shabby, eh? I think the kitchen "bar" project is going to cost quite a bit more, probably around $400. I know that sounds like a lot (it is!), but it would easily cost three times that to pay someone to build it and only slightly less than that were I to do it myself.

Here's some of the products I'm thinking of mixing and matching:

Of course, I'm still looking through their vast catalog. There's so many sizes and shapes to choose from to make exactly what I need. Have you ever done an IKEA hack? Have you ever taken a piece of furniture and turned it into something else?