Building a Pantry - A Story of Reuse

You may recall from the Demolition! post that I removed -- with substantial help from a neighbor/friend, under the watchful eye of Starr -- a cabinet and chunk of counter top to make room for a new range. The cabinet was unceremoniously tossed into the garage to await its fate (when I decide what that should be -- ideas?), but I saved the doors to correct something that had nagged me for a while.

That infernal, unfinished, gaping hole above the oven. Like a festering boil on our increasingly-attractive kitchen, it steadfastly refused to present us with any option other than to destroy it completely, from orbit. With nukes, just to be sure.

The plan was to take those doors and make 'em fit over the hole. Some quick measuring told me the plan was effin' brilliant would work, so I made it so.

Source doors, destination location. This photo was taken before we even moved in.
Keep reading for an explanation as to why.

Now, like an aggressively manly scorpion covering that ill-advised tattoo of your high-school girlfriend's name on your left shoulder (you know who you are), the doors now cover the hole.

I also corrected the alignment of the doors above, so it all lines up nice-like.

Perfectly, I might add. Perfectly. 

Well, perfectly after I employed a bit of creative woodworking with a planer and a hacksaw. Like so many things, it looks best from the outside. It needs a bit of finishing and shelving before I won't cringe every time I open it, but at least now I don't cringe every time I glance in that direction.

I have an awful, AWFUL habit of failing to take before photos. Once assigned inspired,  I tend to flollop around like a puppy on meth until the job is finished. So, that's why the first photo is from almost a year ago. 

Speaking of finishing, did you happen to catch what was hiding at the back of the cabinet in that last photo? If not, here's a close-up for you.

There's a troll back there. Staring at you. Daring you to cover his peeping hole.

Yes. That appears to be a hole-within-the-hole, and it seems to have been "sealed" in the past with a cunning application of paper grocery bag and duct tape. I think I can do better with fiberglass tape and a tub of spackle. But that's a project for another day. Stay tuned. Or don't. I wouldn't, if you're only waiting for my next post, that is.