Recreate your own house bookshelf for a fraction of the cost of one you could find in stores. Use this step by step tutorial to achieve this beauty.
I have another SUPER exciting project to share with you today! I’ve seen a few house-shaped bookshelves in stores before, like this one at Restoration Hardware, and thought, “Pffftt…. I could make that for way less!”. And so I did! lol. We needed a new bookshelf for my daughter’s Big Girl Bedroom, and so her House Bookshelf was born.
The house bookshelf started, as all good woodworking projects do, with a sketch on an old notepad :)
Here’s what you need to do this project at home:
Materials
3/4″ thick MDF – we bought a 4′ x 8’sheet but only used approximately 25% of it for this project
Wood screws
Glue
Paint – we used Behr Vienna Lace
4’x4′ sheet of 1/4″ thick plywood
Drywall filler
Tools
Table saw
Router table (to cut grooves) can use table saw as well [optional – for the advanced woodworker!]
Drill press or drill
Sander
Measuring tape
Square (ruler)
Putter knife
Hammer
3/8″ Claw Wood Plug Hole Cutter Drill bit
Please ensure proper safety equipment and protection are used at all times when handling power tools and completing this woodworking project.
The woodworking plans are available for free to anyone subscribed to our newsletter.
Step-by-Step Tutorial for Building the House Bookshelf
1. Download house building plans [above]
2. Cut pieces as per the attached plans
3. Lay pieces out and dry fit together (to double-check shape and measurements), you can use clamps to hold in place.
4. Pre-drill holes with a 1/8″ diameter bit for all your screw hole locations [Note: MDF is prone to splitting if screw holes are not pre-drilled, so you want to ensure holes are drilled deep enough]. We drilled two holes per side of each board.
5. Counter-sink the holes with a 3/8″ Forstner bit; 1/4″ deep
6. Cut grooves in the back of the perimeter pieces 1, 2, and 7 [circled in the attached plans] to hold the 1/4″ thick plywood in place. Alternatively, you can cut a piece of 1/4″ thick plywood to fit the back with no groove, however you will need to prep the edges with filler to finish nicely.
7. Assemble pieces 1, 2, and 7. Glue and screw them together.
8. Assemble piece 6 and 4 together. Glue and screw them together.
9. Assemble piece 5, 6, and 3 and 4 together. Glue and screw them together.
10. Assemble steps “7.” and “8.” together.
11. Assemble steps “6.” and “9.” together.
12. Install 1/4“ plywood backing.
13. Cut 3/8″ diameter plugs to fill the counter sunk holes drilled with a 3/8″ Claw Wood Plug Hole Cutter Drill bit.
14. Fill holes with plugs from step “13” and glue in place.
15. Once glue is dry sand plugs level, use drywall filler to prep all edges and any blemishes.
16. Complete a final sand, prime, and paint the house bookshelf to desired finish.
We painted our house bookshelf with a very soft pink – Behr’s Vienna Lace – which was perfect for our daughter’s Big Girl Bedroom!
I’m SO happy with how it turned out! Our daughter actually puts her books away now too, although she definitely prefers to take them off of the shelf, lol.
Let me know what you think!
If you ever make this shelf yourself, I’d LOVE for you to tag me on Instagram so that I can see your projects too :)
See more great DIYs in our daughter’s Big Girl Bedroom here.
It’s gorgeous!!! Super cute!
Thanks Kristi! Our daughter loves it too :)
This is so pretty! I would totally do this for my little girl’s room :)
So pretty!! If my girls had room enough in their bedroom I would love to build one for them!
Thanks for sharing them at #2usestuesday!
Thanks! I designed the room specifically so that it had room for this piece, lol.
This is such a cute idea! I love storage that is also pretty. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday!
Thank you so much for stopping by :) So glad you love the piece as much as I do!
This is so precious! My girls would have loved this in their room when they were little. She could even use this as a doll house too.
Yes! Its so multifunctional! I’m sure it will transform into a dollhouse one of these days!
Yes, yes! I want one please! Pfft, but without all the hammering, sawing and mess! ;)
Here from TUT.
So cute, and useful!
lol. Wouldn’t that make everything easier?! When we start selling them, I’ll let you know! lol.
I am so in love with your bookshelf! I want one for my own room ;)
Thanks for linking up with Creative Spark – I am featuring your adorable bookshelf at this week’s party. Hope you can join us again!
Thank you Emily! I’m thrilled about the feature!
This is so neat! My dad built a bookcase a few years back for my daughter shaped like a dollhouse. I love how yours mounts to the wall!
Thank you! Yes, mounting it to the wall was a bit of a challenge, but it worked out amazingly well :) It was one of my “musts” for the shelf.
This is beautiful! I will be doing this very soon ☺️ How did you mount it to the wall?
Oh my goodness, this is precious! I love this idea for a kid’s room. It’s functional and a super cute part of the decor.
Agreed! Functional, yet adorable! So glad you liked it too :)
Ok, this seriously could not be cuter! I love it!
Thank you :) I love it too!
This is just precious! My Pinterest followers have got to wonder WHAT is going on with me! I pinned it four times :)snea
Sinea♥
Well thank you for the shares!! So glad you loved it too :)
Lindi this is fabulous! I LOVE this book shelf. Thank you for sharing it with us at The Creative Corner Linkup. Please join us Sunday 6pm PST to view your feature and to share some more amazing posts with us! x
Thank you SO much!! You are so sweet! I’m honoured :)
I LOVE this bookshelf! I remember seeing it in your bedroom reveal, and I’m so glad you shared the tutorial. Adorable!
Awww, thank you Jenny! It took a little while to get the tutorial up, but I’m glad I was able to share the instructions with everyone!
That is the cutest bookshelf, amazing your talent!!!
Would love to have you add to my Friday Features party or WW.
Coming over from Earlene’s To Pin!!
Have a great week!
Karren
Oh MY Heartsie Girl ♥
Thank you Karren! I’ll hope by as soon as I can :)
Hi Lindi!
Love this bookshelf! You did such a great job and thanks for that instructions on how to go about doing it! We miss you at #TALENTEDTuesday but at least now I can show case your posts! :) Hope you are doing well and adjusting to the new baby.
Cheers,
AJ
So beautiful!! I bet my daughter Emanuelle would LOVE to have a bookshelf like that in her bedroom!
Love this! Such a cute idea. <3
xo,
Mary
from http://www.thecofranhome.com
How much did this all cost you? I love it!
It was around $60 Canadian. An see bought a large 4×8 sheet of MDF :)
Making this right now! How did you mount this to the wall?
Sorry for the late reply! We used interlocking flushmounts to mount it to the wall. You can see them here (aff link): http://amzn.to/2jmNZme
This House Bookshelf craft Idea is amazing and unique. Super excited to try this one, perfect of kiddo’s room. Thank you for sharing with us.