For anyone with basic woodworking skills up to the most skilled master craftsman, this book provides a unique perspective on built-ins -- from strategic planning, to dealing with idiosyncratic spaces, to practical advice on a wide range of projects.

As the latest addition to our successful Build Like A Pro series, Built-Ins gives you 192 pages of insights and guidance from longtime how-to author Bob Settich.

You'll discover all the tools, tips and techniques you need to tackle everything from shelves and drawers to closets and entertainment centers. And you'll pick up all the trade secrets you need to add permanent value to your home, by creating attractive storage space and eliminating clutter.

Here are a few examples of what you'll find:

• How to plan built-ins to achieve their function and fit the space where they're being installed

• Strategies for meeting the challenges of this type of building, such as walls out of plumb, uneven floors and the random vagaries you'll encounter, especially in older houses

• Smart ways to use stock cabinetry to create a custom-built look without starting from scratch

By taking a practical step-by-step approach to every project and procedure, this useful reference volume delivers everything you need to design, plan and construct built-ins to enhance any home.

Chapter 1: Designing Your Built-In
Understanding the Purpose of Your Built-in
Dining and Table Standards
Special Item Storage
Clothing: Storage Concepts

Chapter 2: Materials
Solid Wood
Plywood
Wood Glues
Making Clean Cuts
Moldings
Making Molding Joints

Chapter 3: Carcase Assembly Strategies
Face-frame or Frameless?
Uniting Your Construction with the Installation Plan
Building a Face-frame Cabinet
Frameless Cabinetsv

Chapter 4: Shelves
Supporting Cabinet Shelves
Shelving Materials and Edging
Making Strong Shelves
More Shelving Choices

Chapter 5: Doors
Slab Doors
Making Door Frames
Cope-and-stick Door
Hanging a Door

Chapter 6: Drawers
Drawers and Slides
Drawer-box Construction
Building Drawer Boxes
Drawer Joinery
Installing Drawer Slides
Making Drawer Fronts

Chapter 7: Countertops
Selecting a Countertop
Making a Laminate Countertop

Chapter 8: Hardware
Basic Fasteners
Assembly and Knock-down Fasteners
Hinges
Drawer Slides
Handles and Pulls
Miscellaneous Hardware

Chapter 9: Finishing
Paint
Stains, Dyes and Clear Finishes
Wipe-on Finishes

Chapter 10: Entertainment Center
Build an Entertainment Center

Chapter 11: Installing Manufacturer Cabinets
Strategies and Tactics

Chapter 12: Closet Organization
Planning the Installation
Storage Cubes: A Versatile Problem Solver
Hang-track Closet System
Custom Closet Storage Unit

This book is your passport to the world of built-ins. It's a journey that can significantly add to your home's function, appeal, and value.

You'll enjoy "sightseeing tours" of completed projects, discovering concepts and details that will get your creative juices flowing. You'll also explore proven planning standards that will help you transform your ideas into a workable design.

Then you'll discover advice on choosing materials as well as step-by-step photo sequences on building, fastening, and finishing every component in your built-in. Even the margins of this book work hard, delivering Pro Tips, Trade Secrets, and warnings about What Can Go Wrong.

But if you're short on tools or time, you'll see how you can benefit from the wide range of ready-made cabinets and other "off the shelf" components to give you professional-looking built-ins throughout your home. Even with a very humble tool kit and modest skills, you can confidently take on large projects.

And if the design process mystifies you, take advantage of the low cost service offered by several manufacturers. You can get a closet design, for example, at a surprisingly small fee. And many home centers offer no-cost design consultation in the cabinetry department. Although kitchen and bath cabinets dominate the displays at these stores, many of the manufacturers featured there have broadened their output to include components for home offices and entertainment centers.

You'll also find that built-ins are often far easier and less expensive to make than a piece of furniture with a similar function. That?s because a built-in usually doesn't have its sides, back, and top visible. So you can employ a utilitarian joinery and secondary woods instead of fussy joints and high-dollar lumber.

In addition, a built-in can deliver plenty of cubic feet of storage, often without sacrificing square feet of living area. That's because you can make use of space that's currently wasted in areas with low vertical clearance, behind knee walls, and even in stud bays. As a result, you can minimize clutter and make your home live bigger than it is.

Whether your destination is a large or small built-in, this book will show you how to get there, making your project look right at home.