Here are free-standing ones, each 4-feet wide, deep enough for a standard hardcover. They would look "built-in" if the ceiling were not slanted, but they can be removed - there are a couple of screws into studs to stabilize them. The bottom 3 shelves are spaced for hardbacks, the next 3 for paperbacks, one for CDs, then paperbacks all the way to the top. Books are alphabetical by author in each section, and CDs are arranged by style of music.

It's nothing more than 1x8s of stained pine for the uprights and shelves, with 1/4 inch 4x8 sheets of plywood for the backs.

The section to the left is a full sheet of plywood with the uprights cut to match the height of the plywood and the shelves cut so the back can be screwed to the uprights. Each section after that is a full sheet with a partial sheet filling the top. A fourth section has been added to fill in the wall space.

TIP: Select REALLY straight boards, drill and do a test fit, then stain and varnish before you do the final assembly. We made a template to mark where screw holes had to be on the end of each board ... this requires very little skill, just a precision and patience.

Setting the bookcase up took SERIOUS muscle, especially the 14-foot fourth section. We had to shim the feet a bit, because the tile wasn't level and the bookcases are square.

We're kind of doing the same thing in our little addition. I bought the biggest Ikea upper cabinets they sell (I think they're 36 wide and around 40 tall) in the adel medium brown and we mounted them on the floor. We're going to take a side panel and cut it down to fit on the top. Then I'm going to get some of their billy bookcases in medium brown and put those on top and screw them into the wall. We have the cabinets installed but we're recovering from buying all the pantry cabinets in the room and haven't bought the bookcases yet (otherwise I'd have a pic for you).

De

Wow, lazygardens, that looks great.

We're having shelves made for a weird corner in our LR. I priced Billy bookcase components at IKEA at about $800 (IKEA is six hours from us, plus we'd have to rent a trailer to take it all home). We got four bids from local carpenters, and the guy with the best customer recommendations also came in the cheapest, at $1100.

We have a lot of friends who are delighted with their Billys, so if you're near an IKEA I'd take a look. (there are also a ton of Web commentaries on using these: I found one hilarious article titled, "Pimp my Billy," about innovative reimaginations of Billy bookcases...) THere are doors that can fit on Billy units, turning them into cabinets. There's also the Benno shelving, which is pricier but I think better-looking. If you want ideas on how to make IKEA components work for you, go over to ikeafans.com and post a query. The folks over there are hugely helpful.

If you go with a contractor, and if your area is anything like mine, you'll be waiting a while and doing a fair amount of pursuit. Tradespeople are just incredibly busy right now. The guy we hired had just finished making the cabinetry and built-ins for friends of ours, so we got to see his (beautiful) work installed before making a decision. I'd recommend you do that. And expect delays, expect to have to chase them, all of that. Not fun, but it seems to be almost universal right now re home renovation.

lazygardens, those shelves look great!

Denise, interesting idea to use Ikea, I'll have to go take a look at those.

andrea,
We got four bids from local carpenters
How did you find these guys -- yellow pages?

thanks for the info!
May

May, we found them by talking to everyone we knew. We were lucky in that a friend of ours has just built a custom home and has taste that's similar to ours, so we're happily stealing his carpenter, the guys who acid-stained and sealed the concrete floors, etc etc. But we got five different bids, ranging from $1500 for a unit half the size of the one we're actually building, to one bid that came in under our chosen guy but was offered by someone who literally disappeared after giving it.

Kind of the luck of the draw. Other posters on these boards have been very happy w/custom work, whereas some folks have expressed total frustration and would never do it again.

May, These were built after the house was completed by the PO. They are built-ins on each side of the fireplace. The top shelf is at 8'. I am going to have some trim added to dress it up and some lighting. The cabinets below really provide a lot of storage.

You can also look for cabinetmakers at this site link http://www.contractors.com/trade/custom_cabinets_or_built_in_furniture_build.html put in zip code for your area and you will get a list of carpenter/cabinet makers.

Good Luck with your project!