Rhonda Bracey: At Random

Several months ago I had a rush of blood to the head and organised my gardening area in the shed. However, the other storage racks in the shed had become higgledy piggledy, with tubs of old documents (tax receipts etc.) filling up available spaces instead of being organised. And I’d noticed that some of the storage racks weren’t coping well with the weight of the storage tubs — they hadn’t collapsed, but they were a bit bowed. I’d also run out of space for storing empty boxes that I needed to keep (e.g. the box my Sweet Sixteen machine came in). And my husband needed to get his cardboard file boxes filled with paperwork for his research into conditions safe from bugs, mice/rats, snails,direct sunlight etc. — i.e. black plastic tubs with sealable lids.

I decided to purchase two more shelving units that are much stronger and deeper than the originals. They arrived last week, but they came with NO instructions! Fortunately, the chap who delivered them works for the company I bought them from and he gave me a very quick summary of how they went together. Based on that info, I put together the 1.5 m wide rack within a few days of getting it. I took my time, and made sure everything locked together as it should — the rubber mallet was very handy! I only needed help lifting the long shelves into place.

The second unit was much longer than the first, at 2.4 m (both are 2.1 m high, with 5 shelves), but as there’s a centre dividing support, the shelves were only 1.2 m long and were very easy to get into place. And because I’d already constructed the 1.5 m unit, this second one was easy to put together, taking me about an hour.

I was pleased with how I channeled my inner Meccano-building skills in constructing these two units. Already I’ve totally rearranged my storage tubs and the spare boxes… My husband has yet to do his!

All the parts for the 2.4 shelving unit…

Finished!

The finished 1.5 m unit (far right), with some of the original racks now holding empty or less weighty boxes