Building a DIY Home Office?

Rednerd asks: "I just moved into a new apartment and I'm almost done painting and running the cat 5. I have been looking at office furniture for a new desk to become the new home for all of my misc. computer gadgetry, but I haven't been able to find anything that really fits. (No one seems to sell a desk with room for two 19" monitors, seven computers, a beer fridge, coffee maker, and a small compartment to serve as a shrine for my little plush penguin - Potelé) I'm leaning toward building a custom desk for my computers. With all the talk on Slashdot about creating an ultra-efficient cubicle, I was wondering what other slashdotters have created in the way of DIY home offices?"

been done

[gascsd]

why bother with a beer fridge and a coffee maker? don't reinvent the wheel

jet powered beer cooler [slashdot.org]

that famous coffee machine [slashdot.org]

keep a browser window open to check on the coffee, and keep the thing in your kitchen. when you don't hear the jet engine blaring anymore, you know your beer is good and cold. stick a few brats behind the exhaust, and pitch your bbq

as for the monitors ... have you considered a monitor arm? get a good one that lets you move it around if need be. i keep my kvm'd monitor on one of those, and it can be quite useful, especially when i'm working on some boxen and need the monitor to follow me

My dream Home Office

[Xenna]

I hate computer noise and cable clutter so I envision a home office where the computers (clients as well as servers) are stored in a seperate computerroom and where the kbds, monitors and mouses are all attached thru one of those KVM-over-cat5 type devices. Kinda like the way they do it in stock trading rooms.

And I would like a laptop that boots from the (wireless) network and has no noisy harddisk. I guess this is doable by running Linux on it...

Regards,
Xenna (stuck in a noisy room with cluttered cables)

The art of underclocking

[Anonymous Coward]

Now that's an interesting idea.

Building a "terminal" computer with an underclocked CPU, heavily padded case and a quiet power source with its fan possibly disabled. Then lock all the noisy computers in another room.

Metro Shelving...Bakers' Racks

[darkPHi3er]

i have 2-21" monitors, a 16" FP, 1-19" monitor (plus some small speaker cubes and misc) on that chromed wire rack shelving (called bakers'racks), this stuff is from a company called Metro Shelving, but IKEA has its own brand...

i use the wide shelves, 24" (and 8 or 10 feet long) for the monitors, and use the narrow (around 8-10"wide) to create a keyboard shelf right in front/below the wider "top"....

you can adjust the height on those legs, with those nylon bushings and i've put a ton of weight on these things (well, about 600-800#'s) and not had much deflection...(though the center of percussion was really high..took about 200# off)

the downsides include having to put "trays" for your pens, smoking materials, etc...as they would otherwise just drop through the wires and if you are one of those folk who rest their wrists on the desktop edge...WELL, a couple of hours of that will teach you about numbness and pain...if you use a contoured KB or wrist rest..nada problemo...

it looks kinda HiTek...and you really can find the stuff just about anywhere, its reasonably priced (IKEA's is the cheapest but they don't have a very big selection of sizes) and if you really HATE the chrome...it's available in a semi-dull/shiny BLACL finish...Blood, Bath and Beyond has a really ***nice*** brand of this stuff, but it's kinda pricey

i equipped an office with about 12-15 of these "desks"...got lots of compliments from customer/visitors and only checked it out for the same reason you mention...all of our employees had at least 3 monitors per desktop and we just couldn't find a nice-looking, cost-effective solution...

i thinks it's medium cool looking, but, as always, should you or any of your..., i mean, YMMV...

Slashdot calls it "the ultimate chair"

[YKnot]

When it comes to office furniture, one's got to mention these:
Slashdot: The Ultimate Chair [slashdot.org]
Poetic Tech: Working environments for high tech professionals [poetictech.com]
They don't come with beer fridges but can serve as inspiration, that's for sure...

The Ultimate Desk

[Keck]

I use a 72" door layed across two 30" high 2-drawer filing cabinets. This is, IMHO, the ultimate desk. It comfortably fits 2x21" + 1x17" monitor, a load of CD's and anything else you want. This has been the most stable way for me to build a functional desk, with room for the towers underneath. (although the 7 that you mention may need more room..)

Try Creativity + 4x8 sheet of plywood

[sainsworth]

I had exactly the same problem--I solved it with creativity, a 4x8 sheet of plywood, and a scroll saw.

My construction was simple. I cut a single 4'x8', 0.75" sheet of oak plywood to the correct shape. To support the weight of my monitors, I ran bracing the length and width of the table directly under the monitors. The bracing strips are 2" wide, made from the same sheet of plywood, and mounted perpendicular to the bottom of the table. For added stability, I fastened two edges the table to the wall using 2"x2"s, but if your installation is temporary this may not work for you. Because of the bracing and wall fastening, the table requires just one leg, which leaves plenty of space for my legs and four computers under the table.

I cut the table to shape using a scroll saw, which I already owned. I rounded the edges using a router, which I now had an excuse to buy :). I finished it with Verithane, because the stuff doesn't stink and cleans up with water.

Total cost, $90. Satisfaction, at least 10 times anything I found in stores at a reasonable price.

Notes:

1. Explicitly define your requirements. Mine were lots of table space, enough depth for 21" monitor, keyboard tray that also has room for the mouse, and plenty of room under the table for multiple computers. Also, where are you going to put it? In particular, consider the location's lighting.

2. Create a prototype. Use string or masking tape to create a virtual table ;) on the floor. Place your computer equipment, books, etc. in place. Does it feel right? Try again in a couple of days. Does it still feel right?

3. Double check that the design is stable and robust. In particular, is it strong enough to hold that pair of 21" monitors. Consider bracing to MHz or RAM, more is better.

5. Buy the wood, tools, screws and wood glue. Try and find "void free" plywood. Most plywood has hidden holes in the interior layers.

6. Even thought I took my time, used guides to ensure my straight edges were straight and curves consistent, rounded the edges, and put on three finishing coats, the entire project only took four hours. It is well worth it!

Multiple desks

[ascholl]

One option I'm surprised I haven't seen voiced -- get a bunch of desks at thrift stores, arrange them in a semi-circle. Not necessarily the slickest option, but definitely the cheapest. At least if yr willing to place the machines & fridge on the floor. I use two desks & the top of a filing cabinet; add desks according to need.

SEVEN Computers?

[Alan Partridge]

man, if you've got SEVEN computers, you really ought to rack them and use some KVM switching. You can also cool them more efficiently that way as well as providing better security and power supply. Keep your desk nice with your screens, kbd, mse and whatever cradle-like peripherals you need. Two's a couple, three's a crowd but SEVEN's a FARM.

Unfinished Furniture and Polyurethane

[gunnk]

I searched for ages for a computer desk big enough and solid enough and affordable enough. No luck. So, I went to an unfinished furniture store and bought a dining room table. Long enough for all my computer stuff PLUS a TV/VCR. Deep enough so that I can stick papers I'm dealing with in front of my keyboard. $100 for the table. $10 to polyurethane it (why stain it? -- natural wood colors look great).

Re:$50 desk

[Anonymous Coward]

You don't even need the solid core doors. My desk consists of a hollow-core door over two two-drawer filing cabinets. Lots of room underneath the desk for two or three PCs, lots of room on the desk for a big monitor, printer, telephone, plus plenty of other junk. Weight is not an issue, the desk doesn't even bend the slightest bit, and if you're concerned you can put the heavy items directly over the filing cabinets. Nor do you really have to treat the desk, untreated wood works fine. This is a cheap solution, and it provides more deskspace than anyone except CEO's normally gets...

Moderators!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Another thing: You don't need seven computers.

Why is this modded up as insightful? At least the jocks stick together: if a geek comes to a football game and shouts "Football is a huge waste of time", he'll get beaten up by both team's supporters. But if a jock posts to a geek site that you don't need so much computers, he gets modded up. Strange world.

Ultra Low Tech

[squaretorus]

My new desk is about as low tech as it gets. As with the rest, I had 3 machines, 4 monitors and preferably a space for my laptop to fit into a reasonably big room - but be pretty snug and 'presentable' when not in use.

Not being tooled up, I went down to B&Q and bought a drill, jigsaw, sander, saw, and one of those 'every tool you'll ever need' boxes for about £60. I then drove over to my mates work and took about 6 of the cleanest pallets I could find in their warehouse.

Two weekends of sanding, cutting, hammering and the like later I have a spanky 'slightly rustic' desk for absolutely free! Apart from having to buy the tools. which will last.

The timber would have cost about £100 - so even then its a HUGE desk about 14 feet long, and between 3 and 5 feet deep, with shelving beneath and some neat monitor stands for under 160 quids!

Exactly what I designed

[The Bastard]

When I set up my home office, I sat down and designed the desk/work area, with the intention of having a guy in my hometown build it. I was a bit shocked when our new office furniture from Bush [bushfurniture.com] came in at work, and it was essentially my design. I checked the cost, and found that the savings was over 50%. Got it and it works great.

For my computers, I changed from cases to rack mount units, and bought a 22U rack from Greybar. I have one desktop system running Windows, as my Quicken and games system. Everything fits, and runs great.

Rack-mounts for Metro shelving

[CoderDevo]

Metro also has a Rack Mount solution [metro.com] for their shelving system. Metro's computer shelving products are here. [metro.com] When you see a product you want, be sure the get the spec sheet, they are .pdf docs.

Personally, I think the Metro brand is the best out there. I can see the reduced quality in the knock-off brands. YMMV.

All 4 desktop systems and 2 laptops were stored on my Metro shelving next to my desk. I used one KVM switch for all 7 systems. I used a regular desk for my work surface, monitor, keyboard & files. Plus I had another monitor & keyboard for the Sparc. This leaves a clean work surface for me, which is important. I do a lot of document creation and still like working with paper. Also, having a mostly clear desk helps me focus on the tasks at hand.

The Metro shelving also held my fax, laser printer, power strips and networking devices. The cables were kept clean using black velcro strips. The shelves were black too. Metro's Heavy Duty castors let me easily pull the shelving out to manage the cables when needed.

Two shelves held 4 rows of books, back-to-back. I also stored my printer paper on the bottom (increased stability). My working file folders and incoming mail were on side-attached accessories.

All of this stuff used to take up 3 desks, a bookshelf and some floor space. Pretty slick.