The Plans and Mock-up

Once I had some pieces made, it was time to plan for the box itself.  I found the actual floor plan online (yay for the Internet!).  I used quarter inch graph paper and experimented with drawing out the plan to scale.

I tested the pieces in the room, as well as against the elevation drawings, and compared them to the pictures online to see if I was getting the proportions essentially correct.  I needed to make sure I also accommodated the wood trim I’ve purchased, as well as such things as the projection of the cornice on the bookshelves.  You can see me playing with the layout below.  The bookshelf should be flush against the left-hand side.  Based on that try-out, as well as my elevations, the drawing below changed a bit.  The drawing above is the one I used.

Left side elevation (second bookcase shown in middle):

Right side elevation:

I was confused by the header over the fireplace, as it appears to come out some distance from the wall.  You can see that the window actually disappears up in behind it.  According to this fabulous find (again, yay for the Internet!  How did we ever get anything done without it?), it’s called a valance wall.  Who knew?

The next step was to create it in foam core:

On my first try, I messed up the two side walls, inadvertently making the windows too wide and moving the fireplace too far to the left.  I think this should be called the “do everything twice” build.  Sheesh!

Now I’m satisfied with the pattern, and the next step is to cut the wood.  I picked up quarter inch craft plywood from Joann.  This is definitely going to be my least favorite part of the build.