DIY closet organization on a budget simple and cheap

How to buil a DIY closet organization on a budget

Building your own custom DIY closet organization on a budget simple and cheap isn’t as hard as you think.
I will show you how to do it with a circular saw and power drill and a few other awesome little jigs.
So here is how to build a custom reach-in DIY closet organization on a budget simple and cheap. It’s a great weekend project to add lots of storage and organization to a small closet.

Materials to make this DIY project

Wood Products
1.5 Plywood , ¾” Thick
.5 Plywood , ¼” Thick
5 Boards , 1x6x8
2 Boards , 1x8x8
1 Board , 1x4x8
2 Boards , 1x3x8

Hardware & Supplies
1 Box Of 1 ¼” Pocket Hole Screws (See Tools List)
1 Edge Banding
5 Drawer Pulls Of Choice
1 Wood Glue
1 Paint Of Your Choice
10 10″ Drawer Slides (2 Per Drawer)
1 Box Of 5mm Shelf Pins

Cut List & Parts
3 Plywood- Sides , ¾” Plywood @ 80 X 11 ¼”
2 Plywood- (Shelves Side 2) , ¾” Plywood @ 36 X 11 ¼”
2 Plywood- (Shelves Side 1) , ¾” Plywood @ 33¾” X 11 ¼”
6 Plywood- (Small Shelves) , ¾” Plywood @ 16½” X 11 ¼”
1 Plywood- (Divider) , ¾” Plywood @ 42½” X 11 ¼”
2 Boards- (Short Cleats) , 1 X 4 Boards @ 16 ½”
1 Boards- (Long Cleat) , 1 X 4 Boards @ 36”
3 Boards- (Drawer Fronts) , 1 X 8 Boards @ 33 ½”
2 Boards- (Drawer Fronts) , 1 X 6 Boards @ 33 ½”
6 Boards- (Drawer Long Sides) , 1 X 6 Boards @ 31 ½”
6 Boards- (Drawer Short Sides) , 1 X 6 Boards @ 10 ½”
4 Boards- (Drawer Short Sides) , 1 X 3 Boards @ 10 ½”
4 Boards- (Drawer Short Sides) , 1 X 3 Boards @ 31 ½”

Directions to make DIY closet organization

1- Prepare the boards
-Make the cuts per the cut list.
-Review the plans and make pocket holes where needed. Pocket holes in plywood are made with ¾” setting on the pocket hole jig and drill bit collar.
-Apply edge banding to all the edges that will be visible.

2- Attach the permanent shelves

-Attach the bottom and top shelf using 1¼” pocket hole screws. The pocket holes face outwards so they are hidden.
-The height of the bottom shelf is determined by the baseboard.

3- Attach divider to the middle shelf.

-Attach the divider to the middle shelf using wood glue and 1 ¼” pocket hole screws.

4- Attach the divider to closet side.

Attach the divider and middle shelf to the side using wood glue and pocket hole screws

5- Attach the small shelf

Attach the second small shelf to the divider using wood glue and pocket hole screws.

6- Attach the other side

Turn the entire structure over onto the other side and attach using wood glue and pocket hole screws.

7- Attach the cleats

-Attach the short cleats to the back of the organizer with wood glue and pocket hole screws.
-The pocket hole screws are on the outside so they are hidden once the organizer is installed in the closet.
-This is the perfect time to use the shelf pin jig to make the shelf pin holes.

8- Build drawers

-Build the drawer boxes as shown below
-There are total 5 boxes – Two built using 1×3 boards and 3 built using 1×6 boards.
-The drawer box can be built in two ways – either with the bottom sitting in a dado groove or on the outside.
-Install the drawer slides and ensure it works.
-Install the drawer fronts.

9- Build other side of the closet

-Attach the long shelf and long cleat to each other using pocket hole screws and wood glue.
-Attach this to the side.
-The pocket holes that attach to the shelf face outwards but the pocket holes attaching to the side face inside.

10- Attach to the closet

-Attach the closet organizer built in step 7 to the wall using 3” screws into studs through the cleats.
-Attach the second organizer side to the first side using pocket hole screws.
-Once attached, use 3” screws and attach the cleat to studs in the wall.

11- Attach second shelf