While I assume most of our staff were out having a great time on the first day of winter break (we close the office for the week between Christmas and New Year’s), I rebuilt the desk in Andy’s office so I could make it standing height (lead photo).
Old buildings are full of surprises. Two weeks ago, a wet spot developed under Andy’s desk. At first he thought someone had spilled water on the carpet at the holiday party, but when the wet spot grew and soaked the carpet under his desk, it was obviously not a spill.
I pulled everything on the floor out of the office, pulled out the desk I had built-in the office several years ago, and pulled up the carpet to expose the slab. The building owners had the slab torn up and they found an uncapped floor drain under the slab that had backed up and the water eventually worked its way up through the slab and soaked the carpet. They capped the drain, replaced the wet dirt with dry fill, poured new concrete, and replaced the pad under the carpet. We left the carpet to dry for a week, got it cleaned, and then I spent yesterday rebuilding the desk so it could be raised to standing height.
I have now raised six desks at the office to standing height, as staff members want to vary between sitting on a stool or drafting chair and standing while they work. Since I had built-in most of the desks at the office between 2004 and 2008, raising the desks requires taking the desktops out, raising the frames, and reinstalling the desktops. The “L” shaped desktops are relativity easy, but the “U” shaped desktops require a certain amount of rebuilding before they can be raised to standing height (in a former life I was a cabinet and furniture maker and I also worked in construction). The last two photos show the two “U” shaped desks I raised a couple of months ago. These two were complex projects because of the shape of the desks, and the height differences between the staff members who occupy them.
Off Center & Not Even 
Great project! Thanks for showing the images.
Thanks, Susan!
That’s one hell of a project!!! Can you clarify what you mean by “standing height” Do you mean you are doing away with chairs?
No! We have to replace the regular task chairs with stools or drafting chairs so the staff can sit when they feel like it, but they mostly stand while they are working.
Ah, kind of what I was thinking, but wanted to be sure. I had a similar set up years ago in the studio that I worked in. Back them however we had drafting tables and side tables for the computers. 🙂
We haven’t had drafting tables in years. I built a desk for myself in the early 1990’s that another staff member uses now. Back then we used a lot of slide film for presentations, so I built a light table into the desk. Not much use for light tables anymore either.
I have to admit, I just got a wave of nostalgia for my old drafting table and chair. I think I still have a portable light box in the attic!
Nostalgia happens! 😉 Now that I’m doing film again, a light table would be useful.
Wow, what a task! Well done. Make sure you take time to relax though 🙂
Thanks, July! I’m done for the rest of the week. 😉
Beautiful work! Those are great skills to have and you are a Jack of All Trades! Yes, old buildings are full of surprises. I’ve been finding that out with the old garage here.
Thanks, Lavinia! I keep trying to become a retired handyman, but I haven’t been very successful. Laurie says handymen never get to retire. I suppose we only get to expire at some point! 🙂
Nice and I would like that in my front room. Well done.
Thanks!
Very impressive results there. Well done Sir!
Thanks, Inchcock! Not quite as exciting as you walk in Nottingham.
Oh I don’t know… TTFN.
Back at t-mobile I had what they called a “sit-stand” station, where the desk was motorized and would raise for standing. Apparently they thought that was cheaper than just getting a taller chair. Those desks maxed out at 46 inches, which I frequently did. I forget what you set my desk to at the office, but that’s what you get for having tall staff! (My desk is the tall U shape.)
Before I raised Jay’s desk a couple of years ago we looked at the adjusted “sit-stand” desks, and they were very expensive at that time. especially if we got one that was close to the same shape, but I didn’t see they made any of them that were close to the same size as Jay’s desk.
yeah no, sit-stand stations are not exactly nice. They are designed as close as possible to punish you for daring to not want to sit at a desk too low for your height or anything like that. Stupid call centers.
Impressive. Seems like a huge amount of work in a short time. Spiffed-up workspaces for the new year. 🙂
Thanks, Teagan!
Looking very good, great job! Perhaps you can rebuild my studio in your spare time…?? 😉
Thanks, Herman! I’ve send you some rebuild vibes.
Good job. I’ve been wondering about standing desk for home but can’t work out where I’d put it. Mind you, have no skills to make big modifications myself.
Thanks, Olga! Standing desks are becoming quite popular, and I noticed there is now a fairly large selection of adjustable standing desks available at much lower prices then there was a couple of years ago. Once you find the space, you can probably find a standing desk to fit the space.
So much for a Christmas break! Looking good though, and I bet you’re happy to have got it done. Now for some r and r …
Thanks Julia! I’m not planning to do any more at the office, but there are a lot of unfinished projects at home I should consider finishing.
It’s beautiful.
Thanks, Ronaldo!
Oh wow this is so cool! I am getting a standing desk too! I think it will help with the fatigue from sitting all day! My only problem is i listening to music while I work so I could be dancing! Ya Ya! Sorry I had to say that! 😄😄
Dancing while you work is probably less distracting to co-workers that whistling while you work. Bet then… Thanks, Michelle!
[…] desks I had built several years ago and then raised to standing height in December 2014 on my post My First Day of Winter Break from December 27, […]