don't know for sure, but sounds like it'd have to be made custom.
how about 'over' cabinets across the width of the pantry? You could keep extra supplies up there. I really wouldn't want to be continually opening a door that is 9-10' in height. I surely couldn't reach the upper part w/o a step stool (probably a ladder for me) so it isn't where I'd keep anything I might need on a regular basis.

I was hoping I would have more angles from when they installed this one. I believe the upper portion has a back, but there is not a back behind the drawers, which would work with a single piece of plywood. (This one is 9' tall and 48" wide.)

This is the best I could find of the side. You can't really tell it in the photo, but I am almost certain it is all one piece. The wood is european beech. If it isn't one piece, then it is two pieces with a vertical line, like 2 - 12' planks. I will try to remember to check sometime, but it will be a week or two before I am at that house again.

desertsteph,

Yes, I will have an upper cabinet if I have to but I wanted to try a "continuous run" first.

aa62579,

Thanks for the pix!!!

Your pantry sides look made of one piece each, at least on the pix.

I too was thinkng of doing bottom drawers. I think I will go with a design similar to yours. Makes it easier, right?

BTW, Where did you get European beech??? I wanted a (larger) table top made to match my table base made of beechwood and the furniture maker I talked to told me I couldn't get that wood locally as it is not commonly used.

Also, it seems that the tops of your cabinets do not go all the way to the ceiling. Are you going to add crown molding?

I ask b/c I am not sure how that molding thing works and whether the cabinets need to touch the ceiling.

Tx again!

Hi, eleena. I'm not sure what your plywood is for: Back (against the wall?), sides? What are using to frame it in? Here are some options:

- Stock cabinetmakers have standard sizes, and most pantry units come in standard depths (18, 24, 27 inches), a variety of widths (48 is common), and most come in 84, 90 and 96 inch heights. If you want a to-the-ceiling look, you could add crown molding. Check Ikea, Lowes, Home Depot, Craftmaid and other stock cabinet suppliers.

- As others have noted, you could stack stock wall cabinets over base cabinets in different combination to get the height and utility you want (i.e. drawers lower, doors higher, etc.).

- Most custom cabinetmakers build boxes similar to the stock cabinet companies and make it fit the space perfectly.

- If you're building your own, yes, you could frame it with dimensional lumber and cover with plywood, which comes in standard sizes and you'll fit the seams together. Want a shaker look? Then trim it out, covering the seams. Will you paint or stain? You could always purchase a laminate or wood veneers end panel from a cabinet company for a finished look. We like working with birch veneer plywood, which finishes beautifully, but it's not cheap, so don't use it for templating or practice! Anyway, just a few thoughts.

Cabinets go to ceiling within a couple of inches from the ceiling where it is flat. The trim is just a couple of inches. This pantry unit is actually under the vaulted part of the house (somewhere between the builder and the cabinet maker, they got off a few inches which is why it starts in the flat kitchen. Very noticeable in pictures, but in real life you don't notice it at all.)

You can sort of see the outline of the trim here:

This is one of the bathroom linen cabinets that has a similar construction, but it is not as big, maybe 42" x 18", but you can see the trim up top better. I want to say that they moved these onto the toe kick bases after they stood them up.

You can see the crown a bit better here. Not big at all. The sink cabinet and the stove cabinet jut out a few inches and it highlights that a bit, but mostly was used just in case the ceiling would be uneven anywhere.

As far as where the wood came from, our local custom cabinet builder has it as a choice. Same price as hard maple.

I found the pricing and it lists it as 2 3/4 crown - 1/4 flat screen.

All the cabs for the kitchen and two bathrooms was under 10K.

I should also mention that although this is a "pantry cabinet", they have a large walk in pantry around the corner (maybe 11' x 7', but it also has a deep freeze and additional fridge in it). They are still slowly moving into this house and we are just starting to put things up in the kitchen, so not entirely certain everything that will end up getting stored in here. Everything that is once a year type stuff goes up on the top shelves. Stuff that is used often gets the eye level or drawer locations. The shelves inside the pantry unit (and basically everywhere else) are all adjustable. If I were using this as my only pantry, I would want to have slide outs as small stuff will get lost in the back. Not really a worry with what we have stocked it with so far. The bottom drawers seem great so far. Our cabinet maker has this same unit in his house and I know he keep cereals, chips, snacks, etc. in the big drawers.

She has a pretty tall step ladder and she can reach the top shelf, but not to the back of it. For that, she has to bring in the 8' ladder or get my dad (he has about a foot on her).

We chose this ladder for it's 250 lb weight capacity, wide standing platform, and rubber legs. You actually feel very sturdy on it and don't worry making sure your weight plus the weight of whatever you are holding is under the threshold. Werner 3' Steel Project Ladder

Where should I look for 9' or 10' panels?

I found Lyptus plywood online but would prefer to get it locally, if possible.

We got our cabinetry plywood from more of a specialty lumber business that carries wood for furniture and architectural applications, not a big box or regular lumber yard... Although either may be able to special order. You might have to tell us where you live, in case someone knows of such a place in your area, or you might have to do some research for local resources.

10' plywood is available, but typically special order. HD may have it available that way (I've never asked), but if not, then look for your local lumberyards that tend to sell to contractors and other businesses. If they don't have it, ask them who would. The networking will eventually get you to the local place that can get it.

On another note, here's how I build a cabinet/broom closet with 8' plywood in a room that had 9' ceilings:

Raised toekick/roomba storage on a bottom "platform"

With a box of crown around the top to make up the difference (I was also hiding a drain pipe that came out of the ceiling; hence the overhang):

You might also ask in the woodworking forum.

Thank you, thank you!

I'll look for specialty lumber yards. This discussion helped me re-think the entire pantry thing. The problem is that is right next to the door to the bedroom. It might look weird to have a tall cabinet starting right at the door trim.

Is 18" deep pantry OK?

Alternatively, I can have a 21" deep base cabinet and then stack a 12" or 13" cabinet on top of it, which is pretty much the current layout except the upper cabinet is a regular one and does not come all the way to the counter.

Add the fact that the cabinets are framed and have no drawers - and the entire thing results in a lot of wasted space.

rhome410,

I am pretty sure that (unfortunately) you don't live where I am, LOL.

I am good at finding stuff, but knowing where to look helps a lot as my head is falling off b/c of too much research. :-)

I thought there may be others here who might know your area and could help.

18" deep sounds good, but so does your idea to do the deeper base with a shallower stack on top, especially if you don't want the deeper, tall side by your doorway.

I remember seeing a picture similar to that.

Here is the source with some commentary on it

Rhome410,

I know what you meant. :-)

But I am crazy when it comes to Internet privacy, LOL.

aa62579,

Yes, something like that would work, thank you!

I think I will have drawers in the base, similar to the pix you posted earlier.

If you are building it yourself, you may want to check out his link.

Pantry Cabinet