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The Grandy is one of the most-built consoles on the internet, and its engineering idea is worth naming: separation of duties. Two rough 2x3 frames — screwed together fast, hidden completely — carry all the load, while the project-panel sides, 1x4 face frame, and planked back only have to look good. The plan even says not to sweat perfection on the frames, and it means it.
At 91" long with a 2x10 top, it's a serious piece of furniture from humble stock. The details that make it read expensive: the side panels overhang the back by 1/4", creating a rabbet the back panel nests into (no visible plywood edge); the back is 1/4" ply ripped into strips and applied board-by-board for a planked look; and the base wears simple mitered 1x2 trim.
The barn doors are the signature and the flex point — the source build made them from 1/2" plywood with applied strips, but any door slab 20" x 30" works, reclaimed wood included. Hardware is the budget decision: real barn-door track is the single most expensive line here, and the DIY-hardware tutorials the plan links exist because of it. Buy or make the hardware BEFORE building the doors; track systems dictate door thickness and top clearance, and a door built first is a door built twice.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x3, 8 ftThe two concealed structural frames. | 6 each |
| 2x10, 8 ftThe top. | 2 each |
| 1x8, 8 ftShelves. | 2 each |
| 1x10, 8 ftShelves. | 2 each |
| Project panel, 3/4", 17-1/4" x 36"The sides. Sold as '18-inch' panels — measure in store; plywood or reclaimed wood substitute. | 2 each |
| Plywood or hardboard, 1/4", 4x8 sheetThe back — ripped into strips for the planked look, or applied whole. | 1 each |
| 1x2, 8 ftShelf cleats and base trim. | 3 each |
| 1x4, 8 ftFace frame. | 4 each |
| Sliding barn door hardwareThe budget-defining line item. Buy or DIY it BEFORE building the doors — track dictates door specs. | 1 each |
| Plywood, 1/2", half sheetDoor slabs, with applied strips — or reclaimed boards. | 1 each |
| Self-tapping screws, #9 x 2-1/2", star drive | 40 each |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4", 18 ga | 200 each |
| Wood glue | 8 oz |
Overall cost: $$$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Frame rails2x3 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 84" |
| Frame ends2x3 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 17" |
| Frame middles2x3 | 4 | 1 1/2" × 2 1/2" × 14" |
| Side panelsProject panel | 2 | 3/4" × 17 1/4" × 36" |
| Face frame verticals1x4 | 5 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 36" |
| Face frame horizontals1x4 | 8 | 3/4" × 3 1/2" × 17 3/4" |
| Bottom shelf boards, 1x81x8 | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 87" |
| Bottom shelf boards, 1x101x10 | 2 | 3/4" × 9 1/4" × 87" |
| Middle shelf cleats, short1x2 | 5 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 14" |
| Middle shelf cleats, long1x2 | 5 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 17" |
| Back planking1/4" plywoodRipped into strips 36" long for the planked look. | 1 | 1/4" × 48" × 36" |
| Bottom trim, front1x2Both ends 45°, NOT parallel, longest point. | 1 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 90" |
| Bottom trim, sides1x2One end 45°, longest point. | 2 | 3/4" × 1 1/2" × 18 3/4" |
| Top boards2x10 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 9 1/4" × 91" |
| Doors1/2" plywood + stripsCut to fit — and to your hardware's spec. | 2 | 1/2" × 20" × 30" |
Buy 23 boards at 8 ft.
2 boards
6 boards
Screw the 2x3 frames together — 2-1/2" screws (or 1-1/2" pocket holes with 2-1/2" pocket screws), glue at every joint. These are the console's entire structure and they will never be seen; the plan's words are 'don't be concerned about being perfect here,' and it's right. Strong beats pretty on this step.
Screw the project-panel sides to the frames (nails at 1-1/4"+ and glue also work), with the panels overhanging the BACK of the frames by 1/4". That reveal is the pocket the back panel disappears into later — the detail that hides every raw edge.
Lay the console on its back and arrange all the 1x4 face frame boards on the front. Glue and nail each down with 1-1/4" brads — or pre-build the face frame with pocket holes and attach it as a unit, the cleaner path if you have the jig.
Lay the bottom shelf boards on the lower frame and glue and nail down. Gaps between boards are fine; the shelf must NOT extend past the back frame — the sides' 1/4" overhang owns that space.
Nail and glue the 1x2 cleats to the insides at the middle-shelf height — these carry the shelf you build next. Level them against each other, not just the tape.
Assemble the middle shelf by attaching its boards to the shelf cleats with 1-1/4" brads and glue — a center gap is fine — then place it in the console and fasten from the outsides to lock it in.
Rip the 1/4" ply into strips and nail them on one at a time for the planked look — the visible texture through the open bays is worth the extra half hour. (A whole sheet works too.) 3/4" brads are ideal; 1-1/4" is fine.
Miter the 1x2 base trim around the front corners and nail with 1-1/4" brads and glue. Tight miters here — the base trim is at eye level to anyone sitting on the floor, which in front of a media console is everyone under ten.
Fasten the 2x10 top with the 2-1/2" screws from below through the top frame — flush at the back, even overhangs on the sides and front. The plan's tip: stain the top boards BEFORE attaching; finishing 91" of top against a finished carcass is fussier than it sounds.
Confirm your barn-door hardware's specs, THEN build the two ~20" x 30" doors to suit: 1/2" plywood slabs with applied strips like the source, or reclaimed boards, or anything flat and rigid. Hang them on the track, set the floor guides, and check they glide past each other without kissing.
DIY track (the tutorials the plan points to) saves real money if you're handy with metal; bought track saves an afternoon. Either way: hardware dictates doors, never the reverse.
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Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →