Hi all

My daughter's home daycare provider has requested that I make some built-in cabinets/shelves to surround her fireplace. This is my first "real" assignment that isnt inside my home... so I want to make sure I do it right. Here's the overall design which will be made of mostly cherry ply with cherry face frames/doors:

Gwen's fireplace.jpg

The base cabinets are fashioned very similar to a typical kitchen cabinet. The overall height of the base is 36" which is what she specifically requested. The total height is nominally 8ft which will go up to the ceiling (with applied crown moulding which isn't shown).

Two questions:

One detail I havent yet worked out is how to attach the top shelving unit to the base. I figured I'd drill an enlarged hole in the top of the base and then drive a screw from underneath the top into the end of side panels. Does this sound ok?

I've also made the unit a little narrower than the opening to allow for scribing the irregularity in the walls. Just how much should I allow?

Thanks for your feedback!

Andy