For a very long time, I’ve wanted to install a walking desk. We currently have three partially working treadmills in our garage that can probably be reconfigured into one or maybe two fully working units. I’ve had my eye on them as the foundation for a walking desk for a while. I finally began research in earnest about how best to convert the treadmills into a tread-desk, only to find that it’s probably not a great idea. The existing units will use up too much space, aren’t designed for long usage periods at low speeds, and generally aren’t going to be worth the trouble.

Undeterred, I switched gears and decided that I would try a standing desk. Since this is a proof-of-concept, I decided that I wouldn’t spend any money, just use bits and baubles that I had. When I moved back home from my office, I had several desks that went into storage, so I was fairly certain that I could find a desktop to augment my standard L-shaped desk that I already had in my home office.

I investigated the proper height for a standing desk for me, and it is supposed to be 45.5”. I couldn’t really get a fix on what the best width was for a standing desk, so I decided that I would use the 48″ work surface that the lefthand side of the L provided. Once I had settled on the dimensions, I had to decide where to relocate my desk. My existing office configuration had the desk situated in the middle of the room. Originally there had been two guest chairs, then one, and finally the guest chairs were replaced by wireframe shelving units that held plastic Sterilite boxes for all sorts of different things. While the evolution had been gradual and logical, the shelves needed to go. I had considered adding a futon to my office so that I would have a comfortable place to sit and read. The futon would also double as sleeping space when we had a houseful…especially around the holidays.

After a bit of soul-searching, I’ve decided to hold off on the futon. I may still install a comfortable reading chair with proper lighting, but the location is yet to be determined. Plus, we don’t have such a chair at present, so I’ll have to wait until we can fit it into our budget.

With the removal of the metal shelves and futon from the room plan, the southwest corner of the room seemed to be begging for the desk. Due to some built-in bookshelves, it was the most logical corner. More importantly, it meant that I could get the desk moved much faster. The only other possible location currently has a four-drawer lateral filing cabinet. Frankly I didn’t relish the thought of emptying the cabinet, moving it, then refilling it. I know that I need to scan many of the papers in the cabinet, and now is simply not the time for that task. So the southwest corner won the coin-toss.

After clearing off my existing L-shaped office desk, cleaning the floor and the desk thoroughly, and turning the desk 90 degrees, I had the start for my new workstation. I then found a shipping box from Home Depot that has three form-fitting boxes inside. The box seemed sturdy enough (especially with the other three boxes inside lending support), and it was just a 1.5” shorter than my ideal height. I then scrounged around my storage unit and found a desktop that was exactly the width I wanted, but 3” deeper. I slid the L-shaped desk out from the wall those 3”, placed the shipping box on top of the desk, and then put the desktop on top of the box.

Voilá, a fairly sturdy standing desk that measures 44.5” from the floor. I’ve been using the desk a little bit over the past two hours and I like the height. I’ve ordered an anti-fatigue mat per recommendations from several websites. Once that’s installed I’l decide whether I have to boost the desktop upwards a bit.

In the meantime, I wanted to post this because I’d mentioned to several people on social media that I was going to get this done, and had the audacity to tell folks in the #sidehustlechat last night that I was going to get it done today.

I took the challenge I’d set for myself and the standing portion of the desk is done. It’s still going to take a bit to get fully moved into the seated portion, but at least I’ve gotten started. My current plan is to work part of the day at the standing desk and the remainder at my desk in our kitchen. The amount of time I spend in each location will be somewhat impacted by Hectic Grandson’s schedule and the tasks that I have set out for the day.

Have you considered using a standing or walking desk? Have you used either? If you have, I’d love to hear what your plans or experience has been in the comments.

Make it a great day!