Planning a Storage-Bin Drawer: My Patio Mockup and Frame

A camper van storage plan becomes easier to work through when you separate three things: the containers, the drawer carrying them and the cabinet around the drawer. In my Day 106 project, I worked on that arrangement with timber on the patio, a rubber-lined drawer and the bins placed in the assembly.

I wanted storage for tools, hardware and other items I would use while working on the van on the road. I started the layout in SketchUp, then cut timber to represent the roof dimensions on the patio. That gave me a physical space in which to develop the drawer and cabinet frame together.

The useful part of this stage was seeing the separate pieces become one arrangement: the box frame, base panel, lining, slide connections and containers. My Day 106 build diary records the sequence and dimensions. This guide brings those notes and photographs together as a fit-planning workflow.

Plan The Bin, Drawer And Cabinet Separately

The bin is the container I need to reach. The drawer is the assembly that carries it. The cabinet is the surrounding frame that provides the space for the drawer and its movement. Each has its own dimensions, and each asks a different question.

Start by putting the actual containers into the intended arrangement. Check their widest points, including the lids and handles. Then work out the inside space the drawer needs to hold them. The drawer's outer dimensions also include its frame and base; the cabinet has to accommodate that assembly and the chosen slide arrangement.

Three Sets Of Measurements For A Storage Plan

Part	What To Record	What To Try In The Mockup
Bin	Widest outside footprint, height with lid, handle positions	Reach the handles, remove the lid and lift the container
Drawer	Outside frame size, inside space after lining, base and sides	Place all the intended bins together and reach around them
Cabinet	Outside frame size, clear opening and slide positions	Move the drawer through its travel and check the surrounding space

Keeping these measurements on separate rows makes a change easier to follow. A thicker lining changes the drawer's usable inside space. A different container can change the space needed for its lid or handles. Update the affected rows before carrying the change into the frame.

Why I Started With A Patio Mockup

My first two recorded steps were designing the storage system in SketchUp and cutting 2×4s to simulate the roof dimensions on the patio. I could then work on the storage-bin drawer within that physical layout. The timber on the ground provided a reference for the space I was planning around.

A mockup is useful when it gives you something specific to try. Put the containers where they would sit, stand where you would retrieve them and allow room for the drawer to move. Keep a note of which measurement belongs to the roof reference, which belongs to the drawer and which belongs to the cabinet.

I use the same relationship between a model and a physical check in my SketchUp layout workflow. The model keeps the arrangement organized; the physical pieces make it easier to examine handles, edges and access.

My Recorded Drawer And Cabinet Dimensions

My diary gives a total size for the drawer assembly and a separate total size for the cabinet frame. The cabinet was intended to hold two rows of storage-bin drawers. Keeping those two records side by side makes the hierarchy of the project easier to understand.

Dimensions Recorded In My Day 106 Notes

Assembly	Width	Depth	Height
Storage-bin drawer — total dimensions	29¾ inches	19 3/16 inches	3⅞ inches
Cabinet frame — total dimensions	34 inches	20 inches	36 inches

For your own fit record, give the clear inside measurements their own fields alongside the total dimensions. Measure the opening where the container actually sits and the route through which it will be removed. That keeps the space occupied by timber, lining and hardware visible in the plan.

The photographs help connect the numbers to the assembly: the rectangular drawer frame becomes the lined tray, and that tray connects to the taller cabinet frame. Compare each photograph with the corresponding row of measurements as you work through the sequence.

How I Built Up The Frame And Base

I measured and cut the timber for the drawer, drilled the pieces and screwed them together into a box frame. Next, I attached galvanized right-angle brackets inside the corners. The base followed: I marked the sheet for screw locations, drilled it and fastened it to the frame.

That order left the frame and corner connections visible before the lining went in. It also gave me distinct stages to photograph. A wider frame picture shows the arrangement of the members, while a close view of a connection records where the bracket and fasteners sit.

The next cabinet stage used a taller timber frame to hold the drawer rows. My notes then record attaching drawer sliders to both the cabinet frame and the storage-bin drawer. For the broader fastening terminology and product choices, my wood-screw guide is the related reference.

Fitting The Rubber Lining To The Drawer

I cut the rubber mat with scissors to cover the drawer. After cleaning the wood, I applied spray adhesive in sections and used a roller to press the material into place. The base and the sides were separate pieces, with shorter cuts used around the sides.

I also used screws and flat washers to attach the mat to the timber and base panel. The close-up photograph shows that fastening detail clearly. My reason for adding the lining was to put rubber between the containers and the drawer, with the aim of reducing noise and vibration.

The MYOYAY mat item page follows this material through my drawer project. When recording a similar fit, measure the inside space again after the lining is in place. Keep the finished inside dimensions with the container measurements so that the record describes the arrangement you are actually using.

Check Drawer Travel And Container Access Together

The extended-drawer photograph is the useful checkpoint for this part of my project. It shows the bins carried out from the timber cabinet frame. The diary's material list includes AOLISHENG full-extension drawer slides.

Work through the access sequence as a set of ordinary movements: pull the drawer out, reach the handles, take off a lid and lift a bin. Look at the space above the container as well as the space in front of the drawer. A bin can sit neatly in a tray and still need extra room for the way you intend to handle it.

Record the slide's closed length, actual travel and specified mounting space separately. Then photograph the drawer closed and extended from a similar viewpoint. Those paired views help explain where the moving assembly sits relative to the surrounding frame.

Use The Bin, Drawer And Cabinet Fit Worksheet

Download The Storage Fit Worksheet

The blank CSV provides separate rows for the containers, drawer frame, lined interior, cabinet opening, slides and access movements. Choose one measurement unit for your record and keep a source or photograph beside each dimension.

1. Measure the containers. Include their lids, handles and the space needed to lift them.
2. Record the drawer. Keep total frame dimensions and clear lined space in separate rows.
3. Record the cabinet. Note the opening and the frame members around the moving drawer.
4. Check the movement. Record the slide arrangement and try the complete retrieval sequence.
5. Carry the next action forward. Write a specific measurement or fit check, then add its result to the same record.

My takeaway from this stage is that the containers, drawer and cabinet were developed together. The Day 106 entry records 12 hours of work and ends with a plan to continue the roof-storage project. The photographs preserve the fit and construction stages reached that day.

Two Alternative Storage-Bin Designs To Compare

The HOMZ bins appear in my Day 106 materials list. Rubbermaid Roughneck and Sterilite Industrial totes are two other container designs to compare when developing a drawer layout. Put the chosen container's measured footprint, lid and handle positions into the same fit worksheet.

My HOMZ storage-bin item page connects the container record to the drawer photographs. The alternatives below are comparison options.