7 Desktop Computer Projects That Will Save You Money

If you work from home or spend a lot of time in front of your computer, your desk may be your most important piece of furniture.

There are various options when it comes to workspace. Do you go to the desk? Permanent table? Sit and stand with an adjustable table? Which workstation you choose is up to you, but instead of buying one, have you considered building your own?

Creating a desktop is easier than you think and you can save money. These computer desk ideas will inspire you to get creative with your work.

1. Flyover

simple overpass

A trestle rack, sometimes known as an A-frame or trestle rack, is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to set up a table. All it takes is two freestanding flyovers at the edges with a table deck on top. This is it! Whether you’re buying pre-made trestle trestles or building your own custom gantry, all you have to do is choose the size and material for your work surface.

Above are the well-known IKEA FINNVARD flyovers, which have the added benefit of storage and are height adjustable. At around $50 each, they’re a little more expensive than regular trestle horns, but you’ll still have to look for a height-adjustable table at a similar price.

A more economical option would be cheap DIY horseshoes from your local hardware store, which cost roughly $25 a pair.

Price: from 70 to 200 dollars depending on the scale.

2. Cheap computer desk shelves

Shelf Standing Table — Image credit: Brandon Keepers / Opensoul.org

Is it possible to go even easier than a flyover? Yes! Two sturdy shelf brackets and a work surface of your choice can create a simple desktop that should be able to handle most everyday tasks.

Brandon Krepers, an open source GitHub advocate, was looking for an affordable rack for his home and came up with a $40 shelf instead. This is a cheap and simple computer desk that anyone can build.

If you’re going down this path, make sure you heed these tips for proper standing desk use!

Price: 40 dollars.

3. Amazon Inspired Door Table

The door table originates from the early days of the Amazon. The story goes that Jeff Bezos, along with the other Amazon founders, used doors as tables as an obvious cost-saving measure. At the time, Amazon was far from being one of the largest online retailers, and the idea of a savings table became startup legend.

Amazon now has a guide to making a door table. If you have access to an old solid door, this could save you some money.

Considering full size solid core doors cost around $90, it’s hard to see how it could be cheaper than just buying a cheap piece of wood cut to size. Either the early Amazon employees knew a good used door salesman, or the receptionist just had a smart marketing ploy from the start.

Price: $120 with a cheap door.

4. Iron Pipes Computer Desk

In recent years, the popularity of iron pipe tables has taken off, with countless Pinterest boards highlighting cool designs. It’s easy to see why. They look fantastic and are modular and simple making them perfect for any space.

Instead of buying ready table, user Instruperables designed and manufactured an iron pipe computer desk.

The assembly cost about $180, but according to the manual, it can be reduced by about $100 with access to the right tools. This design was not originally intended to be used as a permanent table and could easily be scaled down to make a regular seating table.

Price: $80 to $180 depending on available tools.

5. Fixed hybrid computer desk

Standing tables are becoming more and more popular and there are good reasons to consider an adjustable standing table an adjustable standing table an adjustable standing table However, tables that allow both standing and sitting are not cheap.

A great solution to cut the cost of a standing desk is to convert the traditional seating area into a standing area. Following our guide, we will design and build a custom table with a fixed corner costs a lot less than you think.

The resulting table here costs $150, which is less than the price of any other table designed for your home. You can buy all the parts you need at any local hardware store and assemble it with simple hand tools.

Price: $150 depending on size.

6. Counterweight Adjustable table

Adjustable work tables are great for saving space. Instead of having a large work surface with room to stand, the entire table rises and falls as needed.

They are, unfortunately, still expensive to buy ready-made. The cost, along with the desire for design, led the Instructables user to jjdebenedictis from scratch to create an adjustable table with a counterweight.

The entire project cost about $200. All materials for the build were purchased and cut from Home Depot. Assembly requires only hand tools to assemble and is easily adjustable for users of different heights.

Price: 200 dollars.