Garage shelf build went off the rails, need assistance!

My first two sets of shelves went fine, no problems at all. They are fairly overbuilt, but that was intentional -- I do not want to be constrained by weight limits, sag, or racking when storing things. I went with an unusual ledger support system, with 2x4 supports screwed into the studs and the frame of the shelf resting on those, as well as notched 4x4 posts in the front. This was primarily because there is baseboard moulding, and I didn't want to have to individually cut the moulding to fit a 2x4 flush with the wall and ground. I also included L-brackets/corner braces to connect the 4x4 posts to the shelf frame. The problem has been on the last set of shelves. In the first picture, the red lines are where I'm getting indications from my stud finder that there is electricity behind the wall. There are no lower outlets to the right or left of the photo, so I'm struggling to understand why I would be getting electrical readings 2-3 feet or more below the outlets. The horizontal red line is presumably where they ran the wires through the studs, below the outlets, to connect them all. I say this because I used a very small drill bit to drill through the drywall (where the middle of a stud was) and I hit a metal plate, presumably put on the edge of the stud to protect the wires. With that said, why in the world would wires be running vertically up and down seemingly every stud if they were run horizontally through the studs, especially with no lower outlets? I've used this stud finder for years now, including all over my pole barn where I did 400 amps of wiring myself, and know exactly where all the wires are behind the walls. It doesn't give electrical readings unless the wires are within maybe 4-6" or less of where the stud finder is. But I'm getting readings like every stud has wires going vertically. I then tried to pivot to just using front and back 4x4 posts, without any attachment to the wall, but with the height of the shelves, they rack way too much. The height of these shelves was for a purpose: to be able to put my pressure washer, Graco sprayer, tiller, and other assorted items underneath for easy access. However, I don't see how to make it stable without attaching the back of the frame into studs, and I don't know how to attach the back of the frame to studs if there are electrical wires seemingly running up every single stud. I would love any suggestions for how to secure this or make it sturdy. Should I maybe lower the height of the shelf to the same height as the shelf on the perpendicular wall, and then try to attach the side of the shelf to the front of the other shelf with structural screws (I used GRK RSS 1/4" x 3-1/2" for almost every connection)? What about the other side of the shelf that would be closest to the door? Appreciate any help! submitted by /u/DeepDreamIt [link] [comments]

May 25, 2025 - 13:46

My first two sets of shelves went fine, no problems at all. They are fairly overbuilt, but that was intentional -- I do not want to be constrained by weight limits, sag, or racking when storing things. I went with an unusual ledger support system, with 2x4 supports screwed into the studs and the frame of the shelf resting on those, as well as notched 4x4 posts in the front. This was primarily because there is baseboard moulding, and I didn't want to have to individually cut the moulding to fit a 2x4 flush with the wall and ground. I also included L-brackets/corner braces to connect the 4x4 posts to the shelf frame.

The problem has been on the last set of shelves. In the first picture, the red lines are where I'm getting indications from my stud finder that there is electricity behind the wall. There are no lower outlets to the right or left of the photo, so I'm struggling to understand why I would be getting electrical readings 2-3 feet or more below the outlets. The horizontal red line is presumably where they ran the wires through the studs, below the outlets, to connect them all. I say this because I used a very small drill bit to drill through the drywall (where the middle of a stud was) and I hit a metal plate, presumably put on the edge of the stud to protect the wires.

With that said, why in the world would wires be running vertically up and down seemingly every stud if they were run horizontally through the studs, especially with no lower outlets? I've used this stud finder for years now, including all over my pole barn where I did 400 amps of wiring myself, and know exactly where all the wires are behind the walls. It doesn't give electrical readings unless the wires are within maybe 4-6" or less of where the stud finder is. But I'm getting readings like every stud has wires going vertically.

I then tried to pivot to just using front and back 4x4 posts, without any attachment to the wall, but with the height of the shelves, they rack way too much. The height of these shelves was for a purpose: to be able to put my pressure washer, Graco sprayer, tiller, and other assorted items underneath for easy access. However, I don't see how to make it stable without attaching the back of the frame into studs, and I don't know how to attach the back of the frame to studs if there are electrical wires seemingly running up every single stud.

I would love any suggestions for how to secure this or make it sturdy. Should I maybe lower the height of the shelf to the same height as the shelf on the perpendicular wall, and then try to attach the side of the shelf to the front of the other shelf with structural screws (I used GRK RSS 1/4" x 3-1/2" for almost every connection)? What about the other side of the shelf that would be closest to the door?

Appreciate any help!

submitted by /u/DeepDreamIt
[link] [comments]