Charles, thank you very much for taking the time to provide your reply. I really appreciate it and those of the others on this forum.
I think the 'more trouble' comment was meant to be helpful. Folks who have 'built something like this' often learn hard lessons in the process. PPPPP seems the primary lesson here. Incorporating the pipe into the vanity would have been my first thought. KIS!
I am sure it was meant to be helpful and that is how I took it. Really, I just wanted an excuse to use my tools and maybe "have" to buy some new ones. LOL.
Believe it or not, THIS was keeping it simple.
It is difficult to 'fix' an issue from afar and as well from two-dimensional images that offer but a narrow view of the room (in this case).
That is an excellent point. Unfortunately, not only is the view I provided narrow, but the room also. It is only a 4.5' x 10' bathroom so those were the best angles I could get that included the vanity and area in which I was working.
I see electrical devices on that wall to the left and would be concerned that a 'tall' cabinet might encroach upon one or more of them...
After reality set in we ditched the idea of a tall set of shelves there.
My suggestion would be to move the vanity to the left flush up against the wall and hide the drain/vent piping in the vanity itself...
What is the diameter of that waste/vent piping? Looks like 2" Curious to learn how it came to be in that location and what, if anything 'hid' it before. Wasn't the old vanity by any chance?
That just wasn't possible. The pipe is indeed 2". This is in a double-wide manufactured home and the interior wall are 2x3's. The top of the pipe for the vent is 1.5" so it is in the wall. To move the pipe would have required a lot more work, some under the house, that I did not want to get into nor pay for...thus the shelves.
The original "vanity" did cover the pipe but it was really just a countertop with panelling for sides and a couple of doors on the front. They were able to cut the panelling and slide it over the pipe during construction. For a new vanity, I would have had to cut a section out of the entire side or cut and re-install the pipe - again too much work for me or maybe I should say more trouble than it's worth.
I determined that the least invasive thing to do would be to cut a 4" hole in the side for the pipe and fittings to pass through. and of course build the cover for the pipe.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply and share your wisdom and experience.