My father was always remodeling whatever house we lived in so I watched him. I now have my own power tools in the back garage and know how to use them. I also have a very handy construction neighbor that will show me how to use a tool if I've forgotten how as I don't play with them as much as I used to. My sewing room is in the basement of an older 120 yr house so it tends to seep moisture from the concrete floor in the spring. I used to have bookcases until I realized I had a leak on that side of the room so replaced them with freestanding shelves so off the floor. My walls were covered with chipboard so no problem finding a stud while screwing the brackets in. I also acquired 6 more feet of shelving this way too.YEAH!!!!! The old bookcases got sprayed with bleach to rid it of the mold that developed and then taken up to my Library so I could finally unbox my hardback book collection. Really happy with these shelves too.
Good luck building your shelves and keeping it secret from your hubby.