I was pretty skeptical of standing desks when they first became all the rage on LifeHacker, et. al. But these hipsters kept harping on dubious health benefits and were missing the best part of the standing desk: it multiplies your storage space on your desk! For a coworking space, this is a major win. I ended up kicking off a "build vertical" craze in the space.
http://moron4hire.tumblr.com/post/58110389840/last-year-i-ha...
It took me just as long to draw everything as to build the standing desk. In terms of a carpentry project, it's about as simple as they come; bird houses are harder. Also, you kind of have to "figure it out as you go", because the desk needs to be custom built to your measurements. As you can see in my drawings, everything was designed around my eye-level height and my arm length. This is a must, or you're just trading one posture problem for another.
I eventually (not pictured) also built a "draft table" feature into the lower desk top: removing the laptop, the desktop could be rotated into a slanted position to have an ergonomic writing surface.
One thing to realize is that most people's shoes (even running sneakers) have a significant heel-rise that will really screw up your standing posture and is not conducive to standing all day. I had very significant lower back pain until I started standing barefoot, wearing slippers, or standing on a slanted platform I built to counter the heel-rise of my sneakers. I liked barefoot the best, but the room I was in had a lot of sharps on the floor.
You won't be able to work all day. I could only get about 6 hours a day in until I was just too exhausted to be able to think. However, I also found that during that 6 hours I was incredibly energized and laser focused on work. I never goofed off when I used my desk. I don't know why. But 6 hours was enough to get work done.
After the first month of non-stop standing, it wasn't getting any easier. I switched between standing and sitting on a stool (which I also built, which my fellow coworkers have declared the most dangerous thing ever built in the space, but has survived longer than many store-bought chairs) all day. I still mostly stood, and only sat in the stool near the end of the day. It was also useful for getting over that 6 hour hump so I could play LAN games with the other people in the space at night.
I'm considering doing it again. Perhaps I'll get pre-fab foot stools or a step ladder. Our condo is pretty small and I've spilt out over everywhere. Having a standing desk would go a long way to keeping the peace with my wife in regards to clutter :)