Community Brag Posts

The no more "you make a better door than a window" media cabinet

Submitted by bookette on Sun, 08/12/2012 - 12:30

I absolutely fell in love with the Tall Corner Media Console the moment it was posted. We had a decent corner stand for our TV, but it was low and was hard to watch when kids and adults alike were constantly saying "I can't SEE!" or "You're in my WAY!". I've learned that explaining "you make a better door than a window" over an over to a 7yo and a 4yo only takes longer.

Two dilemmas faced us:
1 - Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? DH insisted that we needed a big screen tv before building the console. I insisted that we needed the console first, so that we would have a place for the tv. Since it was determined the that console was cheaper than a tv, I won :)

2- What to color it? Paint? Stain? I was the one building, so DH said he didn't care, but that he liked the idea of staining. Having never stained before I was a bit intimidated - paint was my safety net. DH got this one, but only after I made him choose the stain.

I have the doors built and they are in the garage. With other things in the living room we wouldn't be able to open them all the way anyway. That and my final build weekend topped out at 105+ deg - and I was DONE being outside :) All in all, i like the open look of it, although I reserve the right to install those doors if need be.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Stain - Vermont Maple
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

debandtom25

Thu, 08/30/2012 - 18:18

You did a fabulous job and I can definitely see it working without the doors too. The nice thing about stain is that can easily be covered with paint, if you change your mind down the road.

Fancy X Farmhouse Table

This is my first project and I am so happy with it! Thanks for the plans!

You can see my step by step process here:

http://ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com/blog/category/table/

I'm especially happy with how I was able to attach the top to the bottom without drilling through the top. I describe that here:

http://ordinaryhappilyeverafter.com/blog/2012/08/my-table-is-done/

Thanks for the inspiration!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
< 150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean (2 coats)
1 coat polycrylic satin finish on top followed by 3 coats of wax
3 coats polycrilic high gloss finish on base
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Coffe Table

Submitted by tmunds on Tue, 08/28/2012 - 22:16

After the high of finishing my first build (http://ana-white.com/2012/08/farmhouse-table-rustic-table), I was quick to find my next fix. My mom was so impressed with the table, she trusted me to build her another piece of furniture for our very empty new home. She liked the look of this coffee table, so I adjusted the dimensions to meet her needs and away I went. It was pretty fun and not too difficult. It was a little more time consuming that I had anticipated, but that was mostly due to the two different finishes on the legs/apron and the top.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
For the legs and skirt/apron: Sanded 120 grit then 220, painted with Rust-Oleum heirloom white (spray paint, one coat), then sanded down on the edges to get the distressed look.

Table top: Minwax Dark Walnut (One Coat brushed on pretty heavy, then wiped off the excess after 15 minutes).

Finished with three coats of Minwax Water Based Clear Gloss Polyurethane (Brushed), sanding with 220 grip sandpaper between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor sofa/sectional

Submitted by Davidmarks on Sun, 07/19/2020 - 00:01

This project was fun! My kids help me! We still got to stain the table legs. Thank you Ana for everything! We got are cushions from home Depot $25 each 6x25x3

Estimated Cost
$100 we had the wood, fire pit and material
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Redwood transparent stain
Polyurethane cushions from Home Depot
Fabric from Walmart
Fire pit from lowes
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Bench with soft-close drawers for Front Entry

Submitted by drickstan on Tue, 08/11/2020 - 10:43

We needed a bench to fill the space in our front entry and provide some storage for seasonal gear. We couldn't find anything to buy that would work for us, so when my wife found these plans, I had to try it! Couldn't be happier with the results. We widened the bench by a foot to 84" to fill the space. Basically, it just made each drawer 4" wider. Everything else was built to plan. The most expensive thing was the soft-close 24" drawer slides (~$100). As soon as you go above that 24" depth, they get pricier! It was also tricky to get the drawers to catch properly on the soft-close mechanisms, but I made sure to take the time to get it right before closing it all in. Now I just open and close the drawers for the pure satisfaction of it! I used premium pine plywood for the top and I find it still doesn't give that smooth finish I like, even after sanding. I think I'll create a new top out of joined knotty pine planks later and just attach it to the top.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300 CAD
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Primer and pearl finish paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Large Plant Caddy

Used cedar fence planks. These were pretty cheap at Home Depot. My husband wanted to use them for another project, but ended up not needing them. So instead of returning, I used them! I needed a caddy to hold a planter well over 150lbs. My husband and I had to load on a dolly to move around. It was made out of 2 planks and I added copper wheels (each wheel holds about 80lbs) from Lowe’s. I had a few extra planks, and made an herb window planter...I’ll post on that too!!

Estimated Cost
12
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax- Sedona Red/ Totalboat Halcyon Clear Amber Gloss.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Our closet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/18/2017 - 20:19

We made smaller ones for each side of the closet. Love it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Sofa table

Submitted by blondewolf on Wed, 11/11/2020 - 05:24

We are building a small rental cabin in the Red River Gorge and I needed a sofa table to do double duty. We needed a place for people to eat that would also be a useful sofa table when lounging. I modified this piece from the plan; very beginner friendly I’d say, lol. The bottom is painted glossy black and the top is stained a grayish blue. Galvanized hardware finished it off on top. I chose not to use the side arms once I brought it inside.

Estimated Cost
$65, I used scraps for the base. I already had the stain and varnish. Biggest cost was the galvanized pipe.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Black gloss paint for base and gray blue stain (my own concoction) for top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

coffee table

Submitted by DanGraves on Wed, 11/26/2014 - 09:12

This was the first table we built.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35.00 for wood and stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Kitchen Corner Cabinet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/20/2017 - 22:48

I saw http://www.ana-white.com/2013/02/plans/wall-kitchen-corner-cabinet and knew this was the project I wanted to do in our new home. The side cabients are from http://www.ana-white.com/2013/12/plans/36-wall-cabinet-double-door-momp… project, redesined to fit the wall-kitchen-corner-cabinet plans. This was my first cabient build. Still have to install doors. I am happy way it came out and so is wife.

Thanks Ana for your great site and plans. My next project is the storage sofa :D

Estimated Cost
about 400$ I live in Philippines and cost was around 2000 PhP.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Acrylic paint, 3 coats wet sanded in between coats. Inside is Boysen chocolate enamel.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Tall Secretary Cabinet with Modifications

Submitted by Stacie on Mon, 12/29/2014 - 08:15

I built this desk as part of redesigning my homeschool room, and made a few customizations to better fit our needs.  It's taller and deeper than the plans, which allowed for a larger work opening for a larger computer.  It also gave me much needed extra storage space.  

 

The cabinet is made from 3/4" and 1/4" PureBond birch plywood cut down to size using my Kreg Rip-Cut.  The frame is built from pine 1x2s and 1x1s.  The three cabinet doors are pine 1x6s and 1x2s joined together with biscuits, and trimmed to the correct size on the table saw.  Because the secretary desk is deeper than the plan and the mail slots are small, I finished with stain and polyurethane prior to assembly.  This saved a lot of frustration of trying to stain in tight spaces.

 

Thank you for the plans, Ana!

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Dark Walnut, Minwax Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Dining Table & Bench

On a rainy morning in early January 2015, my wife and I were sipping our coffees and starting to get ready to take on the day. It was a Saturday morning, so we didn't have to go to work. We had moved into our house about a year ago so a few of our rooms were still a little bare and simply acted as play rooms for our daughter.

I walked out of my office, and looked over to the empty dining room which was immediately adjacent. Coming from a large Italian family, most of my childhood took place around a large dining room table at my grandmother's house outside of Philadelphia, PA. This empty room just didn't seem right. I decided to do something about it.

I remembered walking around Restoration Hardware seeing this amazing farmhouse table that was around $2000. Way out of our price range for a simple dinind room table. It also didn't come with any benches or chairs. It would have cost me around $2600 when all was said and it just gave me some severe heartburn.

I stumbled upon Ana's site here and decided to look around a little. Low and behold almost the exact same table was featured here. After getting over a short panic attack about building a piece of furniture that we would be using quite often I headed to Home Depot, got the materials, some new tools and got to work.

Not only do I think it turned out awesome, it was an amazing stress relief. Two weeks later and bought the Kreg Jig and built a matching bench. These pieces are so solid I could drive my car onto them. Thanks, Ana for the confidence to get this done the right way and save me about $2000.

Onto my next project, a jewelry armoire for my wife's valentine's present.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Special Walnut. 5 coats Satin urethane finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Sandbox with Benches

Burnt and stained with a semi transparent mahogany water sealer

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modern Loveseat and Couch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 09/26/2021 - 12:00

We were looking for outdoor furniture big enough for our whole family and friends but everything we looked at was over $5000 and really not well made. Ana to the rescue.
We built 2 loveseats and created a couch by doubling the dimensions.
We built the whole thing out of redwood so total wood was about $1000
The cushions were from Overstock and Lowes, approx $300.
There was a too much wiggle room with the cushions so we made a built-in frame to hold them in place. If we built another I would have cut the width down slightly.
We placed a 4X4 and another 2X4 on top of the back to provide more support.
All in all, love the way it turned out.

Seasonal And Holiday

My first DIY project!

Submitted by Celeste808 on Sun, 05/05/2013 - 10:30

Finally Completed!!! Thank you rainy Saturday! So I wanted a new entertainment center of sorts... couldn't find one that was just what I wanted..... so why not just build what I want! Just DIY it. ;)

I used the faux fireplace plan and modified it to have attached shelves on the sides. I also added an extra strip at the top of the fireplace opening so I could mount an LED bar light.

I used 1/4 plywood to make a tile base, penny tile, and 1/2 quarter round to finish out around the entire bottom.

Total project cost was less than $200 including the tile and light!

Best part is the whole thing is movable!

Thanks Anna White for such an awesome plan to start with!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
MDF & plywood
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spkramer

Wed, 07/03/2013 - 10:24

This whole unit is great. My wife LOVES it, which means I will be building it! Did you purchase the two shelf units or build them yourself? Did you use a pattern or plan? Thanks!

Alisonwunderland

Wed, 07/31/2013 - 13:09

This is amazing! Exactly what I'm looking for! Did you change the depth of the mantel to make sure the shelves would be deep enough to hold things?

Celeste808

Sat, 08/03/2013 - 18:25

I did make the depth of the fireplace deeper so I could have room for the halves on the side. I just sketched out the dimensions I wanted the side shelves and built them along the same lines as the fireplace. Wasn't hard to figure out and just made it to fit the size I needed. The inset of the fireplace does not go all the way back to the wall either, that way the power strip can fit on the floor behind it. Glad you like it and thanks for the compliments!

EAnne

Wed, 07/23/2014 - 14:54

Hi Celeste 808, What a wonderful faux fireplace WITH the bookcases, especially. I'm hoping I can try this in our space challenged bedroom. Did you by any change reply to the chap who asked if you had some kind of dimensions or plans you could pass along to us? I would love to see if we can make it work in the space we have available.
Thanks again for the inspiration,
e

jrybolt26

Mon, 10/28/2013 - 18:25

I absolutely love what you did with this. I am going to have my fiance help me make this for our house. If you still have the dimensions and details of how you built the whole unit I would greatly appreciate it if you could post it.

mommyof2cuties

Sun, 04/13/2014 - 13:00

This is gorgeous & I can't believe it's your 1st project. I would love to build this too. Did you use any particular plans for the side units? If you have any tips or information to share, that would be great! I've actually been trying to make up my own plans using Sketch Up, but that's not working too good, lol. Again, great job & thank you.
Lynda

emswave

Sun, 02/08/2015 - 12:31

I'm dying to know the dimensions you added to the width. Also, the dimensions of the book shelf. I have been trying to draw up plans for the last week and I'm stuck with trying to figure it out by looking at your pictures.

PLEASE HELP!

Thanks!!

mrittgers1

Mon, 07/27/2015 - 09:15

Do you have the blue print of how you built the mantel and side book shelves? I am wanting to go buy supplies to build this tonight!!!

 

Thank you!

Gardening Shelf

Submitted by MMTruncale on Thu, 05/09/2013 - 08:23

I wanted a gift for my mom. Something special and unique I think she would really like. Once on a guest post Ana posted a jewelry holder using a board, and some mismatched knobs.

My mom likes to garden. She works so hard on her back yard, and spends a lot of her time there. How could I make this outside proof? A few Pinterest finds later I found my answer: Water Spigots.

Voila! This is what we came up with.

** It's not going to hang by a string. It will be attached to her fence. This is just for picture purposes.

http://www.countryliving.com/homes/makeovers/fast-makeover-projects?src…

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish. We wanted a rustic look. It came out perffect.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Work bench with wheels

Built this over a week because the table top needed to dry and harden. I decided to paint the whole thing to make it look decent. I Kreg jigged four 2x6's together and added wood hardener to the table top. It was pretty weak because the wood was still wet so I had to dry it out for a few days. I also filled in the gaps with wood filler and then used a belt sander to smooth everything out. Everything else were just 2x4's. I knew it would be heavy so I added wheels to move it around and as a final touch I am adding 90 degree iron accent brackets to the table corners but I haven't got those delivered yet. I also added rubber screw-in feet so that the bottom doesn't chip when you move it around. Got those from Home Depot for $3

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 for wood and paint and sandpaper
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Kona stain, Golden pecan stain, polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

play table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 06/30/2017 - 06:40

This one was fun to build. I feel in love with it when I saw it. I used weather grey stain from rustoleum and I love how it turned out.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
weather grey stain from rustoleum, with 3 coats of gloss clear coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Storage bed with platform modification

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 13:06

Hi, I’m Joe and love working on my cabin in Stanley Idaho. I needed a queen size bed on the ground floor but the room is small so I incorporated the footboard into into the platform to gain 6 inches of space in the room. It took a couple months working off and on but all fun. I also made the drawers deeper front to back to maximize storage. I did this at the peak of lumber prices and spent like $900 on lumber. It came out great, my Airbnb guests love it!

Comments