Community Brag Posts

Built-In Corner Media Cabinet

This was a particularly fun build for me since it was for my little guys' room! Hope Santa fills it with tech goodies on Christmas!! Please check out the details on my website! Happy Holidays!!! :D

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Semi-Gloss Latex Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

exuma_momma

Fri, 12/13/2013 - 05:38

Great job. The molding looks perfect too!! I love the name of your site. I live on an island and when I'm working on stuff I like to wear my cowgirl boots :) my friends all tease me for them...but I love getting 'sawdust on my boots'! Again, great job!!

Newbie- so I forgot to add the height of the shelf to my calculations...

Submitted by Red wicked on Sun, 03/27/2016 - 10:16

I forgot to add the height of the shelf when I measured for the placement of the two by two shelf supports, but it still turned out well. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$90 beacause the hinges were soooooooo expensive at Rockler
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic Console Project

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/06/2016 - 07:31

This was my first project building something from this site. I absolutely love it! We didnt add the X's because the miter saw was at my dad's house, which I was kind of sad about, but I think it still looks good. Not too bad for mine and my husbands first build! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Sweet Pea Bunk Bed Plans turned into a dream for our Little Girl

Submitted by ShushiGirl on Thu, 01/30/2014 - 09:01

We loved the Sweet Pea plans so much but we didn't need bunk beds. We turned it into a loft bed with a playhouse underneath. We also inverted the shelves on the stairs to be inside the playhouse due to her room size. Added a second roof and window boxes. This project was fun and took us 10 days to complete. Thank You so very much for sharing these AWESOME plans!!

Estimated Cost
$1100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
We used Baer Premium Paint sold at Home Depot
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

junior2725

Sun, 02/02/2014 - 22:11

I am looking at making this for my daughter and I also want to do a playhouse on the bottom as she is a single child. Did you just extend the opening to the bottom bunk to the floor and then extend the bottom windows down some to let in more light? Also, I love the idea of switching the storage from the stairs to inside the playhouse. If possible could you elaborate on how you did this. Thank you.

ShushiGirl

Tue, 02/04/2014 - 15:46

We omitted the bottom bunk and took it straight to the floor. We left the side panel clear but the frame until we built the stairs then added trim & side boards around the cubbies.

nadia37

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 07:51

First of all, what an amazing job on your build! I was looking for ideas for a playhouse and I will be modifying the plans for Sweet Pea Bunk beds and your build let's me know how get it can be. But what colors did you use? The look great together!

E81firegirl

Sun, 07/17/2016 - 14:49

I love the changes on this!  I had a question.  What did you use for the roof and is the lower roof section built to the same specifications as the upper roof?

3 Square Picnic Tables!

I built 3 of the square picnic tables, as we have a large extended family. I enjoyed the project and the results. I did end up adding a cross brace and some metal clips, they added a little more strength for the table when it was full of people.

Thank you for sharing your plans.

Rick

Built from Plan(s)

Modified Ultimate Roll Away Workbench with Miter Saw Stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/27/2020 - 14:28

I loved the idea of roll away cabinets that could double as more tabletops for larger projects but then be able to hide them and save space. I usually have 2 cars parked in the garage and space us at a premium. Instead of a mitersaw I placed my scrollsaw in the middle added peg board, lights, and a shelf. Thanks for the plans and the idea.

Estimated Cost
$325.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Wood working workbenches.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Kitchen Trash Pull Out Cabinet

Submitted by JoanneS on Sat, 05/26/2012 - 08:29

Plan was super easy to follow. Built a drawer type pull out so I could fit in odd sized trash cans. Made the pull-out part like an open sided drawer box, out of lightweight wood, and attached the door to it - used 75-lb euro drawer slides. Construction took a couple of afternoons, and finishing took a couple of afternoons. The finishing materials were all left over from other projects, and the plywood for the cabinet sides was left over from our kitchen island build. Topped with a leftover piece of countertop. The contractor who installed our new countertops said I did a good job on the cabinet build. I was very flattered! Ana, thank you for your wonderful plans!

Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
3 coats Benjamin Moore Aura paint in Spanish Brown (sanded between coats). Brushed on glaze (mixed 2 oz clear glaze + 1 TB flat black paint - lots left over), 2 coats of water based poly (satin) top coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Thu, 07/26/2012 - 15:16

Thank you Gina! Yep, I built the door too! :) This one is made from an edge glued Aspen wood panel (available from Lowes, ripped to size with the table saw), and then I added the wood mini-stop moulding 2" in from the edges (did these measurements and attached the trim before sanding). I did the glaze pattern over the paint so it looked like a frame and panel door when it was all done. This door is the same style we did for our pantry and island. I'm planning to do all the rest of my cabinet doors over (one at a time - ;0) to match this one. PS - I used the edge glued panel instead of plywood for the door so the edges wouldn't need any extra covering up, and also they are nice and flat and super smooth so they don't need much sanding. Aspen wood took the paint beautifully, and the grain doesn't even show through once it's painted. I had used stain grade pine panels for the pantry and island, but I think I'll stick with the Aspen for the rest of them, to save myself some sanding. ;)

Custom Gate

Submitted by zduchene on Fri, 04/18/2014 - 22:41

When we first moved into our new home one of the first things that I built for it was this custom gate that resides at the top of our stairs. We needed this to keep the baby from falling down and keep the dogs out when need be. Overall it was a great way to separate the two areas. It is also inexpensive and easy to build. I used a pneumatic nailer for all of the joinery on this one so it was quick to build as well.

Estimated Cost
75-125
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American Varathane Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Toy Box

Submitted by Abby721 on Tue, 05/12/2020 - 17:58

Super simple build with fabulous results! I have been using as a coffee table and it looks awesome and is functional for lots of toy storage as well. It would also work so great to house extra blankets and throw pillows. I added a lid support so it does not slam shut on little hands. This would also be a perfect addition to any playroom for some nice looking toy storage!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
For the legs I used Rustoleum Canyon Black paint and for the rest I first used Minwax Weathered Oak with Minwax Early American over the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modified Simple Outdoor Dining Table

Submitted by DD5.1 on Sat, 04/26/2014 - 20:00

I didn't make any changes , his orginal design was great. Hope these pictures help others. I tried to link to the modified-simple-outdoor-dining-table but wasn't able too.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
make sure you stain as you go
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

DD5.1

Sun, 04/27/2014 - 14:06

Found the plans "modified-simple-outdoor-dining-table" and I built it. Very nice table, I posted more pcitures to help others

DD5.1

Sun, 04/27/2014 - 14:06

Found the plans "modified-simple-outdoor-dining-table" and I built it. Very nice table, I posted more pcitures to help others

FANCY X FARMHOUSE TABLE

I built the table some months ago and my wife loved it so we decided to build a set of benches to go with it. I gotta say though i will never build these suckers again. Man there were so many cuts!!! The stain was steel wool, vinegar and tea bags and i used a rub on polly. The funny thing is I built both of these benches for a total of 30 bucks! I found all the wood laying around. I hope you all enjoy. Sorry about the horrible pictures I guess if I am going to be uploading pictures on here a better camera other than my smartphone is in order.

Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
steel wool, tea bags and vinegar
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Raised Bed Garden Enclosure

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 05/28/2020 - 17:08

We perviously had a larger garden farther back in the yard, it was on the ground which is very hard and rocky. It was tough to till and maintain, so it was taken down a few years ago.

My wife and teenage daughter have green thumbs and have planted herbs and tomatoes in pots over the past few years, but this year they wanted something more substantial. After an online search we found this plan.

It was a bit small for what the girls had planned, so with a little bit of tweaking, we changed the depth of the enclosure to 10'. It was pretty easy to do. Also the girls wanted the beds to be a bit deeper, so we made them three 2x6's deep instead of two

It was built by my wife and I in one weekend, well actually the truth is we built the entire enclosure, minus the door on Saturday about 10am and finish up about 5:30pm. I built the door the next day and we hung it together.

Just an FYI, I have quite a bit of woodworking experience and have a workshop with table saw, band saw and much, much more. I did use the table saw for most of the cuts, with the exception of the gate support which I cut using the band saw.

One caveat, if you have the lumber yard cut any pieces for you, make sure all the lumber is the same length. It's kind os a nit picky thing, but none of the lumber was exactly the length shown on the labels. If you want all the joints to be "perfect" I suggest measuring and cutting all the pieces to the correct length to match the plans.

We also used an industrial hand held staple gun to fasten the chicken wire.

The cost of all the materials, including two sets of work gloves came out to $447.92 from Home Depot in 2020.

We are now waiting for a delivery of the top soil to fill the beds. Since we used weatherguard lumber, we are going to gat plastic sheeting and line the beds.

It was a fun project and my girls are looking forward to planting all their seedlings.

For fun we made a time lapse video, which I have uploaded to Youtube. If you watch closely, you will see that we started the build in one area of the yard and moved it because the ground sloped much more than we originally thought.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7vvBLy034U&list=WL&index=112&t=0s

I hope that our experience may help others in some small way.

Thank you Ana for making these plans available!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$447.92
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

My work table

Submitted by ewebrat on Fri, 07/24/2020 - 13:19

Started to renovate hubby’s bathroom, got annoyed with lack of space on his work bench, built my own. Since this pic, I’ve added locking casters, a power bar up one leg, and a plain metal tool holder on one side. Still have some thoughts rattling around in my head about various other upgrades. Super plans, easy one-woman job.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish. I want to add a 1/4 or 1/2 MDD top, but that’s the only not-naked original wood.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kaitlyn's Crib

Submitted by MCdesigns on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 10:05

So this is my first post of one of my projects, and super excited to share!   I have to say this is one of the most rewarding projects I have ever done.  First time Dad and so excited to meet her!  My wife is now 35 weeks. I have built many furniture projects in the past but I will admit this one intimidated me more than anything.  There are so many safety regulations on cribs and so many stories and blogs online about child safety it made my head spin.  I almost let the fear get the best of me and just bought a crib.....but the DIY in me said NO, and here it is!  After it is all said and done I couldn't be more happy and a proud Father at the same time!  I am still working on finishing this project, so I will add more pics as they come along.  We will be painting it a light gray color and top coating with a water based polycrylic. This is made to be convertable, and will also become a Full size bed.  Thank you Ana White and other users for inspring us all! 

Estimated Cost
Around $280. I buy all my lumber as rough stock from a local hardwood supplier, and joint/plane myself.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr Latex paint/ Minwax water based polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

greyboarder

Tue, 02/27/2018 - 12:02

This crib is terrific and just what I am looking to build for my son and daughter in law.  Do you have any dimensions or even rough plans you could share?  I will certainly work ast sketching m own but if you have something you are willing to share it would serve as a great starting point.

Thanks so much,

Mark

greyboarder

Wed, 02/28/2018 - 06:37

My wife and I are going to be first time grandparents in the spring and have been asked by our son and daughter-in-law to build a crib - one just like the one you built.  I think it wil be a fun project.  Could you share any dimensions, drawings or other pictures rom your build?  You can reach me at my email address:  [email protected].

Thanks,

Mark

Modified Simple Rolling Bar Cart

I honestly think Ana is a mind reader. Whenever I need plans for a particular piece of furniture, they magically appear on her site. Of course if she was a true mind reader, everything will be exactly as I need it requiring no modifications. That's what makes her plans so amazing. I can build bigger and better because I've learned to modify her plans to fit my current needs.

This Cart was no exception. I had to make mine a few inches deeper and change the height of the legs and it was a piece of cake. I put this together in less than 2 hours and finishing was easy too.

I did a blog post all about what I did differently including how I constructed a towel bar instead of the pipe. Check it out at www.thepursuitofhandyness.com

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$25 Depending upon the type of casters used
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Oil Based Primer & Rustoleum Painters Touch Spray Paint in Paprika Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Chest of drawers

Submitted by charae22 on Mon, 08/04/2014 - 08:35

I needed this to be a little taller, so I added another drawer. Other than that, all the other dimensions were the same. I built it in one weekend, but the finishing took about 5 days (for drying time between coats). I was trying to match a baby bed (expresso) so I stained it dark. I also used plywood on the sides, top and drawer fronts instead of pine boards. It really turned out great and matched the bed perfectly.

Estimated Cost
$90
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Conditioner, 3 coats of English Chestnut, 2 coats of Ebony (Minwax), 3 coats of Minwax Wipe-On Poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

sharshar1960

Mon, 08/04/2014 - 11:11

LOVE the finish on this piece! Can you elaborate on the two stains? Did you alternate?

In reply to by sharshar1960

charae22

Mon, 08/04/2014 - 11:43

No, I didn't alternate. I needed the base color to be a deeper brown so it took 3 coats of English Chestnut. Then 2 coats of Ebony over the English Chestnut, to get the black, layered look. I put each coat on, then wiped it off after a few minutes. On the last layer of Ebony, I only lightly removed the stain. The brown shows through in some areas which is exactly what the bed had. I used the oil-based Minwax.

In reply to by sharshar1960

charae22

Mon, 08/04/2014 - 11:43

No, I didn't alternate. I needed the base color to be a deeper brown so it took 3 coats of English Chestnut. Then 2 coats of Ebony over the English Chestnut, to get the black, layered look. I put each coat on, then wiped it off after a few minutes. On the last layer of Ebony, I only lightly removed the stain. The brown shows through in some areas which is exactly what the bed had. I used the oil-based Minwax.

tmclifton

Tue, 09/09/2014 - 19:43

I love the finish!  Did you use the satin wipe on poly, or gloss? 

cirkit1

Wed, 10/21/2015 - 11:44

can you comment on the stain with sandeply.  did you use sanding sealer?

i have read many a comment on issues with staining sandeply but yours looks awesome.

i like the approach.

Classic bunk bed

Submitted by egookaasan on Sat, 08/09/2014 - 05:30

We recently moved to across country and couldn't fit all our belongings in our moving van so I am on a slow but steady quest to my own "hand built home"! While my husband works with his computer genius types, I am pulling out my tools......rather basic and simple tools because none of my good ones fit in the truck either!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$85
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Cherry stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Benchwright Living Room Collection

Submitted by hoosierary on Sun, 08/24/2014 - 19:09

We liked the look of the PB Benchwright living room collection but wanted to make a few modifications. The side table tops were cut a little larger and not perfectly round as we wanted to have a small flat surface on each side. We also wanted to have the same look among all pieces so rather than angle the legs on the side tables, we cornered it so it matched the other pieces. Table tops are 2x6 Douglas Fir boards that we added a 'V' groove in each of the seams and sides.

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain on top, sanded down after 1st coat and Rustoleum satin polyurethene. Slate Gray satin finish on bases with one coat of primer.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

JoanneS

Wed, 08/27/2014 - 14:21

What a marvelous build! Absolutely love your finish colors and the coordinated details on each piece. You did an awesome job!

Tryde Coffee & Sofa Tables

Easy to build! Some woodworking experience is definitely a plus when completing it over the weekend.

Estimated Cost
<$100 total
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-Oleum Wood Stain (Ebony)
Rust-Oleum Polyurethane (interior, matte)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate