Community Brag Posts

I made this in an afternoon. Loved this project. It is made with 2x4's using a Kregs Jig and mitre saw (plus additional tools like a drill and square). This was my frist time using the Kregs Jig and I am sold!!

The free plans were taken from another website. They are very detailed and there is even a video (I recommend it as he gives a great tip for making sure the back stays equal/level to each other before putting the back on). Even though you can build this by yourself, I did have help for the heavier sides once they were assembled. I plan to build the additional side table soon and finish them both with sanding and staining when the weather seems less iffy for rain.

If you are looking for a good beginner project that doesn't take forever or have complicated steps, this is your project.

Built from Plan(s)

2 x 4 Outdoor Bench

Estimated Cost

Around $50

Estimated Time Investment

Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)

Recommended Skill Level

Beginner

Grill table with stainless steel top

I made this table to go next to an outdoor grill to be used as a food prep area or just a surface for holding ingredients (instead of using the deck railing!). The top is stainless steel which fits tightly over 2 3/4" pieces of plywood laminated together. The bar/handle in front is made out of galvanized pipe. All wood was treated.

Legs - 4x4 posts
Bottom shelf - 1x6's
Sides - 1x4's
Top - 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood laminated together with a stainless steel top (custom fit) over top
Towel bar - galvanized pipe (cut and threaded to size at Lowe's), floor flanges and 90 degree elbows

Estimated Cost

$120

Estimated Time Investment

Day Project (6-9 Hours)

Finish Used

I used Kona stain but since it was over treated wood the stain did not take as dark as it should have. I will have to restain this piece after it has completely dried out.

Recommended Skill Level

Intermediate

Comments

spiceylg

Tue, 08/20/2013 - 09:07

Nice!

Love this. Where did you get the stainless steel top? Did you have to special order to fit?

Thu, 05/15/2014 - 10:33

Stainless Top

Sorry about the late reply! Yes, I just gave my dimensions to a local steel supplier and they made the top. I think I have about $40 into the stainless. They didn't weld the corners but I've never had an issue with them.

Pursuit of Handyness

Sat, 04/26/2014 - 15:41

Stainless steel sheet metal

I too would like to know your source for the sheet metal.

Thu, 05/15/2014 - 10:35

Stainless Top

I just found a local steel supplier, told them what I need and they formed the top. It cost me around $40 (without welding of the corners). I took a fine grit sandpaper to it afterward to scuff it up so it didn't look so bright.

Thu, 05/15/2014 - 10:35

Stainless Top

AMR4412

Wed, 04/30/2014 - 12:55

Grill table with stainless steel top

I would like to know are there any plans available to make this table? I am very impressed of its design.

One Arm 2x4 Outdoor Sofa - Sectional Piece

Thu, 05/15/2014 - 10:46

Plans for top

No...I didn't have any plans when I built it but it's a very simple concept. I chose to use all treated wood since I knew it would be sitting outside unprotected. However, my 4x4 posts weren't square so this caused a lot of problems and everything was built to fit. I believe I just used 4x4's, 1X6s (for the bottom shelf) and 1x4s for the sides (top and bottom). For the top, I just laminated 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood together to bulk it up and then had the stainless top built to fit. It fit perfectly so I didn't glue it to the plywood. This makes it easy to remove and clean, if necessary. For the galvanized pipe (towel bar), I bought it at Lowe's and had them cut/thread it to fit my dimensions.

Outdoor Sectional

This was my seventh outdoor couch but my first sectional. My very first couches were all inspired by Ana White's plans and I have gotten so much better with my skills that I building other things as well. Thanks Ana for all your inspiration!

Built from Plan(s)

2x4 Outdoor Sofa

Comments

DIY Garage Shelves [Freestanding]

Fri, 04/28/2023 - 09:19

Superb mods!

WOW, this looks amazing, thank you for sharing!

Easy Garage Shelving

I used Ana's Freestanding Shelf plan and customized it to fit my needs. I incorporated laundry and recycle storage, a rolling bench and built in for our chest freezer. If you want to see it being built with some added tips, that video is available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8w7XGiVMbs&t=258s

Built from Plan(s)

2x4 outdoor cedar couch with ottoman

I used pocket holes to hide the screws. I made an ottoman out of the outdoor coffee table plans to my dimensions that can be used as a coffee table when we need it.

Built from Plan(s)

2x4 Outdoor Sofa

2x4 Outdoor Coffee Table

Comments

Modern Outdoor Chair from 2x4s and 2x6s

Thu, 05/04/2023 - 14:00

Super Cool Sectional!

Looks fantastic, thanks so much for sharing!

Modern Outdoor Patio Set

Built this over the weekend for my girlfriends sister. It was a great project and the whole family was able to work together on it, sanding and waterproofing it before assembling. The loveseat plans need a little tweaking. We ran ran the slats the same direction as the chair plans call for so we added a middle support for extra stability. We also pitched the seating down towards the back by 5* to make a more natural sitting position.

Built from Plan(s)

Modern Outdoor Loveseat from 2x4s and 2x6s

Estimated Cost

$300

Estimated Time Investment

Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)

Finish Used

Behr Cedar Natural Tone Waterproofing Stain and Sealer

Recommended Skill Level

Beginner

Seasonal And Holiday

Modern Outdoor Chair from 2x4s and 2x6s

Modern Outdoor Chair with a twist

Taken from the Modern Outdoor chair project and added a back. Then decided that I love the andorak style chair arms and thus the Andrmodern chair was born..

Built from Plan(s)

Estimated Cost

$35.00

Estimated Time Investment

Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)

Finish Used

Will use the Behr two in one

Recommended Skill Level

Beginner

Comments

jkess44

Tue, 06/09/2020 - 13:36

Plans?

Wow! I really like this look, Im sure its very comfortable. Do you have plans to share? I am very much a beginner and need guidance, lol.

Momatt2112

Mon, 08/03/2020 - 09:02

I’d love to know how you…

I’d love to know how you made the changes, love it!

suescrogg

Thu, 03/18/2021 - 09:20

Modern outdoor chair with a twist

Could you please share how you added the back and arms to the modern chair plans.

John's Washer/Dryer Pedestal

The wife has a hard time bending down so she wanted pedestals for the washer and dryer. The metal ones with a drawer were too tall. I showed her Sausha's and she really loved that design. I basically used the same construction plans idea from Sausha's project and some tips from Ryan's brag post. But, I wanted to beef it up some. I didn't like the L-bracket to attach the top and 4X4 legs. It didn't seem sturdy enough for me. I used my table saw to square the edges on the 4X4 posts and the 2X6 rails. Then I used my Kreg jig and glued and screwed everything together. I liked Ryan's trim ideas, so I used baseboard trim for the bottom and flipped it for the top trim. I made a 1/2" lip so if it were to vibrate, the washer/dryer would not fall. I put the trim on the bottom of the legs and was considering putting on the top but I put some different trim all the way around the bottom of the 2X6 rails. The wife liked that. I also added some carpet on the top to cut down on vibration and to help keep the units in place. I also put some 4X4 pieces of carpet on the bottom to keep the noise down and to help in moving it. I primed and used an gravity sprayer to paint it. Then I put 3 coats of polyacrylic to help in cleaning and to cut down on scratches from the laundry baskets.

laundry pedestals diy

Built from Plan(s)

Farmhouse Washer Dryer Pedestals Bases

Estimated Cost

150.00

Estimated Time Investment

Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)

Finish Used

Paint

Recommended Skill Level

Intermediate

Comments

zoolander

Wed, 06/29/2016 - 14:31

Holy structure!

I think you could probably drive a truck on top of yours. :) I was a bit concerned about the strength of the construction when I first decided to build it, but I decided that since it would be stationary once I have it in place and the only force would be straight down, it would be fine. Once I got it put together, it was actually sturdier than I thought it was going to be...from a horizontal force perspective. Virtically, that thing could hold 100 washer/dryer pairs...the plywould would give out before the 2x4s and 4x4s would even budge.

Anyway, nice work! I love the Kreg Jig...I need one of those.

coveyjt

Wed, 06/29/2016 - 23:11

Thanks Ryan.

bclute

Sun, 01/29/2017 - 16:23

Great looking build, thanks for the detailed photos!

coveyjt

Thu, 02/09/2017 - 21:04

Thanks

coveyjt

Thu, 02/09/2017 - 21:05

Thanks

DIY Mattress Size Porch Swing

I altered the plans to fit a twin mattress. It’s a bonus sleeping area on the porch. My second project. I’m a 69 year old female and enjoying the building.

Lou Ann

Built from Plan(s)

Large Modern Porch Swing Couch

Seasonal And Holiday

Cedar Fence Picket Raised Garden Beds - Narrow Width

Outdoor bar table

Not quite finished but love the table already. Trying to decide how to stain/paint it. The Kreg jig was a must for this project. It was my first of hopefully many! I used cedar for the 4x4s and 2x6 top pieces. The 2x4s are treated lumber (only because there were no more cedar ones....apparently lumber is getting hard to get lately!!!). Anyway....thanks for the great plans and motivation for this project.

Built from Plan(s)

Outdoor Bar Table

Estimated Cost

Lumber was about $150 bucks (I bought mitre saw and kreg jig, too)

Estimated Time Investment

Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)

Finish Used

Will probably use semi transparent stain

Recommended Skill Level

Beginner

Cedar Raised Garden Beds - 3 Tiers

Steps:

1) Cut the boards to the specs below or adjust to your space

2) Kreg Jig the cut boards along each of the sides (length wise and on the ends) for attaching and making a box.

3) Make 3 separate boxes, don't assemble until you move to location. I used 4x4 cedar posts in the corners of the base box to add stability. I used 2x2 pine in the front corners of boxes 2 and 3 for stability. Install these after the dirt has been added so you can hammer in as a stake, attach with screws on front and sides. I created 2 stakes for boxes 2 and 3 and added to the front to prevent bowing when the dirt is added.

Box Dimensions:

1) (base) 70.5" L x 46 W x 4 cedar boards high

2) 70.5" L x 32 W x 2 cedar boards high

3) 70.5" L x 16 W x 2 cedar boards high

Built from Plan(s)

Estimated Time Investment

Day Project (6-9 Hours)

Recommended Skill Level

Beginner

Using Ana White’s Garage Cabinet Plans

Thank you so much for the two videos we watched of you and your husband explaining and demonstrating how to build garage shelves. We used your plans as a guide. We chose to add shaker style doors to create cabinet shelves. We absolutely love them. We are not handy as you can see we had a living room lamp for a work light and a lifetime table as a work bench. Thank you!
The Paulsons

Built from Plan(s)

BEST DIY Garage Shelves (Attached to Walls)

Comments

Thu, 04/21/2022 - 07:37

This is amazing!

Thank you for sharing, wonderful job!

Folding Workbench

We chose this project because we have a small garage and space is at a premium. The dimensions of this build fit well in our limited space and allowed us to organize items such as paint, stain, screws and nails into one central location. I chose 2x4's on the sides to give it a more stable feel. Our garage and parking lot are all sloped and with the 2x4's this prevented the twisting. It feels solid and the wheels are smooth. We picked everything up at Home Depot. The screws that came with the hinges are to long and my husband used the Dremel to grind them down. You could just buy shorter screws. This is one of my firsts builds and I've definitely learned a lot of lessons along the way. Measure, measure, then measure again before you cut a piece and use a level surface to make level pieces. Overall, everyone in my family played a part in helping me build this piece and so I love it and will cherish this piece and the memories always. Thanks Ana for all your fun videos, sharing your life with your family, and providing resources like this plan to us for free. I'm thankful for my son who bought me a compound miter saw for Mother's Day and other family for buying me a Ryobi circular saw. I'm truly blessed and loved. Thanks

Built from Plan(s)

Folding Workbench

Estimated Cost

120

Estimated Time Investment

Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)

Finish Used

I'm leaving it in the raw due to the nature of the piece. I may put a clear coat on it later.

Recommended Skill Level

Beginner

Comments

saariko

Mon, 08/31/2020 - 11:19

I love how you used the 2x4…

I love how you used the 2x4 on the sides. great idea

Tall Wood Planters

Added some extra trim pieces to finish it out. turned out really nice!!

Built from Plan(s)

Tall Wood Planters

Comments

mholguin29

Mon, 05/18/2020 - 17:25

These look great! Did you…

These look great! Did you use the cedar tone water proofing?

Seasonal And Holiday

Modern Easy Build Adirondack Chair

Best Chairs Ever!

I made these modern Adirondack chairs for our business in Anchorage. GREAT and easy to build design by Ana - we upgraded the arms to tapered 2x6 and they're awesome!

Built from Plan(s)

First Project

Well, I started with one chair and finished with a full set. Not bad for a first timer. Definitely room to improve. Little tip if you're going to make this amazing set... raise the backs as they are too low with thicker cushions. I built a casing to go on top after the fact. Pretty happy with how it all turned out. Thanks Ana for the plans... now onto the next project!

Built from Plan(s)

Modern Outdoor Chair from 2x4s and 2x6s

Modern Outdoor Loveseat from 2x4s and 2x6s

2x4 Outdoor Coffee Table

Comments