Community Brag Posts

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.

I built this before my son was born to use as a changing table in his room.  I used leftover plywood from another project which made it a cheap build.  It is super sturdy and has plenty of storage on the top to hold wipes, diapers, and creams.  I used shelf lining and bought cute baskets to complete the look.  

SIMPLE MODERN BAR

I modified this plan to use wood that I had and also a piece of kitchen counter top that was left over from my daughters new house.  

We used Anna's outdoor Sofa plans, which were very easy to read. For wood, we kept costs low by using pressure treated wood, and staining it with Minwax Colonial Walnut stain. We did use the lumber cutting service at Home Depot- only $15 for the cuts, and it made the project time very quick.  The cushions were from Lowes, and throw pillows were purchased the previous season at Homesense. We are so happy with how it turned out. Thanks, Anna!

This was my first Ana White project! I didn't do the x's on the ends, obviously, and it's both taller and wider than the plans in order to fill up the giant space along our back wall. I notice the glue blobs that didn't stain, and the decorative hardware was trickier than I expected, but it was fun to build... and totally functional :)

Thanks so much for the plan!

Welcome to our labor of love. This is our first build and while my bf did most of the work, it was a great project for us as a couple. It was definitely work, but well worth it. We love the way it fits perfectly in our courtyard and people keep commenting on how high-end it looks. Thanks for the plan, Ana! The project took a little longer than it probably should, since it was the first project for us. You should account fort he time it will take to cut, sand and stain your pieces before assembly. There are times you will need to allow for the lumber to dry etc.

I have made many of these ledges and I just love them so much! I love that I can build them to any length or depth I want. I like to use them for more then just pictures. I feel like there will be many more of these in my future!

Papa Dana's version of Mimi's Coat Bench!

This was my first project!  I learned a lot while doing it, and I look forward to building more projects in the future!

Built this table for a friend from the Ana White- Fancy X plans. It turned out amazing!

Easily made from scrap.

Used pocket screws where possible.

Strong enough for a 2 year old to jump in :)

My husband wanted a table next to the grill and he wasn't going to build one after working on our deck for 2 weeks. I thought to myself maybe I could build one that had a built-in cooler. Of course, my source of inspiration came from Ana White. I had to detour a little from her exact plan to accommodate our need. We had a basement egress window coming right at that corner near the grill so we would need a table that cover that area perfectly to make a good use of space, hence the measurements and plan had to be altered a bit. Ana White’s plan has 2 built-ins, ours has only 1. It turned out great and we enjoyed it ever since. Now if only the weather just got warmer!

I had peformed internet searches on Pet Crates and decided to build my own. This one has a touch sensor small 1 watt light inside so I dont have to keep other house lights on when I am at work. The light has no heat and purchased at Rockler hardware. Shiloh's crib is on wheels and the only thing I screwed up is the width. I could not get it thru the garage door from the house. Had to take it thru the front door and had to take the door off the hinges. Either way I should not ever have to build another one. It has a kitchen cabinet black laminate on top purchase from a damaged piece at home Depot. Half the cost. Should be durable enough for my kids Printer, radio and Cable box. Doors have two hinges per door so they can fold back out of the way.

First I'd like to say THANK-YOU Ana for this incrediable site and for all the work that you do.  You are an inspiration to us all!  

This was my very first project.  I have been stalking this website for about a year working up enough courage to build something - anything for that matter!  Finally my husband bought me a great Drill / Driver for Christmas and VOILA!  I am putting it to great use.  

My son's room is rather small so I opted to eliminate the stair leading up to the landing area and just added a couple of 2 x 4 for him to climb up to the landing area

I love it - He loves it.  Before I could never get him to play in his room or sleep throught the night without coming into our bed at 4am.  Well let me tell you...Since I built this bed last week he sleeps like a charm and actually wont leave his room!  Hhahaha  

I did an epoxy coating which took a few coats as I learned the hard way how to use it but I love the look!!  Did a custom gray and brown stain mix after sanding, weathering and conditioning the boards.