I really appreciated your garage/mudroom project guidance. I stumbled on it as I was trying to figure out how to design my project. I basically copied yours!! 😁
You also turned me on to pocket hole joinery. Previously I have used a biscuit joiner and find it very challenging. Thank you, I am a convert!
Don Arrowood
I built Ana's under $20 cedar planters for free. Or, almost free! I had to buy some more wood glue, but I had some of the wood on hand and took some from a friend's pile of old fence wood. It took me about five hours to build both planters from start to finish. See the blog link below for more info.
Tue, 09/08/2020 - 16:12
This is great. I just tore down my old fence and have tons of old cedar pickets. I want to make some planters for my new patio.
I had a big empty wall in my den/man cave, so I decided to build a dartboard cabinet instead of just hanging a dartboard on the wall. No plans for this, I just made it up as I went. Measured twice, sketched it out and cut as I went.
I use pine 1x4's for the frame and back. 1x3's for the accessory box, 1x2's for the door frame, and poplar strips for the doors and door braces. The darts are held by 6" long 2x2's with holes drilled.
Wood screws, finish nails, and small brads were used to hold everything together.
The chalkboards are simple MDF's cut and sprayed with chalkboard paint. Overlay hinges are used for the doors, and the dartbord is held on with screws from the back so it can be replaced when needed.
The Alabama A is hand-painted.
Stationary shelves are such a hassle, especially in a deep pantry cabinet! Now I can actually SEE the contents of my pantry cabinet. Thanks for the inspiration and tutorial to get it done!
I didn't build this shoe dresser because I particularly needed one, but it looked so lovely that I couldn't resist.
- I modified the plans by building 3 bins instead of 2 so it could hold more shoes.
- I decided against the dowel stick and opted for hinges instead, which were surprisingly not too difficult to assemble. I found that I didn't even need the magnets after installing the hinges as the doors stay closed.
- I used 7" chains on both sides of each bin instead of a belt to make it extra sturdy.
- I added two back legs.
Et voila! This is the end result. I'm very pleased.
PS. Those flopping bins are a pain when you're trying to build!! An extra pair of hands is definitely recommended.
Fri, 07/05/2013 - 22:49
Pretty :) Good Job. Now if I only had the space for one thats 10 rows high :P I like the stain color too. Shanty 2 Chic always uses Rust-o-leum. I think its called dark walnut. Dont quote me though. I love the stain and spray paint combo colors they use.
~Melody
In reply to Nice Job by SoCaliforniaMel
Sat, 07/06/2013 - 20:00
Rust-o-leum, that's the one!
Yes, if only every woman could own a 10-row cabinet for all her shoes! :)
Utilized the plan for the Locker Book Shelf-Full Size and modified it a bit to convert to a golf club locker. Definitely keeps all the clubs, shoes, and accessories organized and eliminates the clutter. My wife loves it, course she added the baskets, which makes it look awesome! Actually this is how I stumbled upon Ana White's website. I was looking high and low for a plan for golf club lockers, and found Ana's website as part of the process. Best google search I've ever done!
Mon, 04/11/2022 - 14:51
WOW, that looks awesome and is the perfect storage solutions for all the golf gear! Thank you for sharing.:)
Thank you! My favorite & first is from your mud kitchen! I put in running water!😂 For the GrandLuvs!”
@penny.vanderlugt
I built this book rack using scrap wood and modified plans from the Full Length Plate Rack. It was a really straightforward build, and functions very well as vertical storage that takes up little space. I predrilled, screwed and glued all of the joints, vs. stapling.
Made two of these chairs for my little girls. The second one I managed to conceal all the screws too.
I could not find a frame which would accommodate my new adjustable king base. Modified Anna's plans by increasing the height of the headboard and footboard. Finished with chalk paint and antique finish for a rustic look. Side rails attached with mortises to allow for moving bed in 4 pieces if needed. Love my new bed
Sat, 11/30/2019 - 03:31
Hi! We are making this headboard this weekend. We want to increase the headboard height and footboard as well. Do you happen to know the cut measurements or how you adjusted the height of the 1x6 (or 1x8 as others used) to make it work? Yours looks perfect! Thank you in advance for any feedback!
I combined Ana's plans for Daybed with Storage Trundle Drawers and a Storage Headboard with a Small Hutch.
This is my 3rd daybed with storage drawers. It's such an easy build and gives so much extra space. The entire project took about 40 hours. I used Minwax stain in Classic Grey and three coats of polyurethane. For the drawers, I used 1.5" casters. I drilled a hole through the back of the headboard to feed cords through. Then I put the whole thing in the back of my truck and drove 500 miles for the final assembly. :) In the provided photos, some of the pieces are flush because I hadn't permanently attached them.
Flip down tray added for computer keyboard.
Wed, 12/27/2017 - 20:15
I love this, it is exactly what I am looking for! Is some type of extra support needed for the flip down tray for the keyboard ? If so, what would it be, or is there a special hinge I should look for?
I love my new outdoor sofa! Was a great quarantine project with my teenage children. Finished it off with a ton of cushions from Lowe’s.
I was intrigued by Ana’s Simple 2x4 Potting Bench. The project seemed simple enough and it would be used as a means to clean up clutter in the garage. My main focus was to make it semi-portable and weather resistant. Instead of using 2x4’s for the corner posts, I used 4x4’s to accommodate casters. I also shorted the length of the posts by 4 inches to compensate for the height of the casters. To provide extra rigidity I did a dado for the 2x4’s that connect the front and rear legs. In retrospect, I wish that I did not dado the legs because it made it more difficult to attach some of the shelf planks. I painted the frame green and left the shelves and backboards clear for beautiful contrast. My wife is ecstatic with the result.
I changed plan to make deeper. I also modified the bottom trim and top. I put a ball bearing soft door drawer guide on modern door so it can slide back and forth. I feel we need more modern plans on here but with a bit of creativity and using plans you can make anything. I have never built anything before. I love General Finishes Milk Paint in Snow White and I brushed rolled it on (sanded between 3 coats). It’s basically self leveling and leaves a nice matte finish. Used door glide in picture bought from homedepot in the 24 inch and that’s how wide door was and it was 36” tall. Door glide I only used one on top of the door not on bottom as well. Door piece of fiberboard with just strips glued on and quarters spacing them correct.
The cool thing about Ana White plans is they are straightforward to modify to use materials you have on hand. Everything but the frame is either leftovers or from the barn.
This sand box was very easy to build and it works great. The only thing I would change is cutting the "arm rests" at 7 1/2" instead of 6 1/2". I did that for the second set of arm rests (when I downloaded the plans many weeks ago the cut list was wrong). It made putting that section together a lot easier.
I easily spent more on the hinges (at $5 per hinge x 8 hinges) than I did on the wood itself.
My 1 and 1/2 year old loves playing in it and now I need to build a toy box for him to put all of his sand toys in!
Sun, 04/29/2012 - 00:06
It's been zen-raked! haha.
Those little benches are adorable. I wish I had seen this plan before I built ours.
Mon, 09/17/2012 - 10:29
I just want to say that I asked for my husbands help, and his advice increased the price significantly.
He does not like to paint, and will spend the extra dollar to purchase pressure treated wood. So I sent him with my materials list and the wood he purchsed was $60.00, plus $22.00 for hinges and $10 for a box of deck screws. Actually, I am a artist and had wanted to paint the project to look like a big frog.
Did the multi-finish on the step stool. On the steps, I used the Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner, followed by Minwax 'Early American' stain and then Minwax clear gloss polyurethane. The rest of the stool was painted with DIY chalk paint. The paint is 1 cup flat paint (Valspar Jungle Thicket) mixed with 1/3 cup plaster of paris and 1/3 cup water. The chalk paint portion was finished with the Minwax Finishing Paste Wax and gave the flat paint look a nice sheen.
Ana doesn’t have a plan for a catio but she does for a playhouse and a cedar shed made from 2x2’s. I sort of combined my knowledge from making her plans over the last 10 years and came up with this for my cats. It was fun to make!! My baby kitten is loving it. I used garden fencing and stapled it to the outside and pocket holes for the walls. I made each wall individually like the playhouse then connected them once in place.
Wed, 06/09/2021 - 12:36
Thank you for sharing! My daughter wants a cat for her birthday but it can't be inside due to our son's allergies. Roaming outside isn't really an option because we have coyotes. We are going to use one of these in combination with an underground electric fence.
My wife needed a bigger desk for her home office so built one. I used the modular office desk designs. I had to modify it, my wife wanted the 90 degree cut in where the two desk to meet. I built two open shelves and fastened then together and built one narrow shelf with drawers. Built mostly out of MDF with the top being melamine. Waiting on the edge banding to ship. Also, installed some rope lighting for indirect light.
I decided to try and use the plans on Ana's site but with a twist. I wanted to limit myself to using only pallets. I think it turned out great! I can't upload all the photos because they exceed the maximum size limit. If I was able to you could see how each chair is slightly different and has a lot of character. I finished them with a waterproofing oil which I highly recommend over other finishes.
Mon, 04/10/2017 - 08:51
This is exactly what I'm looking for !! Fantastic build and re-purposing is always better.
