Community Brag Posts

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

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

Fancy Herringbone Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 02/17/2024 - 10:01

Your beautiful Fancy X farmhouse table. We wanted to seat 8. Used your plan with the top idea from Hint of Home. We used cedar tongue and groove for the top. We are so pleased with it! Now for chairs!

Built from Plan(s)

$1.18 Bird Feeder

Submitted by jaime19861 on Mon, 05/26/2014 - 11:11

I have been trying to attract more birds. I built and put up some more birdhouses, added a bird bath, and wanted to add some more feeders. I found this quick and easy plan and I had to build it.

This took me less than an hour to build. I bought my picket from Menards when it was on sale for $1.18. That's not a bad price for a bird feeder!

You can see the steps I took to build this on my blog.
http://jaimeofalltrades.blogspot.com/2014/05/make-bird-feeder-for-under…

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
2.00
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

jessehawks

Sun, 03/01/2020 - 17:05

I can tell just from looking at this wood it was treated with a copper based chemical (note the green/blue blotches) while cedar is a good natural resistant wood these can sometimes be treated a well check for those greenish blotches around the Heartwood lines, chemical won't penetrate the tree sap in the wood and builds up along these lines. *I've worked in the pressure treated industry as a chemical tech for 3 years, and industry as a whole for more than 7.

Double Pedestal Farmhouse Table

Built this with 2 pedestals instead of 3, 7 feet long. Stained the top, then belt sanded and added a second coat for a more rustic look. Sprayed the entire project with the Titan Flexspray. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The top is Kona from Rustoleum
Finish is 2 coats of Sprayed Varathane Oil based Polyurethane in Satin
Sherwin Williams Summer White Pro Classic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Catio heaven

Submitted by bhoppy on Fri, 09/04/2020 - 15:43

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.

 

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cabot semi transparent outdoor deck and fence stain. ($9 oops section)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Wifey

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.

Seasonal And Holiday

Pallet wood Dog Bowl Stand

Submitted by zjlawlor on Thu, 09/25/2014 - 18:48

Used some cool old pallet wood to put together a dog food bowl stand I've been meaning to make. My big 10 year old lab is getting a lot slower and struggling a little bit so I thought this could help him out some and get his food and water closer to his face. Winged this one. Had a vague idea in my head that sort of evolved as it progressed. Used some left over 1x4 lumber to build a simple frame, and encased it in the pallet wood to give it the wood crate look (jigged some hand holds in the side to give this same look) . Used jig saw to cut the holes out of the 2 top boards for the bowls. 

Estimated Cost
<$10
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Weathered gray stain on top boards and frame. Wiped immediate after application and sanded after dry.

Light white wash on pallet wood slats with primer.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Stylish Chicken Coop

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/11/2020 - 15:52

Housing three (3) hens now that are about a month old. Probably late January before can expect any eggs.

Great project. Metal roof worked well. I used flashing for the ridge caps. Have allowed for as much ventilation as possible for this Southwest Florida heat.

Thanks Anna, for sharing this project.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Sherwin-Williams outdoor barn red and white.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

DIY Lego Table

Submitted by hstreat on Mon, 05/01/2017 - 19:39

This is a Lego Table that I built my Grandson for his birthday.  I found the plans for it on Rogueengineer.com

https://rogueengineer.com/free-diy-lego-table-plans/

 

I switched things up a bit by routing all of the edges to soften them, and I added the little mover men casters under each of the legs.

 

It's one of the better projects that I done recently, and nothing beat the look on his face when he saw it...

Estimated Cost
Approximately $60.00, mostly cost of wood.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Golden Pecan & Winwax Clear Glossy Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rhyan coffee table with our own twist

Took us about 2 weeks from start to finish but we could only work on it about an hour a day. We also had some issues with the stain. We were going for an aged look and weren't happy with the colors so we layered different stains till we were happy. Hardware is from Martha Stewart. Over all, the table wasn't that hard, but I would definitely advise measuring and cutting as you go, because of all the drawers, the slightest mis-measurement can put the whole thing off. You can see better pics at facebook.com/oldsouldesigns. Absolutely love the end result and so do our customers!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Miwax provincial, covered with minwax sun bleached, and topped with a natural reddish stain (can't remember)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Cleaning Caddy

I wanted to build a cleaning caddy. Normally when I go to clean – I want to do it all at once. We have a bigger house – so I’ll be upstairs in the kids room – and realize I left the Windex downstairs – get upstairs – I left the paper towels downstairs….SERIOUSLY. So – hopefully this will stop that from happening!!!

So – here we have my Cleaning Caddy!! It was actually pretty easy to build. I had everything on hand. I had the dowels from another project – so that is how I based everything.

I took two left over pieces of MDF and made a design, cut it out with a Jig Saw. I wanted to make sure it was tall enough for the cleaning bottles.

Then I screwed the dowel to each side of the MDF sides.

I then measure the length I needed for the sides – I used scrap base molding we had laying around – I don’t even know where it came from!

Then came the bottom – I measured out the sides – and then I wanted it long enough to hold a roll of paper towels.

Glued and nailed everything in with the nailer (always use glue too – this thing is kind of heavy with all the cleaning supplies)

I screwed the dowel in from the bottom for the paper towels.

I painted it many times with white trim paint – used many different types of wood so I wanted it to look uniform.

Then for the finishing touches – I went to my abundant scrapbook paper collection – Mod Podged it all up. Love that stuff!!! On the front – I cut out “Cleaning Caddy” with my Cricut. And on the sides I trimmed it out with cording I had on hand, just used hot glue and did about a 6 inch section at a time. I hot glued buttons where my screws were on the outside tops. My counter sink bit was the wrong size, so they stuck out a little. Now it’s a nice decorative element.

Estimated Cost
Free
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanding, priming, painting, mod podge
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Cube bookcases

As part of my daughter's big 8th birthday bedroom re-do, I knew she needed some new storage for books and...er...stuff. You know how kids accumulate little scraps of paper, photos, tiny toys. I can't stand to see that kind of stuff lying around, so these cube bookshelves seemed like a great solution for the problem. The canvas "drawers" are from Target and were not expensive. I followed Ana's Six Cube Bookshelf plans very closely with two exceptions. First, I shortened the legs an inch to ensure that the units would be short enough to fit under the bedroom window. Second, I added an overhanging 1/4" MDF panel to the top of each bookcase and trimmed out the bottom of the panel with cove molding. The rest of the wood used was solid pine. I'm now working on building a third unit for my other daughter's room. This time I was smart enough to finish the insides of the cubes before putting the whole bookcase together. Getting into those corners once the project is complete is time consuming and difficult. Painting the insides of the boards ahead of time has proven to be much simpler.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwin-Williams ProClassic in semi-gloss followed by satin Minwax Polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kids Adirondack chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 04:46

This was my first time building a chair. The plans were so easy to follow. The kids size fits an average child up to about age 5 or 6. If I were to build again I would add a bit of height to the backs so they could fit them even longer. My granddaughters aged 3 & 5 just loved them.

Built from Plan(s)

DIY Chaise Lounge Chairs

Submitted by jroubinek on Wed, 07/06/2011 - 10:44

This was my very first project to take on with Ana's plans. It took a little longer than I would have liked only because I got frustrated and put it to the side for a MONTH. I realized how important it was to pre-drill my holes and then got the motivation to get back to it. Once I got started again, it was finished in NO TIME! I still need to stain one of them, but I couldn't be happier with the result.

Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Wood Conditioner to make sure I didn't have to worry about blotchiness. Then I used a paintbrush to apply Minwax's Dark Walnut stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

geophyrd

Sun, 07/31/2011 - 07:55

I'm right in the middle of building one of these. My problem is that the 2x4s specified are 2" thick...having to rip them down and that took a lot of guts. Did them all except the long boards. Going to do those later today (if I don't melt) and when my wife can give me a hand.

How did you rip them to size?

Also, did you use a router table to round the edges?

MichelleC

Fri, 07/20/2012 - 09:21

These look great! Geophyrd...do you mean 2x2's? You just use the ones straight from the store, also referred to as furring strips...that will save you a lot of time and stress rather than ripping down 2x4's. When the plans say 2x2's, they aren't going to actually be 2", and the plans don't say that they have to be 2". Ana writes the plans as simply as possible without us having to do complicated steps like ripping down boards thank goodness!

Double Inset Bookshelf Doors

Submitted by dholubar on Wed, 08/21/2013 - 07:08

You made this project look so simple that I just had to try it. However, to suit my needs I had to make a few alterations to the plans. I had a set of bi-fold doors that were in need of replacement and I thought inset bookshelf doors would be the perfect way to replace them. This project was easy enough for me to do it myself and I am really new to the DIY game but I did have some help. I really love the way they turned out. You can read all about my my adventure at http://heresalittletmi.blogspot.com/2013/08/bookshelf-doors.html

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120.00
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Dog Houses

Our local Habitat for Humanity puts on an annual event where they get folks to restore discarded or worn down furniture and sell them at auction. My wife and I participated last year and this year I was asked to build 4 dog houses and then they were going to let local designers/decorators finish them out.

I figured it would be easy to find a good dog house plan, but I was wrong so I had to come up with my own designs. I did not want to use plywood becauase I wanted them to look good. So I used 1x4's and 1x6's. I built them all just a little bit different, but the same basic design on all 3. Since I am not very good with circular cuts, did not do any fancy 1/2 circle doorways!

There are "after" pictures on the Blog. Thanks for looking!

Estimated Cost
$100 each
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I didn't finish them out, but did use screws to attach everything, so filled those in with wood putty and sanded down of course.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Cindy from Indiana (not verified)

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 16:10

Great job for a great cause!

Mini console table

Submitted by Mikegarrod on Sun, 02/21/2016 - 21:50

First table built by us. I think it turned out pretty good! Custom built to avoid baseboard heater. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30-50 depending on if you need stain or not.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax stain, water based paint and Minwax Polycrilic.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

kg112677

Tue, 06/28/2016 - 19:09

The plans catalog link does not work. Can you please repost these plans? Thanks

Dunnie

Sun, 01/15/2017 - 21:24

I am in desperate need of instructions for

this mini console table.  I can't find them anywhere. I won't be able to modify other plans, lol I need it all planned  out.

theUgly_bear

Tue, 01/17/2017 - 12:35

i plan on making this next week, so i can update you with the plans, the only thing i am doing different is the way i am doing my cross in the back. 

stay tuned 

theUgly_bear

Tue, 01/17/2017 - 12:35

i plan on making this next week, so i can update you with the plans, the only thing i am doing different is the way i am doing my cross in the back. 

stay tuned 

Mrs.tash

Sat, 02/04/2017 - 13:12

This is beautiful and simple! Great job!

You costum built it to fit the baseboard, were the original plans Ana White's? Can you link it or tell me the name to find it?

I'm new to the site and not navigating very well. I'm trying to save plans for a console similar to this to my profile/account and looking for the little "save to plans" to easily find this again

Mudroom Bench with Easy Drawers

Submitted by GeekAthair on Mon, 01/06/2020 - 20:12

We've been desperate for more storage in our little house and this build really helped. The whole bench is 103“ wide and each drawer gives us 24"x17" of usable space. We had to do some custom shaping for the benchtop (two joined fir 2x12's) fit as the walls are not square but in the end we were really pleased.

The hardest part of the project was getting all of this built and in place while working around a busy family as this is our only meal space and the majority of cutting/forming was done either on the weekends or after bedtimes. If I were to do this again I'd prioritize sending the kids to grandparents for the weekend and know king everything except for paint out in one go. 

We could have spent less time with the benchtop by using plywood like in the plans but we wanted the look of a separate benchtop. We may replace the fir with stained oak down the line but this should be plenty sturdy for the next several years. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Valspar paint, minwax clear poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Great weekend project...the "love swing"

Submitted by Don Ellery on Mon, 05/19/2014 - 15:49

A great weekend project...the "love swing"! I used the plan from Ana for the swing seat and added two arm rests from left over 1x6, rounded them off and sanded.

I cobbled together an A-frame to hang everything, made from five 8 foot 4x4s and two 8 foot 2x6s laminated together for the stretcher. Assembled with 1/2" galvanized carriage bolts and hung with 1/4" chain.

Definitely going to want a good miter saw for the A-Frame angles (the top ones are a bit tricky to get everything lined up)

Love it! Thanks for another great plan Ana..and of course..Shanty2Chic!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200 ish..including the A-Frame... the hardware and chain can be pricey!
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr exterior weatherproofing stain - Chocolate.

Just 2 thin coats, dries fast...second coat can be applied later the same day.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Carpenters Daughter

Mon, 12/12/2016 - 17:09

Could you please post the plans to build the a frame as well? I really love what you did and would like to copy it! Great Job!

Don Ellery

Wed, 07/19/2017 - 11:31

Hi! I wish I could, but I didn't take any notes on the angles or lengths when I made this and I left it with the house when we moved. 

Cedar planter and 3 tier planter

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/04/2020 - 17:48

My very first attempts at wood working. My new COVID-19 hobby 🥰

Estimated Cost
20.00
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wood dog crate end table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 03/12/2017 - 17:11

Really fun build! I changed the plans a bit and made the spindles go all the way to the bottom. Made it more open for the dog. Took a while to finish since I would tinker when I had the extra time! Turned out great with the two tone, stained from and top with white spindles and door. Thanks for the plans!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50-$80
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate