Community Brag Posts

Green House

Great little project from your site!

I put PVC to the ground vs the metal siding and added a heat sink in the middle with some old computer fans.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$1,300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
PVC
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Niccador

Sat, 05/23/2020 - 17:23

That PVC heat pipe intrigues me. Can you share a little more about it? I'm assuming it pulls hot air from the upper vent, and cools it down via the section of pipe below ground, sort of like a natural A/C. Keeps things from gettting too hot during the summer months?
Kinda looks like you'd frequently trip over it though. I'd probably have run the lower exhaust right up by the edge of the door frame, or a corner.

Alden's two tone X book case

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 08/14/2016 - 10:37

I built this book case for one of my Kids that wanted a new book case.

Estimated Cost
estimated cost $75,
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
rustic Mahogany wood stain (gel), apply Lacquer finish for additional protection and glossy finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Adirondack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 06/10/2020 - 10:10

My wife and I were tired of the cheap plastic chairs but not wanting to spend a fortune. I came across Ana’s site and these great plans so I gave it a shot. Everything was pretty straightforward. I decided to use 1x6’s for the seat and back slats instead of 1x10’s. I also used dowel rods instead of wood filler to close all of the screw holes and I Roy fed the edge of the front seat slat one the router. I’m currently working on a partner for this chair with some adjustments (Making it 2” wider and using pocket hole and other techniques to hide the screws).

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax English Chestnut stain.
Valspar clear deck/outdoor furniture sealant.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse King Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/21/2017 - 08:51

The wood total was about $200. We added some height to the headboard for the build. The frame is done by screwing 1x2 boards along the side rails and laying (4) 2x4s across for the box spring to sit on. Absolutely love our new bed!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Mix of white paint then sanded and mixed multiple varathane stains
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Backyard Bliss!

Submitted by kdins31 on Mon, 01/12/2015 - 09:26

I built this outdoor play area for my kids this past summer.  The area under that portion of the deck was always messy and muddy and so I wanted to make use of it.  I built the deck and anchored it with lag bolts to the deck supports.  On the one side I used rubber mulch and on the other there is play sand.  I dug holes in various locations and filled with gravel to allow for drainage under the sand and mulch.  For the awning I used plain cedar shingles.  I added a shower that is just regular 1/2" metal pipe with a hose adaptor.  The shower wall and fence are just old pallets that I had for a while, cut to size, which was pretty much random but they came out great.  I added a misting system under the awning that works great, the kids love the cool mist on the hot days. Overall, a heavy job ripping up the grass, moving the wood, gravel, stones, sand and mulch, but a fun deck build and even better experience doing this with my kids by my side!  

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Einman10

Tue, 12/29/2015 - 17:10

I'm extremely interested in the plans for the bathroom vanity with the step stool that pulls out for kids to be able to reach the sink.  Is there a way I can get those plans?

Lounge Chair

Modified the arm rest and the back to my liking. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

gmhurley

Tue, 06/23/2020 - 08:59

Hi, are plans available for this modified chair design? I like that the seat pan appears to be flat and the Adirondack style to the back slate.

Day bed

Submitted by Christinna on Thu, 09/07/2017 - 17:05

My sister needed a day bed for her guest room.  I modified the Modern Outdoor Chair plans to fit her needs.  We used an old door she found, even using the hinges as a means to attach the door to the bed frame.  This was my first real project.

 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Kitchen Island Modified

Submitted by Chad1012 on Wed, 01/17/2018 - 04:29

My wife didn't want casters installed, but she wanted the overall height to be similar to the dimensions in the plan. I used 2x4's to add a tiered layer on top of the island, underneath the countertop. Turned out great...thank you Ana White!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams - Antique White
Minwax - Expresso
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Garden outhouse with composting toilet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/16/2022 - 17:48

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.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Sandbox with built-in seats

I modified this a tad from the original plans to suit my needs. I will eventually be adding a platform with attached slide and swing set.

Plans were easy to follow. My store didn't have 1x8's so I stacked 1x4's and used my Kreg jig to join them together and then I added extra bracing.

I had seen this on Pinterest a couple years ago and thought it was the coolest thing! Io excited I was able to build it myself!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About $40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
None yet. I will stain and seal everything when I get the entire play set finished.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Christmas Kitchen Set

Submitted by Fuchsia on Mon, 12/26/2011 - 10:44

My father in law and I built this kitchen set for my two daughters, ages 3 yrs and 9 months. It was so fun to work with my father in law. I have built a few things before (table, chairs, doll bed, etc.) but nothing of this quality or magnitude. He is a great woodworker and knows how to do all the neat finishing touches that just make the project look really professional. I learned a ton working with him and had a blast!
I was inspired by Ana's kitchen sets and used a combo of then and the Lowes plans and I was very happy with how it turned out. I changed a few things: put two doors under the sink, made "gas" burners instead of "electric", used half the sink cabinet top for the sink and left the other half for counter space, added a clock to the stove, made the oven door open down.
The sink is a food service warming pan 1/4 size and the faucet came from Wal-Mart for $10. I will probably replace it with a nicer one from the ReStore when I get a chance
Break down of costs:
Lumber: $100
Hinges and pulls: $40
Paint and primer: $45
Burners: $20
Sink: $24

Estimated Cost
$230
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Exterior: Glidden Red Delicious high gloss enamel
Interior: White
Oven: grey stone textured spray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Cindy from Indiana (not verified)

Mon, 12/26/2011 - 13:09

Holy cow! Fantastic job! You guys really pulled it together and I really love the creative use of hardware, etc.

Fuchsia

Wed, 02/29/2012 - 10:03

Sorry I didn't see your comment sooner - I made the burners with craft wood circles and squares and 1/2 inch pieces of wood. I notched the ends over the circle with a chisel.

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

Farmhouse Queen Bed

Submitted by frmoody on Tue, 07/28/2020 - 17:35

I have built two of these modern farmhouse beds. One from the original farmhouse bed plans and one from the updated plan. This bed was basically the original plan but with the headboard and footboard built with horizontal boards. I did not like the revised farmhouse bed plans and the sides were way to heavy and more complex than they had to be. The were also supported only by pocket screws but I did block underneath each end to add more support. For the slats I also purchased #1 prime 1 x 4's as opposed to construction grade. They were nice and smooth and no need to sand or paint.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Customer just wanted a very light white finish so I used a diluted white paint more as a wash and then a couple of coats of matte varathane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

mmade

Sat, 02/20/2021 - 21:02

I love this! It’s exactly what I want. It’s like the mix of Ana’s two different farmhouse bed plans. I like the horizontal boards instead of the vertical and I didn’t want the ledges on the side trails. Thanks for showing me the way. :)

Corona Coffee Table - Rectangle

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 12/23/2016 - 20:52

A couple of years ago I built the farmhouse dining table with matching bench, so when I showed my wife a picture of the Corona Coffee Table, she was all about it.  I lengthened the coffee table by about 6"-8" inches to fit our space better.  The entire table is yellow pine.  I used 2x6 for the top. Ordered the legs from Osborne, $30 each plus shipping (searched for other supplier to compare pricing, but had no luck finding that leg anywhere else).  For aprons I used 1x4.  Instead of plywood for the base I used 1x4 furring boards (the furring boards were only aprox. $1.50 each for 1"x4"x6', and they had rounded edges which helped add more texture when completed). For the middle and end pieces of the base I use 1x6.   Assembly was completed using wood glue and the Kreg Jig for pocket holes.  Top was stained using an old t-shirt with aprox. 5 coats of Early American stain,  2 coats of Jacobean, then 2 coats semi-gloss poly spray.  Base finished with 2 coats of Spa White by Amy Howard chalk paint (Annie Sloan competitor sold at Ace Hardware, seems to work the same, still costs around $30+ per quart).  At this point  my wife took over. She roughed up the base with my sander, applied the clear wax that protects the chalk paint, then she went back over the sanded edges with brown wax to complete the aging.     

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250+. Could be built for less if needed
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American & Jacobean for top.
Amy Howard chalk paint for base
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Upholstered Toy Chest

We made these toy chests for baby shower gifts.  We followed the plan for the most part.  We skipped the notching on the front of the chest, and opted to upholster the top.  I added names to the front as well to personalize them a bit as well.  Overall, it went pretty smooth, once we got going.  The plans were clear and easy to follow.  This was our first build off of plans from Ana-White, and I think they turned out pretty nice! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

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