Community Brag Posts

Keep in mind I am a novice at best and this took me a total of 12 hours over 2 days to construct and stain and line.  Filling will be a separate project all together!

I opted to remove the top row of lumber all around to have something to attach bird netting to to keep the critters out and make it easier to reach in, also a cost consideration. The posts are still the recommended 3 ft I also changed to 12ft X1in boards instead of 12ft x2in also in the interest of cost. 

After getting sick of barely being able to seat 4 at our teeny-tiny table from college, we decided we wanted a bigger, more solid table for our dining room.

We actually combined two sets of plans to create the finished project as well as adjusted the measurements to fit our room size (and vertically gifted resident). As beginners, we weren't entirely certain what to expect as the outcome of this project (especially since the plans are slated as intermediate/advance skill level) but we found it actually, surprisingly easy to build!

We substituted 2x6s rather than 1x6s for a more 'sturdy' table top, but it makes the table quite heavy.

Now that the weather is getting nice we can drag the table outside for finishing touches (we finished it in November!)

Interested in the complete build? Go here

Been a while since I had time to actually build anything worth posting about! My wife wanted some items for her Kindergarten classroom this year, so built several items, most inspired by the Farmhouse family.

I designed this desk and created a building plan using Google Sketchup. It has 2 file drawers, 2 smaller drawers, 2 large adjustable shelves and a pullout shelf in the bottom, 4 small adjustable shelves on the top and a large space for a computer monitor. The large door drops open for a large work space. When you're done, put the door up and you have a beautiful piece of furniture!

I consider myself an advanced-beginner when it comes to building. I have just enough knowledge to get me by. If you have time, patience and the right tools you can build this too! It took me 10 days to build, working as much as my kids would allow.

It took me countless hours to perfect the building plan - probably just as much work to design it as it was to build it :)

I really scrounged around to build this desk. I used a large beam my friend cut up into 2x2's for the main posts/legs, pine furring strips for the side boards and around the top for moulding (lots of scraps I already had), 3/4" plywood for the inside dividers/panels & desktop, 1/2" plywood for the drawer boxes, drop-down door & top, 1/4" plywood for drawer bottoms & backing-board. I used 3/4" pine boards for the drawer faces and small doors on the bottom. I used drawer slides from an old dresser I found by our dumpster and vintage knobs I bought online. The other black hardware (hinges, pull handle, and clasps for door) I bought from a big box store and is categorized as gate hardware.

Hello everyone, today I’m sharing details on something I built recently: a Bailey Chair for dogs suffering from Megaesophagus.

Dogs with megaesophagus have an enlarged esophagus. This makes swallowing food difficult. Eating while in an upright position helps and the task of keeping the dog vertical is easier when the dog is sitting in a Bailey chair.

This blog post is less of a detailed how to and more of showing in progress photos. Adam, over at Lazy Guy DIY, has put together a great tutorial on how to build the Bailey Dog Chair. I followed his instructions with very few modifications.

CLICK HERE to read my build details and see more photos!

This Pergola cost around 200 to build for lumber, concrete (poured around posts) and an additional 50-60 for fabric used to create shade.

It went up in about 8 hours from start to finish with the help of a novice friend.

I omitted some of the column details to save time and money.

This is a small storage shed project I did to replace an old dilapidated plastic one that was falling apart and leaking. It was a fun on and off week long project.

Total cost of wood and material was around $200.00. All cuts can be done using a circular saw however I used a table and miter saw for simplicity and speed. The basic joinery for the frame is glued hardwood dowels (1/4" and 3/8") however you can use pocket screws or simply glue joints (screws for the 1x2 trim as they will move). All of the trim was hand cut using my pull saw because, well, it's just so much easier cutting 1X2's by hand than running back and forth to the miter saw each time.

A good rule of thumb, be prepared to use a weatherproof sealant on all cracks and openings that might let water in prior to finishing. For a finish I am just using two coats of outdoor primer and 2 coats of outdoor paint. I may end up brushing on a coat of water sealant (Thompson's) along the bottom half to prevent the skirt from soaking up any water.

Overall dimensions are approx. 7' tall X 3' wide X 22" deep with a total of four shelves and a small attic you can use for whatever you like.

The whole build is documented by pictures and text upon request, just send me an email if interested. Enjoy :)

Started off with the original design but enlarged it to fit an oversize single mattress. The mattress cost me $35 from a local faith farm, while the materials came in around $200. I decided to hang under my backyard pergola. Fun and easy project.