Community Brag Posts

Easy Peasy Garage Shelves

Submitted by NickInHB on Mon, 09/07/2015 - 13:12

This was such an easy project to complete although it did take some time to measure and cut all the boards.  I could only transport 2x4s at 8' so after cutting the height to 6' for the braces I used the extra 2' for the shelf width.  The extra width really helped with some of my storage totes.  I made the first section at 5' in length to handle the heavier totes, and the second section I used the full 8' board with a brace in the middle.  I wish my garage was a little deeper to handle 16' of shelves as it would have saved me a good bit of time.  I'm also glad I have an extra ryobi battery to charge while I assemble.  Gotta love how fast those things charge.  Can't wait to try another one of your plans.

Estimated Cost
Around $130 from the Depot. 2x4 at 8' $2.73 a piece and two boxes of screws.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
none
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

alipettaway

Sun, 05/31/2020 - 22:32

Awesome job!! I’m wondering if plywood can be used for shelving instead of more 2x4s like on the non free standing garage shelves?

Outdoor Chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/16/2022 - 17:45

Brightly Painted chairs are popular here. I made two unpainted chairs in an afternoon. I would paint the pieces before putting them together if I made them again. Very comfortable!

Comments

2x4 Adirondack Chair

Submitted by bcarter_1 on Tue, 10/30/2018 - 05:05

Love this chair

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

Comments

Large Wood Pet Kennel End Table

Thanks for the plans!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Closet Organizer

Submitted by kristen on Sun, 02/05/2012 - 10:26

I needed a closet organizer for my daughter's room that could grow and change with her age. Right now it needed to have lots of shelves at her height to hold the massive amount of stuff an 8 year old can accumulate.

Once she transitions out of the toys, I plan on moving the shelves all to one side or the other for shoes, and adding another rod. Another possibility is shoes in the door organizer and 4 sections of hanging clothes...regardless, the end result has options that will grow with her!

I was able to keep the cost of this down because I used all scrap plywood to make the drawers. I did splurge in S4S pine lumber rather than trying to make rougher cuts nice.

On the left door is Ana's Behind Closet Door Storage plan as well :)

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Kilz No VOC primer, Olympic No VOC paint in semi-gloss (white off-the-shelf tint)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 02/05/2012 - 11:17

I love the idea of the stuffed animals on the door! Those things multiply so fast and get in the way of making the bed - great closet!

Cindy from Indiana (not verified)

Sun, 02/05/2012 - 18:58

Right now DD's room is a blank canvas. One of the first projects (after getting her window in) is to figure out the closet. I think this will be my inspiration!

Looks great!

kristen

Sun, 02/05/2012 - 19:25

Thank you! I am loving how organized her whole room is because of the closet being in good shape. And everything has a spot now, so it's easy for her to get it back where it needs to go!

Oh, those stuffed animals. I mentioned to her the idea of paring her collection down and she was horrified at the idea!

In reply to by kristen

claydowling

Mon, 02/06/2012 - 06:40

A shocking notion. I think there's a box in our storage area with my wife's stuffed animals somewhere. Keep in mind, my wife isn't a 20-something who just moved out of her parents' house. We have a grand-daughter. Stuffed animals are forever. In fact I think one of my nephews still has my teddy bear.

kristen

Mon, 02/06/2012 - 09:04

...at the bottom of the basket where her stuffed animals used to live, were two of mine from when I was little, lol!

But you bring up a good point about forever. I think I need to put a ban on any new ones joining her stuffed animal family from here on out. Pretty soon I'm going to need to add another closet to her room just for those!

Guest (not verified)

Thu, 02/23/2012 - 17:32

How did you build and incorporate the drawers?

In reply to by Guest (not verified)

kristen

Sat, 06/30/2012 - 20:46

claydowling

Thu, 02/23/2012 - 19:12

The easiest way to do a quick drawer, if you don't know how to do dovetails (and that's a simple skill totally worth learning), is to drill holes through the sides and into the front, and pin it with hardwood dowels. Use a domestic hardwood, you'll be a better dowel and a dimension that matches drills you own. The cheaper white imported dowels don't match any drill diameters that I can find.

hoffer5353

Thu, 06/28/2012 - 13:18

I am wanting to add shelves and drawers on a closet and am afraid it will be too big for the space. How wide is your closet?

In reply to by hoffer5353

kristen

Sat, 06/30/2012 - 20:53

Here is the post with the plan mock-up with dimensions:

http://pinktoesandpowertools.com/2012/01/24/how-to-build-a-closet-organ…

It says 65.5" wide on there, and I don't believe I made any changes, so that should be accurate. I think you could get away with having an approximately 46" wide closet. You could have the drawers in the middle and then 12" wide shelves on either side that would fit sweaters, jeans, shoes. If you made them adjustable like mine, then you could really maximize the space in there. Just make sure you give yourself plenty of room in front of the shelves if there is wall there--you want to be able to easily take things in and out.

Good luck!

mrs.T.La Forme

Mon, 02/04/2013 - 17:49

i just want to say I`m jealous i wish my closet looked like this. cant wait until I`m skilled enough to try it .

kristen

Tue, 02/05/2013 - 15:08

I'm looking forward to doing this to my closet too!! It's a good project to take on once you want to try out drawers for the first time--since it's behind doors, it doesn't have to be perfect. Good luck!

Dr. Seuss Bookshelf

This was a Baby Gift for my sister and her little boy, Xander who was born just a couple weeks ago. I wanted to do something special that would last for my sweet nephew. She found a bookshelf similar to this on cool-rooms.com and we decided to try to make our own version. I've posted about it on my blog if you're interested in the process.

Estimated Cost
$100 (my costs are higher due to where I live)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats of red semi gloss and 2 coats of white on the shelves. Then after I had to make repairs after shipment I sanded it all and had to apply two more coats of red paint in a flat finish and sprayed 2 coats of a clear top coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Jenny94w

Mon, 02/19/2018 - 06:41

I would like instructions but it will no let me? 

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 03/18/2012 - 19:22

Clever cute creative. Cant stop looking at it. I love it. Thank you so much for posting.

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 03/18/2012 - 19:52

Thank you so much for posting .You did a beautiful job. Your a good sister and a Terrific aunt.

Legomamaof4

Sun, 03/18/2012 - 23:30

I love how you have taken a typical shelf and gave it a spark that is SO ONE of a KIND! WOW! This gives me ideas! There is just not enough time in the day thought.

Thank you for sharing your Awesome creativity. Your Family is SO lucky to have someone as talented as you! Keep up the good JOB!!!

Again AMAZING!!!

LaylasMOM

Thu, 06/07/2012 - 20:38

i love this design and cannot wait to make a pink one for my little girl!

zookeeperjay

Mon, 09/03/2012 - 08:59

I have long thought I wanted cartoon furniture for my kids. Haha. . I'm so inspired! Thanks I have to go get building!

Sheryl (not verified)

Sat, 01/05/2013 - 11:02

Love this ... My son is having his first child and would love to make this . Do you have anymore pics of it . And does anyone have any other patterns ?

Cedar Top Modification

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/01/2016 - 16:45

We needed a compost bin to replace the pile forming in a corner of the yard. We referred to it as "The Buffet" to reflect how much our new puppy enjoyed digging through the scraps. 

 

I I substituted cedar fencing to top the bin instead of the plastic sheeting. I just liked the way it looked and it was more cost effective. The most difficult part of the project really is wrangling the chicken wire. It's sharp!

Estimated Cost
I spent about $75 on materials for the project. I spent about another $75 on things like screws, a new staple gun, some waterproofing stain, etc all of which I have left overs and can use again.

I used treated lumber and a waterproofing deck stain. This is not for an edibles garden. I'm just using the soil to fill in low spots around the yard. If I was building it for a veggie garden I would have used all cedar wood with no stain or a natural shellac.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompson waterproofing deck stain. Brushed on.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

The Two Towers, Master closet Makeover

Submitted by dmcarwin on Sat, 02/15/2014 - 10:22

I have been wanting to makeover my master closet for a long time! I finally decided to just give it a try, I looked at several options and finally decided to base my closet around Ana's master closet tower she made for the momplex. I loved the plan and knowing I would need two towers I set to work designing with two towers in mind. I LOVE how it turned out and the tower plans were awesome! I also used the drawer plans for the tower and added the amount I needed, that is the best part about DIY! Thanks so much Ana for all your amazing plans they gave me the jump start I needed to get this project done! For details on the rest of my closet makeover please check out my blog post. If you go to my reveal post on my blog, near the bottom it has all the links to my building posts.

Estimated Cost
Around $150 for the two towers, not including the drawers which I used scrap wood for
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used a white Bher paint that was from the oops section.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

freefromburdens

Sat, 02/15/2014 - 11:42

I love this. I love the price also. I redid my closet and chose not to use the towers, but after seeing yours I plan on doing my other closets using this one. While doing research on closet organizers, the price was nothing like yours. This is really good quality for $150. Great job...

dmcarwin

Sat, 02/15/2014 - 12:48

It really was a great price, please note that without using a lot of my scraps I could not have done it, for so cheap. All of my drawers were made with scrap/reclaimed wood I had collected, and reusing wood from my old closet. The price of $150 was just for the two towers (drawers not included) and not all the other builds in my closet. I just don't want you to think that you could do it for that price if you had to buy all the wood. If you click on my blog post link I do a break down of all my costs (again not including what I had on hand) and for everything in the whole closet including the bins it was just over $300, that I personally spent. I was lucky to have so much scrap/reclaimed wood, it saved me a ton of money! Thanks again!

Sliding Barn Door Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/16/2023 - 09:30

I was remodeling my house. I couldn't find anything that I liked in my price range. I decided to try my hand at making some furniture. I'm wasn't sure if this was something I could tackle, but I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

Comments

Finished Shop

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/03/2024 - 08:41

Finished building my son's shop by enclosing an existing carport and adding these hand built carriage doors to the front of the shop. Sorry, not built from any plans here but used the techniques learned here from many of the other plans.

Gary

Tall Farmhouse Headboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 03/02/2024 - 11:34

 am thrilled with my new headboard. The plans made every thing about this project FUN and DOABLE. I'm a 70 year old Granma who loves to DIY. SO fun to show my photos of what I did ALL BY MYSELF! THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL PLANS! With out them my pretty new headboard would never have happened. WHAT FUN. I mounted an LED picture light fixture on the top for reading in bed and mounted the corded on off extension cord switch to the side of the leg for easy on off ! Again, THANK YOU!

Cheryl King

My Greenhouse

I went from a 6 x 8 Harbor Freight Greenhouse to this one 10 x 12. I added a few windows...

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Sewing/cutting table

Submitted by drc3924 on Thu, 06/19/2014 - 19:53

This has become my dream sewing/craft desk!! This project took about a week from start to finish (with work days in between). The shorter portion of the desk is used for my machine and sewing. The taller portion is used as a cutting table. The plans (dimensions) were tweaked some to get the perfect heights for me :).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
After sanding I painted 1 coat of interior primer the about 2-3 coats of mint flat interior paint. I decided not to add a clear coat just because I wanted to use my amazing desk ASAP!!!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

tamaralyn79

Wed, 03/25/2015 - 06:31

Your desk is GORGEOUS!!!! It's exactly what I've been looking to build for my space. I would love to know how you modified the plan to make it.

TaylorMade1205

Wed, 03/25/2015 - 07:23

I also wanted to comment on the thread shelf you build, that is really awesome, you can see all your colors right in front of you. Mine are in a drawer and I have to pull the whole thing out to see what I need. This is really giving me ideas.

kchess

Fri, 09/04/2015 - 08:45

Would you please send the plan instructions (with measurments).  It is perfect for me as I sew and embrodery both and have two machines.  

Corner computer cabinet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 09/22/2016 - 11:23

Flip down tray added for computer keyboard.

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

12 year old built her bed!

Submitted by gmktt on Wed, 07/08/2020 - 20:01

Thanks Ana White for the awesome plans! My daughter decided she wanted a new bed, so I told her I’d help her build one. I am not a carpenter, by any stretch, but I thought it would be some good dad/daughter bonding time. She tweaked your plans, did all the cuts, drilling, sanding, and painting (well, most of the sanding and painting anyway), and tolerated her father with great grace. It turned out pretty well. We couldn’t have done it without your plans! Thanks again! —Gabe

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$600.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White semi-gloss interior latex.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Murphy Bed - queen

Submitted by fielden_m on Mon, 10/08/2012 - 08:15

Taking the plans for the full sized Murphy bed (http://ana-white.com/2010/03/plans-a-murphy-bed-you-can-build-and-affor…) I added a few inches to convert to a queen and raised it off the floor 5 1/2 inches with removable fence post toppers.

The yellow head board lifts up and stores inside the frame when up. If I had it to do over again, I would sand and paint as I built. Thanks to Ana, I now have a guest room!

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
wood was sanded, primed and painted
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Cindy from Indiana (not verified)

Mon, 10/08/2012 - 11:13

Holy smokes! Great job! I just got my early birthday present - a Kreg Jig Master System!!! One of the first things I will be building is a murphy bed, so thank you for the inspiration.

It looks great!

nasrockswell

Wed, 04/24/2013 - 19:55

I love your adaptation of Ana's plans. Would you be willing to share the dimension for the queen murphy? Thank you!

fielden_m

Fri, 07/26/2013 - 18:51

I fudged the plans by adding to the width and height to make up for the change in bedding but also for the hinges and detachable feet. Measures will differ based on your hinges and feet.

vgb777

Mon, 04/29/2013 - 14:32

I am wondering what king of hinges you used for the bed. Did you use continuous (piano) hinges or regular door hinges? How wide are they? I am not sure what the acceptable width for the hinges is to be safe. Thanks.

fielden_m

Fri, 07/26/2013 - 18:47

I used 3 5" gate hinges. They are thick enough to leave a gap of 3/8" between my base and the part of the bed that swings down.

phelan1202

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 16:35

What were the altered measurements and exactly how did you raise it? I really like Anas plan except that the mattress was so close to the ground. I want to make this for my apartment and I'm painting the outside like a tardis. (:

fielden_m

Fri, 07/26/2013 - 18:50

I raised it 5 1/4 " using fence post toppers from home depot. The fence post toppers unscrew for upright storage. You could leave them in for a more dramatic look but I liked the cleaner lines with them out until needed

intrigued89

Sat, 11/02/2013 - 15:33

Would you be willing to share the dimensions you used when building your queen murphy? Even if they aren't exact, it would be such a big help to me!

rfpeterlin

Sat, 12/28/2013 - 03:33

That is definitely an attractive and well finished project. I am interested in how you finished the legs. I see in the second picture (bed in closed positions) where the toppers may have attached. Where do you store them?

fielden_m

Sat, 12/28/2013 - 22:56

In that same picture, if you look at the bottom 6 inches of the closed bed (under the hinge) there is a storage section where I hide the legs when the bed is raised. It is otherwise dead space and made for an easy storage conversion at the last minute.

Ben Childs

Sun, 01/10/2016 - 17:02

Can someone please help me I see this can be adjusted for a queen size bed. I don't know how to adjust the measurement to make it work. 

Ben Childs

Sun, 01/10/2016 - 17:04

Can someone please help me I see this can be adjusted for a queen size bed. I don't know how to adjust the measurement to make it work. 

Modified Farmhouse/Pottery Barn Bed Frame

Submitted by Tailer426 on Sat, 11/10/2012 - 10:08

This was my second big project and I went ALL out! I was inspired by the modified farmhouse bed, but completely modified it to look like the Hudson bed from Pottery Barn. I designed it completely on my own too. All of the exterior is oak and the frame is fir and pine. This bed is super sturdy and sleeps great!

The sides, footboard, and headboard are made from oak plywood outlined by oak 1x2 and 1x3. Then added 1/2"x3/4" oak shoe molding for the indentations. The top of the footboard and headboard has 1.5" cove molding topped with quarter-round.

The total cost of all the material was $430. But I have enough leftover oak plywood to make a matching night table. I still need to stain it, but I love the raw oak smell and feel.

My only tools to create this was a circular saw, drill, screwdriver, miter box, and sander. The frame itself took only a few hours. All of the hand cutting of the molding and careful angles took most of the time (20+ hours) since it was my first time ever doing anything like this. The cove crown molding was especially difficult.

So....what color should I stain it?

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
430
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
None...yet.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Elisha (not verified)

Sat, 11/10/2012 - 12:30

Beautiful! I love my farmhouse bed too. Doesn't it feel so good to cozy up into something to sturdy and know you made it with your own two hands? I don't know if it goes with the rest of your furniture, but I like the blonde color it is now. Maybe just seal it with Polyacrylic or wax so it doesn't yellow?

Farmhouse X Desk

Submitted by Jeremysj on Thu, 10/15/2020 - 10:59

I built the Farmhouse X Desk with full extension drawers instead of shelves.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White cabinet & furniture paint and dark walnut stain for the top. Finished the top with several coats of Minwax polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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