Community Brag Posts

Bar Cart or BBQ Cart

The rolling bar cart (or BBQ cart) with removable tray is the latest addition to my suite of DIY patio furniture. This site has become a bit of a building obsession with me. Even with the detailed instructions, I still found ways to make this project my own: I added a 3/4" dowel and plastic wheels, instead of wood rounds. I painted all the pieces with primer and exterior paint before assembling it, because it's hard to get paint between the slats, unless you have a spray painter. The white slat design of the bar cart, park bench and matching side tables goes with the white siding of the house for my own patio picnic.

Estimated Cost
1x3's $20
wheels $10
dowel $4
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White primer & exterior house paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse King Headboard/Barn Door

I found a barn door headboard in a rustic furniture store years ago. They wanted $2700 for a Queen size....no thank you! I followed the plans for the Farmhouse King Bed and added cross pieces for barn door look using instructions from the Brookstone Headboard. I cut the legs at 56” to add some height and I set the bottom of the back panel at 18” above the floor to make sure no gap is seen with our thinner, memory foam mattress. I couldn’t be happier with our headboard and the total cost, including screws & stain, was about $150! Boom! Thank you Ana White for sharing plans! I’m working on the Mini Farmhouse Bedside Table now & feel like I can build anything! I would highly recommend Power Pro Premium Interior screws (no splitting or stripped heads, no pre-drilling & they counter-sink great in soft wood). For the 4x4 posts I used GRK UberGrade R4 multi-purpose 4” screws, which had the same quality, all from Lowe’s.

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used wood conditioner, as recommended. Then 2 coats of Minwax Special Walnut with light sanding in between. I chose 2 coats of clear satin polyurethane, lightly sanding in between for a great rustic finish that’s not too glossy. I did beat up the wood and sanded off all square edges prior to applying any finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

stuffed animal problem

Submitted by bhoppy on Sat, 10/03/2015 - 14:36

There were a few of these floating around pinterest so I just looked at a few pictures and kinda winged it.  It is made almost just like Jamie’s except I used additional 2x2’s as you can see in the pics… I needed something to thread the bungee cords through.  I tied them off on the top and bottom.  I ordered a roll of pink bungee cord off of amazon.  This is actually two years old as you can see from how much it has filled up.  I also went back and added additional rows of bungee cord between all the others as stuffed animals were falling out.  Again, I winged it.  Having plans will make this build much easier!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
primed with kilz and satin white paint I already had
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

mrsloveless

Mon, 01/18/2016 - 13:19

Where did you purchase the 2x2's and 1x3's? Are they furring strips or pressure treated lumber? Thanks!

Smaller Dog Crate with a drawer!

Submitted by imalearba4 on Wed, 01/06/2016 - 14:02

You may remember my green stratton day beds that I built a long time ago- finally I have another project to post- I am soo happy I found Ana White's website. We just got back from a 2.5 week vacation in Israel and my dogs were staying with my sister. She told me they had been sleeping in the same kennel together instead of separately. Their kennels are too small so I decided to build them one using wood I already had. But since they are small dogs, I decided to size it down- but I wanted it end table height- so I built a smaller kennel- 20"H x 19"W x 28"D. but... I added a drawer to the top to bring it to the right height. You can read all about it on my blog- link below.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35 - for drawer pull, stain, drawer slides, and hinge hardware- I had the 2x2s and plywood in my stash
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Provincial stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

KryssQuinn

Sat, 04/11/2020 - 15:17

I really like this idea. We have a repurposed dresser currently housing two crates, but this is cleaner.

Headboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/24/2023 - 09:17

I followed your basic farmhouse bed plans and modified them. I have made three headboards now. Each time someone sees them, they want me to build one for them!

Built from Plan(s)

Farmhouse Bench

Submitted by pwky on Thu, 10/24/2013 - 15:03

First time building furniture. This turned out much better than I thought. After this I probably could've build the farmhouse table myself instead of paying way too much for my wood dining table. Only if I have found Ana's site sooner. :)

Having a Kreg jig also made the whole process much easier.

Estimated Cost
$40 without the stain
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Kona and Minwax pre-stain conditioner and semi-gloss poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Reclaimed coffee table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/21/2016 - 10:31

I built this coffee table from reclaimed pallet. The design is based off of the West Elm Emmerson line.

Estimated Cost
$50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Hand rubbed clear wax
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Planters!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/14/2023 - 03:50

These planters are exactly what we needed to warm up this blank siding! The smaller planters are made from pine, the larger from cedar.

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Double Chair with Table

Submitted by Codding58 on Tue, 02/09/2016 - 11:05

This was a fun project for me and my son. Total time was probably a weekend, including finish. I used Douglas Fur, and spent around $100 including finish and nails ect.

Estimated Cost
$125 including conditioner, finish and hardware
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Conditioner and Spar Urethane (2 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Hexagonal X based pedestal table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 05/30/2023 - 10:53

After completing all the pieces for myself based on 4x4 pedestal dining table with planked wood top, I thought I would build a table for my daughter.
The pedestal base is the same as the plan.
Now all i have to do is get it transported 400km down the road

The table was made from 200mm x 50mm pine sleepers
The top was finished with 2 coats of British paints 1 coat finish

Comments

First project ever

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/21/2016 - 18:53

I challenged my husband who is new to any woodworking project to make me this table! That he did!!

Estimated Cost
$250 (benches and table)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum American walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

VegTrug

Submitted by carongirls on Sat, 02/22/2014 - 18:52

A friend needed a raised garden bed for her husband who is in a wheel chair. I searched and found the VegTrug's. It took a lot of trial and error. I based it off Williams Sonoma's pictures. I wouldn't of attempted this with out a plan if it weren't for Ana's website.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

steve badham

Wed, 09/09/2015 - 02:56

We have just set up a "Men'sShed" in our little village here in the UK, and think that these would make a great first project for novice handymen. Are there any plans available to help us?

Steve

Trickman2

Wed, 05/18/2016 - 21:45

Not sure what the story is here,  Maybe she got in trouble for saying Vegtrug?  I would like plans for a DIY Raised planter bed like the above. 

Garden-potting bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 04/27/2020 - 19:48

Great project! Thank you Ana!

1 thing though, it was 6-2×6×8' boards!
Cheers!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Modern Chairs, Modern Loveseat, and the 2x4 Outdoor Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/29/2020 - 19:58

I took this opportunity while quarantined to make this set. I think it came out really beautifully!

Finish Used
Shou sugi ban, Simple Finish by Maker Brand, and Total Boat Halcyon Clear.

I used a blow torch to burn each board. Then I used a wire brush to remove soot, and washed with water and allowed to dry completely. I opted for pocket holes for the chairs and love seat. After assembling, I finished with Simple Finish by Maker Brand ($40/qt), and top coated with Total Boat Clear Halcyon ($32)

Farm Style Side Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/13/2024 - 12:26

This was a new project idea my wife wanted me to do. It was relatively simple to follow. I felt it turned out pretty good. I've always felt that Ana's plans were well thought out and simple to follow. Even for a beginner like me.

 

Robert Gilliam

Built from Plan(s)

Mobile Workbench with Drawers

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/22/2024 - 08:08

I recently had a workshop built and I have been trying to now work on the furniture for it. My first project was this workbench inspired by the plans "garage workshop workbench". I added drawers on each side and will probably end up adding a shelf in the open area as well after letting my kids finish decorating the top. It's already a nice addition and I may build a smaller version for my garage. I added casters and have the option to roll the table around or have it stationary.

Tonie

Grandy sliding door console

We needed a new TV stand, so me and my boyfriend picked out this plan. We worked on it together. It took us about a week. Barn door hardware is pricey, so we made our own hardware with steel stock and garage door pulleys.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250-300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark walnut top
"Porpoise" by Sherwin Williams for base
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Coop and run for Six

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 09/24/2016 - 08:10

We wanted our chickens to have plenty of room for when we ere not home and could not let them free range in the yard.  One of the six was a rooster-- and long story-- but we don't have him any more-- so 5 chickens now enjoy this coop/run.  It cost about $300 in supplies.  It is 16 feet long.

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

Comments

Farmhouse Tables

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 05/15/2024 - 08:28

I used red mahogany 225 minimax stain along with 3 coats of diamond wood finish I gave it a very quick sanding with 600 grit sand paper right before the last coat of the diamond finish and it came out silky smooth and the color really pops. I am just a beginner and I thought this project was gonna be quick and easy because I'm used to having to plain all my wood and get it all ready before putting it together I slapped this together in no time but finishing it without a spray gun after it was all together was a very lengthy process.

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