Community Brag Posts

4X4 Truss Beam Table

This was my first project. It's not perfect, but I love the way it turned out! The original plans were too large for my dining room, so I altered the plans to make it a 5-foot table. I actually ended up making it a little bit wider as well by adding an additional 2X10 to the table top to make the table look more proportional. The wider table top has made it perfect for family-style meals! For the finish, I did one layer of Rustoleum American Walnut stain applied with a foam brush and wiped off with a clean cloth after one minute. After the first layer of stain, I sanded the table with a very fine paper and then did two layers of Rustoleum Dark Walnut applied with a foam brush and wiped off with a clean cloth after only a few seconds of setting. Finally, I did three layers of Rustoleum Matte Finish polyurethane.

Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

daydra

Tue, 03/06/2018 - 19:15

Your table is beautiful!!! You done a stunning job on it!!! This is the same size that I need for my table but I'm having a hard time figuring out the measurements for the legs and the length of the benches I need!!! My table needs to be 60"x32" would you mind helping me with the measurements of your bench and also of your legs on the table?? I plan to make the table legs the same height as hers but need to make the top board and middle brace to match the 60" top!!

Modified Modern Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/18/2019 - 15:12

This project was actually my first build (besides a small blanket ladder). I used the Ana White plans every step of the way! Since this build I have created coffee tables, side tables, console tables, head boards and a bed frame. This table gave me the confidence to try an original project of my own. Although this table was fairly simple, it was the project that started it all. That is why I chose for this piece to be my brag post.

beginner farm table plans

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Watco Danish Oil in Medium Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Pantry Cabinet

Submitted by JoanneS on Mon, 03/05/2012 - 16:57

Pantry cabinet, with lots of room, Ana-inspired. We combined ideas from the Momplex kitchen, simple armoire, and benchmark storage, and we are super pleased with how this turned out. We built it in 2 pieces, attached together and then secured to the base and wall studs so it’s a ‘built-in’. Then we added lots of trim and painted to match the dining room. The opening at the left is large enough to fit pretty much any size microwave, and there’s a dedicated outlet behind it in the opening. The shelves are spaced wide enough apart for tall cereal boxes, tall bottles, and chip bags to stand upright. Overall finished cabinet size is 48" wide and 95 3/4" tall. This took us several days to complete. Since the doors are tall and kind of heavy, we added the Blum cabinet door dampeners from Rockler (these things really work!). Ana, thank you so much for the inspiration. I don’t think we would have tried this if it wasn’t for you. We love our new pantry!

Estimated Cost
$600
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Ace Royal semi-gloss in Wishbone (front and bottom side), and in Crushed Peanut (upper side). We did 3 coats, sanding in between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Debi_G (not verified)

Wed, 03/07/2012 - 00:05

Fantastic!

yogashell

Sat, 07/21/2012 - 07:44

It looks amazing! What a great idea to add it as a built-in. Nice modification for the microwave.

Parsons Bookcase

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 12/06/2019 - 04:07

Built two bookcases, and connected with three extra shelves (minus side pieces on extra shelves). Whitewashed pine. Based on parson plans but adjusted dimensions to height and width of railing in my living room area.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr white paint color to match walls, diluted 1:1 for whitewash.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Special Family Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/30/2023 - 09:52

Made my wife a Ana White DIY porch bench for our 10 year wedding anniversary. Had a custom plaque made: Sarah’s Bench.

Looks beauty on our front porch.

Jesse Micak, Ontario, Canada 

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Ana's Corner Cupboard Saved The Day!

Submitted by kar on Tue, 07/05/2016 - 09:08

July 2016: We recently moved and the corner cupboard we purchased several years was too tall for the new house. I needed a new storage solution for our kid's arts & crafts, games, and funny business materials. Of course, Ana and her corner cupboard saved the day! Thank you! The kids have a great place to store their business and mom and dad can finally recycle all of the cardboard boxes stacked dangerously in the corner. 

Our corner cupboard was adapted from Ana's Corner Cupboard plan. The height was increased to 84", adjusted the dimensions for increase heights including the shelf spacing, doors on top and bottom to hide messes, used 1x12 for spine of the cupboard and shelves.

Thank you Ana! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150-$200: Depending on wood species and quality, including paint and hardware.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dutch Boy Dura Clean Semi Gloss: Glazed Teal
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Shed Chicken Coop and Run

Submitted by mikesofka on Tue, 05/12/2020 - 09:27

I had such a fun time on this shed coop/run build! My wife and I have 5 children and it was fun involving them in building everything about this coop and run. They have a wonderful sense of accomplishment in looking at what they helped build.

A few notes, while this what a fairly straightforward build, there are a lot of little intricacies to be aware of. Such as:

• Make sure your chicken coop is about a foot off the ground. It's best to do that so critters such as rats and snakes don't make their home under the shed and potentially eat their way through the floor.

• It is highly advisable to dig a trench about a foot to a foot and a half deep around the coop and the run and attach chicken cage fencing from the bottom of the coop/run into the trench, and then taper the cage fencing outward. This will prohibit critters such as raccoons from trying to dig under the coop.

• When you attach the poultry netting to the outside of the chicken run, staple one side really well, then move to the other side and pull the netting fairly hard to make the netting as tight as possible. (Also, be careful when putting the netting across the top of the run to not fall off the ladder as I did and dangle there until one of your kids comes to help you! Ha! :D )

Thank you, Ana, for posting these plans! We are so excited to get our little chickies out into their new home as soon as their feathers come in!

Estimated Cost
$800
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Simple White Outdoor Chair

Submitted by klray on Wed, 05/21/2014 - 21:47

These chairs followed the simple white outdoor chair instructions. There were a few adaptations. I used 2x3s instead of 2x2s for the legs, like in the simple white outdoor loveseat instructions. I purchased my cushions from Target, and their dimensions are different than the cushions used in the instructions, so I changed some of the chair dimensions. I created the pattern for the ottomans, but it is very much based on the simple white outdoor chair instructions.

Fun project and happy with the results. Staining instead of painting probably made the project take twice as long.

Finish Used
Minwax Ipswich Pine - 2 coats,
Deft Exterior Polyurethane semi-gloss- 3 coats
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

sojaco

Thu, 05/22/2014 - 13:37

Your chairs are gorgeous - I feel compelled to go copy your handiwork immediately. :)

Would you mind sharing a link to the Target cushions you used? They look great on your chairs.

klray

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 10:56

Thanks!

Threshold Outdoor Deep Seating Cushion:
http://www.target.com/p/threshold-outdoor-deep-seating-cushion/-/A-1508…

Threshold Outdoor Deep Seating Back Cushion:
http://www.target.com/p/threshold-outdoor-deep-seating-back-cushion/-/A…

Just a note on the cushions, they are beautiful and highly economical, but that also means they likely aren't as supportive as cushions 2 or 3 times their price and the covers do not have a zipper, so you can't wash them. That being said, I am happy with cushions.

CreativeChaos

Fri, 05/23/2014 - 07:44

I built these chairs and love seat last summer and have sat on them wishing I had ottomans! You inspired me to build the ottomans. I have the same Theshold cushions from Target and they are great! Good job!

klray

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 11:09

Thanks!

The only tricksy part about the ottomans for me was attaching the "armrests". There isn't enough room to use the pocket hole screws after attaching the side aprons. I tried screwing the "armrests" to the legs before the aprons, but that just caused problems. In the end I screwed the side aprons and legs together and then screwed the "armrests" down from the top. I used wood filler to fill in the holes above the screw heads. So it isn't quite as clean looking, but worked for me.

amorg11

Mon, 06/08/2020 - 10:36

These chairs came out amazing!!! The only struggle was to find inexpensive cushions but worth every penny. Have had so many complements. Love them! Your instructions are so detailed!

jkess44

Tue, 06/09/2020 - 13:33

These look great! we just put together a section and would like to move on to the chairs. I was hoping to find ottoman plans, do you have the plans you used? If so can you please share?

My Outdoor Sectional Couch

This was built off Ana's Outdoor Couch plans.  I just made some additional things to it and made it larger.

I added the vertical back supports so the cushions don't slip out the back.  I raised the seat height to 17". 

Estimated Cost
$600-$800 including the cushions.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Oil primer and Latex Paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Codding58

Mon, 08/22/2016 - 13:57

Great job!    I really like the way that your set came out!    This had been on my list to do, but a broken foot put a damper on it this summer!    Great Job!

Pergola and Outdoor Furniture

The pergola is finally complete! I'm sure I'll be adding some more things, but for now....I'm happy. I can not take credit for the Pergola, my husband built that, but there are lots of projects inside to tell you about. I built the sofa, coffee table, 2 chairs and 2 planters. It's a great spot for entertaining or just sitting with glass of wine. I really loved the Rectangles Daybed , but I really had no use for a Daybed, so with a few modifications, I came up with the sofa version. To make it more comfortable I used the slanted back idea from the simple outdoor sofa plan.I love how it turned out and it was fairly inexpensive too. Lumber cost was around $50. I used 2x 6′s, 2×2 furring strips, 1×2 furring strips and 1×4 furring strips. You really have to pick through the furring strips, with some patience I was able to find pieces that would work well for my project. Using the more expensive would would make things much easier, because there would be much less sanding and filling involved…but I love a bargain!! When I first built the sofa for this collection, it was for our covered porch. I was not intending to build any matching pieces. When we moved it to the pergola, I decided to build these 2 chairs. I used plan from the simple outdoor chair and modified the back to match the sofa. The lumber for the chairs cost about $25 per chair. I bought some 2X2 quartz tiles from the Habitat ReStore for $3 each! I thought they would work perfectly for the tabletop. I sketched up a quick design to match the other pieces and came up with this. I used 2×3′s and 1×2′s. The lumber cost was about $15. I also used the Square Planters with Finials plan. I love these planters do much and they were so simple! Thanks for all the fantastic plans and inspiration!!

Finish Used
white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

teresad2297

Thu, 05/12/2016 - 21:30

What a lovely space! Including the water feature behind the pergola. I'd love to pull it straight from your photos and drop it into my yard! (I'd better get to work!!)  Thanks for sharing.

 

Seasonal And Holiday

Library Book Cart

Submitted by Terukosan on Wed, 09/12/2012 - 22:54

I built this book shelf for my daughter.

I made both the top and the bottom shelves an angled.
I used a finishing nail punch to emboss the name.

I mixed 3 different color stains to match the other furniture.

Used 2" caster wheels from Home Depot.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$55
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax wood finish (Golden Pecan, English Chestnut, Red Oak), Minwax Wipe-On Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

tommirhea

Fri, 09/14/2012 - 09:39

This is so pretty, I love the name in it! How wonderful. When you mix your stains, how do you know how much of each? Is is just a trial and error type of thing?

Terukosan

Fri, 09/14/2012 - 12:06

Hi tommirhea,

Thank you for your nice comment!

Mixing stains is just a trial and error. Pour into empty yogurt cup and mix with form brush. I like rustic looks, so, I don't care if color is not even ;-)

Have a nice weekend,

Sunny

tommirhea

Fri, 09/14/2012 - 12:14

Okay, thanks. I think I will try it on the desk I am going to make. I don't always love the color of stains, but never thought I could just dump different ones in to make my own :) I like rustic looks as well, makes it more unique.

Outdoor Patio Set (Tall People Approved)

I was so excited to build this outdoor patio set! My husband and I looked high and low to find an affordable,“tall and sturdy people” outdoor patio set. The sturdy pieces we found were in the $600-$1000s... and I’m sorry.... we’re not paying that. Especially, since most of those sets were not built to hold up in the Florida rain and humidity. So my husband suggested... “ just build it!” I modified the leg length to 28 1/4”, since I have tall family. The cushions were found at Pier1 for a steal since they’re going out of business, so the chairs were modified to fit the cushion size 22”x 22”.

Estimated Cost
$250 with Cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompson Waterseal- transparent- Autumn Brown
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Painters Ladder

Submitted by Slappy on Mon, 01/09/2017 - 18:12

The legs and trim were made from 2x4 that I cut down to size with the table saw. Plywood from a chicken coup I made from Ana''s chicken coup plan was used for the shelf base.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Free, made from scrap wood.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Clear gloss polyurethane and blue paint semi gloss, left over from the chicken coup.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

DIY Glass Top Vanity

For anyone who is interested in building their own glass-top vanity with pull-out drawers :)

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Ultra White
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

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