Community Brag Posts

Garden Boxes

Submitted by brittanyeg on Tue, 04/08/2014 - 14:00

Made 4 of these garden boxes for the side of the house. I love how they turned out and it was easy to change the size of boxes just by changing the side lengths. I love the trim on the top. It makes them look so much more finished. Can't wait to fill them.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I didn't bother with the wood glue step but am sure they'll be fine. Also I couldn't find any 1" screws. But the 1.75" screws worked fine.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Seasonal And Holiday

Little smaller and no X's

Submitted by JulieJabs on Tue, 07/05/2016 - 19:20

I loved this table but I knew I wasn't going to get the X right so I skipped em ;-)  wish I knew before I had to shorten all the dimensions what a pain putting those 2x4 supports in would be!!! Used 1x10 for shelves and was quite a process trying to secure those! 

 

I used a watered down white latex paint all over then 1 coat of weathered oak stain 

Estimated Cost
40
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

First Try, Picnic Table

I had to take 2 redwood trees down last year so I learned to mill my own lumber. This picnic table is my first attempt at furniture. The dimensions of the wood is beyond "full" so a cutlist would be meaningless. For reference the table top boards are 2.25"x9.25"x7'.

The inspiration is from the Fancy X Farmhouse Table project on this site.

I don't know how you would price or time this because I started from logs 8^)

This site is awesome!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
TBD
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Tue, 06/19/2012 - 06:03

Wow, that is beautiful and I'm thoroughly impressed that you started from logs and this is your first attempt. This site is awesome indeed! Looking forward to seeing more of your projects!

First project Nicest thing in my house

Submitted by chomuth on Fri, 04/11/2014 - 17:33

Well this is my first project and it took me a long time. I have to think way to long before I actually do something. I redrew the drawings to fit my garbage can but it still didn't fit.
Oh well, it was a good idea at the time.
I used a biscuit joiner and glue to put everything together. For the door I used rail and stile bits. The panels are made of MDF, I used a bit made just for raised panel doors on the router table to make them, Oh by the way MDF makes a very big dusty mess, Please wear a mask it has to be really bad to breath.
I also added a slow close piece that is mainly used on kitchen cabinets, I just had to do that and it works very well.
Thanks Ana for such a helpful website

Chuck

Estimated Cost
$100 or so
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Primed and spray painted all the pieces. I also sanded between the coats of paint
Some pieces needed to be painted before assembly. The top is pine that was stained and varnished.
Spray painting in a basement really make the house smell bad, Ok Ok I am not always the smartest person.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

JoanneS

Sat, 04/12/2014 - 07:01

You did a beautiful job on this! The finishing is lovely, and those raised panels are impressive!

chomuth

Thu, 04/17/2014 - 15:51

Thank You JoanneS
I am on my next project now. I need a place to hang my coats and not see all of the shoes, lost almost everything in a divorce including almost all my tools.
LOL
A small price to pay for serenity.

Kitchen table and bench

Submitted by Corky2321 on Mon, 05/04/2020 - 14:55

Super fun and easy project! I had to cut down the length of the table to 6 ft to fit the space in the house. I also did 2x8 tops on the bench for more surface area. I will def be building an ana white project again!

Estimated Cost
$100 for all supplies for table and bench
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My Big Ur Farm Table

Submitted by Jake on Sun, 06/24/2012 - 16:12

I built the table to use in my garage but it came out so beautiful that I now find myself wondering who to give it to. I followed the plans except I used 1x3s instead of 2x6s or 2x2s for the trim between the legs. I built the top first using pocket holes and then added the legs. I then added the side trim before adding the joists. That process had every board fitting perfectly. No attachments are visible from the outside. I attached the legs using pocket holes and three inch screws and glue , of course.

I will build two benches which should be a snap.

I had no luck finding a 10 foot 4x4 so I bought two 8 foot. Got a good deal at HD with each less than $8 each

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$61 which includes screws and glue but not stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I use Minwax Golden Oak for the pine components and Minwax Red Oak for the fir legs. I like the contrast.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Dining room plate racks

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/11/2016 - 15:21

We took the plans and customized them to fit the area around our windows in the dining room.  We also added a 1x6 to the top so we could fit larger items and added a trim piece.  We made the shelves different heights to accommodate our plates and added a shorter shelf on the bottom 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore Advance Dove White
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Providence Benches

After making the Providence Table, I whipped up these benches to match! They were super easy to make in one day. I love the sturdiness of these (and the look too). 

Estimated Cost
$50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore Arborcoat Teak stain and low VOC clear coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Patio Table & Bench

Submitted by madore07 on Wed, 04/16/2014 - 18:47

Great projects for any beginner. Make sure you're working on a level surface for the table. I purchased simple planter boxes from a local hardware store, and worked around those. For the bench, my only suggestion is to verify you are square at each step- other than that it's pretty straightforward.

Estimated Cost
350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Teak Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

western boot storage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/14/2016 - 19:26

Altered plan somewhat to make it heavy duty seating when needed. 18" inside height is necessary for hubby's boots especially. Room for my lab coat too! It suits our 100 year old, nearly closet-less farmhouse well.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
since I used mostly scraps/leftovers I spent as much for the hooks as the rest. Not even $30 in the wood but scrap collection is now depleted. Bench is 2X8s joined together on all sides, except bottom is 1X8s joined (love my kreg!)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
white enamel
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My First Project: Farmhouse Table

Submitted by jtundra05 on Fri, 05/08/2020 - 20:51

Hafa Adai everyone. This is my first real woodworking project. I followed the plans for the Truss Farmhouse Table almost exactly as written. One thing I felt it needed was more support for the 10" breadboard ends. I added spare pieces of 4x4 cut to 5" with an 80 degree angle at one end to each corner of the tabletop base. This made the breadboard ends feel very secure and well supported.

Since I didn't have a table saw to rip the tabletop panels for clean edges, I used wood putty (not wood filler) to fill in the gaps from the 2x10 panels after I secured them together. Tip: I saw someone use ratchet straps to hold the table top tightly together when securing with screws in the absence of long clamps. Worked great.

The only thing I would do different is choose a wood without the treated staple marks for the table top. But since its an outdoor table its not too bad a look. Overall, it was a great learning experience and a very fun project to build.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used Varathane Worn Navy stain for the table top; 2 coats, then used Varathane oil based (semi-gloss) spar urethane to clear coat both tabletop and base. Also 2 coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

DIY Small Manger

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/03/2024 - 08:34

Seen a picture somewhere and I liked it . It was on my mind so I made this Nativity Manger, no plans just went for it by memory.

Mike

Wood planter with trellis

Submitted by jwright on Mon, 07/02/2012 - 11:07

This is a quick and easy cheap build. I priced planters this size at the store and they were about $75 with a trellis. I built this one for under $20. Thanks Ana!

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained with some leftover stain I had in the garage
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Play Structure & Swing Set

Submitted by Colby032 on Fri, 04/18/2014 - 11:52

My second building project... this one took quite a while, building in the evenings after the kids went to bed.

The playhouse is based off of Ana's Playhouse Building series, with some modifications to fit the space in my backyard and accommodate climbing wall, monkey bars, and slide.

To put the main deck structure into the ground for sturdiness while protecting from moisture, I dug out 5 holes to fit single hole cinder blocks (4 corners plus an extra 4x4 for the monkey bars; you can see an leftover block on the ground in one of the pictures). I placed some brick in the holes, then the cinder blocks on top. I then partially filled the cinder blocks with sand, put the pre-built deck in the cinder block holes (with help - it's heavy!), and then filled the rest of the cinder block holes with sand. It's worked remarkably well - the deck has been up for about a year now. I also sprayed some clear waterproof sealant on the bottom part of each beam near the ground for extra protection (deck, monkey bars, climbing walls, and swingset A-frame). This has allowed me to still run sprinklers near/around the playset and even grow grass underneath the swings!

Materials used:
* Playhouse: pine, plywood, Suntuf solar grey polycarbonate corrugated roofing panels (I live in Arizona, so little rain to worry about but lots of heat - the sheeting lets light in but blocks most of the UV rays, corrugated shape also provides venting at top when placed sideways)

* Deck/Swingset/Monkey bars: treated lumber, composite decking, pine for railings, monkey bars purchased from Amazon

* Climbing wall: pine, treated lumber, handholds/railing bought off ebay/Amazon

* Swings/slide/bongos/wheel, telescope: purchased from Amazon

Modifications:
* Turned playhouse 90 degrees to be in back of the deck, with swingset coming off the side. This meant the support beam for the swingset had to pass through the playhouse - modified the frame for that wall slightly and created a notch for the beam to pass through.

* Slide comes out one end of playhouse - made the "window" on that end larger than the plans called for in order to give room for the slide.

* Monkey bars come off one side of the deck - used extra 4x4 here to create support for the bars, and used extra bars to make a ladder on this side

* Climbing wall instead of ladder for main entrance

* Put large window in back wall of the playhouse

* Added cross bracing to side of decking on swingset end to make it more solid/cut down on sway when swinging

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint on playhouse, water seal on railings
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

yubbie2

Tue, 04/29/2014 - 20:41

This is phenomenal - just the plan & design we've been looking for. Can you upload a few more pictures? Any sketches you can provide? Shopping list? Really great job - I hope your kids love it. It looks awesome.

JeremyFox

Wed, 04/30/2014 - 04:53

Love it! I like the way it sits right next to a tree - I thought it was a tree house at first.

Colby032

Wed, 09/10/2014 - 14:03

Thanks! It's certainly nestled in right behind that tree - I originally was going to place it in between that tree and another one but then decided to just place it behind them in order to take better advantage of shade (critical in AZ) and fit in everything I wanted to put on it (monkey bars, swings, slide, climbing wall)

masons_momma2015

Mon, 07/08/2019 - 00:48

We've  been looking at these type of players for our son, and good grief! Prices are astronomical for playsets that are NOTHING like this. This absolutely an amazing  place for those boys to make memories. You're  amazing!  Do you mind if I ask what it cost once it was finished? I never imagined  that it would cause a tic in my eye to look at the kids from Lowe's or anywhere else for that matter.

Colby032

Tue, 08/20/2019 - 10:14

I don't remember how much it cost in the end... but probably around $900?  That may include getting some tools that I needed but didn't have at the time.  The slide was the most expensive single piece I bought - I think I got it from Amazon.

When it was all done, I remember thinking that what I got for my money was *way* beyond what I would have gotten by purchasing a kit or a pre-built play structure.  Plus, by going my own way, I was able to build it to fit my space and the needs/abilities of my kids.

While the whole thing is big and looks like an intimidating build, it really isn't bad - the platform is a fairly blank base to design everything else off of, and is incredibly sturdy.  Everything else is a discrete part that branches off of the platform and can be planned out as you need.  Adding the monkey bars required putting in a 5th upright (the first 4 are the corners), but that was an easy modification since I knew I wanted it before building the platform.  The playhouse just sat on top of the platform (screwed down, of course).

 

patelscope

Sat, 08/01/2020 - 20:40

Hello. This is pretty cool, probably the best modification that I am looking for from Ana's default plans. Could you please add some more detail on the right side wall, and how you incorporated the support beam through the playhouse? (with maybe a picture from inside of that wall). And secondly, if you can add the dimensions for the monkey bar setup on the left side of the deck? Thanks, much appreciated

2x4 out door couch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/17/2016 - 16:28

Was made using 2x4 plans from Ann-white web page. Thanks for the idea

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
120
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Decking paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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