Community Brag Posts

We adapted these plans to build our tree house, I hope it's not too much of a stretch for brag posts! Every kid seems to have two wishes: a fort or tree house and a secret passage way. Or is it just my kids? Turns out we live in the desert and trees are hard to come by. Our solution? Build a tree house in the house. Why not!? Our magic tree house is well used and well loved. This is one of those projects that simmered and in my mind trying to think of the perfect way to build the thing. The stuff our parents built and played in was a hodge podge of left over wood and their own creations, crooked construction and messy paint. So, I set the perfect aside and dove in. The only things our tree house really needs to be is safe and fun. Most families try to find indoor activities for the winter, but in the desert it is so blazing hot we need indoor retreats in the summer. This tree house is the solution a gagillion times over! Thank you Ana!

Modified from the original plans to make it longer and thinner to fit the space/need.  

For the "X" cuts I just built the frame, clamped on a rough length of 2x2 and drew lines where the cuts should go.  I ended up cutting those by hand since they were well over 45 degrees.  Next time I will make a jig for my miter saw to handle those angles.

Finish is just vinegar and steel wool.  The picture with the clamps is before the top coat was applied. Once the poly was put on it gave it a nice gloss and nice, rich colors. 

Now it just needs some decorative pieces sitting on it :)

Nice, fun project!

My first build! I tore apart two old pallets to get the surface boards for the table. The skirting is 1 x 6's from the hardware store. I need larger casters but am saving up for the real vintage ones.

This is the second farmhouse table that we have built but we modified it to fit the needs of our "clients" (my parents). This was a gift for my dad made to be an outdoor prep table/kitchen island. This was the project that would NEVER END! We built it originally and decided that it was just too tall. So, we shortened the legs, put it back together, finished it, loaded it and then SMASH! the darn thing flew out of the back of our truck! So we re-pocket holed, did our best to fix the table top and put it back together once again. We built this thing 3 times! But now it is happily home on my parent's patio and enjoying its new life.

Finish: Driftwood stain, lime wax, miniwax finishing paste wax.

Cost: $15 Most everything was scrap we only had to buy a 2x4 and a 4x4 for the legs.

Hi Ana,

 Here are a few more pics of some tables I've built! I would love to know what people think!

Thanks!

This table was made for large gatherings. It will seat 12 and is 9' X 4' I had to add another let in the middle and I couldn't find 4X4 so I paired 2 2'X4's. The friend I made it for is very happy with it, and so am I.

This was a fun, easy and inexpensive project. Ana's instructions are very easy to follow. I modified her plan, only slightly, by adding 1X6 to the arms of the chairs, as well, I added a 1X2 cap to the top back of the chair. I also built four (4) accent tables (not stained yet) and a bench. Now I have a great set of outdoor furniture for my deck!

I built this for my daughters 3rd birthday. Because my wife works weekends i was only able to spare a few hours a day Monday-Friday. And because i did it in summer under the Texas heat it took longer than i would have liked. The flowers and birds came from Hobby Lobby. My daughter flipped out when she opened her room and saw it, as a father I've never felt prouder than to build this with my own 2 hands just for her.

This was produced from the Queen version by adding 16 inches to the width of several of the pieces of wood.

Built the kentwood twin for my daughter from Ana’s free downloadeable plans. Build was very easy and had a blast. Total cost was between $60-$70. Can’t wait to start my next project! 

First Anna project, I needed a bench by the pool, so I did waterproof it, which is holding up well, and it's extremely nice even with my limited skills. Definately worth the time and sanding.
Things I learned, need to measure each cut out. I didn't, so my slats are not all the same length. Still works really good, but I should've measure, cut, measure, cut, because I didn't take into account the width of the blade. I wouldn't use so much wood filler. I really glopped it on there. The sanding and staining pre, good call.
I would've used 2 pieces of wood for each leg.
Well, next one. I've already learned so much from making it and had a great time making it. Can't wait to get started on the table to match!

Thisi s a bedside table that I made for my good friend Gayle for next to her log bed in her log cabin at Higgins Lake, MI

My husband and I were able to put this together over the course of two weekend days. Then it took me an eternity to paint/finish it. But we love it now and so does our little girl!

Our version. Now covered by an offset umbrella.

This was a fun and very rewarding project.  Thank you Ana for sharing your talent with us.  I got tired of stores wanting too much money for cheaply built bar stools, so I turned to the internet and found Ana.  These stools are quality built, and at a fraction of the cost.  The only thing I altered in Ana's original plan was the backrest.  I tried to build the horizontal braces but kept damaging the wood.  So I just built them vertically.