Community Brag Posts

From our blog, 1885 Prospect Hill Renovation:

Annie and I have four kids.  One of the most amazing things about Annie is that three of them are not biologically hers, but she is an intensely loving and caring parent to them.  I brought them with me into our relationship and she never saw them as "baggage", but as more outlets for her seemingly unending displays of love and affection.  We bought this house, in part, because it was big enough for our family. One of the best features was this "bonus" room between the dining room and the kitchen.

Now most houses of this period have a front entryway, a front parlor, a second parlor, a side room and a kitchen.  For some reason, the builders of our home stuck an extra room that we lovingly call our "family room".  This is where the kids play.  Where they do their homework.  Where we have our family game nights.  Where we sing happy birthdays.  It is the heart of our home and we needed a table worthy of accommodating these things.

Now, Annie doesn’t like to spend money on things.  Ever.  So it was up to me to build this table.  So I leaned on my favorite website, the queen of all DIY projects, Ana White. She has plans for many great projects, and she makes them easily accessible and affordable.  My favorite was for her Farmhouse Table.  It was big and it was doable.

I used stock wood from my favorite lumber place in Western New York, Lenco Lumber.  Using my new compound miter saw, my grandfather's old dado blades on my table saw, and about 1,000 screws, I built this guy.  It is so sturdy the kids can all dance on it and it won't budge.  It is now a permanent fixture in our home and when we die, it stays behind.  

We painted the legs white and stained the top a dark red oak.  Because we wanted it to be durable and stand up to anything the kids could throw at it or spill on it, we gave it a thick epoxy bar coat.  This was a challenge.  We had to mix the two parts and spread evenly across the table, letting the epoxy drip over the edges to cover the sides.  Then came the blow torch.  Heating the wet epoxy forces the bubbles to the surface and allows them to burst, leaving a smooth and even finish.

We built a bench to match, also thanks to Ana White's design.

Finally, we found some chairs on Craigslist from a family that was moving.  They look pretty old and needed some reinforcement, but we think they look great!  Oh, and we also painted the walls to a brighter, more playful color.  Now it is truly a Family Room that we love!

Full tutorial on the blog tamarasjoy.com

I built this basketball hoop for my sons room over a year ago and it has stood the test of time! The wood rim never cracked. Plus it looks fantastic :)

This project was a bit of a challenge. My garage has uneven flooring and a concrete lip around the edge of wall so I had to make the back legs 10 inches shorter than the front. Overall, it turned out well and everything is completely leveled much to my amazement. I'm thinking of making more shelves on the other end of the garage to free up more space.

This was my first project ever. I had a lot of fun and it didn't quite turn out right but next time it will be perfect.

Love how this turned out!! Thank you thank you Ana!! Plans were great, I think we got it done for just about $250! 

Thanks again!

Modifed slightly to make a sectional.  Used extra cushion for an Ottoman.  Added an additional board behind/beside cushions to hold them firmly in place. (2x2)
Purchased 9' boards instead from our lumberyard.  Cushions from Lowe's, throw pillows from WalMart/Canadian Tire. 
 

I used the basic design principles from Ana's site but decided to use 3.5x6.5 round fence posts (purchased at my local Tractor Supply Company) for a different look plus they are a little cheaper than 4x4 posts. I also used pressure treated 2x4s for some added strength and perhaps longer durability. I used Ana's cedar fence pickets idea for my roof (these pickets are used as walls on one of the other shed plans on this site). I didn't need a very robust roof as my firewood shed sits underneath the deck which provides a lot of protection from the rain. I attached the structure using 3 inch deck screws and the roof with 1.5 inch deck screws (nails would have been more than adequate for the roof but I had the screws on hand).

I did run into some problems due to my design changes. Most of my issues involved attempting to square up the round posts which are much closer in shape to a jagged stick than dimension lumber such as a 4x4 post. If I had to do it over again I would not have used the round posts. Constant tweaks and adjustments to the posts significantly delayed my build time and frustrated me at times. I was just barely able to wedge my woodshed in between the 2 deck posts which actually came in handy as I was able to secure the shed to the deck posts with 3 inch screws...making the shed very solid! The final issue I discovered after loading up my wood shed. The 2x4s at the bottom of the structure began to sag. I fixed this by using my floor jack to raise them up and placed 8 inch tall 4x4s underneath (2 in the front and 2 in the back).

Overall I'm happy with the way it turned out and I really love all the plans on this site...GREAT ideas!!

I really wanted some outdoor furniture but did not want to spend the thousands for a sectional. I used this plan and created the entire sectional for less than $500!

Wood =

My first attempt at a country farmhouse style dining table, my children managed to also use it as a playhouse within minutes!!

I enjoyed making this outdoor sofa and table combo from Ana's Ryobi series.  An inexpensive and easy project that we just love!  All construction grade 2x4.

First large wood working project my husband and I completed. In love with Projects and plans by Ana white !