Community Brag Posts

Chicken Run with Turkey House

Submitted by vendo on Wed, 10/13/2021 - 10:03

My daughter helped me build this enclosure. We used Ana's chicken run plan, but just made it taller so we could walk in easily. We added an overhang to store food and pellets under, for the supports we used Ana's easy shelves angle support plan, and finally we used the playhouse base plan for the base of turkeys house. All plans used are linked below. We ran the chicken wire out under the structure and still need to bring in some large rocks or pavers, but so far no issues with predators. Turkey was getting too big to fit in the smaller coop, so we decided to have fun with his house and used cedar fence pickets and some treated 2x4's, built a box and jig sawed the shape of a turkey. As you can see in the first photo the ladder for turkey wasn't big enough, all the other chickens were in his house, lol. So I beefed up the ladder and he happily can put himself up at night now:) Overall a super successful project, I wasn't sure what to do with the top and just at that point, the neighbor walked over and offered the metal, talk about a huge win and the perfect solution! We attached the run to the previous smaller structure and now they have so much more room and are laying like crazy:) Finally, I think this would make a great dog kennel as well...

Outdoor Sectional

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/28/2023 - 05:24

This was my seventh outdoor couch but my first sectional. My very first couches were all inspired by Ana White's plans and I have gotten so much better with my skills that I building other things as well. Thanks Ana for all your inspiration!

Comments

Lift Top Coffee Table

Submitted by JJones0925 on Fri, 03/16/2018 - 20:48

Instead of attaching the top to the coffee table base as done in the plans, the top is attached using a set of coffee table lift top hinges. 

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

Comments

Slat Bench

Cost: $45
Made this bench smaller than the plan so it measures 48" X 18". Using it in a spare bedroom so it will eventually get stained to match the wood furniture.

Estimated Cost
45
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Haven't stained the wood, can't decide on a color.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Rapturee

Mon, 12/04/2017 - 09:17

That was my idea as well, to shorten it. My wife just asked me if we could part with a few chairs on the back side of our dining room table and if i would make a bench or two across the back wall. Well "of course" i said hahah!!  Nice job on yours!!   :{)

'X' Entryway Table

Submitted by danicarby on Sat, 09/24/2016 - 14:32

This table is built out of only 2x4's - that's 5 boards for about $15!  It was pretty easy and took half a day.  If the fancy angles are too hard to cut safely I recommend doing 45-degree angles!  I'm happy to have a nice entryway - first time my whole life! :)

I've created a post on my project blog wth instructions & pictures for anyone to make their own.

Rustic console table

Estimated Cost
$15 for Lumber
Additional for Screws and Wood Finish
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Conditioner, Minwax Dark Walnut Stain then lasly, Paste Wax (Dark Brown).
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

danicarby

Tue, 09/27/2016 - 12:16

Thank you Ana!  You made my day!  It was such a treat to see it posted on your Facebook page!  I told my husband that NOW that "I am famous" (haha) that I should be able to get the jointer & planer I've been begging him to let me buy!  I'm thinking maybe a direct message from  you would be just the trick! :)

Richard6959

Wed, 01/29/2020 - 13:54

What angle were the leg cuts? More than 50* because my saw wont go that far. Please let me know. 

10 foot long Provence Table with 4x4's

My mom was looking for a new outdoor table, and asked me to come up with something. I found the link for these plans (http://www.thedesignconfidential.com/2011/04/free-diy-furniture-plans-t…) to knock off Restoration Hardware's $4000 Provence Beam outdoor table. Overall I liked the plan, with the chunkier look of the 4x4's. But there were a lot of errors in the diagrams, and the finished height is 34" which is ridiculously tall for a table. So we took it apart and cut the legs back down to change the finished height to 30". We chose rough-cut cedar for it's look and outdoor properties, not wanting to use treated lumber for a dining table. We couldn't find 2x10's like the plan, so we substituted seven 2x6's just like Ana's plan, but left a 1/2" gap in between so water can drain and not pool on top and rot the wood. Also, since we were working with 4x4's for the legs, we chose heavy duty lag bolts instead of screws to join them together. I love the finished look they give. Overall it's a sturdy, yet lightweight table that my mom loves and has already used for entertaining!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$230
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
outdoor sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

brookifer86

Wed, 04/25/2012 - 10:02

Thanks Brook! It was so much fun to build. I put my dad and husband to work while I was the "project manager" ;)

King Modern Farmhouse Bed

Made this bed from Ana's plans. Modified it with rail so I can add my box spring. Cost was approximately $160 for lumber, screws and stain. Absolutely loved the plans and easy to follow or modify if needed.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
160.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax wood conditioner, Minwax Special Walnut Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Flag Pole Planter

I wanted a place for a flag pole, but I didn't want to put one in the ground or screw into my siding, so I modified the cedar planter to hold a flag pole. It was a fun project!  Check out more here!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40 plus flag pole
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
White Exterior Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Classic Bunk Beds Re-Imagined With Stairs

Submitted by edeboode on Mon, 04/03/2017 - 07:57

I modified the plans for the Classic Bunk beds by making them 74" tall instead of 63" and added a fourth slat all the way around to add more protection from potential falls.  I created one opening in the front for my youngest to get into the bottom bunk, and built slats about 2/3's across the front to act as a gaurd rail. I created another opening on the side for my oldest to get into the top bunk with stairs instead of ladders to again prevent falls.  I had to modify the Sweet Pea stairs to accomodate for the extra height in the bunk beds, simplified the railings, and I created each cubby to be big enough to use cloth storage totes that were 11x11x11.  Sanded the whole bed and stairs so the corners and edges were all rounded and smooth, and put two coats of white Deck and Porch paint to stand up to the the boys running up and down.  I used brackets to secure the stairs to the bed, and sixteen 3" bolts to bind the bed together.  Precut and drilled 17 slats for each bed seperated them 2" apart.  Spent a few hours every night during the week measuring, cutting, glueing, drilling and assembling the bed and stairs.  Spent an entire weekend sanding and painting.  Very happy with the way these beds turned out.  Overall cost of the project including the paint was around $400.  

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Porch and Deck Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Wife's Kindergarten Classroom

Been a while since I had time to actually build anything worth posting about! My wife wanted some items for her Kindergarten classroom this year, so built several items, most inspired by the Farmhouse family.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

sido17

Thu, 07/18/2019 - 15:27

I would love the dimensions or plans for this. Would love to make it for my classroom.

dlee69

Tue, 07/30/2019 - 12:07

Hello

Can I please get the plans to the u shape table?

Thanks

Linguine

Mon, 08/19/2019 - 12:09

I am guessing the corner posts are 2 x 4s, the top is 2 x 10s.  It looks like the width is 6’ (looking at the floor carpet tiles being 24” square). So 2 - 2 x 10s side by side for the main part of the desk top and 2 - 2 x10s perpendicular on each side of the chair.  I guess the height is subject to choice and the length of each side would also be subject to choice or to the length of the 2 x 10s to be economical.

 

an educated guess would be 4 - 8’  2x10s for the top and 6 - 6’ 2 x 4s for the legs?  

 

Anyone else have any input here?  Open to suggestions.....

Barbecue/BBQ Quick Built-in

This was just a standard BBQ with an attached folding table. I used a combo of Ana's plans to add a little character and style to the BBQ and it made a huge difference in not only the BBQ, but also the backyard. 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mdwstgrl

Mon, 05/23/2016 - 12:29

Hello:  Very interested in which plans you used to build the BBQ Built In. Thank you.

Simple 2x4 Potting Bench modified with inset tote for potting soil or water

Submitted by SusanStory on Thu, 04/15/2021 - 10:10

Made this for a friend who does cuttings of her plants for others. I used the Simple 2x4 potting bench plan and modified it to hold an inset 7 gal. Commander tote box with snapping lid with two 2x4 @ 22" braces to support the tote on each side attached to the front and back aprons. She wanted something that would hold a medium size bag of potting soil with a lid to keep snakes and other critters out since she lives in the country. There are plenty of hooks to hang tools and other items.

Estimated Cost
$224.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompson Water sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Bench

Submitted by marchand on Thu, 11/12/2015 - 14:52

I used a mix of 2x4's and 1x4's for this project. It is only 4 feet long so I thought 2x4's would make it too bulky. It goes together very quickly and it looks great!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
exterior white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modern Outdoor Chair with Backrest

Submitted by PoppaZotch on Mon, 08/17/2020 - 11:53

Per request of my wife, I opted to add a backrest to the chair. I feel as though my backrest design keeps with the style of the original build. I accomplished this by cutting the 2x4 vertical arms of the backrest at 13 inches with a 10 deg miter cut at the base. This allows you to keep with the 3/4" on the 2x6 backrest slats. I finished it off with a 2x4 top plate. I'd also note that I made slight modifications to the plans to accommodate 24" cushions.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
sanded to a 220 grit
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Planter Box/Bench with trellis

I used Ana's planter box plans and I designed and built the bench out of pallet wood, and purchased the power coated trellis's and custom fit then to the planters.

Estimated Cost
$110.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
unfinished
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Outdoor bar table

Submitted by hueybp on Tue, 07/21/2020 - 20:06

Not quite finished but love the table already. Trying to decide how to stain/paint it. The Kreg jig was a must for this project. It was my first of hopefully many! I used cedar for the 4x4s and 2x6 top pieces. The 2x4s are treated lumber (only because there were no more cedar ones....apparently lumber is getting hard to get lately!!!). Anyway....thanks for the great plans and motivation for this project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Lumber was about $150 bucks (I bought mitre saw and kreg jig, too)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Will probably use semi transparent stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Great Plan for Garage Shelf!

Submitted by edapina on Wed, 11/26/2014 - 07:35

This was an easy project to complete in an afternoon that does not require any advance woodworking skills

Estimated Cost
About a $120 bucks considering that I had to buy all the wood and a box of 2 1/2 In screws!
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish used.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

edapina

Wed, 12/10/2014 - 09:41

This is my second completed project with plans and ideas from your website. Thanks for your good work!

Used 2X2s to support the wings.

I essentially stuck to the main plan - except to support the wings I used 2X2 boards and standard hinges.

I was worried that there may not be enough space for my Ryobi 10" sliding miter saw because of the slide however, it fits nicely and there is plenty of space.

Thank you for the wonderful plan. This was my first project of this size and I am very happy with the results!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
More than I expected. $39 for the plywood (sanded), $16 for the 4 hinges, $17 for the 4 caster wheels. The boards I already had.
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

jennibee

Fri, 05/01/2015 - 08:10

This is great. I am currently getting my Dad's help to turn an old kitchen cabinet into a miter saw cabinet with wings like this. (it was a 1940's solid wood kitchen cabinet we took out of the house when we remodeled). I really like your 2x2 support struts. Have you considered putting a shelf in the middle of your box? It would add extra support and also more room to store stuff.

richsessums

Sat, 05/02/2015 - 09:09

Good idea. I did consider adding a shelf however I have now decided to use the lower area to store my small router table. I discovered that it would fit in the spot however it leaves not enough room for a shelf.

Cottage bedroom bookcase

Submitted by yhaas on Thu, 10/29/2015 - 20:42

I used 1 x 10s to make the bookcase a little shallower, and left the back open. Thanks for the great plan.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane diamond finish water-based polyurethane, satin.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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