Community Brag Posts

Catio heaven

Submitted by bhoppy on Fri, 09/04/2020 - 15:43

Ana doesn’t have a plan for a catio but she does for a playhouse and a cedar shed made from 2x2’s. I sort of combined my knowledge from making her plans over the last 10 years and came up with this for my cats. It was fun to make!! My baby kitten is loving it. I used garden fencing and stapled it to the outside and pocket holes for the walls. I made each wall individually like the playhouse then connected them once in place.

 

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cabot semi transparent outdoor deck and fence stain. ($9 oops section)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Wifey

Wed, 06/09/2021 - 12:36

Thank you for sharing! My daughter wants a cat for her birthday but it can't be inside due to our son's allergies. Roaming outside isn't really an option because we have coyotes. We are going to use one of these in combination with an underground electric fence.

Seasonal And Holiday

Gate-Leg Sewing Table

My husband and I built this table as our first project. We followed all of the dimensions from Ana's "Small Sewing Table" project here: http://ana-white.com/2010/10/plans/sewing-table-small-spaces?page=1 The only thing we changed was the size of the table top and the legs. We were worried about putting my heavy sewing machine on top of the leaf called for in the plan, so we created gate legs to support the leaves. Since the legs were going to be folded up in between the base and each leaf, we extended the center portion of the table top to accommodate the change. After it was assembled and stained, I decided that I didn't like the solid color, so I stenciled on a pattern with white latex enamel paint (what I had on hand) and continued to paint the base. After lightly scuffing it up with the sander, I layered 3 coats of poly on top. It has held up well, even after many large quilt projects! I just LOVE my sewing table!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden Oak Minwax Stain
Polycrilic
Valspa Latex Enamel in Satin White
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

TinyHouser

Fri, 08/05/2016 - 13:41

Hi there. Could you please tell me what the brackets are you used with the gateleg? Do you remember where you got them? Thank you!!!

msweeley

Sun, 05/12/2024 - 08:40

How heavy of sewing machine can this hold? My machine is 32 lbs. Would it be able to sit and be used on the “leaf” side of the table ?

Patio cooler/Grill cart!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/22/2017 - 14:06

Great project! I'm new to wood working and have been looking for simple but challenging builds. Needless to say this fit the bill... This grill cart was a great starter build and ultimately became a Father's Day gift!  My Pops loved it! 

I did add a couple of custom pieces: a foldable table top extension and towel bar... things Dad will undoubtedly need as he's an outdoorsman who loves to BBQ!

Thanks for the idea/design plans! 

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Semi-gloss spar urethane (3 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Ultimate Workbench/Miter Station

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/06/2023 - 15:32

This plan is exactly what I needed for my workspace. I ended up adding some slat wall pieces and cabinets above from cubicles in an old office nearby that closed down for a tool wall and storage. I left the right opening empty due to how unlevel my floors are. I may close it in later with drawers or cabinets, but it will be my sitting workspace for now. I trimmed out the edge with 1x2s and painted and stained everything for aesthetics.

Comments

Shoe Dresser

I had this space in my mudroom that was a perfect spot to make a custom shoe dresser. I adjusted the plans I found on this website to custom make storage for shoes. Now this weird little space is functional.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
80
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum chalk paint Serenity Blue, classic grey and special walnut Minwax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Simple Outdoor Table

Submitted by Kingsamui on Tue, 07/24/2018 - 17:24

Modifications to the simple outdoor table plan thanks to Finn’s dad. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200 -Found a place that had Cedar shorts “B quality”, but very few knots for an unbelievably cheap price. I ran all to boards through a planer to start and saved a bundle.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
3coats Spar Urethane. I’ve heard the Spar doesn’t hold up well, so would have used something rlse if I knew that at the beginning.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Mailbox Base

Submitted by TxDork76 on Wed, 11/14/2018 - 20:27

my mailbox was hit by a vehicle so I decided I wanted to do something creative/different but also didn't want to spend much money as it may just get taken out again in the future :)

this is a good project to get kids to help you with

instead of cutting into the concrete easement, I installed 2 post bases & locked them with sleeve anchors.  They're sturdy enough but will give if hit again.  drilling the holes for the sleeve anchors was the hardest part of the project.

I used a left over 4x4x8 for the posts, scrap 1x4s, 1x2s up the sides (1/2" gap between boards), and a 2x4 scrap to attach the mailbox.  I eyeballed the width between posts using the mailbox itself. I left over stain from another project (almost bought a quart of oops paint at HD)

I figure the total cost would have been about $100

It's a super easy project that took about 4hrs. I've already had a couple of neighbors come by to take measurements to try something similar.

FYI: USPS guildlines for installing a curbside mailbox: https://www.usps.com/manage/mailboxes.htm

Estimated Cost
$75-$100 depending on materials/tools on hand.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
valspar semi-transparent stain & sealer in "Pinebark"
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Tiered Planter

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/31/2021 - 16:24

Great planter plan. very easy to build

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Shoe Dresser

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/01/2017 - 08:26

We used the shoe dresser instructions with some modifications to make it longer

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
Stain, polyerthane, chalk paint and wax
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Triangular Rabbit Hutch

Submitted by Medeek on Fri, 05/03/2013 - 18:14

This is a rabbit hutch I created for my kids 5 rabbits. The thing that makes this hutch really nice is if you have a large lawn you can just move the hutch a little bit every day and the lawn gets mowed, fertilized and you don't have to worry about cleaning up all the rabbit droppings. I also mounted a rabbit feeder on the inside of the house door to keep the food dry, which has worked really well.

Here is a short blog of all the steps in its construction:
http://design.medeek.com/gallery/RH3080_COPALIS_2013/RH3080_COPALIS_201…

Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior Paint brush or spray. Choose your color.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Medeek

Sun, 05/05/2013 - 01:52

I apologize I haven't got the completed planset up for this project yet but I will try to get it up in the next couple of weeks as well as a very complete materials list. You will need to go to a farm/feed store to get the correct 1"x2" wire and 1/2"x1" wire for the floor. Do not go to Home Depot and use the cow wire they have or the hardware cloth for the floor, neither of which are the correct choice. Home Depot has the lumber but not the wire. If you have any questions or even improvements to my design I would be interested in hearing from you.

Medeek

Sun, 09/13/2015 - 19:18

Finally got around to uploading the plans.  I still need to create a material list for this plan but the basics are there now.   We've had rabbits in it for about a year but recently we've tried some guinea pigs and it works great for that as well.  The guinea pigs can pretty much live off just the grass and dandelions but you do need to move it daily to give them plenty to eat.

Great Patio Set

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 13:02

I wanted sturdy seating for my patio. Ana White had the perfect plans for my L shaped seating and coffee table. It was simple to put together and we love it!

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Twin Farmhouse Bed with Trundle

Took the farmhouse plan and added a Trundle.   Was initially going to build two farmhouse beds for my two girls, but thought adding the Trundle would free up some much needed floor space.  The girls love it!

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Latex paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Chicken Coop

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/10/2022 - 12:26

Great for a small flock of 5 or less.  

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Full length sliding mirror cabinet

Submitted by mltdblack on Tue, 10/16/2018 - 19:25

I built this for my daughter after building a ladder shelf for my kids bathroom. It took more time to install and adjust the drawer slides and paint the project.  

Estimated Cost
$65.00 - I used a slightly larger mirror.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior - Valspar Black Flat Latex
Interior - Valspar Filtered Shade Flat Latex
Top Coat - Minwax Gloss Spray Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

akagracegallag…

Sat, 09/07/2019 - 03:32

Hi mltdblack

Really nice finish on the cabinet.  

It looks like there’s molding on top of your mirror.  

Did you buy a mirror with a frame or buy molding and put it on over the mirror?  

What molding did you use an how did you secure it?  

What size mirror did you use?  Thanks

mltdblack

Fri, 01/07/2022 - 14:14

I am so sorry. This is the first I am seeing your question. The mirror came with a frame and I carefully nailed thru the frame to attach with my 18 gauge nailer. I bought the mirror at Lowe’s and I believe it was 15.5” x 50”. Also, I used full extension soft close drawer slides.

Easy Build Fence Picket Planters

Submitted by vendo on Thu, 05/11/2023 - 12:14

I've been wanting to build this plan for quite some time! Took me about 2 hours to build and 1 hour to finish. Giving these as gifts for Mother's Day! Total cost was about $15 per planter. I scaled down the design after I found the plants I wanted to put in them. Ana has the best and easiest plans!

 

 

Seasonal And Holiday

Rustic Round End Tables

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/19/2024 - 10:52

I used the End Table plans modified slightly. I cut all of the boards from a 10’ walnut slab. My wife Julie, and I finished them with Danish Oil. A great project; ready to start the next one!!

Stephen Russell

Back