Community Brag Posts
modified bench swing
Luv your site. Took your bench swing plan and modified it a bit (shortened depth) and then created a small pergola to hang it from. Just need to stain/poly to finish it off. Thanks for your plan and website it is very inspiring.
Built-in Bookshelves
I built this project in 6 separate pieces before installing it in our home. I pulled the baseboard and attached it to the wall to give it a built-in feel. For the majority of the project, I used 3/4" plywood with the exception if 1/4" plywood for the back of the shelves as well as the centers of the cabinet doors. For the trim, I used select pine boards. I had to work around an airconditioning vent that was in the floor. I was able to divert it to run out the bottom of the bookcase.
This build is loosely based on the Willy Bookcase. I actually found another brag post on the Willy Bookcase that was immensely helpful in constructing my project. I'm so grateful for the brag boards! Instead of fixing all of the shelves like the Willy, I used a Kreg shelf pin jig to make the shelves adjustable. The shelf that lines up with the TV is fixed for stability.
The estimate below covers all of the wood, paint, screws, hardware, etc. For fun, I'm including an in progress photo to illustrate the process. Thanks for looking!
Also, a note - this is a relatively easy project, however, I listed it as "intermediate" because of the cabinet doors. They definitely made it more complicated!
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2x4 sectional + 2x4 end tables
I reduced the size of the 2x4 coffee table to make 2 end tables. They can be used as additional seating when needed.
Rustic Round End Tables
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
Workbench
Thanks for the simple plans Anna, they worked out great!. I resized the table to make maximum use of the material, still within the same quantity you specified in your plans. I glued the legs along the lengths of the table, and kept the table top and shelf screwed in, for easy dismantling, if necessary.
Finally I added pop down heavy duty wheels allowing me to move the table (not shown in this pic) easily. When the wheels are not being used they pop up, making the table very stable. The height of the table is about 1/2” lower than the table saw, making it an ideal outfeed table as well.
Great design, and fun build.
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Shoe dresser
I didn't build this shoe dresser because I particularly needed one, but it looked so lovely that I couldn't resist.
- I modified the plans by building 3 bins instead of 2 so it could hold more shoes.
- I decided against the dowel stick and opted for hinges instead, which were surprisingly not too difficult to assemble. I found that I didn't even need the magnets after installing the hinges as the doors stay closed.
- I used 7" chains on both sides of each bin instead of a belt to make it extra sturdy.
- I added two back legs.
Et voila! This is the end result. I'm very pleased.
PS. Those flopping bins are a pain when you're trying to build!! An extra pair of hands is definitely recommended.
Comments
Fri, 07/05/2013 - 22:49
Nice Job
Pretty :) Good Job. Now if I only had the space for one thats 10 rows high :P I like the stain color too. Shanty 2 Chic always uses Rust-o-leum. I think its called dark walnut. Dont quote me though. I love the stain and spray paint combo colors they use.
~Melody
In reply to Nice Job by SoCaliforniaMel
Sat, 07/06/2013 - 20:00
Thanks!
Rust-o-leum, that's the one!
Yes, if only every woman could own a 10-row cabinet for all her shoes! :)
8x12 Shed
My new garden shed built from your premium plans! I'm 62, never built a shed before, and worked mostly alone. My sons helped with some of the wall and roof sheathing. In the end, I did everything except for the shingling. I painted it to match my house main color and trim.
The video is very helpful - I watched it several times. My major change to the plans was using Simpson Strong Ties and hurricane ties to secure the rafters to the ridge pole and the top plates. Otherwise, I used all other methods. I recommend cutting the front wall sheathing before cutting the panels for the doors. I do not have a trim saw and thought my standard circular saw was too heavy for me to make the cuts like Jacob did.
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Tue, 06/13/2023 - 13:57
Amazing Shed!
Really impressive, thank you so much for sharing and good for you to just go for it!!!
Chair Build with Loveseat Modification
Built the 2 chairs according to the plans, and then modified it for a bench that's 48" (our cushions are 23.5 x 23.5). Worked really well!
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Bookshelf Hidden Doors Over Closet
Hidden door bookshelves hide a furnace closet. Built by Kraig Faulkner
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Thu, 01/23/2020 - 07:05
Great idea! Do the…
Great idea! Do the bookshelves swing freely when weighed down with books? What type of hinges did you use?
Thu, 09/17/2020 - 08:01
Looks Awesome + Safety Note
I'm currently working on a basement renovation project. I'm probably going to incorporate a feature like this for my mechanicals, too.
One important safety note for anyone who wants to do this: It's recommended that your furnace be a minimum of 30" away from any combustible materials. That includes walls and partitions. The image of this project displayed is right next to the furnace, which is not a good idea.
A's Full Size Loft Bed
My son needed more room in his bedroom...and to be rid of the very girly furniture he inherited when he moved into his "big boy-ish" bedroom. At 10 yrs old, it was high time he got a bed that wasn't pink-tinged, white washed pine with 4 posters and enough curlicues to choke a forest. He also needed a desk which I couldn't really fit in his room with the armoire and chest of drawers that came with the Queen sized bed.
So off to Ikea we went and I saw a black loft bed for $300, but it was really, really high which meant I would have to cut it down and it was not sturdy at all. I looked at PB and saw the $1800 bed. Um, no - that wasn't happening. So, off to Ana-White I went and I'm so happy I did!
I built the full sized version of these plans and, to keep costs down, used wood I had on hand. This meant I had to work a bit at the cuts, but it all worked out.
Mods:
1) I modified the railings to have the ladder at the end of the bed to keep away from the ceiling fan.
2) Because I put the ladder at the end of the bed, I got very nervous about having a soon-to-be teen climbing on to a ladder secured to a 1x10 that was only connected to the side railings with glue and screws. So I sandwiched extra 1x3s over the bottom rails and attached them to the top railing.
3) I was very nervous about making sure that the bed was adequately supported so I put a 2x4 down the center instead of the 1x2.
4) I went a wee-bit overboard screwing things together to the point where it's a bit embarrassing and now I have to paint over the screw heads.
5) I made the ladder treads with 2x4's, modifying the inside spacer board cut lengths.
Because I had quite a bit of lumber on hand, the bed only ended up costing me about $90.
For the bookcase, I did end up buying the 1x12s and the adjustable shelf railings. I made the book shelf the entire width of of the bed and split the two sections based on width of the 1x24 board I bought for the desk. I only put the backer board up half way so that the daylight could get underneath the bed and make it not so cave-like.
The book case cost me about $70.
The desk was the easiest...but most costly item. A 1x6x24, 4 table legs and the table leg mounts ran me about $80. The plexiglass top that I had cut for the top cost me about $80.
Time wise, this would have taken me a lot less time than the 4 months it took - but I worked on it as I could and when I could, by myself. I got some friends to help me bring it upstairs and put it back together, but it was mostly done when I could fit in some time.
My son LOVES this and it really does give him so much room!!! Thanks Ana - I really appreciate it!
Comments
Thu, 01/17/2013 - 08:42
Plans for Full Size Loft Bed with Desk/shelves
Hello,
Where might I find the modified loft bed plans that allow for a full-sized mattress and the under desk-shelves?
Thank you!
Fri, 01/18/2013 - 07:38
How I made this full sized
Hi!
To modify this to be full sized, I just added 15" to the width of the bed. Ana said this in the plans:
Cutting Instructions:
Converting to Full Size This bed can easily be converted to full size. You will simply need to add 15″ to all boards that run parallel to the ends. This includes the planks, end top pieces and the slats. Shopping list will need to be adjusted as well.
So I modified the cuts to the head and foot board parts and the full size mattress fits perfectly.
For the shelving underneath, I just looked at some of Ana's other plans for shelves and winged it.
Simple Composting Toilet Outhouse
We built this composting toilet as one of the first things we did on our piece of vacant land. (How can you build anything else without somewhere to go when nature calls?)
An eco-friendly design was important to us, so we used cedar fencing instead of plywood. Otherwise, we followed Ana White's simple outhouse plans. It came out perfectly! It even has a rain barrel for hand washing.
Outdoor rolling bar top
We had some leftover granite from an outdoor kitchen build and wanted to maximize the use of it. We loved the look of a rustic table from Pottery Barn and set out to find something that was asking the same aesthetic. I came across the Jilly and Mia workbench console and thought it would work great with some minor modifications. I shortened the overall length and height, went with some heavy duty casters to support the weight of the granite, and reinforced the cross beams that would support the 3/4" plywood sheet and granite. I went with cedar for this build since it was outdoors and I'll finish it with a clear sealant.
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outdoor patio furniture
Well this was first project my hubby and I tackled together. He actually let me use the power tools. The plans were great! Loved having a shopping list! I made the cushion s myself. I have to say, I wish I had made the couch and chairs the size of cushions available at Lowes . AFt e r you buy foam batting fabric and chording I found set at lowes for a lot less but I am so happy how it all turned out . Thks for providing plNz!
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Large tapered wooden plant boxes
Easy to follow plans and make adjustments with materials I already had lying around. Love them! Thanks for the plans Ana!
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Sun, 09/13/2020 - 11:21
Beautiful!
Great, job. Absolutely love the finish choice and greenery! Thanks for sharing:)
Ultimate work bench
Tablesaw, router, fliptop mitersaw, and dust collection workbench.
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Sat, 08/01/2020 - 08:27
Love The Look
That's a nice build. I would love to know if you do have plans for this workbench?
Rustic Bench turned into an Entry Table!
I loved the look of the Rustic X Bench but wanted to modify to be an entry table. I took the exact plans, but made it longer and taller. The X bracing didn't match up exactly, but I like it with the separation. The stain is a Minwax Espresso finish. I added adjustable glides to the bottom so I could adjust if needed. It was an excellent first project and it fits in our home PERFECT! Thanks Ana for the inspiration to create, build and be a mommy at the same time :)
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Fri, 08/30/2013 - 16:18
Great modification for your needs!
Beautiful. I love the mix of rustic and modern that your modification exudes (to me). :)
Pantry Wall
I modified the origianl plans by making the cabinet taller. I also built 2 cabinets and trimmed them both together to make it appear as if it is 1 giant cabient. It measure over 7 feet tall and just over 6 feet wide. I did add an additional 1x2 brace in the center of the cabinet to help support. I also cut an additional 1x4 to use a brace when anchoring it to the wall. I also chose to add an additional 2 trim pieces to each door because they are much taller than the original plan doors.
15 7/8" center to center cabinet pulls
Fully Inset, Frameless Hinges
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Large Fireplace Built-in - Built by Kristy
Entire wall fireplace built-in!
Sandbox w/ Built In Seats
I have built some other stuff before, but not with paint and sanding and such. It was definitely a great learning project. There are imperfections, but it's a toy, so kids will be having fun and that is all that matters.
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Mon, 02/07/2022 - 20:12
Did you attach the landscape…
Did you attach the landscape fabric to the bottom of the side boards? Looks great.
Rustic X beach beverage center
We used old dock wood for the surface of our X table for a nice beach house beverage center (sand bar!). We adjusted the size to fit our space (a little longer and wider) and used additional studs for the shelves instead of 1" shelving, glued and PH/PS together. To cut the X pieces I just held the 1x1 on the end of the table where it goes and marked the lines. Then I clamped a guide board at the correct angle on the table saw to make all the cuts, starting a bit long and shaving off until it just fit.
With all the pocket holes and screws I wouldn't consider this a beginner project. Some additional steps and pictures in your description would help also. End result is really nice.