Community Brag Posts

Made for my sons house. Just made a few changes to top with 2x6 and bottom with 1x6's.

After following Ana's blog for over a year and bookmarking dozens of projects, I finally built my first project. (I built it months ago and have since built 3 other things...so this is addictive!)

I love the modern West Elm look but didn't want to shell out over $600 for two low Parson's shelves which still would not fit my dimension exactly, so this was the perfect project for me. Initially I had intended to stain the bookshelves a warm pecan color, as I think "modern craftsman" is more my style, but honestly the outcome was so wonky that I couldn't see that the shelves would look nice stained. Instead I painted them with what was supposed to be a color match to BM's Weimeraner -- lesson #1001, BM's paint cannot really be color matched. I may repaint in the future as this is not as warm as the original, but it's been fine for the past few months.

Honestly I had many building problems with my first project -- I had mistakenly thought working with 2x2s (pine) would be 'easy', but I found the opposite to be true (and since I have done another project with 2x2s since then I can confirm that we are not meant to be bffs). I did choose straight boards, but I had the guys at Lowe's cut them. Unfortunately in the future I will have to buy my own saw (and pick up truck and workshop, lol), because literally every single time there has been a problem, even when I check the boards at the store. The problems are generally small--1/4" or so--but of course this makes your project off square.

As a result there were noticeable seams between the 2x2s and the 1x12 boards. Of course caulk and paint hid all of that, but this was the main reason why I couldn't stain the project. I also had trouble with the 2x2s splitting when I used the Kreg jig -- luckily this happened only a couple of times, but in my next built it happened even more often, using Douglas Fir. (if anyone can help me with this, I would love to hear!)

Long story short -- it was a lot of work, it wasn't exactly what I had envisioned, but I love the final product, seams, warts, and all. It fits our space perfectly, it's incredibly sturdy, and the power of making something myself--even imperfect--is amazing. Since then I have built an activity table and a picnic table for my kids, and I even felt confident enough to design and build my own window box. (sure, it's not complicated, but I credit Ana's "training" entirely. of course I haven't yet installed it, but that's a different problem)

Thanks, Ana!!!

I mostly followed the plans except for a few modifications in order to use the wood I got for free. I did use 4x4s instead of 2x2s for the legs because I wanted the chunkier look. I might chop them off and put on some fancy feet, but for now I think they look fine. The most expensive part was the foam cushions. I got the good stuff because I wanted the chairs to be comfortable, and they are!

simple build looks great inside and out

I ask my kids and spouses if they would like me to build something special for Christmas each year . Last year I surprised my daughter with a beautiful coffee table. This year she said Dad can you make us a TV stand that is a similar look to the coffee table. She provided me dimensions and had this piece in time for Christmas. Love your website Ana.

Thad

please see the full post here:
http://crabandfish.blogspot.com/2012/05/aaaahhhhi-love-our-bed.html

we built the hailey platform bed, modified for a king size mattress. we included four extra feet under the bed for additional stability.

This a great project that I built for a friend. She wanted it to be a little distressed, but she gave me creative license to I found a middle ground between rustic and distressed. I hand planed the top to create a great distressed look on the top.
This is a great project, but I would just pass along to make sure that you have enough room and enough help. This table is large and heavy.

Turned out great!   Not hard at all for a first project.   Instructions were amazing.  :-)

Enteranceway Bench. Can be used indoors or out. 2 x 4 for legs. 1x10x 6 for top. Stained Expresso. Sealed for outdoor use.

As a first-time user of pocket holes, I have to say they're brilliant! I learned from a lot the mistakes I made constructing the planter, but look forward to using variations of the plan for more planter projects. Thanks!

It took about two hours to construct, and then paint time. I used paint I had on hand (a paint store near me occasionally sells mis-mixed paint for $1/container), so I put on a white first coat and finished it with the green. It was a little too green, so I spray painted it with a light coat of bronze spray.

I attached the side slats to the outer 2"x"2 corner rather than the inner corner and subsequently found the 15-3/4" bottom slats a little too short. I had a spare furring strip on hand, so I cut another set a bit longer and they fit more securely. I haven't decided on finials yet; I may leave them off.

You can do this!
This mini farmhouse nightstand was my first building project. Of course Ana's easy to follow PDF's made it doable but check the tips above for cuts on your 2x2's. One rookie mistake I made was forgetting to double check my pieces. My 1x2's were actually thicker than 1" so they protrude from the side of my piece a bit. A sander could fix that. All in all so proud! Thanks to Ana and to everyone else for your brags.

P.S. A mini keg jig kit is SO worth the investment. I used standard wood-cost of about $20 including $4 for my drawer handle hardware. Kreg jig kit plus pocket hole screws were an additional $30 but I have plenty left for my next project;)

posted by Carmenh | on Mon, 2014-04-14 13:45 EDITREPLY

Super fun, and easy, to build this toy storage bin from Ana's plan. I took your advice, Ana, and made the top rail a little taller than a 1x4 and it's working great! I also used a prefinished (white) wainscotting panel for the back. I really like the way that turned out.

I bought the prefinished (white) letters at Hobby Lobby. 

This bin is a fun, and functional, addition to our home.

Thanks again for the great resources, Ana!

I was way overdue on building this toddler bed for my son. He really motivated me when he started repeatedly climbing out of his crib. The bed was very easy to make. The three things I would recommend are:

1. Do not use pocket holes on the footboard, so you don't have to fill all the holes. The nails worked great on the footboard and it is very sturdy.

2. Attach the side rails to the end board on the outside, not the inside. I found this out the hard way and had to take it apart and fix it.

3. Listen to Ana White and measure your mattress first. My son's fits, but I have to squeeze it in a little.

Great plans!

I changed it alittle by not having three posts and some I added a top shelf and cut holes for shot glasses. I also added wine glass holders to the bottoms cutting out a circle and slot.....Use t-molding mush easier and faster.

Make a beautiful star shaped clothes drying rack that magically expands, using very simple tools and materials! Detailed tutorial and free building plans.

We built our house 5 years ago and I’ve disliked our stairs since then. They were never finished and were big and bulky compared to the rest of the house. These plans were the perfect fit. We switched the top 2x4 for an actual handrail, purchased from a big box store. We used pocket holes to install it and I couldn’t be happier. It’s now my favorite thing in the house. We plan on adding a loft and will use these plans for the railing.

@livingsmallerintheholler