Community Brag Posts

Console Table

Submitted by wangbw on Sun, 06/11/2017 - 15:32

Quick and easy to follow plans.  Only issue I ran into was that my miter saw only cuts up to a 50° angle.  I set up a jig to hold the 2x2 perpendicular to the saw and set the miter to 30°.  Viola, easy 60° angles!  Pic attached for reference.

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Little Cottage Loft Bed - Revised :)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 06/20/2017 - 08:05

My 2 grand girls wanted a cottage bunk bed.  Not wanting to disappoint, I took the plans from the cottage loft bed and modified them, adding a lower bunk.  I also added the steps, with storage on the side instead of the ladder, and made a drawer for the front step for the little one.

I made the wreath from Pom-Poms purchased from Jo-Ann's and battery operated string lights.  

I opted for a cedar shake roof, which was purchased from Home Depot, then painted.

Needless to say, they love it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Maple T & G - left over from remodeling project
Additional wood and hardware - $275
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Painted using One of Pottery Barn's grays from Sherwin Williams
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Modern Loveseat and Couch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 09/26/2021 - 12:00

We were looking for outdoor furniture big enough for our whole family and friends but everything we looked at was over $5000 and really not well made. Ana to the rescue.
We built 2 loveseats and created a couch by doubling the dimensions.
We built the whole thing out of redwood so total wood was about $1000
The cushions were from Overstock and Lowes, approx $300.
There was a too much wiggle room with the cushions so we made a built-in frame to hold them in place. If we built another I would have cut the width down slightly.
We placed a 4X4 and another 2X4 on top of the back to provide more support.
All in all, love the way it turned out.

Seasonal And Holiday

Counter-Height Stool

Submitted by eralben on Tue, 03/24/2015 - 11:31

I made these stools to use with my counter-height dining table.  The only modification I made to the original plans were I did not use the diagonal support and I used 2x6s to make the seat for the stool.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Red Mahogany Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

These ledges transformed an entire wall!

For Mother's Day this year, I decided to completely redo what we call our "front room" for my wife. Before the weekend, it was unorganized, colorless, and boring. We decided to start the project with new paint, which my wife picked out. I got some old windows from a thrift store, and we decided the ledges would flank one of those windows and we'd basically transform the entire wall.

The ledges were a blast to build (my wife even helped a bit!) and we're super happy with the way they came out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
We just painted the ledges with a flat black. Nothing fancy at all!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Girl's Bedroom Makeover

Submitted by Anneke on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 21:38

First of all...I need to talk to my photographer sister (kaylajphoto.com) and learn how to take better photos! Our two girl's 3 and 5 share a room and I could not finish these beds fast enough!

They are higher because we have yet to build trundle or storage for underneath. I also made the little chair (just kind of winged it and modified as I went), and shelving that is by the footboard.

With a repurposed side table, new curtains, and a chandelier, I couldn't be happier with the end result! My next task is a cute vertical chalkboard piece above the table. :-)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300+ for everything
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Shaved edges of vertical wood panels before building!

1. Sanded and primed white

2. Medium Brown spray paint as a base coat

3. 2-3 coats of Heirloom White Spray paint

4. Distress with sand paper

5. Valspar mocha glaze (dry for 3-4 days)

6. Valspar opal pearlescent glaze (cure for 1 week)

7. 3 coats of lacquer clear gloss spray paint.

Bought hardware for the rails from www.Rockler.com for $12.99 and SO worth it!

Galvanized Steel Bed Rail Fasteners
NOW $13.59 @http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11



Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Antique workbench console bar

Submitted by aem4v2000 on Fri, 04/24/2015 - 18:14

This project was much easier than I originally anticipated. Even cutting the legs at angles and sanding them down to appear curved was easier than I expected.  I also used early american stain by Minwax. I used only one coat though and in hindsight might have done two to make it a bit darker. I used Minwax clear paste wax (two coats) to achieve a low sheen and protective layer. I was able to find a toilet paper holder similar to the one Ana used at one of my local big box stores. I wasn't able to find anything else I liked better. 

 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
less than $100 including the stain and towel bar holder
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American stain (one coat) and Minwax clear paste wax (two coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

outdoor sofa from reclaimed wood

Using Ana's plan as a guide, I built two of these sofas to fit an outdoor cushion I already had. I used wood from our old deck -- a great way to re-use and save money, too!

Estimated Cost
$110/sofa (lumber was free)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None, although eventually I will probably seal it with outdoor PolyWhey by Vermont Natural Coatings.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Charging Station

Submitted by Bradnag on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 05:20

I used the charging station plans as my first attempt at building something using pocket holes, and also my first real attempt at building any piece of furniture from scratch. I stuck pretty much to Ana's plans except for not cutting the front footer (I didn't own a jigsaw at the time) and using panes of frosted glass as the center of the doors.

 

As a piece of furniture it gets used every day, but it has been most invaluable to me as a learning experience. I've built many pieces of furniture in the time since I made the charging station, growing my skills each time. But this project was where I started, so it always feels a little extra special to me.

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Premium Fast Dry Wood Stain, weathered gray
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Calico Critter house

Submitted by bobaina on Sun, 05/10/2015 - 12:21

My husband and I made this for our daughters' calico critters, which they received for Christmas. We wanted a house with few walls, so that all 3 girls could play simultaneously. We used Ana's dream dollhouse plan, but scaled it down to half the size. We also modified it slightly to fit what we needed.

This is just the perfect size for smaller toys like Littlest Pet Shop or other 3 to 4" tall toys.

This was our first build together and so it took us a while to do. For someone with a bit more experience, who also has all their materials and tools ready, this could be finished in 1 day or a weekend.

Estimated Cost
Aproximately $30 for the pine. This is for Canadian lumber. It may be less in the USA.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
We used clear poly urethane for varnish. We painted the roof shingles (jumbo craft sticks) with acrylic craft paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

bobaina

Sun, 05/10/2015 - 13:06

Ana's roof shingles, which are cut scalloped strips, are a better way of doing the roof. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to fix each craft stick 'shingle' to the roof, and manage to keep each line straight. For a beginner, it's not easy. My advice is try Ana's method or you could also just make the roof from 2 solid pieces.

bobaina

Tue, 05/12/2015 - 03:17

thank you for this plan Ana. My girls love their critter house. It's getting lots of use and I'm determined to build more stuff for my girls. I'm so tired of spending money on flimsy plastic junk!

nrc261

Wed, 10/07/2015 - 14:07

This was the plan I was going to use for the Critter's line at Target. I didn't want to buy the plastic houses that they sale so decided to try and build one. How did you scale the dimension? Just by half all the way around? I am a confident beginner so I am not sure how to scale down dimensions. 

DIY Learning Tower / Kitchen Helper

Our little one may be happily playing independently but the second I go to make dinner she demands to be held and refuses to be put down, making cooking impossible. To help keep her occupied but still involved I've been eyeing a learning tower / kitchen helper on Amazon for months now, but at $200 it just wasn't in our budget. My sister-in-law had made a learning tower from a plan by Ana White and suggested I try to make one too. I was unsure at first, I've never made anything more complicated than a birdhouse, but I decided to give it a go!

Please see my blog post for additional photos and lessons learned during this project.

Built from Plan(s)

Modern Adirondack Chair

Submitted by Sylka on Mon, 11/08/2021 - 15:39

What a great project! Simple and relatively easy. Very stylish chair!

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

10 Dollar Ledges

These cost about 10 bucks a piece as she said. This was my first project. Not too bad.... obviously not perfect. But I learned a lot while doing this...
These took me a weekend to do... probably 6-8 hours.
When I took this I was still working on filling the ledges with photos... dont mind the craziness! :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
30.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

L-shape Modern plywood desk

I constructed this desk all from birch plywood. It features a pull out keyboard tray, modern drawer finger pulls, and full extension drawer slides. The plywood was finished with a hand-rubbed danish oil for a natural wood appearance.

Estimated Cost
$150.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
danish oil
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Reclaimed Wood Headboard

The hubbs helped me build this during a day off from work. We spent an hour after work the following few nights working on the finish. Tons of compliments on this headboard...a few coworkers have even built their own after seeing ours!

Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Oak Polystain - distressed using hammers, nails, screwdrivers, chains, and even a blow torch
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Seasonal And Holiday

Wood Push Car & Truck

Submitted by Sue Hill on Wed, 01/26/2022 - 07:15

These are fabulous little vehicles that I made for my 18 month grandson when he visits. After making the car and truck, I decided to add a simple bus with round windows.
I used scrap wood, cut out the truck wheels with a hole saw but purchased a package of wheels for the others. My little cars aren't perfect but that adds to the charm.

Comments

Iron Board Holder

Submitted by Sunny4 on Sat, 02/17/2018 - 14:58

I had all that was need in my scraps:) Great project for this rainy day!!

Thanks Ana!

 

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Briarsmoke
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

My Ana white farmhouse table

After buying our first home we decided we wanted to build our own kitchen table so we stumbled across Ana's plans and I'm so glad that we did!

Estimated Cost
$90 bucks give or take.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax
Polyurethane
Sanding sealer
Dark walnut stain

Sherwin williams
Satin white
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Whitney's Farmhouse Bench

I built this bench way back in the winter (which really has barely ended) and finally today got it outside for a photo shoot! Notching out the legs was a new thing for me but turned out wonderfully. I look forward to making some for my mother for her gaggle of grandchildren.

Oh and best of all, mine was free to make since I had nasty ol' 2x4's on hand! PERFECT!

Estimated Cost
Mine was FREE!
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Sand all, distress top, lightly sand again.
Black on bottom, Dark Walnut stain on top (two coats each)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Fri, 02/03/2012 - 15:45

cool i love is great work

Alternating stairs

Thanks for the great idea to make our steep attic stairs safer so we could finish our attic!!!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Southern yellow pine
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate