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Craft Closet

When I was given a stack of MDF sheets from a friend, I knew this was the desk I wanted to build with it first! We recently moved into my husband's grandmother's house, and have been making some improvements. We took out the dark old built in, and I replaced it with three 4' long gallery shelves, and the Parson's Desk modified to 4' long. It fits perfectly in my space, and looks so chic and modern against our teal walls. It's the perfect craft nook and workspace! I added a mason jar pendant light I DIY'd from the IKEA bulb kit, and also sewed a reversible runner to match my handmade duvet cover. The fabric is Deer Valley, from Free Spirit. I also had the glass top from the original desk cut down at Lowe's for free, and it's a perfect fit.

Estimated Cost
$30 for ledges, $30 for desk
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I sanded the 2x2's with 150, then followed up with three coats of semi gloss white paint, sanding with 220 in between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My cabinet

I've made mostly from 2x3 and 2x4. I made the drawer using scrap plywood I have laying around. The project is not finsihed. I will probably use watco danish oil through all wood.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
watco danish cherry
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

CSaintD

Fri, 04/03/2015 - 16:47

This is beautiful and well made. Exactly what I need in my shop or even in my kitchen! It looks great!

jennibee

Sat, 04/25/2015 - 16:15

I really like what you did here. When I first looked at it, I thought it would be a great piece for my little section of the garage I am calling my "shop".

Pool equipment fence refresh

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/06/2017 - 21:00

We love this fence refresh from the previous owner's solution to enclosing the pool equipment and a/c unit! It was the first time we fastened something to our house - drilling through stucco in the process. That was a big deal for us diy-ers! We made the frame out of 4x4's (which ended up being the most challenging part to the whole thing), applied the horizontal fencing boards and then used one of those $15 fence hardware kits - it was a great project that has made a huge difference in our backyard. Yay!

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kitchen project from your plans.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 14:21

We decided to finally update our 35 year old kitchen. We rent so our landlord agreed to foot the bill for all the material. Ended up costing $6500 including Soapstone counters ($40 per slab remnant on OfferUp) hardwood floor ($60 leftover materials on Craigslist) and new Convection/air fryer range. Not too bad and I owe you a huge debt of gratitude for help making it all possible with your plans.

Comments

Farmhouse Dining Table & Rustic Bench

With a couple of projects under our belts, my husband and I decided to tackle the Farmhouse Table. We shortened it to 6' to better fit our dining room, and also chose 1x6's instead of 2x6's to give it a lighter look. We also nixed the stretcher, and opted for 3x3 poplar table legs, that made the overall cost jump quite a bit. I absolutely love how it turned out, and the bench really fits well. It's stained and painted to match.

Estimated Cost
$120 for table, $15 for bench
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax gel stain in Dark Mahogany, semi-gloss white paint. I sanded the table within an inch of it's life with 60 grit, then upped it to 150, then 220. Used 220 between three coats of white paint for the legs. Sealed with 3 coats of polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Shoe Rack for Mother's Day

Submitted by AleksClark on Thu, 05/16/2013 - 07:48

A pretty simple shoe rack. My wife wanted something to hold a LOT of shoes that could go in our garage by the door to the kitchen. Girls helped with the painting :)

Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Baer Indoor/Outdoor Latex on top of primer. Needed two coats to cover up the wood primer.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Picture frames

Submitted by cnlynch on Sun, 04/05/2015 - 19:32

I made these from select Pine, they were super easy to do, look great and I love that I can change the pictures up easily.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Outdoor Chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/12/2017 - 09:04

These were a fun build and pretty easy to put together.  Certainly need to pre-drill pilot holes or risk splitting your boards.

I contemplated putting a back rest on the chairs but didn't end up needing them due to close proximity to the walls.  Having the cut-list on hand was super handy as I just set a stop on my miter saw and was able to cruise through the cuts quickly.  

Estimated Cost
60 dollars for materials, not counting cushions and pillows.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Olympic Deck Stain (709 in color) semi-transparent. Likely will seal with a clear coat later.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse table Ana White

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 15:20

Most of my builds come from Ana White inspiration . Jobs simplified and cost effective. She is the absolute best . !

Comments

Chestwick Queen Bed

Submitted by TXN8IV on Sun, 05/19/2013 - 11:39

My husband was thrilled to build us a new bed - it meant he got to buy a Kreg Jig. Of course, he refused to buy plain ol' pine off the shelf at the Big Box stores and just HAD to buy the solid red oak from our local lumber yard. (So much for keeping the costs low. Oh well.) It's stunning and I love it. If it weren't for Ana's plans for this, we'd be settling for some hunk of junk off Craigslist or, worse, one of those furniture chains. For still roughly half the cost of something out of a store, this is a far superior bed frame and will last forever.
My hubby's no stranger to using power tools, but this still took him a few weekends due to life and letting the stain/finish set. He still has to attach the quarter-round, which he broke out the router to customize himself, but I was super impatient and told him to finish the base and put the trim on later. I'll try to remember to update this when that happens.
He also found the Queen Anne style legs off http://www.osbornewood.com/

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Honey stain with Waterlox Original Sealer/Finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Triple Printer Console

Submitted by jbolson21 on Tue, 04/07/2015 - 16:07

We made this and a dresser just like it.  We wanted matching furniture.

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Danish Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Patio chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 16:56

I chose to make the chair which came out great although the plans were only for one chair I thought it waa easy to do.

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Entry Shoe Bench

I've officially stopped stalking and started building! First project a modified spa bench. Still have to stain it, but it already makes the big pile of shoes by the door look neater! I'm a hands-on person and not afraid of power tools (got a band saw for my birthday!) but it's still a challenge building a piece of furniture. I've already learned lots of do's and don't do's for next time!
Thanx a bunch for your site, Ana! It definitely gets the mind plotting great projects to come!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
~50$ (honestly, I can't remember!)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
PolyShades Royal Mission, several coats... and a spray can of clear coat too.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Chicken Coop A Frame

Submitted by mdownie on Wed, 05/22/2013 - 11:54

I built this A-Frame Chicken Coop using the Ana White plans. It turned out adorable, strong, and I am very pleased. Final cost was $250, and it took me 4 days (in real time, as a mom of 3). One Saturday at Lowes shopping, one Sunday afternoon cutting, and two days of assembly. Then a 5th for painting. Give or take a dozen extra runs to the hardware store! My brother-in-law helped cut the angles on his miter saw, and my uncle helped with assembly. I kinda doubt this could be done for $100 - maybe if you have a bunch of scrap materials and spare paint. We even have 7 or 8 hens in there! I only intended 3 to live in it, but my uncle added the extras and they all get along happily. I found the roof cap at Home Depot (didn't find at Lowes).

I would also like to point out that I was very afraid to do carpentry - I was afraid to even buy the lumber. But I asked for a lot of help from a lot of Lowe's and Home Depot people, and resisted the naysayers, and just got brave and did it. And it came out beautifully! If you are new to using power tools, get someone to assist, and you would need help anyway with holding things up while another drills.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
250.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mdownie

Wed, 05/22/2013 - 11:59

As an extra note, I used Hardware cloth, not chicken wire. Wire will not keep dogs or predators out (and my dog immediately tried but failed to claw his way in). I bought I believe 36 inch tall rolls - the standard size that I could tell (not 30 inches like in the plans). But it fit perfectly, so I think maybe the plans had a typo? Lay out the lumber according to the plans and it will fit perfectly.

Cedar picket shed

Submitted by CMeerman on Sat, 04/11/2015 - 12:16

I poured a 3 1/2" concrete pad first then bolted the completed shed to it.
Shed was easy enough to make, the plans were well done. Spent about 25 total hours on shed, including staining. Hinges were very expensive ($20 a pair with latches), spent about $400 NOT INCLUDING gravel, sand, & concrete for the pad or clamps. 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Finish Used
Flood UV on cedar, minwax gunstock on pine.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Birthday Bed

Submitted by msemishko on Sun, 08/06/2017 - 16:53

I told our daughter I would build her this bed for her birthday. She is still choosing what colors to paint it. Overall cost was $217 using white pine. She is's in love with this bed.  started it Saturday morning and had it all put together by Sunday afternoon. I changed up the guard rail. Instead of screwing it in,  I added a second set of 1×3s on the back side, so it is easy to slide on and off to make the bed. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$217
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 19:17

My husband and I made this for our son and daughter-in-law. They absolutely love it!
The project took about two days to build, and about three days for the finish (stained and weathered). The photos do not show the slats that support the mattress.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

nyyankeegrl38

Sun, 10/10/2021 - 21:43

*Edit to original post*
The only thing I wish we had done differently with this bed, was to count how many “tongue & groove”panels to attach to the headboard. We used 5 as stated in list, but 6 would have been preferred.
Solid bed for certain.

Hall Tree made from old door

Submitted by novofinds on Fri, 05/24/2013 - 20:56

This is my first Ana-White build and I love it so much! I used a 100 year old door for the back and antique knobs for the hooks. I plan on making a farm house table next :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Annie Sloan chalk paint in old white and olive on the inside. Waxed and lightly distressed.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Master Walk In Closet with Bookshelf Door

Submitted by valpal5 on Thu, 04/16/2015 - 20:26

We used an unfinished attic space above our garage that was connected to our bedroom to make a walk-in closet with great shelving.  This project took a lot of time but we are so happy with the results!  There is a side for my husband and a side for me.  Although it is hard to see we also incorporated a small door/bookshelf into the room to allow us access to attic storage space.

closet shelving
 

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White painted finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments