Community Brag Posts

Chicken Coop

Submitted by Elloh on Tue, 08/11/2020 - 11:05

This was my biggest build yet and these plans along with being able to see a few brag posts with modicifactions made this project less intimidating. I extended the coop in order to add a walk in door. The drop down doors on both sides will give plenty of access and help with cleaning. I've added door latches to all the doors since putting it in place. My dad provided the cedar so that greatly reduced my costs. This project took about six days to complete. The fun part was getting it out of my carport : ) This was built for my daughter's chickens and she is thrilled with it. So am I! Thanks for the plans Ana!

Estimated Cost
Hardware, screws, hardware cloth and plywood - around $150

Kitchen Island from Reclaimed Wood

My wife found this plan so I decided to tackle it. Spent about $80 in supply's and had some 2x8s from a shed we tore down. Planed them down and made this beautiful piece. Now my wife can't get me out of the kitchen. Sorry for the mess in the back ground.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
80
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American, Minwax Red Oak, and some Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Loft Bunk Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 08/15/2024 - 10:16

Camp Loft Bed with Stairs/Junior Height

We (hubby & myself) found these plans on your site and thought the bed would be perfect for our 13 year old son with special needs. He's been sleeping on a queen bed, but also had a privacy tent in our front room when he wanted to be alone. He never went into his bedroom unless he was sleeping for the night.
We decided to keep the queen mattress for him on the bottom, but wanted to save as much floor space as possible. We put a twin xl mattress on the top (added 5 inches to length), so the queen could fit underneath in the same direction. We built a headboard for the lower queen (1 x 6s) and added accessories like a light, cup holders, small shelf and a book holder to compensate for the nightstands we removed from his room. We decided to purchase a three inch bedframe for the queen in case the bottom space is used differently in the future.
Since our son needs extra stability, we added stair treads and a hand rail to the stair/platform area. We didn't want the space underneath the platform to go to waste. It is perfect for his stuffed animals. I used eye hooks and bungee cord to create a safe enclosure for them.
In order to provide him with the ultimate privacy, we used 4 x 4s for the bed posts and ran them up to the ceiling. This allowed us to run blackout curtains on the front and on one end of the upper structure. We also installed a light on the top level.
The instructions were great, especially the cut list. I can't give you a project time. Due to our schedules, we built it relay race style. My husband picked up the wood, and I cut it while he was working. He'd have some time to router the edges, and I would sand (80/150/220 grit), prime and paint all of the pieces. We worked together to assemble the bed in our son's room. I finished areas that needed filling/painting and added the accessories.
We are very happy with the results. This bed changed the whole dynamic of the room, and our son is finally hanging out in there.

Workbench

Submitted by MaryL220 on Mon, 08/24/2020 - 21:20

I needed a legit workbench and I had a bunch of wood to use up. I got a bunch of 1x8x6s from my local hardware store's scrap pile. There's a reason they were free... But I couldn't just toss them. I used all scrap, from the hardware store, my garage, and my brother-in-law's farm, except 3 2x4s that I bought new.

For this workbench, I used slats on the top and the bottom shelf. The frame is 2x4s. I had some idea I could use the space in between the slats to cut wood, but after adding 2in casters, it appears it might be a bit too tall. Even still, the spaces in between the slats make for excellent clamp storage.

And now I finally have a legit, mobile workbench to keep all my chaos somewhat contained.

Estimated Cost
$50-75
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None. I sanded the whole thing down to reduce the splinters but didn't feel that my workbench needed anything else.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Saddle Seat Stools

Submitted by naomi on Fri, 08/29/2014 - 06:57

After a lot of cutting, screwing, chiseling and sanding... oh and a lick of paint! My new little Saddle Seat Stools are complete. Time will only tell whether they will hold up to the abuse the boys give them especially Brodie! These new stools only cost me $48 to make the pair and I got all the timber from Bunnings

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$48
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Teak and White Enamel Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Truss Beam Table 35x60 size

Submitted by mlatanzi on Sun, 12/18/2016 - 22:12

Truss Beam Table size 35x60

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100-$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut, Spar Urethane Ultimate
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Famhouse Table - Weathered

Submitted by MEC6107 on Thu, 12/13/2012 - 14:28

This table and bench combo was a fun project to complete and was not very difficult (hardest part was picking out straight boards at the lumber yard). The table was stained with weathered oak stain and finished with satin polycrylic. The chairs were purchased, I am not skilled enough to build those!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 for table and 2 benches
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Weathered Oak Stain and Polycrylic in Clear Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

PamC03

Sat, 06/18/2016 - 20:32

Lovely finish on this table! Well done. What type screws did you use for the edging? They give it a really nice finished look

My First Table

Submitted by toolman81 on Wed, 01/20/2021 - 12:42

This was my very first table. We could not find one in stock so I found these plans from Ana White. The base was easy enough if you take your time and make sure you are oriented right before cutting.......not that I made any mistakes by not double checking before plunging that saw into my work piece. The top was modified to be 6 feet long. I edge jointed, using an electric hand planner, the 2x6s after planning the faces flat. This helped my hand planner to ride flush and make a pretty straight edge after a few passes taking off very little each time. This actually took longer than building the base. I pocket holed the underside to squeeze the top together with some glue. It turned out almost perfectly seamless. I mixed some fine sanding dust with some poly for any cracks or blemishes. That allowed the stain to actually take, unlike with wood filler.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Carbon Gray stain with a water based poly on top. White enamel paint for bottom.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kaylee's Dollhouse

Submitted by akatherine on Wed, 12/31/2014 - 19:44

My fiance and I built this for my seven year old daughter's Christmas present. I have built several pieces of furniture before but this was our first major building project and I'm proud to say we made a great team!

We didn't make any major changes to the plan, we just chose to leave the wheels off the bottom and we added two boards across the back of the attic rooms so we would have something to attach the back too. We were lucky enough that this project coincided with my dad have his roof replaced and he had spare shingles, so her doll house has real asphalt shingles! They were actually a lot easier to add than I expected, we simply scored the back of the shingles with a knife and then they cleanly broke apart. We used a staple gun to attach the shingles we would be able to layer so you couldn't see the staples, but for those where the staples would have shown we used a hot glue gun.

The only issue we had was moving it around without my daughter noticing because it's so big! My fiance and I actually scratched up a door frame trying to sneak it under the tree after she went to sleep because it's so large (totally my fault, apparently I need to work out more). Other than that everything went smooth and it was fun to build and so exciting to watch my daughter freak out over Christmas morning!!!

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

Farmhouse toy box

Submitted by Jayna on Fri, 02/12/2021 - 13:34

Made a few adjustments to the farmhouse toy box. Made it a little bigger and added Xs out of 1x2s around it to give it a little extra something! I'm using it as a storage coffee table and I couldn't be happier with it! So in love!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax dark walnut stain, three coats of Varathane clear gloss polyurethane, and painted with Valspar white paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Sewing Caddie

Submitted by JoeCandy11 on Sun, 01/04/2015 - 22:25

Thanks for the inspiration!  This was my first full blown creation and my wife loves it.  Cannot wait to do more!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 for birch plywood
$30 for wheels, hinges, paint, and accessories.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint with primer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Piper's Dining

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/14/2017 - 08:09

This was just the right table design for our history home built in 1880! Love the plans and easy to build!

Estimated Cost
Table- $95 without Kreg Jig cost($20) or screws
Bench- $24- screws
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Wood primer first on all surfaces,SW Rustic gray, minwax mahogony low lights and satin minwax poly finish(5 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

New Mudroom

Submitted by EChiasson on Mon, 03/15/2021 - 11:02

Built this new Mudroom / Office from some plans i found on your website and I absolutely love it! It has turned out better than I Expected and I learned soo many new things when planning and building this out!

Estimated Cost
$1000
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Queen size Farmhouse bed and night stands

With no experience but a lot of time during Covid, we tackled this project and love the results. Queen bed and nightstands. Made from pine, stain is Saman Wood Stain 013 - IRON EARTH. We modified the night stands to be 4 inches narrower to fit the room a little better.

Finish Used
Saman 013 - IRON EARTH
Hard to find but worth it, water based stain, had no odor and I stained it in the basement in the winter. No special instructions, apply and wait a minute and wipe off. I am planning to use a matte polyurethane when I have more time to protect the finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Corner Hutch

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/01/2017 - 12:58

Built the corner hutch from Ana's super easy plans!  LOVE IT!

http://www.ana-white.com/2010/12/plans/corner-cupboard

Made a cutout for my thermostat on the wall.  Gotta love building what you need for your space!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Grey Paint wash
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Anthropologie inspired Fancy X Farmhouse Table & Benches Part 1

This project was super easy, my husband and I did this together while I was 9 months pregnant with our other 2 kids and dog running around the whole time! We made the table and 2 benches for $250 including lumber and finishing supplies. Check out my blog for details.

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Grey Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

I doubled the recipe and built a table that seats 12!

Submitted by JMRojas on Fri, 03/06/2015 - 14:07

I used the Farmhouse Table plans and just extended the measurements to build an extra-long outdoor table that seats 12.

 

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Tea, vinegar, and steel wool
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Large Porch Bench

Submitted by kimmy227 on Fri, 06/16/2017 - 09:46

I loved building this bench!!  I was able to use only 6 2x4's which cut down the cost a little bit :)  For the stain I used Semi-Transparent Chocolate from HD and Wedgewood in a Solid Stain color from HD as well.  Building the bench itself was really easy but the X's do take some extra work.  I found that using a yard stick vs. a tape measure made the world of difference.  I also nailed the X's in vs. using the kreg jig. 

Estimated Cost
$35-$45
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Semi-Transparent Chocolate from HD and Wedgewood in a Solid Stain color from HD as well.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Seasonal And Holiday