Community Brag Posts

Easy to build! Took about 3 hours!

We wanted a short bunk bed for our sons, age 4 and 1. Our 4-year-old insisted on a Thomas Train bed. We modified the fort bed plans slightly to add stronger barriers on the top bunk and add a barrier on the bottom for the little guy. We also used solid plywood rather than MDF. We used 2x4's and steel angle to hold up the top bunk. It should be sturdy enough for them to use into teenage years. Because we beefed up the strength, the cost increased as well.

We tried staining it and it didn't come out as nicely as we had hoped, but the boys added their own stickers to it and now they have a Thomas bed that they love. When the 1-year-old gets older, we will probably remove the barrier on the bottom bunk to make getting in and out easier.

After spending weeks lurking on the site, I decided to go for it. I have no real experience doing this sort of thing, so everything was a learning experience. I had to invest in a lot of tools but the materials only cost about $100 ($50 in pine from local home store + ~$50 in other materials).

I live in a small apartment, so my workplace was less than ideal. I did a lot of sawing and sanding in the space you see so I made a HUGE mess, but I didn't really have any other choice.

I'm really pleased with the outcome. It isn't perfect, but it doesn't have to be. There are gaps in the planks on the table top, but I can live with it. I didn't follow the plans exactly in order. I built the table top first which allowed me to add removable legs for when it comes time to move. Instead of screwing the legs, I hung hanger bolts and did a nut/bolt setup (as I type this, I realize this was not a necessary step - I could have bolted the legs instead of screwing them in per the stepwise instructions, which would have been easier. Alas, what's done is done!). The picture shows two sets of nuts per bolt, but this is only because I had extra bolts and this ensure that I don't lose them.

I plan on finishing with a polyurethane and building the benches but that will be in the future. My advice to anyone on the fence is to just do it. It's easier than you think and if it doesn't turn out exactly perfect, no big deal. My project goes to show that even with a tiny Chicago apartment, as long as you're willing to make a mess, it can be done. Good luck, thanks for reading!

*sorry my photos are aren't right-side-up - just tilit your head :)

Garden Bench Project. Christmas Gift for my daughter-in-law. Cost of materials $75 and invested about 5 hours into the project. I modified the length to fit their porch. I sanded all the material and slightly rounded over all of the material edges. Recommend installing the seat BEFORE you install the arms as it is much easier to fasten. I extended the arms by an inch because I thought it looked better than cutting it flush to the leg. We will paint it in the Spring after the material dries out and can accept paint. It was fun to build. I have seen similar benches on Etsy for over $500.

We modified the Ana-White modular dollhouse meant for small dolls to build this Barbie size house! (Please ignore the workshop walls in the background of our pics! Lol!) Our daughter loves to set up all sorts of houses/school/hospital/stores, and commercial modern barbie houses are all covered in specific printed paper that restricts what a room can be used for. This way she can make buildings however she likes! It isn't much bigger than her old barbie house, and the pieces/room boxes are easy for her to move/stack. Each room box is 9" (w) by 18"(L) by 13"(h), with wall panels 4.5" wide. We also love that these room boxes can become bookshelves once she outgrows barbies! Thank you!

Modified table to desk. Built the original table plan for a friend and it was too big, so I had the frame in my shed for a year. Repurposed it to office desk. 

This is the daybed option. The plan and cut list worked great.

We decided to build the Farmhouse Table after our 30 year old dining table began to crack and just wasn't working so well for our family of 5. This was our first project, so we made a lot of mistakes but also learned a lot. One of the hardest things was finding decent lumber that wasn't warped or split. We also made two Farmhouse Benches but they aren't included in this photo.

Super easy to build ,thanks for the instructions!!!!!!

As I finished the basement, my thoughts turned to the upstairs furniture. We bought a sectional when we moved into our house 2 years ago from Art Van. We paid $2000 for it and it lasted about 3 years. We finally got rid of it after 5 years, but the frame was broke and the cushions were terrible!!

I looked around and couldn't find anything I thought was superior quality that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Quite frankly, this is expensive even to make but I'm up for the challenge.  

Originally built this to be part of a set and then took it home. (My two year old loves the bench!) Used 4x4s for the legs and increased the table thickness to 2".

This was not my first build, but it was the first time I have done miter cuts. It was an easy to follow plan. The hardest part was trying to decide on the stain color! I am thrilled with the way it turned out. This table will easily seat 10 people which will be perfect for parties and dinners.