Community Brag Posts

Outdoor patio sofa

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/21/2022 - 15:50

The wife wanted patio furniture so we built our own

Comments

Planter Box with Trellis

My husband built the Planter Box with Trellis for his mother for her birthday. We planted one of our rose bushes in it. They are pink teacup roses and should look fantastic against this bright white backdrop once the buds blossom.

This was a great project that was easy to cut up beforehand and put together the next afternoon. I think I want one!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 with exterior paint
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
White exterior Valspar paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mmhmakeover

Tue, 07/12/2011 - 03:59

Thank YOU, Tina! The plan was so easy to follow and we were just amazed that this thing came out looking almost exactly like the picture. Often times, we are not so lucky and "modify" the project at the time, or "modify" our expectations when it looks a little different. Not so with this one. It's perfect!

Our new dinning table!!!

OMG!!! I'm so in love with my new table!!! I had to make a few changes due to the size of my dining area. I built it a bit big for the space I have in hopes of moving soon and having a formal dinning! I shortened the length of the table and also changed up the x to have the same angle as the original table... I decided to do a natural stain using tea, vinegar and steel wool to "age" the table I then mixed a brown wax with a clear wax to warm it up just a tad... Thanks ana so much for the amazing plans!!! Can't wait to start on another :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
110$ including staining supplies
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
After table was built I sanded the crud out of it then sanded some more ;)... I pre mixed my vinegar and steel wool in a huge mason jar not sure the size maybe close to 50oz i used 1 and a half pads of the 0000 steal wool i also washed it in some soapy water before adding to the vinegar to remove any oils that would keep it from oxidizing... i let it sit for about 25 hrs and it was plenty strong i tested it on some scrap wood... I brewed 4 large black tea bags Walmart brand in about 20 oz of water let that sit for an hr or so then squeezed out the bags... I painted the tea stain on all the wood and let dry for about 4 hrs... Pine has very low levels of tannins which the steel and vinegar react to... The tea puts tannins into the wood... If you use a hard wood you won't need the tannins I suggest testing to see how dark it turns. After the tea stain had dried I started painting on the vinegar steal wool mixture (pull the hunk of steal wool out and make sure to stir the mixture regularly). Sat back and watched it do its magic after the table had dried I waxed it... The table was very blue grey which in a modern house would have look amazing but I have very primitive taste and furniture so I wanted to warm it up just a tad I mixed briwax clear, Annie Sloan clear, and just a very small amount of briwax Tudor brown sorry I can't be more specific on ratio. It was just a light tan color...'I applied the wax all over waited for it to dry and did an additional coat on the top then buffed it out I just a cheap white rag..: it took a lot of wax make sure you make enough... The wood really soaked it in...
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

janaeku

Sat, 08/02/2014 - 20:53

Hi Camille,
I love the color you ended up with and am attempting to replicate it. Can you tell me why you used two different brands of clear wax? Could you just mix the clear Briwax and the Tudor Brown? Also, how long did it take before the steel wool started to rust. It's been in about 8 hours and so far nothing.
Thanks!
Janae

Kentwood Bookshelf

Submitted by worrow on Tue, 08/11/2015 - 17:33

I loved this from Ana's site so much we tacked one. Please note I glued, screwed and dowel ed the holes. I hate kreg jigs. We also made ours taller to add an extra shelf.

Estimated Cost
$90.

Provincial stain and triple coat poly
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
3m triple coat in 1 semi gloss not pictured. My image is stain at this point
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

My First Build

Submitted by clarky316 on Sun, 03/11/2018 - 18:02

This was my first big furniture piece that I've built. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I used 5/4 poplar for the tops instead of the 2x10s for the table and 2x6s for the benches that the plans called for. Finished the tops with Minwax Early American stain then 3 coats of satin oil based polly. Finished the bottoms with water based Minwax tinted River Stone then coated with water based polly. 

 

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Brian Famous

Wed, 03/14/2018 - 06:18

You did a great job, especially for your first big piece.

I love the River Stone color you chose for the bases, beautiful combination.

Adirondack Chair

A couple of years ago I completed my first ever build…Ana White’s Modern Adirondack Chair. This is my first “traditional” Adirondack Chair and it was a fun change! All of the seat and back rest boards are reclaimed from ikea bed frame slats. I had a couple different board widths on hand so I adjusted the plans accordingly. This is primer with BIN and painted with Fusion Mineral Paint in the color Park Bench. I’m a huge fan of Fusion Mineral paint and this is my first time using it for an exterior project.

Comments

Chicken Coop with Run

Submitted by Jen Marzen on Fri, 06/17/2011 - 02:10

My husband and I live on a small hobby farm and are growing/raising a lot of our own food. We decided to venture into working with chickens. We wanted to start out small so we got 6 chickens and needed a home for them. We found a kids play house one day while shopping and got the idea of modifying it into a chicken coop with a run. We took off with this idea and with quite a bit of modification and some extra building materials we were able to raise it up in the air and attach a run so our chickens would have a nice home to protect them from preditors and the emements and not to mention one that looks good in our yard!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Cedar deck stain and white outdoor house paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Heather Dalton (not verified)

Tue, 02/21/2012 - 19:08

Are the plans available? I have Black Copper Marans and Lavender Ameraucanas and I really need to separate the LAs from the BCMs and this would be perfect!

madrona (not verified)

Tue, 02/28/2012 - 10:21

I'd also love the plans!
Great job - it's beautiful!

guest (not verified)

Tue, 02/28/2012 - 10:22

I'd also love the plans - thanks!

Eliza B (not verified)

Thu, 05/31/2012 - 10:02

Can you please post the plans you used? I have 4 week old chicks that need a coop. Thank you very much.

Jen Marzen

Sat, 06/02/2012 - 15:22

Sorry guys there are no plans for this coop. My husband and i just "winged it" and built it without any plans.

It is a play house that we found at Mills Fleet Farm and we modified it to make it a chicken coop. We put together the play house based on instructions from the box (with a few of our own modifications to make the window on the ground etc.) added some chicken wire to the doors and bay window, added some 4x4 "stilts" and a floor to get the house in the air, and constructed a frame around it with 2x4's and wire fencing to make the run

Sorry I dont have any plans to give you guys!

Seasonal And Holiday

Modified to a 3 ft square table from this plan!

Submitted by herzo1852 on Wed, 07/31/2013 - 10:13

I am currently making the matching 2 seater Loveseat (making 2 of them) so I wanted a square table to go in the middle of the 2 sofas to make it look nice, so the rectangular table was not quite what I needed.

I used 2x3's for the legs and adjusted the side measurements of the square table for the extra width.

I didn't want to paint it, so this is Rustoleum Kona stain with polyurethane (clear semi gloss) over the top to protect it from the rain - which you can see was exactly the kind of weather I had about 10 minutes after it was put outside!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum "Kona" stain (from Lowes), and a clear Minwax polyurethan in semi gloss - applied the stain with a foam brush and the clear polyurethane with a good quality brush (less hairs fall off the quality brushes!).
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Pecan top dining table

this was the second table built using Anna's fancy x plan. The first used regular 2x6 pine boards for the top and was given to my son for a housewarming gift. This second I built for my wife and changed up the top by using 1x6 pecan we had milled and then I planed down myself. The outer edges were left with a live edge to give it more rustic character. I used slotted "L" shaped metal about 6" long to secure the top of the table to the supports underneath, to allow for any expansion in the boards. I recently made a new kitchen island to match.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Semi gloss black paint for legs and support. Minwax semigloss polyurethane on the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

AlexO

Tue, 08/25/2015 - 16:53

I love working with Live edge stuff!  Not this talented though!  Very Nice

Rustic X Table

This was my first ever attempt at making something real out of wood. I've only made some really basic floating coat hangars and docorative rustic pieces to set around peoples houses and a spice rack. I really wanted more of a challenge and this was a perfect place to start. I had to purchase the Kreg Jig and a couple of large clamps but once I got the hang of drilling and filling pocket holes it was smooth sailing. 

 

The Mrs then finished it off with some lovely rustic baskets and a serving tray with all the latest Southern Living magazines.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$39.97 - Kreg Pocket Hole Jig Model R3

.

~$60 - various cuts of wood, Home Depot made this easy and cut it all to size for me when purchased. (other than the angled cuts)

.

$7 - Speed square (for the angled cuts)

.

$10 -100 count pack of 2 1/2" pocket hole screws & 100 count 1 1/2" pocket hole screws

.

$7 - Foam brushes
.

__________________________________
Total: $123 w/some spare wood
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
5 layers of stain are applied in the following order:

1st - Miniwax Dark Walnut
2nd - Varathane White wash Pickling
3rd - Miniwax Classic Gray
4th - Miniwax Dark Walnut (Wiped off almost as fast as it was put on)
5th - 2 coats of clear gloss.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Mini vanity for a mini bathroom

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/23/2022 - 04:54

We are setting up a small bathroom In our dry cabin. We will have a water container on the sink top and a bucket collecting grey water below. None of the commercial vanities had the right combination of price/sturdiness/shelf configuration/style I was looking for, so I made my own!

Modifications:
-no top
-lower shelf
-used 1x2 (not 2x2) on front shelf support to maximize shelf space
-wider and deeper than plans to fit sink top just right! It took a lot of math and trial and error on plank width combinations.
-added a door, which turned out to be the hardest part for me

Comments

I am in Love

Submitted by Marisol on Mon, 06/20/2011 - 19:09

I am more excited about building now. I started this project Saturday, started on the cuts, almost immediately and assembled later that afternoon. By Sunday Morning the whole thing was done. I have 2 Children (2 yr.old and 10month old) so breaks were VERY frequent in between. I am so exciting about building now, my husband has even offered to help in the near future for more must haves! We are planning my very first Birthday Party ever! (including childhood) so I wanted to have comfortable and beautiful seating, I’ve been drooling over these plans since Ana posted them up and thought to myself, there is no way I could do it. But…I was wrong, with hardly any help I was able to do it all on my own. The only problem I came across was the small end X pieces, I am not sure what I did, but I needed to make the cuts at 9 15/16 instead of 10 3/8 in order for the 1x2’s to fit in the center, I thought it would affect the rest of the plan, but it didn’t. Another little hiccup I did was at the HD- I went alone, I couldn’t carry the 2x6 by myself, so I got 2 2x3’s instead, I think it still looks exceptionally well. What am I saying?! I LOVE THIS THING!

My husband and my live in brother were impressed, as was I! My mother even made a comment that my grandfather’s spirit is in me! (He was a carpenter) So, with all these compliments it only motivates me to continue and build! Build! Build! My mother wants one for her Birthday as well, so I will be making another beautiful Weatherly Sofa for her, she deserves it! She takes care of my little angels while I work…the least I could do is make one for her. As many of us who started building due to income deprevation , I am living pay check to pay check, so the little wiggle room we have will be 1 project + scraps. I don’t care how long it takes to get the material, this hobby/love is going to be a long beautiful relationship.

Cushions, the lipstick on this outdoor sofa…so hard to pick!!!
I’ve been eyeing beautiful cushions online that I could afford, and Walmart was the only place that had reasonable prices, although $20+ dollars is always a stretch for me, the ones I settled for were $24.00 each, and I cringed when I stepped to the register…but, if I were to go anywhere else to purchase and outdoors sofa as lovely as this one, I am looking at $500 easy!!! So, that helped me out in purchasing them. I love the pattern on them and I was debating on another set, which were red, beige and white with wide stripes, I loved it…but the Blue one, won…husband had to vote too.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40 or less
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
unknown yet- any tips on finishing for outdoors will be greatly appreciated.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

angie b (not verified)

Tue, 06/21/2011 - 01:50

Walmart has a big sale on outdoor cushions, and they're surprisingly beautiful. i just picked up red ones, comparable to the more expensive ones for sure,.
great job, it looks absolutely beautiful

JES

Tue, 06/21/2011 - 05:51

This is so lovely. You did a wonderful job on this! Oh- and Happy Birthday! :) Cheers!
J

LisaBMA

Sun, 06/24/2012 - 19:01

You did an amazing job! This is a piece that you and your family will treasure forever :)

Queen loft bed

We built ours for a queen sized mattress. We used the plans for the stair case since our son is only two and can't handle a ladder. We decided to go with stain on the trim instead of paint and feel this makes it look a little nicer. The inside has Christmas lights hung from the ceiling and a "secret hiding spot" under the stairs.

Estimated Cost
$300-$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Husky Farmhouse Table

My brother and I built this table in about 4 hours over two days (finishing took longer) shortly after I purchased my first house. We needed a dining room table, and everything was super-expensive that we liked, so I luckily came across Ana's site and found this bad boy. I had never built anything in my life, but my brother had a little woodworking experience and, very importantly, some tools, so I ordered the legs from Osbourne Wood, got the rest from Home Depot and got building! We've gotten so many compliments on it. Thanks, Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400 (the legs were the majority of that)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax dark walnut stain and Helsman spar urethane on the top and Benjamin Moore simply white on the bottom
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Table Pedestal Bases

Here are two table pedestal bases I made for a friend.  These are made from standard 2x8s (I could have used 2x6s, but I wanted enough extra to cut off the rounded corners), 1x6s and 1x3s.

More pictures are available on our blog here: http://famousartisan.com/hand-made-table-pedestal-bases/

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
chalk paint and wax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Leaning Bookshelf - Narrow

Submitted by jigganancy on Fri, 06/24/2011 - 23:03

I was in Home Depot one day and found a large piece of MDF & straight 1x4 in the "scrap bin". Because my to-do list is longer than any christmas list, I knew I could find a use for it. I ended up buying a quality piece 1x4 for the legs. The remainder were scraps. My total cost of the wood for this project was approximately $20.

My living room space is narrow and awkward, so I subtracted 4 inches from every horizontal measurement. This plan was very easy to adapt for your space.

To round the edges, I traced with a circular piece of tupperware, cut with my jigsaw and sanded. To build, I used a nail gun and kreg jig on some parts. I also stained before putting it completely together.

I'm very happy with these plans and how the finished project fits right into my space. This project was easy to follow and easy to adapt. I would recommend it to anyone starting out

PS: I could use some help with my shelf styling. Recommendations welcome :)

Estimated Cost
20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Miniwax early american (1st coat) and miniwax ebony (2nd coat)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Fancy x farmhouse table... my version!

My version is a 7' table. I made the distance between legs 60" with a 8" overhang on each side. The stain is Olympic Driftwood. I also added 1 x 2 pcs on the ends for a more finished look & to secure the 2 x10's. One last thing, I used a router to round out all the outer edges of the table top and the legs.

Highly recommend....

I used some T braces/plates on the bottom of the table to connect legs with 60" pcs. Otherwise there is nothing to keep the legs square with the table.

Love the look...thanks so much for the plan!

Other notes: I used treated lumber so it's VERY heavy.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$130 ($100 lumber, $30 stain)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Olympic Driftwood
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

stepdiva

Sat, 08/30/2014 - 19:33

hi there..your table is great! can i ask if u think there is enough room at ends of table for a chair with the 8 inch overhangs that u did? i would like to do the same. thanks so much!!!
Tanya

King Farmhouse Storage Bed

Submitted by emtrahan on Mon, 08/24/2015 - 11:57

We were looking to make a king size storage bed in the farmhouse style, but couldn't find anything that was exactly what we wanted, so we stole pieces from several plans and ended up with this! 

Estimated Cost
$300 for everything, lumber, paint, you name it!
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams escape grey and dover white, over a coat of kilz.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner