Community Brag Posts

Jessica's Bed & Headboard

This bed is so perfect for my studio apartment. I don't have the floor space for multiple dressers, and the modular 3 bench design made it super easy to move in (and hopefully to move back out when school is over). LOVE LOVE LOVE this project.

I also made the headboard.
It is a single sheet of plywood, cut down and covered with polyfill and fabric. We predirlled holes for the buttons, and I set the headboard (fabric side up) across 2 saw horses with a flashlight underneath so I could see the drilled holes. I used nylon thread and a large needle to attach the buttons. There are flat buttons on the backsides of the holes so the thread doesn't slide through. It is hung directly on the wall behind the bed via wire hooks - make sure you hang it from the studs!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Painted with white semi-gloss paint.

We used sheetrock mud to fill in holes and divets since we used cheap plywood.

We crafted our own drawers as well - they ended up being 18 deep x 24 long x 10 tall. We used premade metal drawer slide kits from Lowe's.

Use an air nail gun if you have access to one. My very number one recommendation for this project! Makes your life so much easier.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

firewood shed

Submitted by brittanyj on Thu, 06/04/2015 - 10:25

Needed a place to store wood for the fireplace and firepit. This very nicely organizes what was before a huge dirty pile of wood scattered on the ground. Cedar pickets for the top, all is coated in exterior white stain. Holding up nicely so far.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
exterior stain in Navajo white
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Craft Desk

Submitted by Chuck1979 on Thu, 12/28/2017 - 21:40

Love the desk! A few issues I had though are that the top panel will not go into the space of the top angle pieces are in place. I had to remove them to get it in. Additionally, the pocket holes seemed insufficient for the top 2x2s because of the angle they are at, so I went back and drilled countersink holes directly into the adjacent support board and added wool glue. Lastly, for then 2x2s that are supporting the bottom panel, I was worried about just having the pocket holes there as well because I could see my 5 year old climbing on it to reach the pegboard so I added L brackets to the bottom of the 2x2s under the bottom panel. I also added a light to the underside of the top panel and supports at the bottom near the floor. Turned out great 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Squared2 Headboard, Queen

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 13:55

Made from red oak. I made it 65" tall so the full pattern was visible above the mattress.
I'm very happy the way it turned out and would like to thank you for the inspiration 🤗

Comments

Modified Flip Top Storage Bench / Coffee Table

Submitted by bluejazz on Sat, 04/23/2011 - 20:50

This table is based on the Flip Top Storage Bench / Coffee Table.  While the original design size was almost perfect for my needs, my intended use was as a base for a flat panel TV. For this use, the flip-top made no sense so a modest design change was required. 

To add some strength to support the TV, and still get some utility out of the top shelf for remotes, magazines and what-not, I left off the front trim and pocket screwed a couple risers to the top shelf and back trim and attached the top to these as well as the legs.

I had big-time warpage issues with 1 X 12 pine boards, So I settled on a 'speed' approach using a  18 X 72 laminated pine board, which I cut to 52 inches length. These dimensions eliminated the need for second top board used for the hinge mount in the original design. I immediately took it home, cut and mounted it on the table carcass and locked it in position with screws before it had a chance to move on us.  My wife then quickly painted it.

I have a sketchup model of the revised non flipping bench. If anyone is interested in that let me know.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat Black Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Our Much Appreciated Mudroom Bench!

Submitted by jkellhofer on Mon, 06/24/2013 - 21:24

I followed Anna's plans pretty closely though deviated somewhat as well. Added additional length and one more seat separators & seat, increased depth by a few inches, changed design of seperators to allow for arm rests, added some additional trim, a second inset shelf w/in the shoe box area (for sandals and whatnot), and then inset wainscoting.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200-$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats of Golden Pecan 245 Minwax stain (and then a poly clear)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

spiceylg

Tue, 06/25/2013 - 04:43

Seriously impressive build with awesome mods. Love the pop of color on the wall as well!

Bathroom Wall Crates

Submitted by eralben on Mon, 06/08/2015 - 05:36

Ana's little crates go perfect in our beach themed bathroom. I altered Ana's plans a little. I changed the dimensions to 12 x 11 1/4, and I did not use lath sticks for the crate slates because I wanted something sturdier. I had some left over 2×12 wood from a previous project, so I cut off 3/4 in wide pieces to make the crate slates. The wood grain gives character to the crates and makes it look more weathered.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

OUTDOOR SOFA

Decided to build Ana's outdoor sofa for our Master Balcony and love the results. I was a bit impatient to finish the build and therefore did not take the time to use pocket screws for a more finished result, (which I will do next time). Regardless, I love how the sofa turned out and would reccomend for anybody to build. The cheapest outdoor cushions I could find were from Ikea and we spent around $160.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 BUILD, $160 CUSHIONS
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
OUTDOOR STAIN
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Beer Tote

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 15:17

had extra wood from two of your projects. Thought I would try my hand for some holiday gifts. Made this for my neighbor.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Apothecary dresser

The apothecary console inspired me to make a dresser with faux drawer faces. I have no plan, since I measured and planned as I go along. This took me waaaay longer than I expected, and everything that can possibly go wrong did go wrong, and even some of things that were perfectly fine went wrong too. I'm blaming the wet midwestern stormy weather for mysteriously expanding two of my drawers. I used drawer sliders and they were more tricky than I expected.

I wanted to make an all-wood dresser, so no MDF or plywood.

I also made a food tray using scrap pieces. It's a little heavy for a tray, but I think I gained enough muscles building the dresser.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Painted with a light blue (french blue) oops paint, sanded and stained to look like an old piece of furniture.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kentwood Bed for a Friend

We built this bed in a few hours - so easy! This bed is pretty solid too, with the 2x4s and 2x6s. Read about it here: http://jenwoodhouse.com/blog/2013/06/26/kentwood-bed/

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$85.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Red Oak Island

Submitted by donhu on Wed, 01/03/2018 - 09:44

Substituted 1 x 4s for the shelves instead of the slats. Used red oak for the top and treated it with butcher block oils and wax so that it can be used for chopping.

 

 

Estimated Cost
$80 for the red oak. $58 for the shelf lumber. $30 for the frame.
Total was around $168.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint and Butcher Block Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Meida center

I built this on my own (no help!) in my apartment garage from February 2011 - April 2011. I'm a single mom, so I would work an hour here and there every week or so.
The large pieces had to be cut by HD employees,Small pieces were all cut individually with a hand-saw. The only power tool I own right now is a drill, so this took a while. lol

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Black Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Fireplace Remodel

When my husband and I bought our home we knew we wanted to make changes. The fireplace was an eye sore to us, so we decided to change the whole thing. When we researched on the net on how to make a mantel, we didn't find that many how to's. We have had a lot of questions on how we did it, so wanted to share with others how we did ours. Once we figures out how we were going to build it, it didn't take much time to finish the project. My blog has more details on how we accomplished our mantel. http://supersaturdayldscrafts.blogspot.com/2013/06/fireplace-remodel.ht…

Estimated Cost
200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Super Sofa

Submitted by SteveUK on Thu, 06/18/2015 - 01:06

Although Ive done a lot of DIY projects this was my first real furniture build. I modified the plans for the Simple White Outdoor Sofa because my back cushions were quite short and I didn't need the back to be so high to support them. I also liked the idea of having some contrast to the painted finish so used some Sapele I had. I'm really happy with the end result.

I wanted it to be a little more substantial that the original plans and I wanted the arms to be arms to fully support a forearm (and a beer) so I used 3 x 3 for legs and a 4 x 2 ripped down to 3 x 2 for the arms. I also tapered the legs to soften the lines a bit and give it a bit more interest.

The armchair is made in the exact same way but I made the legs a little taller so that the arms were at a more comfortable height to rest both arms on while reading a book or newspaper.

Estimated Cost
Cushions were $65. Timber costs were around $150 (Pine)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
It's painted in Farrow and Ball Green Blue and the Sapele is just danish oiled.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Console

Submitted by Ajacquay5 on Sat, 01/06/2018 - 14:09

Love the way this turned out!

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modified Emily Dresser

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/27/2021 - 05:59

I needed to make the dresser in three pieces so that I could get it into my attic bed room. and I used pine for the "quilt" like pattern on the top and fronts. I would use hardwood if I did it again. But I love the small drawers on top. It is finished in teak oil.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Twin Fancy Farmhouse Bed - Modified

Submitted by river4250 on Thu, 05/05/2011 - 10:00

After seeing the farmhouse bed with stenciled headboard, I knew I wanted something similar for my little one. Haven't decided what I want to do with the big empty space in the middle of the headboard yet, but I went ahead and built it. I also changed up some of the decorative pieces just because I wanted her to have a one-of-a-kind bed. The blocks in the corners have little flowers in the middle, the legs at the end have slightly larger flowers on them to mimic the flowers in the blocks. I only made one major mistake on this bed, and that's the height of the headboard. For some reason it looked sooooo tall, so I stupidly decided to cut a few inches off of the legs, and now it's too short. Still mulling over what to do to fix that, but overall I love this bed!! :D It's the second thing I've built, the first being a bench.
Proud note: I built this bed completely and entirely by myself. :) If I can do it, anyone can!

Estimated Cost
$150-175
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Recycling Center from Ana's Book The Hand Built Home

Submitted by lscrandall on Mon, 07/01/2013 - 18:45

Recycle bin from Ana's Book. I mod poge glue on burlap to the top, placed on a piece of Plexiglas so I could wipe down, then stained the whole thing with an antique finish over the crackled paint. I also did an L molding around the Plexiglas to keep in place. Came out lovely! Added baskets for my veggies and done!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$65.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Trash can, potatoes and onion bin and grocery bag holder!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Tower Jewelry Box

Submitted by JoanneS on Mon, 06/22/2015 - 17:13

This project is a 4-drawer variation of the Easy Jewelry Box, made with select 1x6 for the top & bottom, craft boards for the box and drawer sides, with craft board overlay drawer faces. No plywood is visible on the outside on this build.

This version has a smaller footprint and is much lighter than the original plan, built using the thinner craft boards, and the drawers slide on S4S instead of full shelves. The drawers are 1/8" shorter than the box depth to ensure they don't touch the box back, so the overlay fronts lay flat to the box. The overhangs are ¾” wide mini colonial moulding, and the feet are squares of 1 1/8” lattice scrap. The design includes a toe-kick and top-kick which allows room for both overlay drawer faces and top/bottom overhang.

I spent a couple of hours redesigning the plan to get this as light as possible, while making the most of the usable space within the footprint, and leaving no plywood edges visible on the outside. The build itself took about 6 hours, including the build, sanding, finishing, and decorating.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Using select pine 1x and craft boards for the box, poplar craft boards for the drawers, and aspen craft boards for the drawer faces, this build cost about $60 for lumber, moulding, knobs, and decorations. Finishing materials were already on hand.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
The finish is 2 coats of Clark & Kensington semi-gloss paint + primer in Crushed Peanut. The drawers are lined in embossed felt, and the fancy knobs are ceramic with brass.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Clubhouse Bed

Submitted by cheebo98 on Tue, 01/09/2018 - 11:03

My daughter wanted this for her first bed. I loved how it turned out to match her room!! The plans were super easy to follow. I am so grateful for the time and thought process that went into making these plans. Thank you so much!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
semi gloss white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate