Community Brag Posts

Toddler bed

This site introduced the Kreg Jig which was a game changer as far as allowing me to give this a go. Thanks to the various posts for inspiration particularly Suzie_R. I added an off the shelf guard on the bed - photo to follow. I built the dimensions to fit a day mattress that I bought.

Estimated Cost
I expect that I spent around $100 on pine for the job and I made an initial investment on the Kreg Jig.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None until the chalk and crayons come out!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Outdoor Chair and Sofa

We built the chairs first using the Modern Outdoor Chair Plans found here on Ana White. We then modified the plans to make a 75" couch that fits 3-25" cushions. Both were super easy to build. We are very happy with them. We built the couch on the porch because it is very heavy when finished. Everyone loves them!

Estimated Cost
Wood and screws for chair around $30 each. Wood and screws for sofa around $60. We already had the paint and cushions.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Satin Exterior Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

TV Stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/24/2023 - 17:18

My daughter wanted a TV stand with a space for her sound bar, along with storage for toys and blankets. Hardware for barn doors were used from a video you had posted

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Farmhouse Table

We love the look of farmhouse tables but not their hefty price tags. So we decided to build our own. $60 in supplies and a week-end's worth of time left us with a beautiful table that has a story. Ana's plans were easy to follow. Building furniture is so rewarding...and easier on the wallet!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We used two coats of Minwax Red Mahogany and three coats of Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane Clear Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Laurel (not verified)

Wed, 12/14/2011 - 09:17

I was looking to make the farmhouse table this weekend but I think we'll make this instead. My husband wants "big legs" and I saw this and immediately knew that it was perfect.

Guest (not verified)

Tue, 12/20/2011 - 11:27

WOW! First your table is amazing- great work! Second, I am wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing where you got your chairs? I love the look of them with the wood table!
Thanks!

MS (not verified)

Thu, 01/12/2012 - 12:32

Hi, I love this, great job! I am wanting to build a bigger one that will seat 10-12. I love the farmhouse table on this website, but I do not like the way the supports underneath prevent you from sliding chairs up to the ends. Do you think it would be sturdy enough without them? Like you did for your table here.
Thanks!!

Our new farm table for our new pergola!

Our dear friends built us a pergola over the summer and I wanted a big outdoor farm table to go underneath but had no interest in spending thousands on one already made. So, thanks to Ana White, I found the directions to making this 'anthropologie knock-off' for under $200! We made ours 10' long by @46" wide. And I included support boards on the underside of the table top for additional support and to try to address the fact that one of the boards us a little warped. It's not nearly as beautiful as our pergola and still needs to be stained/treated, but I can't wait for next spring and summer when we can hang and laze around out here! I'm so proud of us. Thanks Ana!!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Outdoor table for backyard
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

LOVED this easy build!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/20/2016 - 14:48

Built this over 5 days, around my son's naps (including 2 days for sealant to cure). Actual time was probably around 8 hours total. Not too bad for my third project! I only built one shelf and am using it for storage in our master bathroom. I love the way it turned out. Thanks again, Ana, for a great project plan. :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My First DIY project!

Submitted by Admir on Wed, 06/19/2019 - 13:11

For my first ever DIY project this was easy and fun.  Didn't take long at all, less than 2 hours.  Will be making the sectional also. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Less than $50.00
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
None yet, haven't decided what to use.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Kids Art Table

Submitted by beingbrook on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 08:43

My husband and I built the art table to give our 3 year old for Christmas. We have had great success building from other Ana-White plans and the Clara table was no different. We did modify it by adding a 1x3 to the legs to give it more stability. I think the table is great without it but we have older kids too and wanted to make sure the table could withstand them sitting on it or leaning against it.

The table was built with scraps from our garage so the top is modified slightly because of that. I think the only thing we bought for this project was a 2x2 for the legs. Can't beat a $3 table!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$3-Probably less than $15 if you needed to buy all the wood
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded and then painted with 2 coats of Sherwin Williams dover white in Satin.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Wine Console Table

So this is my first attempt at woodworking. In fact it's the first time I've really created anything with my hands. I came across this website and saw all of the wonderful creations people have made and decided I wanted to give it a try. I saw the Workbench Console and loved the design of it. I knew my sister-in-law was looking for a console table for her new house and being a wine lover I figured I'd give those plans a go. I added a second shelf for wine bottle storage and flipped around the tabletop. I really wanted to have a towel rack attached to it as well but after scouring the hardware stores I couldn't find anything that "fit" the look I wanted so I called a buddy of mine who is a blacksmith and with his expert guidance he taught me how to make the towel rack I wanted. I'm proud to say I made everything on that table including the hardware (minus all of the wood screws of course ;)

To be honest, when I went into this project I wasn't too sure about what the results would be, but I was very pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out when it was finished. So much so that after surprising my sister with her new table I've already started on another console for my own living room wall. This site has been very inspirational and has shown me that anyone can build fantastic pieces as long as the desire is there! Thanks Ana!

P.S. This project took a long time for me to complete mainly because I had no experience at all going into it. Now that I've put one together I've noticed the next one coming together much faster.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Started with a coat of Minwax Dark Walnut and finished with two coats Minwax Anitque Walnut Polyblend.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Thu, 11/07/2013 - 05:29

Fantastic first project and also impressed with your newly found blacksmith skills!

Honestabe37

Fri, 11/08/2013 - 21:27

Thank you for the kind words. It's been fun to see the response from friends and family. It's kind of hilarious to me that I've only built one table and now I have requests coming from family, friends and co-workers for everything from end tables to entertainment centers! But first things first, I'm piecing together my new console table for the living room. I just wish I had more time during the day to spend on it!

Truck Shelf

Submitted by DMax2010 on Thu, 01/21/2016 - 15:26

Loved making this shelf!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Under 10.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax express color in Indigo, Minwax express color in Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

First Ever Project

This was my first project I have ever done. The plans seemed pretty simple, so I gave it a try and it came out even better than I thought. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor coffee table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/08/2023 - 18:02

I'm building for stress management and it's working out well

Comments

Lack Inspired Shelfs - made bigger

Submitted by ride4lamar on Mon, 12/19/2011 - 07:39

We have the IKEA Lack furniture in our living room and wanted the shelves to match. We also wanted them to take up more of the wall. the shelves measure 80" tall by 47" wide and are made out of 2x12s. Three of the shelves are 15" and the other is 24" since it is to be used for larger display items.

The shelves are secured with 3inch deck screws, sunk in and filled with wood filler.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$140 total for 2 shelves. $115 for wood, $12 for paint, then the cost for sandpaper and screws.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded with 120 grit, and painted with Martha Stewart white high gloss.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Harvest Table and Bench

Submitted by proach55 on Sun, 11/10/2013 - 10:26

Built for my daughter's new home. Tried to match finish to recently obtained Hitchcock Furniture Harvest Fanback chairs.

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Finish tabletop in Sherwin Williams Fruitwood.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Twins

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/14/2023 - 08:01

Twin beds - adapted from a queen bed Ana White plan.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Rolling Dress-Up Cart

Please visit http://blog.prettyinprints.com/2011/12/rolling-dress-up-cart/ to view our step-by-step pictures.

We used scrap wood and were able to make each cart for only $7. We spent a lot of time making sure the finishing was nice (a LOT of sanding/repainting/filling) and this is what we created! Thanks for the inspiration, Ana-White.com!

Estimated Cost
$7 of scrap wood plus paint. primer, wood filler, screws, hooks & mirror
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Oil based primer
Semi-gloss antique white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic Mini X Console

Submitted by kungfuthug on Sun, 11/10/2013 - 21:54

Great Plan. Modification on the dimensions is all. Looks good!!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Dunnie

Sun, 01/15/2017 - 21:19

I cannot figure out where the plans are. I need them

C Cart for Home Theatre

Submitted by mpompey on Thu, 01/28/2016 - 16:48

I modified the Rolling C Cart Plan to build this center console for my home theater. My dimensions are a bit different than Ana's. 24" long and 19" high. In order to keep the center of gravity back I doubled the center splines to give it a bit more heft aft of the cup holders. It was made from 1x10's as to not be too wide. I skipped the rolling wheels as it isn't going to be moved once in place. I used 2 coats primer, 3 coats semi-gloss black, and 3 coats of Minwax PolyCrylic to finish it off. All with light sanding with 240 grit paper on my Bosch Oscillating tools to smooth out each layer. It took about 4 days with all the painting, sanding, and drying time involved. I love this build and plan to build 2 more for the back row of theatre seats.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Black Semi-Gloss, with Polycrylic Satin on the top
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kitchen Center

Submitted by RoxanneK on Thu, 07/18/2019 - 19:02

I built this for my Granddaughter, which i must say she loves it.  

I built two of the same centers and turned one around to build the washer instead of a fridge.  

I attempted to make light up burners by purchasing 4 solar lights from the dollar store and gluing them into a shallow pan.  when a pot is placed on top of the solar panel the light comes on.  it is not as bright as i would have liked but she likes it.  I purchased a play sink from Walmart that has a small pump in the tap  so she had running water in her sink.

The hardest par of this build i found was the doors.  i do not have the device to make pocket holes so i drilled holes in the edges and attached the frames of the doors together with wooden dowels.

This project was definitely a learning experience for me but i had a lot of fun building it.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Not sure of the shade of pink that was used because i purchased it as a mis-tint for $5
The fridge and stove was Safety green Spray Paint
Washer was Safety orange spray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ana White

Fri, 07/19/2019 - 16:10

Thank you for using our plans!  We love this kitchen, there will be hours and hours of play here!  We appreciate you adding a brag post - it is very helpful!  Ana