Community Brag Posts

The Mail Boss is ready

Submitted by JanMarie63 on Fri, 01/31/2020 - 20:20

The Mail Boss cabinet with chalk paint and wax finish. Ana White plans.

I worked on this project off and on for two days. I love it! Thank you Ana 

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

Comments

accox16

Wed, 02/05/2020 - 20:46

Love this & we would like to make it! Want a “command center” to get organized. We have all needed tools. Can you estimate the supply costs for the building materials?

Shiplap Fireplace

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 09/22/2023 - 08:13

So excited for my new living room space thank you for your great tips!

Kandis white DeCarlo

Comments

Little Kids Picnic Table

Life between tours can be challenging. Both for the re-entry and the need to SLOW DOWN! My love put this project on my shop table after returning from the NE in mid-April. A fun job for my son and I to play at. I had purchased twenty, 12'x1"x6" tongue & groove heart-pine months ago from HD. $1.97 down from $16.70! I ripped the T & Gs off and cut the lumber down to specs for this project. SUPER fun and easy to make! I discovered the exterior primer + paint after I finished building and probably would have preferred to do 2 coats, prior to making with touchups AFTER the assembly...next time! (Bought a KREGG JIG for this project and love it.)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
18.79
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior Primer/Paint - 2 coats
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Texas Farm Bench

Submitted by BARROW12 on Sat, 02/08/2014 - 19:40

Modern Farm Bench w/ Texas Flag

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum American Walnut stain and Valspar paint in Deep Sea Diving, White, and Classic Red.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Shed

Submitted by frankb03 on Sat, 05/07/2016 - 18:56

I couldn't find cedar shakes locally. For the front I used pine fence shakes from Lowes. They cost $1.56 each. For the sides I used Smartside 38 series primed engineered treated wood siding panel. They cost $32/panel. I had to buy two panels. On the back I used 1/2 plywood. I made the roof 76x46. All the materials were purchased from Lowes except the shingles. I used GAF Timberline HD Barkwood shingles.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$286 including gate hardware kit, gate pulls, shingles and stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompson's WaterSeal Stain and Sealer Nature Cedar. A great product. A stain and sealer in one product.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Chestwick Platform Bed (King)

Submitted by ebfaulk on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 18:02

I took the plans from the Chestwick platform bed and headboard and built it using King size bed dimensions. For the box of the bed, I used 2 x 12's instead of 2x8's. It seemed more substantial for a king bed, and this way, I didn't need to use a box spring.

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Gunstock
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

birdsandsoap

Sat, 04/28/2012 - 22:17

I want to stain something that color just because it's called "Gunstock." This is such a neat bed, looks good with the heavier bottom, especially on a king size bed.

Slipcovered Bench

Submitted by Linda7 on Tue, 02/11/2014 - 16:55

My mother needed a bench in her small entryway. She had definite dimensions in mind and we looked everywhere. None fit the bill. Then I saw these plans and we went from there. She had leftover fabric from recovering her dining room chairs, and I had the plywood. She wanted the Queen Anne legs to go with her traditional furniture; we put felt floor protectors on the bottom of the feet of the legs, which helps keep the bench from moving so easily on the tile floor. The plans were easy to follow, including the tutorial on how to sew the slipcover. The bench worked out just like she had hoped. Thanks Ana, for the great plans.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60.00; about $40 for the legs, foam, and finish
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Polyshades in walnut; two or three coats. This acts more like paint, but you can re-coat in just an hour or so. I then used minwax poly in satin three coats for protection.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Tryde Console Table first go

Submitted by CarlosR on Tue, 05/10/2016 - 20:56

This was my first project, I made it longer and slightly taller to match size of the sofa. I also added lower shelf of 1x4 as seen on other users projects. Built using Kreg Jig to hide the screws - stained with ebony and satin poly. Used wood filler between 2x4 on top as well as between 1x4 on bottom shelf to seal the joints in case of spills. Would recommend using wood putty in the future rather than the filler as it cracked when it dries.

 

Tools used: Circular Saw, Kreg Jig, Screw Gun, Orbital Sander - recommend using Miter Saw if you have. I had a hard time squaring up the table mostly due to uneven cuts on the 4X4 using a circular saw. 

 

Added felt pads under the legs to prevent scratches to the wood flooring 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
ebony stain with a triple thick satin poly
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

CarlosR

Tue, 05/10/2016 - 21:17

not sure why they are coming up upside down after uploading to the site  - they are right side up on my computer :-)

Front Door Storage Bench

My bench sits outside my front door to welcome visitors and provide a place to set your packages while unlocking the door! I made it two years ago, and it's weathered three Baltimore winters with out repainting. I'll probably sand t and repaint it this spring. Folks are always asking where I bought it, and I give all the credit to Ana White, your site and your wonderful furniture ideas!

Jim Dupree

 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Seasonal And Holiday

Sand box with benches

Submitted by Big Grizz on Sat, 04/28/2012 - 19:51

This sand box was very easy to build and it works great. The only thing I would change is cutting the "arm rests" at 7 1/2" instead of 6 1/2". I did that for the second set of arm rests (when I downloaded the plans many weeks ago the cut list was wrong). It made putting that section together a lot easier.

I easily spent more on the hinges (at $5 per hinge x 8 hinges) than I did on the wood itself.

My 1 and 1/2 year old loves playing in it and now I need to build a toy box for him to put all of his sand toys in!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$115
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Redwood colored stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

T. Holloway (not verified)

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 10:29

I just want to say that I asked for my husbands help, and his advice increased the price significantly.
He does not like to paint, and will spend the extra dollar to purchase pressure treated wood. So I sent him with my materials list and the wood he purchsed was $60.00, plus $22.00 for hinges and $10 for a box of deck screws. Actually, I am a artist and had wanted to paint the project to look like a big frog.

The Two Towers, Master closet Makeover

Submitted by dmcarwin on Sat, 02/15/2014 - 10:22

I have been wanting to makeover my master closet for a long time! I finally decided to just give it a try, I looked at several options and finally decided to base my closet around Ana's master closet tower she made for the momplex. I loved the plan and knowing I would need two towers I set to work designing with two towers in mind. I LOVE how it turned out and the tower plans were awesome! I also used the drawer plans for the tower and added the amount I needed, that is the best part about DIY! Thanks so much Ana for all your amazing plans they gave me the jump start I needed to get this project done! For details on the rest of my closet makeover please check out my blog post. If you go to my reveal post on my blog, near the bottom it has all the links to my building posts.

Estimated Cost
Around $150 for the two towers, not including the drawers which I used scrap wood for
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used a white Bher paint that was from the oops section.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

freefromburdens

Sat, 02/15/2014 - 11:42

I love this. I love the price also. I redid my closet and chose not to use the towers, but after seeing yours I plan on doing my other closets using this one. While doing research on closet organizers, the price was nothing like yours. This is really good quality for $150. Great job...

dmcarwin

Sat, 02/15/2014 - 12:48

It really was a great price, please note that without using a lot of my scraps I could not have done it, for so cheap. All of my drawers were made with scrap/reclaimed wood I had collected, and reusing wood from my old closet. The price of $150 was just for the two towers (drawers not included) and not all the other builds in my closet. I just don't want you to think that you could do it for that price if you had to buy all the wood. If you click on my blog post link I do a break down of all my costs (again not including what I had on hand) and for everything in the whole closet including the bins it was just over $300, that I personally spent. I was lucky to have so much scrap/reclaimed wood, it saved me a ton of money! Thanks again!

Planked Wood Bedside Table with Shelves

Submitted by Tandi43 on Mon, 02/17/2020 - 13:04

I was looking for a small piece to make as my 1st work of furniture.  My husband passed away 8 months ago.  He has EVERY tool imaginable.  I learned how to use his saws, and my favorite - pocket hole jig!!  I started small with the floating shelves.  Then I decided to branch out.  I love Ana White's plans and find them very easy to understand.  I made some mistakes but learned from them!  Love how this table turned out.  Going to add some rustic hinges.  Can't wait for my next project! 

Estimated Cost
$50 - 60
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes Carbon Gray on the top and Shelves
Fusion Mineral Lamp White on the body
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Drawer Bench with DIY Cushion

Submitted by vendo on Sat, 10/07/2023 - 12:57

My mom asked for a drawer bench. I haven't been very successful with drawers so I accepted the challenge. It turned out really good, now I want to build more drawer projects! To top it off, I decided to try my hand at building the cushion too, since it was custom sized. There are several good tutorials online for no sew options. The cushion only took about 1/2 hour to put together.I got fabric that is easily cleanable and wipeable. I'm excited to surprise my mom with her new bench!

Built from Plan(s)

Mini-Mini Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Jake on Wed, 05/02/2012 - 13:35

I took the suggestions for the Mini-Farmhouse Bedside Table and revised it a little further. First I cut the legs to 18" which gave me a total height of 19". I enclosed the back to avoid looking at the back of the drawer. I covered the drawer with a piece so it overlaps the drawer slot. Worked great at hiding some of my mistakes. From the pics you can see that it sits next to my easy chair in Mi Cueva de Hombre. Great project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40 includes knob ($2.40), Spray paint ($8)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
One coat of Rustoleum primer and two coats of Spruce Green Rustoleum spray paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X Console

I made this Console following your step by step rustic X console plan. turned out great! I love your site!

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

Comments

Sandbox with bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/16/2016 - 10:28

Daughters friend has a store bought plastic sandbox and my daughter asked if I could build one. This is what I built.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
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