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This was a great plan to follow. I made a few modifications such as adding a back wall that I painted with chalk paint so my daughter can draw to her hearts content. I also added a bit above the door so we can post messages such as her name or "girls only". I decided to skip the stairs being storage thinking it would simply be a junk collector and added a small step at the top as she found it a bit too high to get into her bed. Finally the painting took sometime as I used cabinet quality paint for durability but it's a bit tricky to work with. As a final touch I installed LEDs from Costco on the interior ceiling and back top rail all controlled by a remote with over 20 colors to choose from and adjusting brightness. Can't wait for my next project.

As soon as I opened Ana's new book I fell in love with the bench on page 33. When I met her in Chicago she said she was going to draft a new set of plans, and of course she didn't let me down! I followed her plans to a T! The size was perfect for my "mudroom" and this was technically my first project since I insisted on not having my husband's help. It was also my first time going to the hardware store and purchasing the wood...I think that part will take some getting used to!

After I had it built I decided that I wanted to make everyone in my family a "cubby" inside the storage area. I just used some scrap 1x3's and glued them into place. I then stained it with Minwax Dark Walnut stain and then used oil based poly (3 coats). The entire family loves the new bench and my toddlers LOVE their "cubbies". Thank you again Ana!

I used Ana's plans, but switched things around a little as I went. I wanted something fancy for my bunny to hang in when I'm not home. The biggest modification I made for a bunny was the bottom. I wasn't happy with the stability of the chicken wire even though my bunny is just a few pounds. I used a more solid plastic called plaskolite ( you can find it in the lighting section of Lowes) We are planning on adding levels for the bunny as well as a cloroplast tray to fit the bottom since bunny poo can get stinky. We took about 2 weeks to complete this project and it was definitely a learning experience! We also tried to cut costs by getting some of the wook and backing from Habitat for Humanity! 

We also made the little bed with the leftover wood from this project :-)

The need for a proper workbench in my garage/shop is a must, but. So is space! I already have a fold down workbench I’ve made with ¾ inch pipe & a door, but. I just need something that can handle all my tools. So, I stumbled upon these plans from the Family Handyman & couldn’t find a reason why this wouldn’t work in my shop. It has room for storage, can easily accommodate my tools & most importantly fold up to store. Easy to build too! Make sure you read all the plans first as some of the materials could be pricey, but well worth it. Technically it’s taken 2 months to build this bench, as I operate on a firefighter/teacher’s budget & during the holiday season no doubt. I ordered all the shelf standards & brackets through Amazon, $210.00 for those alone, but they hold so much weight to support your tools I figure it’s worth it. The rest materials (wood, screws) were purchased at Home Depot for around $150.00. The plans called for ¾ inch ply & it was $45.00 per sheet. However they did have a smaller thickness for $22.00 per sheet & was only a 1/32 inch thinner. I plan on topping all my surfaces with some ¼ inch tempered hardboard later on so I knew it would work. That also left me adjusting my screw size to mount my brackets. Due to the reduction in thickness of the plywood all my #8-1 inch screws needed to be adjusted to ¾ inch so to not screw through the ply. I also hit the molding isle to nab some pieces to use as furring strips to use under the shelves before attaching the brackets. This way I can sand each strip to match before mounting to make sure it lined up flat with the center top. One more thing; where it says “drill 1/8 inch hole in brackets make sure you use 1/8 inch pop rivets. I barrowed a pop rivet gun & was handed some rivets as well. Popped two & they had to be trashed because the rivet size turned out to be 5/32. So I stepped up in drill bit size & it all worked out. As I said, I’ll be topping it with some ¼ inch hardboard. I also plan to run it’s own electrical with an outlet on each post. I hope you all enjoy & this can help!

I have been looking for ways to use the live edge walnut from our property. I adapted Ana's side table plans to make several tables.
I used select 2x2 pine and painted the legs bronze to coordinate with our windows.

It took the husband and I a good 3 days to finish this project. You can read more of my experience with this chaise on our blog:
http://tonyandkristine.blogspot.com/

For the plans, I found them at Lazy Liz on Less blog:
http://lazylizonless.blogspot.com/2012/05/it-took-me-while-to-decide-wh…

I really wanted to add a layer of depth to the front of our house, and my favorite option was adding new shutters! I used fence boards to keep cost low and to be sure that the wood would stand up to all weather conditions. I protected the wood with an oil-based sealant made for exterior use. I attached the cross braces with chunky screws and painted those black. I love how they turned out!

Great bench

Used the plans for the twin bed, just added the difference in mattress size to the measurements. Pretty simple really. Used a cam lock centered above the door and a sawtooth picture hanger on the inside as a locking mechanism.

This is a Murphy Bed that I made for my daughter Alicia for their getaway home at Canadian Lakes, MI. Due to limited space i had to make it horizontal instead of the normal way of being vertical. It really comes in handy and takes up very little space.

Our local Habitat for Humanity puts on an annual event where they get folks to restore discarded or worn down furniture and sell them at auction. My wife and I participated last year and this year I was asked to build 4 dog houses and then they were going to let local designers/decorators finish them out.

I figured it would be easy to find a good dog house plan, but I was wrong so I had to come up with my own designs. I did not want to use plywood becauase I wanted them to look good. So I used 1x4's and 1x6's. I built them all just a little bit different, but the same basic design on all 3. Since I am not very good with circular cuts, did not do any fancy 1/2 circle doorways!

There are "after" pictures on the Blog. Thanks for looking!

Pretty much followed the plan, except I raised the height of the platform. I intended to make the legs longer, but I forgot and cut them to the length on the plan. It looks like the sides of the basket aren't supported as well, but the basket stays in just fine.

I also added little wings on the end to support the ends of the basket. I wanted to be able to remove the basket from the cradle without screwing it in, but also wanted the basket to be secure so I added the little wings. It was easy.

Overall a pretty easy project, except the rockers are time consuming. They're not hard to make, you just need to take your time.

We bought this house about a year ago and we finally got around to removing this pointless niche!  The center divider and bottom were removed.  The cabinet and hutch were assembled seperately.  

This is still a work of progress.  I am looking for a nice decorative molding face for the top.  If anyone has any suggestions please let me know!  We will most likely paint it white to match the fireplace mantle.