Community Brag Posts

Pantry Wall

Submitted by amiles573 on Tue, 03/28/2017 - 13:41

I modified the origianl plans by making the cabinet taller.  I also built 2 cabinets and trimmed them both together to make it appear as if it is 1 giant cabient.  It measure over 7 feet tall and just over 6 feet wide.  I did add an additional 1x2 brace in the center of the cabinet to help support.  I also cut an additional 1x4 to use a brace when anchoring it to the wall.  I also chose to add an additional 2 trim pieces to each door because they are much taller than the original plan doors.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Stain, Weathered Grey
15 7/8" center to center cabinet pulls
Fully Inset, Frameless Hinges
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Floor to Ceiling Laundry Room Shelving

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/05/2017 - 11:06

After watching Ana White's video on easy garage shelving on FB, I knew right away it was the perfect technique for adding shelves to my laundry room.  The project was easy and turned out great!  I did the majority of the work by myself, although my Hubby did help me with some heavy lifting at the end (we had to add the shelving before the front frame due to the walls on either side). The shelving unit itself took only a few hours to build.  I painted it the following day making it a weekend project. We have considered adding trim to the front to give it a more finished look, but right now, it is serving its purpose. I will definitely use Ana's technique again.  It was simple and straightforward!  I loved it. 

Estimated Cost
$85-90
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar's Linen
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Miter Stand and Rolling Storage Carts

Submitted by danicarby on Sat, 04/29/2017 - 11:21

I'm so happy that I found the plans for Ana's miter stand and rolling carts!  It was just what I needed for my garage shop... so everything can be organized and stored compactly but things can pull open and expand when I have a project (which is all the time, actually).

The actual miter stand was super easy to build - the carts took a few days working non-stop (when the kids permitted).

 

I made a few obvious changes from the plans:

-made deeper shelves on one of the carts

-added drawers on one of the carts

-added ped board on the end caps of miter stand

 

Something I didn't consider before building this was the slope of our garage floor.  There's a 3" difference from one end of the legs to the other so I had to use riser blocks to get everything perfectly level.  Unfortunately there's no way to level the carts as they aren't stationary but they slide in/out just fine.

 

I'd recommend this build to everyone!  Check Home Depot clearance often for deals on plywood!

Estimated Cost
It's hard to say as I used wood I had on hand, tried to buy clearance, etc. I'm estimating $200.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Simple Chairs with some color

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 04/13/2021 - 10:10

My son and I conquered this project over the winter. Cut all the pcs and the assembled 4 chairs for less than $150.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Living Room Wall Makeover

Submitted by djolly1231 on Sun, 05/30/2021 - 10:36

We have lived in our home for 2 yrs now and have been trying to figure out what we wanted to do with the plain boring wall with cords handing from out behind the tv due to no power outlet on that wall. We finally decided to do the whole wall in shiplap but the the cost of lumber going through the roof I went with 1/4 underlayment that I had ripped down to 6in strips at my local hardware store. I cut them down to size with my miter saw the painted them white before I attached them to the wall with 1 1/4 brad nails and used nickels for my space in between each row. The cabinets are 36 in tall. The carcass is made fro 3/4 in MDF and the face frames are made from 1x3 pine and attached with wood glue and brad nails. Cabinet doors are made from 1x4 pine for the frame and 1/4 underlayment for the center. I used my hand router to route out a 1/4 deep groove for the center to drop into the frame I used wood glue and brad nails to attach it to the frame and filled in any gaps with paintable caulk. They are attached to the studs in the wall with 3 in wood screws. The mantle is made from 1x6 pine boards and attached to a wall bracket made from 1x6 that are attached to the wall in each stud with 3 in wood screws. The mantle is attached with wood glue and 1 1/4 brad nails. The shelves were made out of 1/2 Poplar 4x8 plywood sheet ripped down to size. The wall brackets are made from 1x2 pine attached to studs with 3 in wood screws. And the shelves are attached with wood glue and 1 1/4 brad nails. I added 3 1x2 spacers to each shelf between the top and bottom board to prevent them from sagging before attaching the face of the shelves with wood glue and 1 1/4 in brad nails. This project took about a month to complete because I worked on it during free time. Also this was the first major build I have ever done so I was also learning along the way. Some parts were frustrating but most of it was fun and a great learning experience. Also this project evolved as I was building it. My wife loves the finished product. Now it’s time to find my next project.

Estimated Cost
500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain. Valspar Ultra in eggshell and ultra white for the color of the cabinets , shiplap and crown
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

DIYGina

Tue, 12/05/2023 - 11:47

Surprisingly makes your living room appear so much larger compared to the before picture! Thank you for sharing your photos with us and congrats on a great result!

Sandbox w/ Built In Seats

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 06/14/2017 - 07:30

I have built some other stuff before, but not with paint and sanding and such. It was definitely a great learning project. There are imperfections, but it's a toy, so kids will be having fun and that is all that matters.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100... but, the paint will be used on other projects, and I paid for better boards for on top.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

DIY Wooden Toy Truck

I built a wooden toy truck using a leftover 1x4 board in my garage.  For this build I used Ana White's plans for the wood wheelie cars.  This was a quick and easy project  and my first project using my scroll saw. Not too shabby for my first go at toy making.  However, I am not happy with the finished toy.  If I did it all over again, I would take my time with the finish.  Also, the driver was not perpendicular to the truck's body when I created the holes for the axles, so the truck leans slightly. My son does not seem to notice its flaws, so I will try to overlook them as well!  Check out the blog link for more project details!

Estimated Cost
I had most of the supplies on hand. I had to purchase a wood dowel and some wooden wheels, so no more than $5.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Acrylic Craft paint sealed with Mod Podge (Matte Finish)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farm House Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 13:22

My daughter found this plan on the Ana White website and now, we have made 3 tables total. Pictured is the 2nd one we built together and is currently in her house now.

Comments

Shoes? What Shoes? (Ana's shoe cabinet)

We have two young kids who don't want to take their shoes and put them away (as well as two adults who are the same way) so I asked my hubby to make Ana's shoe dresser. He did a great job and we were so excited with how it turned out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
75.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
We primed it and then painted it gray.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My take on the Becca Truck

Submitted by jeverett1 on Sat, 05/11/2013 - 10:33

My wife and I have a 2 year old, 85lb, golden retriever named Lily. She has a tough time jumping up on our bed and has hurt herself on a few occasions. I was inspired to build her a step, but also wanted some storage. When I saw the Becca Trunk I knew I had to build it!

I used oak ply and solid oak for the trim, including some decorative leaf inscribed trim for the top and bottom. My wife and I picked out some outdoor furniture fabric that was stylish and would hold up to a big dog jumping on it. She used some firm padding and staple gunned the fabric to create a really neat and clean look (I am lost when it comes to that stuff, but she is a genius with scissors).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Polyshades Antique Walnut Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Martha Jones DW

Sun, 06/16/2013 - 18:43

As soon as I saw Lily, I just knew you built it for her. Love that you added a a cushion top on the trunk. It's amazing how we take care of our fur Babies.

Look What I Made!

This was my first project to build although I cut wood for another project a year ago. The plans were simple and easy to follow. Now I want to build more! Thank you Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Red Mahogany Minwax stain for the base cabinets,
Black satin latex paint for desktop, Polyurethane. I didn't want a uniform color on the entire desk so I stained the cabinets with my favorite stain color and painted the desk top black.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Play kitchen

Submitted by SoCalMom on Fri, 12/22/2017 - 15:32

This was my first major build and while not perfect and I was little clunky building along the way, I’m happy with how it turned out and I think the girls will love it for Christmas. We are beach dwellers and surfers, but I’m also a former (always) a farm girl as well, so we put a surfing pig on it too. I wanted to keep it whimsical a bit so put starfish knobs for the burners. Took me a long time and more money than average probably because of learning curve as well as having to sneak work on it between working, toddler and infant. I got a Kreg and more tools for Christmas, so I am looking forward to more building! 

update: My little destroyer broke the door within 10 minutes because it was too big for her to work around. So I “remodeled” it and made the door just the top half so that is her oven. MUCH BETTER. Now she can use it far easier and it isn’t dropping to the floor. 

Estimated Cost
for actual used materials, somewhere around 125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint and contact paper
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hall Tree and House Number Plantr

Submitted by tpsully225 on Sun, 12/26/2021 - 17:52

Hi Ana, I recently made two of your posts. First, the 2”x4” hall tree and then the house number planter. We found some unique hooks at Hobby Lobby for the hall tree. This is great to keep the kids’ backpacks off of the floor. On the house number planter I stained it with Antique Beige, but is more gray than beige. I then put 3 coats of spar urethane on it to protect from the TX sun.

Comments

Farmhouse table with Leaves

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/27/2021 - 06:02

I built this farmhouse table with leaves for my daughter. I wanted a farmhouse look but with a modern twist, and I also wanted breadboard ends that would pull out so she could insert leaves on each end to increase the size of the table for company. I used the plans for concept, and actually used the updated farmhouse table plans with pocket holes but couldn't find the plan link again for this post but made several modifications to achieve what I wanted. I planed all the lumber down to a true 1 inch for the top and also the trim to reduce the weight and chunky feel. I planed 4 x 4 untreated lumber for the legs to 2 1/2 inches and then tapered the bottoms as well to reduce weight and chunkiness and create a more modern feel. I built actual channels on the base for the extension bars which attach to the breadboard ends and I attached table aligners to the table, breadboard ends and the leaves so things would stay straight and even. I also glued together 2 x 4 and 2 x 3 pieces that had been planed down to a true 1 inch for the skirting and treated them as one piece when attaching to the legs so I didn't have so many screws going into the legs. I painted the base black with furniture paint and then put 2 coats of polyurethane over that and stained the top gray, then used a and 'wash' of watered down black paint over that and then 5 coats of polyurethane on the top. The table is 36 x 48 without the leaves and extends to 70 inches when both leaves are in place. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

Comments

twin farmhouse storage bed

Submitted by DIYMomof4 on Tue, 01/09/2018 - 11:40

My daughter loves her new bed!  The plans were easy to follow and didn't take very long to build.  It took me about 2 weeks to finish.  I suggest measuring your mattress first and adjusting dimensions accordingly.  My daughter's mattress is a bit longer than usual, so I added about an inch to the length.  I added drawers to one side and left one side as open cubbies.  I also added a 2x4 base below the storage boxes for support.  Ana has plans for this in one of her kitchen cabinet plans.  I'm so glad I did, as I've already found 3 kids hiding on the cubby side, and one of them is 14!  I didn't run the 2x4 base all the way to the head/footboard, so it wouldn't show.  This changes the height where the storage boxes attach by 1/2 an inch.  The bed may suprise you at how high the mattress sits, but I think that is normal with a storage bed.  My daughter loves sleeping up high.  Thank you so much for this wonderful plan!  I love Ana's website and have learned so much!

Estimated Cost
$350-includes wood, paint, new comforter/sheets, hardware, and wall stickers
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr Marque satin in the plain white you get off the shelf. I primed it first, but this probably wasn't necessary.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My Boys Playhouse!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 01/28/2022 - 03:18

We made a few changes to fit our needs but love the design. Way better than any kit you can buy!

Comments

Trestle Desk

Submitted by JenM on Sat, 02/03/2018 - 08:29

I made this for my son; he loves it!  I don't have the tools to bevel edges so I did my angles with a cheap jigsaw and I think they turned out just fine.  Thinking of adding a narrow shelf on the bottom.

Super easy and inexpensive build!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Blue paint for the legs; Minwax Golden Oak stain for the tabletop.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simplest Stool

Submitted by DWeen on Tue, 08/11/2015 - 17:34

I modified the Simplest Stool plan for this project to use some old threshing floor boards that I had leftover from another project. I like the blocky and chunky look it gives it. We chose to distress these stools to make them look as though they've been around for awhile. The stools didn't take long to build, but since the finish needed time to cure between coats, the overall length of time for the project was about a week. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax 'Early American' with two coats of polyurethane. The legs and rungs were painted with Behr semi-gloss white paint, and distressed using Minwax 'Early American' stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

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

Easy Build Wood Headboard, Cal King

Submitted by carlynoel on Sun, 08/11/2013 - 18:05

This was my first project and I loved every second of it. I did the whole thing by myself (with the "help" of my two-year-old) and I'm 5 months pregnant! THAT is how easy it is.

Estimated Cost
80 bucks
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I distressed it a little before staining so it didn't look too brand new. I filled a sock with bolts and screws and beat it up and scratched it with a steak knife to make fake cracks.I did one coat of Minwax Jacobean and it was really blotchy. I should've conditioned my wood, so I lightly sanded the whole thing and added a second coat and it evened out the blotchiness a lot, but it did turn out darker than I wanted. I added only one coat of Minwax Polycrylic Finish in satin because I wanted it to look rustic and not glossy. The cutting and assembly only took about 4-6 hours. The staining and sanding and distressing and finishing took a couple days.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

yurra-bazain

Sun, 08/11/2013 - 20:41

How awesome is that? =D It looks gorgeous, and I applaud you for tackling it with your 2 year old and baby on the way. =D When I was pregnant, the only thing I considered doing was putting furniture together. Now that I've built furniture, I now realize how much harder it was to follow the assembly directions than it is to make your own assembly directions. Keep it up!