Community Brag Posts

My wife wanted a bench to put in the mudroom as a place to sit when you take off your boots in the winter. I came across this project on your website and decided to try to tackle it.

it turned out pretty good, in my opinion. Only a few small things learned. One, is that if you're changing the space of the gap from 1/4" to 1/8", the boards should be resized to accommodate the change. And/Or at the very least, put the boards on the outsides first and work your way in. Then, at the very least the sliver needed to fill in the gap would be in the middle. ☺

We love the final product, but can't say this is a beginner project! The plans aren't detailed enough for that. For instance, the only instructions on the stairs was "they are easy! just 45 degree angles" but we had to work through some strategy with them. It also didn't say how to attach the cleats just "we also attached the cleats in this step". What size screws? how many? We learned our lesson when the cleats and bedding came crashing down b/c we used 1.5 inch screws. Problem solved with 2.5 inch screws... but we sure are glad it was a soft landing.... And now I can't say I fully trust the design after watching my husband and two kids break it. However, it is sturdy enough for our 3 year old for certain! I'm glad we made it and over-all it was worth it and a great project and learning experience. Just wish the plans were made with more detail for true beginners! 

Grandma and I spent a couple months building this playhouse for our grandkids. The project took longer and cost more than we initially thought it might but we had a lot of fun doing it and it's a big hit with the kids.

We followed the plans on this blog pretty closely only changing a thing or two here and there. We used cedar for the deck and railing and we painted it (and roofed it) to match our house. We put in 1/4 inch tempered glass windows to keep the rain out in the winter. (The glass is easily removed for summer.)

Thank you Ana White for providing such a great little plan!

Made two 48" long cedar benches that could be carried down to the firepit in our yard. They're also nice for sitting on the deck and watching the dogs play. I had to use 3 - 2x6s for the seat instead of 2 - 2x8s since 2x6 was the largest I could get in cedar. Made it a little bit wider.

Thought I posted this last year, but I guess it didn't take ... and now I can't remember all of the details!  But anyway, I do know that this was the first project I made from Ana's book (a smaller version of Project #1), and a year later, I am still really pleased with it.  The shelves and hooks come in so handy, and the top provides another little surface to decorate!  I also made some wooden boxes for the shelves out of scrap pieces, as Ana did in the photo in the book, and stained them the same color as our floors.  Added our initials, too.  The whole thing is nice and sturdy, and fits right in at our house -- like we've always had this on the wall.  Thanks for the ideas, Ana!

I had just retired and wanted to make a playhouse for my 2 year old grand-daughter. I always wanted one as a kid and wanted to build one for my kids but never found the time.
This was made mostly out of scrap wood that couldn’t be used to build a house and I was lucky enough to get permission to take whatever I needed. Learned a lot doing it. Thanks to my boyfriend for letting me borrow his nailer.

We enlisted help from my brother-in-law to build the dollhouse for our daughter last Christmas. He also painted the floors, stairs, and roof. I spent many nights after the kids were in bed "wallpapering" the walls with various scrapbook paper.

I love this house and it's something that will last for many years. Even better, both of our daughters love it and so do their friends.

I started with the potting bench by Between Naps. I made it longer and taller (for my dad). There is a tool holder along one side and I added a sink, for washing the veggies newly harvested from our garden. We ran the water from our house faucet and will blow out water for winter. All that's left is running a pipe from the drain to leach out across the perimeter of the garden. Most of the lumber was given to me (pressure treated even). And I bought the sink from a junk guy for $50. My dad was so impressed and I think it may be my best present project ever. I can't believe I made that! Oh yeah, the end caps have solar lights, nighttime gardening! Ya never know!

I had shown this plan earlier on to my bf, telling it I really like it and it would be so much cheaper to make our future rustic dining table on our own instead of buying it. He seemed reluctant.... And then, 2 months later, I come back from my parent's house in the evening to find that he has built me my rustic dining table just as I had wished! 

I found your toy box plans in 2016 when I was expecting our first son. We have now made all of our sons a toy box from the same plans. I build the boxes and wife does the painting and detailing.

My first carpentry effort; thanks Ana for the great plans!

I modified Ana's plans to fit the triptych art I created. I used a combination of this plan and her Wall Frames plan from her book. She wan't kidding when she said these frames were versatile. I plan on applying the same concept to a leaning wall mirror.
For a step by step tutorial on the modifications to this plan as well as how to create the triptych art, visit the blog http://thepursuitofhandyness.com/diy-triptych-art-custom-frames/

My boyfriend and I made this farm style table based on plans from Ana's site. We LOVE it. We wanted it to appear rustic with natural woods tones so we used Special Walnut Stain, Poly, and Light Brown Briwax. Even though it looks raw, its silky smooth to the touch. 

Thanks for posting these plans! We already on to our next project. We have the wood purchased for the rustic coffee table and console table, and I have my eye on the farmhouse bed frame and a set of night stand tables. 

Kate

My grandson needed a toy box and we really liked this plan. We changed the dimensions a little, made it taller and a bit wider. My husband built the box and did the basic painting. I made the cushion for the top. When the cushion is removed (it Velcros to the top) there is a hand painted matchbox car town and roads. I painted places my grandson knows, like his house, grandparents houses, mom's and dad's work, McDonalds, wal-mart and general places like airport, gas station, fire house, etc. We used stay tension support hinges to make sure it was safe for our little one, yes they are expensive, but they are my grandson's fingers. Everyone loves it. The vehicle in the center(black) matches their car. I put pictures of my son-in-law, daughter, Broxton, and their dog, Briggs in the windows. And decorated it with my son-in-law's favorite team "the bears".

I took plans from the Rhyan console table and just added a couple extra cabinets. This was a tough project but it came out great. I bought the wood at a local mill and all the hardware is from Home Depot