Community Brag Posts

Play fort and Swing Set

Submitted by gsnpbc on Fri, 03/16/2018 - 20:33

I wanted to build a structure for the kids to play in and on. I used the playhouse deck design and made it 8 feet by 8 feet. The "roof" is removable to provide shade when it's sunny. It's just 2x2 and a tarp - pretty simple, but it does the job. I used treated posts, dog eared fence boards andlots of screws. I stained and built the walls in my garage before assembling it. Once all of the wood at been stained, it came together pretty quickly with the grandkids help...Lol

 

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

My laundry basket dresser with doors

Submitted by jensimmons on Sun, 07/03/2011 - 20:19

I wanted to use our laundry basket dresser as a collector for dirty laundry in our bathroom, and wanted it to have doors so it would blend in better. I also made the shelf above for our towels. It is painted white with a faux-zinc finish on the top. I made the top slightly larger so it would overhang and added cute little bun feet. My talented friend Carli helped me build the doors (and by helped I mean I handed her things while she impressed me with all her tools and skills!) and frame.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75-100 (can't remember exactly)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
white semi-gloss paint, zinc faux finish: layer 1 dark charcoal paint, layer 2 dark pewter metallic glaze, layer 3 white paint thinned with water & rubbed on/off.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Fri, 07/29/2011 - 23:37

this is perfect! i totally need a bunch just like this! I love the added doors!

Pam in Colorado (not verified)

Sat, 09/17/2011 - 12:48

This is the look I'd like, fit the baskets and hide them behind doors until you are ready to do the laundry. These could be made for bedrooms, bathrooms, toy rooms (okay, toys instead of dirty laundry)...

Guest (not verified)

Fri, 11/11/2011 - 08:05

I absolutely love this! Could you please add instructions on how to make/paint and install the doors? I am a newbie to making my own furniture. Thanks!

Guest (not verified)

Wed, 01/11/2012 - 08:29

I love this idea! I will have a new bathroom soon and I think this will get used! What are the dimensions, or what style cabinet would you suggest to look for? TIA!

Jennifer Simmons (not verified)

Fri, 02/17/2012 - 05:57

The dimensions are the same as Ana's plan: http://ana-white.com/2010/11/laundry-basket-dresser except that the top is slightly bigger (3/4" overhang on front/sides) to look more like a countertop. On the doors we just made a frame w/ angled pieces, routed a notched line on the back & glued/nailed some beadboard in from the back. Sorry I can't be much more detailed on that, a friend did most of the doors for me!

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 02/19/2012 - 07:42

I actually got the plywood to do this project and I was going to add doors. I looked at the baskets suggested but it seems they would stick out the front. I was just curious, did you use different baskets that would fit inside the cabinet or did you make the cabinet slightly deeper?

Jennifer Simmons (not verified)

Sat, 02/25/2012 - 05:36

Actually I discovered the same problem after it was built. I just didn't put a back on and they stick out a tiny bit in the back. I actually kind of like it that way because it lets some air in (being in the bathroom and putting towels in I could see it getting mildewy without much circulation). But if I had gotten the baskets first I probably would have made it about 2" deeper, then leave some open space, but not all, on the back.

I used the corrugated polycarbonate to cover the greenhouse I made from a chalet style Sun Country Greenhouse Plans. Thanks for the idea.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 03/09/2019 - 06:34

I saw the barn shaped greenhouse plan but preferred a regular roof pitch. I did however incorporate the corrugated polycarbionate as a covering. I find it odd that you guys installed the polycarbonate horizonitally instead of vertically.

Anyway thanks for the info on polycarbonate.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Using cedar framing... 9 x 16' @ $3000 +/-
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

hauxy

Tue, 09/01/2020 - 17:47

Love this! I really prefer the roofline on your greenhouse. Did you modify Ana's design, or did you get plans from another site? Would love to replicate your design if possible-very elegant.

Seasonal And Holiday

Panel Bed for Ray

I made this bed over a weekend while I “room crashed” my oldest’s bedroom. 
I’m so happy with the result. I experimented with stains mixing two, well layering colors. 
That was a lot of fun! 
I hope to write a blog post about it one day. I will add it to my ever-growing To Do List. 
Let me know if you have questions. I love talking about building and all things DIY! 

Estimated Cost
100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Layered Simply White and Early American from Minwax.
I applied the Simply White (didn’t remove excess) and then I added the Early American on top. Let it all sit a bit and wiped off the stain.
This left a beautiful color.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic Food Drying Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/04/2023 - 08:19

I followed the plans mostly. My wife really liked the design. I spaced the drawers out 4 more inches I believe and I made a removable top ,not pictured, so I could stack on top of it. It came out great. Cool idea thank you!

Mike

Comments

Bathroom vanity

Hand made bathroom vanity check us out on Facebook marney Marie 

Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)

Comments

Modern Farmhouse Nightstands

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/09/2024 - 08:28

I downloaded th minimalist modern nightstand plans nearly a year ago and just got around to building them last week. Actually I modified them quite a bit because I had a small space to work with and because I wanted them to follow the design theme of some of the other furnishings and features I had made for my basement renovation. In particular I changed the top and made it out of oak stair treads. I also added pop-up electrical/USB sockets as well. I really appreciate the sequencing in the plans. Though I made some dimensional and design plans, I followed the sequencing steps. It made the project much easier to complete-particularly the drawer construction and fitting. If I had done it on my own, I would probably have permanently installed the middle shelf before fitting the drawer which would have made fitting the drawer and drawer front much harder. Thanks for teaching me that.

Craig Holstedt

Comments

Podium for My Wife's Classroom

This is my first try at building furniture. I've built larger things in the past like decks and a fort for my nephews, but never furniture. Even though I used the plans to build the main box, I did change up the bottom and added some new stuff. I added wheels to the bottom my wife could easily move it around her classroom. I didn't want to put a square base on it because I thought it might hit her ankles when she was standing close to it. So I sort-of notched it out to give an opening for her feet and I used some scraps to create a short shelf at the bottom. I also added more trim that the plans call for. I cut strips of the pine plywood for the base molding and topped it with quarter round. I used corner trim for the front corners, the self inside and the bottom notched shelf. I also used screen trim for the back of it. I think it came out nice and I've very pleased with it. I used 2 coats of Minwax PolyShades American Chestnut on it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax PolyShades American Chestnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Wild Animal Containment Console

Submitted by Stacie on Fri, 06/13/2014 - 10:09

My home was being overtaken by wild animals. They started out confined to my son's room but with the presence of doting grandparents and other relatives, the animals quickly multiplied and were found lounging in every room. They were everywhere! We either needed to move out and put an Animal Sanctuary sign in the yard, or I had to build some type of containment system for them.

The Kendra Storage Console plans were perfect! The build was quick and the wild creatures were effortlessly corralled. My son gave each one an assigned seat. The animals love their new home and my family enjoys having them all in one location.

Thank you, Ana, for keeping our home safe from all of the wild animals!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$25
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Whitewash
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Den Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/26/2016 - 09:16

Cool project!  My wife liked it without the doors!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$55.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Open Seat Octagon Picnic Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 05/13/2024 - 07:47

I had a lot of fun building this table! Ana's plan was easy to follow, even for a beginner like myself! The only thing it needs is exterior paint. I will definitely try another project from this site! Thank you Ana!

Vicky Shank

Trellis Design Deck Surround

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/19/2024 - 10:30

Wanted to add some flair to the deck had a designer come up with a computer generated pic and built it. Very happy with results Anna White has inspired me to do more wood working and have confidence in my builds.

Marry Henderson

Needed a new Patio set after Hurricane Matthew destroyed mine.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/03/2020 - 18:00

Between my day job and daily chores I somehow managed to build this, make the stain with the vinegar/steel wool, and sew all the cushions in about a week and a half.  The hardest part for me was lifting the sofa onto the deck by myself after I built it.

I also made the chairs from this site (simple white outdoor chair) and the coffee table.

Thanks Ana and everyone for contributing your plans and for everyone posting their projects.  It helps me do it to.

 

Estimated Cost
for foam, wood, screws, sand paper pillow stuffing, waterproof fabric 400 bucks
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
steel wool/vinegar/coffee grounds and then UV flood protector
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Seasonal And Holiday

Screen door with built in dog door

Our old screen door wasn't cutting it anymore, so I built a new one, and to kill two birds with one stone, I included a built-in dog door. Now I just need to find the motivation to close off the old dog door.

I have the plans to build this screen door with a built-in dog door posted via the blog link below for anyone interested.

Estimated Cost
80
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
white exterior paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Simple Armoire

This project actually was a lot bigger than we thought it would be. Hubby and I are almost newbies, and we thought we could knock this off in a week or two! It actually ended up taking us 6 months to finish, although to be honest we didn't work on it consistently.

We needed a replacement for an old coat closet that was falling apart, and decided to tweak the design for the simple armoire to fit what we need, which is basically coats, table cloths, shoes, and just about anything else we want to hide away in our dining room. It's 18 inches deep by 36 inches wide. Since we couldn't find 18 inch wide wood planks, and aren't skilled enough to make them yet, we went with a hardwood plywood and covered the edges of the plywood with iron on veneer. It turned out very well; you can't really tell that it's plywood unless you know what you're looking for.

I will say that I couldn't find the kind of hinges called for in the plans, not even on the internet. So hubby and I went with 1 inch non-mortise hinges. They worked well, though they were a bit hard to hang for a couple of novices.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300-$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I brushed on Zar Provincial oil stain and finished with two coats of Minwax satin poly (three coats on the doors).
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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