Community Brag Posts

As our youngest daughter's 2nd birthday was fast approaching, we were looking for options to eliminate the crib + twin setup we had in the girls room. I had always been a fan of the L-Shaped Bunks Arnold and Willis shared in "Diff'rent Strokes." The problem was that all the comparable beds at furniture stores were pushing $1000 for that sort of set-up, we didn't really need a twin bed for the 2 year old, and were a little worried with the two year old on ladders and falling off the top bunk while playing/sleeping with her 7 year old sister.

And so in doing my search I came across the junior loft plan from this site. At first, I disregarded it, since I had never taken on a project like this before, plus with only one bed and short railings, it didn't fit our needs. I kept going back because i loved the design. Then I recalled my father and I doing something similar when I was a young teen building a loft bed around a bookshelf/desk combo that my uncle had made. I figured if he could do it, so could I.

So I started tweaking with the plans. Flipping the stairs to the other side... easy. Increasing the rail height to double... no problem. Adding a toddler bed frame based on some mattress sizes I got off amazon... just some simple math...

Then $150 in wood, fasteners, paint, etc. another investment of about $250 in tools, and I was good to go. Over the next 3 nights, I slaved in the garage by myself, measuring, cutting, measuring again, PH drilling, then started sanding and assembly on Sat. By Sunday, I was ready to move the pieces up to the room for final assembly and paint, and about 20 man hours later, we had this beautiful beast and just in time for her birthday.

We had dropped our daughters off with their aunt for a few hours to get it set up, and when they came home the look on their face was priceless. Sure I could have spent less time and a little more money, but I have to tell you the feeling of accomplishment and our daughter's collective excitement made the whole thing worth it.

I'm super grateful to Ann White and her amazing site, and I'm looking forward to my next project, since my wife is now working on a list of stuff for me to make...

-JG

NOTE: The assembled bed came out incredibly sturdy with 2.5" PH screws & glue, however since it's carrying precious cargo, I added two 4" lag bolts (3/8) into each of the posts for a little added stability.

I made this dresser for my daughter for Christmas. I followed the plans exactly except I made feet with 2x4 scraps instead of wheels.

This was a project I built about a year ago. It's a 7ft trestle leg table with a matching bench. The top is stained dark walnut and the bottom is white and distressed. Matching X back chairs were finished the same.

we built this a while ago and there has been a lot cooked on it since.

I love this table! It is perfect for a sectional sofa. I decided to antique it and leave off the wheels. I also added pulls to give it more of a finished look. Now time to decorate!

My son and I bulit this 8x10 frame from a pallet for a Christmas gift for my dad, who is standing in the center. 

This was my first BIG project. I worked on it for a few hours every day for a few weeks. The most tedious part was sanding, but that is because I wanted to go the cheap way and got my wood from HD. I also did this (mostly) by myself, but having a partner definitely would have made the process go faster (especially for attaching the side rails to the headboard/footboard). I used bed rail brackets to make things easy when I move. I also made the bed a little higher than Ana's plan because I wanted a lot of under-bed storage.

Have questions!? Just ask! This was such a rewarding project :) 

I followed the instructions Ana provided, but added a small crown molding to the front and sides and added a solid top that I stained. I also added the lower shelf with leftover pieces and a knob for decoration. I love this new table in my entryway!! I built it in about 3 hours and had it all painted and stained by the next day! Thanks Ana!

Pretty much followed the plans for the reclaimed wood-look headboard, but without legs. I built it of pine and topped it with a purchased piece of moulding. I hung it from screws into studs with D-rings on the back. Super easy to put together with the Kreg Jig!

This dollhouse bookcase was made by my Uncle Tom for my daughter. We can't wait to get it painted and get some fun furniture for it. He said it was a pretty simple project, and was able to get the materials relatively cheaper.

Used the frame portion of the plans and the window/door layout, skinned in plywood, then skinned in insulating foam board, carved and sculpted to look like stone. Then painted with a combo of 5 different colors. My daughter loves it. 

This is the storage bed. We having matching ones! I am so proud of my hubby!

This Farmhouse Queen Bed for use with a box springs is the first woodworking project I have done in almost 30 years (high school shop class). It was so much fun.

I did buy the No-Mortise Bed Rail Fittings from Amazon to hook the head board and foot board to the side boards. I also bought the Mantua Steel Bed Frame System at Overstock.com for $64 after a discount I found online.

To support the rails I screwed and glued 2 X 2's at the very lowest part of my side rails. It seemed to work well and I didn't have to worry about having a good sturdy support system for my new mattress and box springs. This rail system has three rails and each rail has a center support that extends to the floor.

I finished the bed with a good latex paint then sanded where I wanted the aging and then topped the paint off with some Winton Burnt Umber on the sanded areas and rubbed Minwax Antique Oil Finish over the entire piece. See pictures for exact products. I've used these same products in the past to paint furniture I have repainted and aged. I like the finish it gives.

My total price was around $225 but that includes the bed rail system and the brackets.

Enjoy!

We decided to make our bench 5.5 feet long, without a supporting middle piece. Inside the top storage there is a middle piece of wood supporting the top. So far this is holding up really well and seems very sturdy so I am not worried about the length. The plans were relatively easy to follow, and having the wood cut at the store helped although it was not 100% accurate. For us, the wood alone cost around $100. I also chose to paint the top rather than staying the entire thing, which ended up adding to the cost. I would guess that this entire bench cost around $150 to make, including supplies and paint, and multiple weekends work since I was working only during our twins nap time. But totally worth it! We are getting so much use out of this, and it gets complimented every time people see it.

Needed to do a little spring cleaning in the garage and organization.

I think that the names of beds shouldn't be gender decided!! Just sayin' :-p

My sister wanted a Hailey storage bed for her son, but she really questioned if it would be too girly. Since I have girls, I hadn't really thought about it... but after looking at it for a few (VERY open mindedly, since all of the ones that have been built have been painted white, and made for girls), I decided that it wasn't a girly bed at all. Then I worked on convincing HER of that. I don't think she was convinced until she saw the pieces built...

My step-dad (a VERY skilled carpenter) and I put together the storage bed with a few modifications. We used 1/2" ply instead of 3/4" (the price difference in Vegas was insane for the same grade ply). We also bought an additional sheet of ply for the head and foot boards, since my sister wanted it stained. After the first bed was finished, she asked us to do an identical head and foot board for another bed, but to put side rails instead of the cubbies. This turned out perfectly, since the additional sheet of ply had enough scraps for another full head/footboard AND to make up for the dividers that weren't accounted for in the plan.

We also bought an additional 1x2 to trim out the middle dividers, which was my own preference. I think it looks stupid without it. Not sure if my sister would have cared... AND... the last mod we made was to use 1/8" ply for the backs. It was super cost-effective, and does the job just as well as 1/4".

All in all, this was a wonderful experience for me. It felt REALLY great to be able to do this with my step-dad... intimidating as it was... And there were points where all 3 of us were outside working (my sister, step-dad and myself) while all the kids played in the driveway with us. I can't tell you how awesome that felt :-)

First time builder with a brand new kreg jig! (My husband surprised me with the jig! I am such a lucky gal!) I used minwax dark walnut stain and glidden paint (plain ol' white) with a bit of distressing. I shortened the 2x4s on the top so I could have 2x6 breadboards at the ends. I loved the look from the original tryde table! Really enjoyed the process of building this coffee table! Plan to make matching side tables to complete my "Tryde collection!" Thanks Ana! LOVE THIS SITE!