Community Brag Posts

Smaller Farmhouse Table and Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/10/2016 - 17:46

We loved the look of the farmhouse table, and I actually helped a friend build an even bigger version for his house a couple years ago. But we needed a smaller version for our new house. So with some minor alterations, we got an awesome table and bench that fits our space. The whole thing was about 150 for hardware and lumber and finish. 

Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Tops are a red mahogany stain, a light coat of rub on poly, followed by several coats of trewax clear paste wax.
The bases are whitewashed, distressed and stained, light poly, and trewax clear paste wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kentwood Bookcase With a Twist

Submitted by smckj on Fri, 07/10/2020 - 09:58

I really love to use old fence pickets to give projects a feeling of old meets new and I also enjoy using differnet stains next to each other. I used these great plans and then stained fence pickets pieces(ripped to 1 7/8" ) next to each other for the back and top. I am really happy with how it turned out.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor Summer Chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 05/21/2024 - 11:20

I chose to use your plans for the "Modern Outdoor Chair from 2x4s and 2x6s" and it turned out great on our front porch! Now we have a new place to chill in our chairs among our plants in the shade on summer days!

David Herrin

Cottage - Mini kitchen

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/13/2016 - 12:04

We needed a mini kitchen for our guest cottage and the Grandy console was the perfect fit.  I adjusted the shelf height to fit a mini fridge and microwave.  Love it!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Base is just a basic white furniture paint

Top is distressed to look like driftwood - 1 coat Minwax Dark Walnut, 1 coat Minwax Classic Grey, 1 coat Minwax pickling wash, 2 coats polyurethane

The barn door is made with tongue & groove cedar with the rough side out and washed with Eco Wood Treatment to look like aged barn wood
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Outdoor Sofa and Loveseat

Modified the loveseat plans and created a sofa as well. No one that sees these thinks I built them. They look so much nicer than anything you can buy!

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
First coat SW New Ebony Stain
second coat Varathane Briarsmoke
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Preston Nesting Tables

After building my new coffee table, I needed new end tables to match! I love that I can store the little tables underneath, or use them around the room during a party. After the coffee table, these were a lot simpler to build, though took longer due to the fact that there are four of them!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Chestnut stain and Oil based Poly for tops, high gloss white paint for sides
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Mud room bench

Submitted by TempoTours on Thu, 07/10/2014 - 13:00

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. ☺

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Crib for Baby #3

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/17/2016 - 20:05

     My husband and father-in-law built this crib over many weekends. They decided against using pine since it is soft. Instead they used maple and the materials cost far more than the $50-100 estimate. The finished project is beautiful and is lovingly referred to as the bomb shelter because it is so sturdy and heavy. 

     They made it so the mattress could be raised and lowered as well as easily converted into a toddler bed. They used the crib mattress as a starting point to adjust the plans to ensure there would be no gaps between the sides of the crib and the mattress. 

      They used a router to put a dado at the top and bottom of the sides so the slats fit into the slot instead of just butting against the top of the rail in order to minimize the number of nail holes and create a nicer fit. They used one solid piece of maple plywood at the ends of the crib because there is a lot of temperature variation where we live resulting in a lot of expansion and contraction and they wanted to make sure that didn't cause any gaps.  

Estimated Cost
$450
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Water Based Wood Stain - Slate (white tint base). After the maple was well sanded the pores in the wood got clogged up and it didn't stain well. It took a lot of coats. It would have worked better on a more porous wood. We were concerned about the finish being baby safe so we went with a water based stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Live Edge Breakfast Bar

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/31/2024 - 16:25

First time using live edge, Wood and creating a feature wall. Happy with this outcome.

Jim Agigian

Grandkid's playhouse

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!

Estimated Cost
$1,500
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

redhead_61

Sun, 09/16/2012 - 22:19

Oh My heavens this is AMAZING! What a special treat for your grand kids. You think I could get my mom and dad to pay for it if I build it for our cabin? HMM I will have to pitch it to them.

rhulshizer

Mon, 09/17/2012 - 18:40

What a lovely thing to build for your grandkids! I love the window flower boxes. Great job.

Whitney G (not verified)

Fri, 09/28/2012 - 05:52

This is just beautiful! The build, the landscaping, the paint. I am always stalking the brag posts to see if any new playhouses have been posted as we have been working on my daughter's since March:) I know! It has taken us forever. This is our first build and I work full time so we are a little slow. I just love what you've done with the place! Great job!

Cedar Benches

Submitted by SaraLodise on Sun, 07/13/2014 - 20:13

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.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
?
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
none
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Distressed Bottom/Stained Top

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/20/2016 - 10:25

built this table off these plans! I did a distressed bottom with chalk paint as well! Love the way it turned out! 

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

8 foot picnic table

Submitted by Abby721 on Sat, 07/18/2020 - 08:40

This picnic table was a quick build and turned out amazing. I modified the center base support by adding an extra table top support and seat support board to the opposite side of the center legs to give the table symmetry to accommodate an umbrella hole. I also shortened both cross supports by an inch to make sure the base wouldn’t be longer than the top boards. The space between the center table support boards and seat support boards is the perfect size to fit a standard umbrella. I used a 1 3/4” hole saw to make the umbrella hole. The build and stain/paint took me about 5 hours but additional time is needed to properly seal the table. I used untreated pine. Treated pine may give the table longevity but it would also add a lot of weight to an already heavy table. This was a relatively easy and quick build and is a great size to fit my whole family plus a couple guests! I’m happy with how it turned out and would recommend this build to anyone looking for a budget friendly and simple patio table.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Briarsmoke for the top and Rustoleum Canyon Black Satin for the base. Sealed with 2 coats of Varathane Helmsman Spar Urethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Dream Dollhouse

Submitted by mercocet on Tue, 09/18/2012 - 15:44

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.

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Wood wax and paint and modge podge
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Potting Bench for Father's Day

Submitted by GretchenM on Wed, 07/16/2014 - 09:49

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!

Estimated Cost
175
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
None. Get this where you want it before screwing shelf and counter boards or putting in sink; it's really heavy.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

jvos

Thu, 07/17/2014 - 12:05

That is awesome! I want a sink for my garden (and a cooktop for outdoor canning) so I am very jealous. :)

Slatted 4 post bed - modified posts

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/23/2016 - 14:54

We wanted this beautiful bed for a guest room, but the room was a little small to have the large four posts so I modified it to make all 4 posts shorter - but otherwise the plans are the same. I used miniwax dark walnut stain and 2 coats spray polyurethane, followed by light 220 sanding and then 1 coat paint on semi-gloss polyurethane. I also lightly distressed the wood prior to staining with chisels, screws, hammering etc. 

Estimated Cost
$350 - covered the cost of new pine from lumber store with them cutting pieces to size + all staining and other materials (this is in CAD so roughly $225 USD)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Miniwax dark walnut + minimax semi-gloss polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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