Community Brag Posts

DIY Farmhouse Table

Submitted by tnkrise2 on Sat, 01/25/2014 - 20:21

DIY farmhouse table built by my wonderful husband. We used legs from Osborne wood and the apron and legs were stained and antiqued using a crackle glaze and antique white paint. Love it. The plans were great. Our cost was high because we had to purchase a kreg jig. But it will get a lot if use. Next project will be the corona coffee table-square

Estimated Cost
450-500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Same as recommended in the plans.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Tk u for all ur designs

Submitted by Cgovalle on Tue, 04/19/2016 - 15:05

Needed shelves for my shed. Ur design fit the bill. Cannot wait to make more

Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Loft Cabin Bunk Bed

Best Christmas present according to my 4-year-old twins :)  I combined ideas from Jen Woodhouse's "cabin bed" and "loft cabin bed" after seeing another brag post from someone who had turned it into a bunk bed.  I added a separate platform for the lower mattress for uniformity and to provide some air circulation for the mattress.  I also opted for a 2x6 as the bottom weight-bearing beam because I wanted to be able to add an extra couple pocket screws since this mama likes to play in the top bunk too!  My girls took turns sleeping in the top/bottom for the first 2 nights, and have been camping out together in the top bunk ever since... and my husband and I are finally getting to sleep in on the weekends because they never want to come out of their room!  

 

**Side note -- I'm not sure how my pictures got flipped but I have no idea how to fix it!

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
3 coats of white primer + paint in satin finish for the main house
Varathane weathered grey for roof & stairs
Rustoleum "Chalked" in charcoal for window trim

Comments

Twinkies' mom

Fri, 10/02/2020 - 09:33

I am SO sorry but I haven't been on here since I posted the bunkbeds (almost 9 months ago!) I had written out all of my modified measurements on the Jen Woodhouse plans but have since lost it somewhere in my garage :( Here is what I can tell you at the moment: short side of "front" & "back" panels = 77.25" ; I kept the angles on the sides/roof the same, so the highest point of roof = 89" (I have short 8' ceilings so this leaves ~7" space up top). I used what I believe were 5" tongue & groove flooring panels instead of plywood for all sides, framed by 2x4s and 2x6 underneath for a little extra support. The height from the bottom of the top bunk to the floor is 38", and I added a 2x6 piece between the bottom legs of the 2 side pieces, flush with the outside edge. I built a rectangular frame for the bottom mattress using 2x6" on the long sides and 2x4 on the short sides -- the 2x4s are raised off the floor in order to allow for air circulation under the mattress and act as the end slats (they're flush on top with the rest of the slats, which I used 2x4s instead of the 1x in the plans)... instead of the 2x2 supports for the mattresses I used some scrap 2x3s from my kids old toddler beds which I had also built but tried to recycle as much of the wood as I could for this project, plus the 2x6 gave me a little more wiggle room -- if you use 2x4 you won't have space for 2x3 supports. The front "door" opening is 22.75", which I based on my size and me being able to get in and out easily (as mentioned above, I like to camp out with my kids sometimes!). The window openings are 12" w x 13.5" h, but the height is measured after I made a 1x3" window ledge which is flush with the inside of the wall; the rest of the windows are framed with 1x2s and 1x3s.
The full width of the side panels is 38" and the front/back are 78.5" -- I based these on the mattresses which I had already bought (Novaform twin from Costco -- since they're memory foam they're a little easier to "squeeze" in the top bunk than I would imagine a regular mattress would be).

I think that covers everything, sorry again about replying so late!

Twinkies' mom

Fri, 10/02/2020 - 09:42

2 more things:
The bottom "frame" was meant to be removable for easy assembly/disassembly as my family moves a lot! That is why I used the inner 2x4s to hold the long side rails together, and the short-side 2x6s which are attached to the side frames are merely fore the illusion that it's all one piece. I did place a couple 2.5" screws through the inside of the 2x4s right into the legs of the upper bunk to make sure it stays in place.
When building the front panels with the windows, I decided on door opening first, then window opening (based on the size of the tongue & groove flooring), then calculated the width of all the pieces to create the window opening. I used pocked holes to connect the tongue & groove flooring to the "frame" created by the 2x4 pieces, and TONS of wood glue in between the boards. Adding the window frames with glue & nails helped provide a little more stability to the windows, although once the glue was dry there was zero movement around the window but I never know with my extremely-destructive twins! Now they're able to climb all over the bunk using the window ledge for support and it's no problem.

Bedside Table

Submitted by AlHoward on Sat, 04/14/2012 - 10:18

Easy!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$55
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted one coat of semi gloss and sanded.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Started with plans, then...

Haven't quite finished this, but here it is all put together. I started with her plans then changed then dramatically. I wanted a 60x60. So I added 17" to the sides. Required me to buy 10' boards instead of 8' boards. When building the base I added 17" to the lengths since that is what I did for the top. I left the center post the same height since I wanted a regular height table.

When it came to the top, I didn't want to do the 1x4, instead I have 2x4 and 2x6 in there. Making the crosses in the squares added lots of time, but it was well worth it. Not sure how many hours I have into this, but its a lot. Materials is right now about $130.

I'll update more when finished.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

MSteed7931

Sat, 01/27/2018 - 11:01

Just found this.  This looks great.  Thanks for the additional information on the changes you made for your table.

My first shot at furniture making! I'm hooked now!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/23/2016 - 09:26

My first shot at furniture making. Two benchright farmhouse tables. Made from reclaimed lumber I found in my barn and poplar milled by Wayne my neighbor. Thanks Wayne and Anna White. These are in the dinning room of our Country Road House B&B located Clendenin WV. Look us up, stay and eat breakfast on these tables!

Estimated Cost
$25 parts. Lumber free. New tools.... Well....
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Mahogany gel stain by minwax. Water based poly also minwax. Exterior house paint for legs and sides.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Fancy Jewelry Box

Easy to make and made an amazing Christmas Gift. 

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Work Bench

Submitted by mrsg08 on Tue, 04/17/2012 - 08:48

I followed the directions to a "T" from the originial post, but some of the cut list specifications were off. I purchased an already finished sheet of wood for the top and ended up making a full shelf for the bottom.

Super excited to start on my list of projects now that I have a work bench.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Sweet Pea Bunk Bed Plans turned into a dream for our Little Girl

Submitted by ShushiGirl on Thu, 01/30/2014 - 09:01

We loved the Sweet Pea plans so much but we didn't need bunk beds. We turned it into a loft bed with a playhouse underneath. We also inverted the shelves on the stairs to be inside the playhouse due to her room size. Added a second roof and window boxes. This project was fun and took us 10 days to complete. Thank You so very much for sharing these AWESOME plans!!

Estimated Cost
$1100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
We used Baer Premium Paint sold at Home Depot
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

junior2725

Sun, 02/02/2014 - 22:11

I am looking at making this for my daughter and I also want to do a playhouse on the bottom as she is a single child. Did you just extend the opening to the bottom bunk to the floor and then extend the bottom windows down some to let in more light? Also, I love the idea of switching the storage from the stairs to inside the playhouse. If possible could you elaborate on how you did this. Thank you.

ShushiGirl

Tue, 02/04/2014 - 15:46

We omitted the bottom bunk and took it straight to the floor. We left the side panel clear but the frame until we built the stairs then added trim & side boards around the cubbies.

nadia37

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 07:51

First of all, what an amazing job on your build! I was looking for ideas for a playhouse and I will be modifying the plans for Sweet Pea Bunk beds and your build let's me know how get it can be. But what colors did you use? The look great together!

E81firegirl

Sun, 07/17/2016 - 14:49

I love the changes on this!  I had a question.  What did you use for the roof and is the lower roof section built to the same specifications as the upper roof?

My daughters Castle Bed

Submitted by bartdiy on Wed, 04/27/2016 - 11:53

The plan for this great castle bed on this blog inspired me to make this castle bed for my daughter Elise. I basically just followed this plan and adjusted it to my own idea:
http://www.ana-white.com/2011/10/plans/castle-loft-bed

Thanks very much for all the great ideas!

Bart
The Netherlands

Estimated Cost
€350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kennedy's Christmas Surprise

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/20/2020 - 07:37

My granddaughter had been wanting a loft bed for well over a year. We decided after a year it wasn't just a phase so I went to Ana's website and got the plans. Can't thank you enough Ana! Easy to follow instructions, sturdy finished product and most of all a VERY HAPPY granddaughter! We call that a Win/Win.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$170
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar White
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rough Sawn Spruce Dining Table!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/18/2023 - 09:01

This was really fun! Actually used Spruce from a tree on my property that I had cut down and taken to a Saw Mill 6 Years ago. Been in the barn drying. The rough sawn boards were only 1.25 thick after the planer I could only maintain 1.00”. Extended the length of the table to 10’. Decided to reverse the underneath support angled boards to add support to the center of the table due to the added length and only 1” thick boards. Used biscuit joints to add strength and alignment. We love it at the lake home!

 

Matt Menges

Built from Plan(s)

new photo ledges - only a few months late!

Submitted by tannisg on Thu, 04/19/2012 - 19:13

I know there are a hundred brag posts of the $10 ledges, and I have used them before (and posted them) but I am so happy with how these turned out!

Its too bad I don't have a good before picture, because the things I love most about these are the colors and the interchangability and it would be easier to explain with the before picture!

I have had pictures in cute matching frames on the one wall for years, but the frames were too light for the wall color, and the floor and furniture, so I needed to darken them up. Additionally, we got a black tv stand even though the floor and couches are dark brown. (TV is black, so it works) So I made the shelves black to pull that in. Then on the shelves closer to the tv, I used black and silver frames, and on the ones above the brown couch I painted all my light wood frames darker.

As for the interchangability, its a lot easier to pull the frames down and change the picture when you don't have to worry about how they look together - I can just move them around on the shelf. I've always had a hard time getting a "gallery" look just right - something will always hang lower than I want or whatever. So I finally got it perfect with one 10x13 of the kids together in the middle of 4 8x10s (one of each) and a few little ones to mix in. Then we had to go and have #5 and mess my whole system up! :)

So he's 16 months now and his picture is finally on the wall, and was taken last May - so sad..

But my other set of shelves has pictures of everybody - even me, yikes! I decided they look better full so I used all the frames I had, and got some cheap ones and thrift store frames and put them all together. "controlled chaos" just like the rest of the house/life!

Thanks Ana for giving me the confidence to know that I can make it myself, I never would have gone out and spent the money to buy matching frames, but knowing I could just do it myself I was able to get it done for cheap!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 including some new frames and paint
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
black spray paint, brown spray paint on the frames, some silver too
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Coffee Table!

Submitted by kschuck on Sun, 02/02/2014 - 15:18

We completed this project over several weekends, but that was mostly because we only worked on it for an hour or two. I was THIS close to purchasing a $499 coffee table from Crate and Barrel, when I saw these plans. I wasn't sure how the drawers would work, since we couldn't find short enough drawer slides, so we kind of had to improvise by making our own. This way, we avoided the extra weight from a third piece of plywood on the bottom-most level. We had the sanded plywood cut at Home Depot, and amazingly it fit perfectly! We used the Kregg Jig on almost everything, except for the plywood, because our screws were just a touch too long for 1/2". We definitely had to measure each drawer individually, because they were not the same! (Can you tell? I hope not). It's a good thing I was going for the rustic look, because every time I had a bad spot, I could just hammer it around a bit and make it look worn. We finished this project with a stain and sanded off the edges to keep it from looking too perfect.

We had a great time with this project, and are trying to refrain from starting on the console table!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Dark Walnut, followed by Minwax finishing paste wax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic X Console Table

Loved how this entry table/ sofa table turned out! 

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain and paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Vanity Table

Submitted by Aggiegirl on Sun, 01/26/2020 - 06:08

I started with the Cindy Wood Console Table but modified it. I wanted the center to be open so it could be used as a vanity table. I omitted steps 2 and 4 and altered step 3 so that the length of the centerpiece is only 8 3/4 long. I also omitted step 7. In step 8, I made the front-facing go all the way to the bottom, my cut was 27 5/8. All other steps were the same. 

Since it is a vanity table, I also made a bench to go with it. I used 1X4 for the legs and side pieces. The total dimensions of the bench are 22 inches long, 12 1/2 inches wide and 18 inches tall. I had to buy an additional 10 feet of 1X4 to add this to my project.   The cuts for the front and back of the bench are 14 7/8, the sides are 3 7/8 of 1X4.  I used pocket holes to put the legs, font, back, and sides together. Because of using pocket screws, make sure to put the sides together first, then the front and back. I used leftover 1X2 pieces to create a railing on the inside of the bench for the seat base to rest on. I put the railings 5/8 inch from the top of the bench and secured them using wood glue and 1 1/4 inch screws. I used leftover plywood as the seat base. I cut the plywood to be 10 1/2 by 20 inches. 

Estimated Cost
150 - 200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I painted it white so that it would go with my daughter's dresser and side table she already had.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Toybox Bookshelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/18/2023 - 15:46

Toy bin box with cubby shelves

Caleb

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Five Board Wedding Guest Book Bench

To contribute to an upcoming family wedding, the mother of the groom asked me if I could build the couple a guest book bench like the one we had at our wedding. We only had a few days to build, so instead of using the same Rustic Bench plan I chose Ana’s 5 Board Bench. I had some spare 1×3′s so I decided to add a shelf to the bottom for added stability. It turned out to be a really cute bench! The little details were fun to add. For the art on the top, i traced their last name and wedding date in Cecilia font onto printer paper straight from my computer screen since my printer is out of ink. I taped it in place on the bench, then traced over it with an empty mechanical pencil which indented the outline on the wood. I filled it in with a silver metallic Elmer’s Painters paint pen. The guests used a fine tipped paint pen to sign it at the reception. A bench is so much more fun than a plain old book! Now they have something to display and use in their new home together!

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Three coats of white semi-gloss paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Toddler Farmhouse Bed in Red

Built this in the summer for my son's birthday, so I don't remember exact details or costs, but it was my first build, ever. It took a few hours to build the bed. Many more to sand, prime and prime. Then I glazed the cracks with an antique glaze, valspar brand I think, for a more rustic look. Sanding and finishing was about a week while waiting for coats to dry properly.

Estimated Cost
Less than $100, probably was well under that. I think wood was less then $50 even.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Red gloss spray paint because they were out of satin, wasn't a fan of the gloss, still am not. Valspar antique glaze
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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