Community Brag Posts

Red Hen Home's Farmhouse Storage Bed

I made the Farmhouse Storage bed for my son's room, which also has to double as the guest room. It has a planked headbord and footboard. I made the slats in removable sections under the mattress to access the storage between the drawer boxes. Also modified the drawers somewhat to use less wood (basically they don't have a double-thickness front). I also used 1/2" plywood to cut down on the weight of the drawers, and they seem to work great! I used iron-on veneer to cover up the raw edges of the plywood on the drawer boxes. More information and pictures on my blog! http://redhenhome.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-handbuilt-bedroom-pt-4-bed.h… http://redhenhome.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-handbuilt-bedroom-pt-6-drawe…

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Custom mix of Minwax Antique Walnut/Weathered Oak stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Reclaimed wood loveseat - in-work pictures

Submitted by JoanneS on Mon, 06/22/2015 - 19:08

Couldn’t wait to share this one. I’ll post the finished pics on here once the painting is finished and the cushion is sewed.

This build is a reclaimed wood version of Ana’s Simple White Outdoor Loveseat. We’ll be using this inside. This started as a way to repurpose those blue vinyl cushions (which I made 11 years ago for a hot tub bench – these had been stored in the garage for a few years). Using reclaimed wood on hand – reclaimed 2x4 studs, an oak 1x12 shelf and some pine 1x12 scrap ripped to 1x6 for the aprons, plywood from an old entertainment center ripped to 1x4 size, some 1x4 that used to be trim, a left-over 1x2 and S4S, and some left-over 1x6, constructed the frame and back. After I got that together, Hubby suggested we add some wide arms so it wouldn’t need to have a side table. That was the only wood I had to purchase on this one – a 1x6x6 for the arms, and a 2x4 for bracing the arms.

So far this has been a weekend project, including re-sizing the plan to fit my 24” x 24” x 4” cushions, doing the math to use 1x4 size instead of 1x3 size for slats and rails, and sizing to use the 2x4 frame on their ends rather than flat, to save a tiny bit of space in the footprint. Originally there were going to be 8 1x4 rails for the back, but I was 1 piece short, so instead of having 8 rails in 1x4, I have 6 1x4’s plus the 1x6 in the center (now I have 1 piece of the 1x4 left over). And it’s very comfortable for sitting!

Still left to do: sand the filled screw holes on the arms and paint the arms, and sew the cushion. I got that high density foam with a 60% off coupon at JoAnn Fabrics. Also the fabric was 30% off (right now it’s just draped around the cushion for the photo). The fabric and foam was only $90, and I’ll have enough fabric left over for a few accents. Hopefully I’ll get to that during the week, if not, on the weekend.

Estimated Cost
Total spent: about $100 for foam, fabric, and 2 boards.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The bottom and back frame is painted with 2 coats of semi-gloss Clark & Kensington Paint + Primer in Crushed Peanut (my absolute favorite cream color). Once I get those filled screw holes sanded, the arms will be painted with that as well. Paint was already on hand.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Clubhouse Bed

Submitted by cheebo98 on Tue, 01/09/2018 - 11:03

My daughter wanted this for her first bed. I loved how it turned out to match her room!! The plans were super easy to follow. I am so grateful for the time and thought process that went into making these plans. Thank you so much!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
semi gloss white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Address marker/planter

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/27/2021 - 13:03

I made this simple but elegant projects for a last minute Christmas gift.

Comments

Magnet Wall

I loved the idea of the magnet wall, but I knew that something smaller would be perfect for this 12 year old girl's room redo- so we just framed it out in painted 1x2's.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
White Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Castle Bunk Bed

Submitted by DavePulver on Fri, 07/05/2013 - 18:13

I was searching online for plans for Bunk Beds and came across Ana-White.com. I found the Sweet Pea Bunk Bed and my wife and I both fell in love. My daughters are very "into" princesses right now, so I took the elements of the Sweet Pea Bunk Bed and modified it slightly to create a castle look, so that my oldest could "climb to the highest tower of the castle". They both love playing with their beds!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
750
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

birdsandsoap

Sat, 07/06/2013 - 09:32

I love the castle twist! When the neighbor kids come over, they say the same thing about the top bunk- it is amazing what stairs can do! Your little castle is truly fit for a princess!

Tall trellis from coat tree plans

Submitted by bar1812 on Thu, 06/25/2015 - 18:38

I could not find a big enough, awesome enough trellis in stores, so I built my own out of cull lumber [the stuff on super-clearance no one else wants] for about $12 and a left-over post pocket. Thanks for the inspiration!!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
ebony stain and spar varnish to hold up to the elements
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

My first project - Doll bunk bed!

Submitted by mdoody65 on Sun, 01/14/2018 - 11:41

I wanted to do something special for Christmas for my 4 year old daughter. I have no real experience so this was one big lesson. The site and the photos from others made it feel so doable... I got it done in time and we finally painted it. My daughter picked all the colors and we painted it together the last few cold weekend days. What a great experience. Thank you for making DIY  feel so doable... now I’m completely hooked and her twin brother told me he wants to build a chair with me.. but a big one ... uh oh. 

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My take on the chicken coop design

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 12/30/2021 - 13:01

When we became accidental chicken owners, we had to build a coop fast. I found the plans for Ana’s replica of the Williams Sonoma chicken coop and got to work. They were very easy to follow and easy to modify to fit our own needs and aesthetic. We decided to enlarge the coop and remove the planter in the original plans do we could accommodate more chickens while keeping the original footprint. Instead of plywood, we used cedar reclaimed from an old fence we had recently replaced. We also enlarged the rear door to make clean out as easy as possible. I cut pieces of corrugated plastic that fit inside the door and windows to winterize the coop when temps drop below freezing. The run is designed to follow the shape of the coop and is large enough to give our 5 chickens plenty of space. The planter box runs the length of the chicken run, providing some plants to munch on inside and shady vines that will eventually cover the outside. Thanks for the awesome plans!

Comments

Pallet Shelves

Submitted by karahart on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 09:16

I made these two pallet shelves to go in my living room to hold all of our magazines, coasters, and remote controls that were constantly getting left all over the place. They've been there for almost a year now, and they work so well!

Estimated Cost
Free!
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
I added stain that I had on hand to the edges of the pallet shelf, and added a coat of polyurethane for protection.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Clothesline Frame

Submitted by DogDoc25 on Sun, 07/07/2013 - 22:13

I did this project as a Father's Day gift for my dad who is a photographer and has lots of pictures! I plan on making another one for my house because I like it so much. Mine took longer than it should have because I made a few mistakes, like not making sure the pocket holes were facing the right way before I screwed the main frame together. I also accidentally measured and drilled in the twine screws on the wrong side and had to fix that. So if i had done everything right the first time, this project would have only taken a few hours to complete. Fun and easy to do!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Jacobean Minwax- 1 coat of pre-stain, then 1 coat of jacobean. still need to apply the satin finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

kids picnic table

Submitted by Annie D on Mon, 06/29/2015 - 17:05

This was a lot of fun to build. Took a few hours while kids napped plus a few more after bedtime.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$45
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior green paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Garage makeover

Submitted by aderosa on Wed, 01/17/2018 - 11:05

Inspired by the ryobi dream workshop.  Shelving unit and the feed carts are complete.  Still working on the the organization of all our stuff!

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

Comments

Farmhouse rustic L shaped desk

Submitted by Devorlast on Sun, 01/02/2022 - 17:34

This was my second project. My Wife asked me for a desk and gave me a pintrest link, except that they had no dimensions, cut list or even material list. I found some youtube vids that covered same type desk and made my own plans.
Again, the whole thing was made with table saw and battery powered drill. Well, not counting the sander and hand plane.
I was initially going to provide the plans, material list, cut list etc but a lot of the cuts were done by eyeball and I don't wish the pain of doing this project without a miter saw on my worst enemy...
Overall it came out a lot better then I thought it would considering my lack of experience and "know how". Table top is held together using pocket holes and wood glue, the article on Ana's website about table tops helped me a ton!
As for stains its cherry on the bottom and aged white on the top. The 4x4's that I used for the base were of some red hued wood so the cherry color blended them with the white wood 2x4's that make up the decoration supports.
If you have any questions feel free to ask, this was my second project and I learned a lot of do's and dont's.

Total cost ~$200.
Total time, for me it was about 30 hours over two weeks, if you know what you doing and got the right tools probably half of that.

Comments

My first Easy Build Headboard, King Size

Submitted by andreak on Thu, 05/12/2011 - 16:15

This was my first project and it come out beautifully. I did learn a valuable lesson - if you are going to build something in the basement, make sure it fits up the stairs. Not sure if you can tell from the picture but this ended up 6 inches shorter than the plans. Can wait to find my next project!

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
MinWax Wood Finish Red Mahogany 25 - Minwax Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Miniature kitchen for a 2nd birthday

Submitted by lswenson on Fri, 07/03/2015 - 14:41

I made this for my son's second birthday last year.

I made a few changes to the plans. Instead of a shelf in the oven, I put in a wire cooling rack to resemble a oven rack. I put knobs on the back of the stovetop instead of the lower front. I added doors to the lower half on the sink.

The sink is a 9" loaf pan. The stove knobs and faucet were salvaged.

Toy food and realistic pots and pans are from IKEA.

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

Reclaimed Wood Headboard - Florida Style

Submitted by millpherd on Tue, 05/17/2011 - 11:13

After moving to Miami from a Log Cabin in Western Pennsylvania, I wanted to have a bedroom that was decorated very "Miami." The best option was to build a bed and finish it myself. The body of the headboard is whitewashed and the trim is a cactus gel stain. Thanks Ana!

Estimated Cost
$125.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White washed and gel stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Hannahs Barbie house

My wife wanted me to make this. The frame was meant to be coated in polyurethane but as the wood did not look the best, i painted it. I think the colours work quite well.
The stairs are different, i wanted something unique for those.
My daughter loved it as it was a birthday present for her.
The project took about 3 weeks in the evenings after work for a couple of hours most days.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint, Polyurethane, Wallpaper
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Server/Cooler

Submitted by NJ_DIY on Mon, 07/06/2015 - 20:32

My wife wanted an outdoor server for our back deck. I did so, but decided to add some flare. I built it so the top comes off and a cooler is exposed for our drinks. And to not waste any wood, you turn the top around and I painted with Chalkboard paint so she could write up a menu. Added some color she would like, found a tutorial on chevron, add a few accessories, and viola!

Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore Tropicana Cabana, Polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate