Community Brag Posts

Patio Furniture in Progress

Submitted by lbrown on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 13:08

I built six armless and two corner sections of the outdoor sectional but now I need to paint it and make cushions. For more details: http://www.homeandawaywithlisa.com/blog/2012/1/5/patio-furniture-in-pro…

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

12ft farmhouse bench

I was asked to surprise someone with a 12 ft. bench. After searching and searching I found a plan I really liked, but I felt it just wasn’t enough. I modified the plans to give it a little more of a farmhouse look. I also had to double the size of the original plans.

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I sanded with 220 grit sandpaper. I then added a coat of pre-stain. After letting it dry, I stained it with English Chestnut from Minwax, and I finished it by putting on a glossy coat of polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

16ft x 5ft farm table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/29/2019 - 18:43

This table was created using a variety of plans. It can seat up to 20 people comfortably. The table top was built with 5 pieces of 2x12. The legs were a combination of 4x4 posts and 2x6s. 2 coats of Minwax Weathered Gray was the stain and then 3 coats of varathane semi-gloss finish. We sanded between each coat of poly.

Estimated Cost
435.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane semi gloss poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Seasonal And Holiday

Workbench

Submitted by jbknakal on Wed, 04/20/2016 - 05:36

I used melamine for the top and shelf to get a nice surface for working on

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

Porch swing bed

Submitted by Beaulook on Tue, 01/28/2014 - 16:29

Started off with the original design but enlarged it to fit an oversize single mattress. The mattress cost me $35 from a local faith farm, while the materials came in around $200. I decided to hang under my backyard pergola. Fun and easy project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Cedar stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

bhammond

Tue, 01/28/2014 - 21:10

Wow this looks so inviting I might just have to make one too! Nice work-- it looks great!

Shorty

Tue, 01/28/2014 - 21:26

Really great job on your porch swing bed AND an awesome looking patio/yard. Looks amazing all around!

Debbie Perkins

Mon, 07/27/2015 - 22:45

I want this!  I just made a couple of plant stands for my front porch.  My husband asked me what my next project was, why, a swing bed.  (This was only my second project!)  I want to put cup holders in those big ole arms!  We have a house at the beach in South Alabama, so, you gotta "hydrate."  This is an awesome swing.  I can't wait to do mine...pillows to rest on, one foot on the concrete pushing me in a slow swing. Cold beverage in my hand or in my cup holder. Yep, southern girl has a new project.  Love it!

Built In Storage Bench

I wanted to make a built in storage bench for the breakfast nook in our eat-in kitchen, but wasn't entirely sure how to go about the process. After seeing Ana's "Mimi's Storage Bench" I thought the plan could be modified to fit our space, so I convinced my husband to give it a shot. We've done a fair amount of carpentry in our house, but this is the first piece of furniture that we have ever built. Thanks to Ana's plans and our new Kreg jig, it turned out better than I ever imagined. We absolutely love the new bench, where my toddler spends every morning eating his breakfast while staring out the window and giggling at the squirrels in our backyard.

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore's Satin Aura paint in White Dove
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Cubby Organizer (Pottery Barn Inspired)

This cubby organizer is great for storage, displaying collectibles or as an advent calendar. I'm using mine in my mini-workshop for storing tools and supplies I use frequently when woodworking. Tutorial can be found at my blog here: http://betweennapsontheporch.net/build-a-cubby-organizer-pottery-barn-i… Thanks Ana for supplying the plans!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Sherwin Williams Dover White paint for a soft white. Stain would work great for this piece, too.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

King Size Platform Frame

Submitted by EndGrain on Wed, 07/18/2012 - 08:46

I based my bed off of the Fillman Platform Bed plans. Just bumped the dimensions up to fit my mattress and added the mid supports. The frame was built using 2x6 boards taken from a fallen barn. I ripped 2 2x6 boards down the center to make the the supports for the slats. My feet are 3 2x6's screwed together and then attached to the frame. Next time I will cut a notch out of the feet so that I can rest the bed on them and then try to find some old lag bolts to attach them to the bed. The frame was put together using a Kreg Jig. I put the Cedar boards on to dress the front and sides up some and to help keep the slats from showing when the sheets were tucked in. My finish is 1 coat of Linseed Oil and 2 coats of Teak Oil.

Let me know if you have any further questions on this build. As soon as I find some doors I will be building a head board for this bed.

Estimated Cost
$150 ish
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Linseed and Teak Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Small End Table

Submitted by mpjacob08 on Mon, 05/25/2020 - 09:33

My 2nd ever build! Made to match farmhouse beginner coffee table. This is the smaller size posted. So Easy! Thank you for the plan and for the videos. I love them and am learning so much!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane golden oak stain, spray shellac, Varathane water based polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Adirondack Chair

Submitted by dijonaise on Fri, 06/19/2020 - 05:49

My little quarantine project all started with a three foot circle in the back corner of my yard and turned into this. After finishing the structure, we were looking at different furniture and considered either going on the cheap ($20 plastic chairs) or the expensive route ($1200) for this same setup. That was when I came across your site Ana. Your amazing plans and community's brag posts gave me the confidence to give it a go and we could not be happier with the result.

The chairs and tables went together super easy as everyone had mentioned. I sanded everything before cutting and then just sanded the cut ends. I did not have the stain on hand (not did we know the color) so we waited until after assembly to stain, which ended up not being too bad, just a lot of little nooks and crannies to get into. I used a small foam pad to get in between the boards.

Overall, I would say that the build, from start (rough lumber) to finish (sanded and assembled) took me about 2-3 hours per chair, and about the same to do two coats of stain on top and one on the underside, bringing the total time per chair to about 5 hours.

Now on to the landscaping... ;) I am also planning to build some planters to hold posts to hold some string lights around the perimeter. Boy how these little projects have a domino effect...but in the end, there is nothing better than sitting back and enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Estimated Cost
$40/ chair and $10/table. Total Project (including fasteners and stain): ~$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
SW6965 - Hyper Blue Solid Deck Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Headboard

Submitted by jlsurber on Wed, 08/22/2012 - 11:57

When we moved into our new house, we quickly realized the boxsprings for our queen-sized bed were not going to fit up the stairs. So while hubby was busy with his own projects, I made a 2x4 bed frame at 16-1/2" off the ground and built the farmhouse headboard. We like to use the end of the bed for sitting and putting on socks and shoes, so I did not build the coordinating footboard.

I absolutely love the way it turned out and have received so many wonderful compliments. Take about an ego boost!

Cutting took about 1 hour (first use of a radial saw) and assembly took another hour. I applied 1 coat of Minwax Red Oak stain and 2 coats of Minwax semi-gloss polyeurethane sealer.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Red Oak and semi-gloss polyeurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Bench in 1 day

Submitted by vickitee on Wed, 06/25/2014 - 08:27

This was my first build from your site! Farmhouse bench.
I was a little confused with the miter saw instructions "bevel cut at a 10 degree angle off center". I had to google to figure out what you meant. In the end the bench looks awsome and I feel very empowered with my tools.
(still need to stain the finished project, bought all the wood and built in 1 day)
Thank you Ana for sharing your plans!! I love your site and I love my Kreg Jig!
Vicki
(Canada)

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
going to use walnut stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Narrow Sewing Table

Submitted by WeezyWorks on Tue, 09/11/2012 - 18:06

Ive been looking for a sewing table to fit my space. but found none for less than $500 and they were quite small. I found a post at quiltedcupcake.com that linked me to another blog, linking me here. I modified the plan to be about 2 feet wide and cut a hole to fit my sewing machine. There is a support in the bottom to hold my machine level with the tabletop. When I make this in the future, I will splurge on a fine hardwood. This plan was easy to build and looks great! Just what I was looking for :D

Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark stain and satin polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

tommirhea

Fri, 09/14/2012 - 09:45

I'm jealous of your organization! I've had a folding table for my sewing table since I started sewing :(

tommirhea

Sun, 09/16/2012 - 10:11

Now, I've just got to make it! I love to free motion quilt and that would make it easier. With each baby I've had my quilting space has diminished (of course it's worth it) but now I think I will reclaim some space ;)

Sweet Pea Garden Bunk Bed Storage Stairs

Submitted by abbpim on Thu, 10/18/2012 - 14:55

Jenny from www.birdsandsoap.com became my hero when I saw her sweet pea garden bunk bed plans on here! I love these storage stairs and everything else about the bed. I decided to build the whole works. Here are the storage stairs. I added the last couple photos to show what my girls and I did with the scraps from the cut out hearts. We made a fishing game out of it... used screws in the "fish" to make them magnetic and we just used fridge magnets for the end of the fishing pole. Pretty fun! We'll get to making more fish and painting them later... right now I gotta finish this awesome bed house! (I just wanted to share that to let everyone know how creative I can be... normally I'm just a big style biter off ana white and Jenny from birds and soap and Pinterest lol... I bet if you went in my house right after Jennys house they would look pretty identical. I also made her version of the farmhouse storage bed, what can I say? She's got good taste!) YEAH!

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint and Polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

HollykmB (not verified)

Mon, 12/31/2012 - 08:50

Where did you find the plans for the stairs? I can't find them on this website or the Birds and Soap website.

HollykmB (not verified)

Mon, 12/31/2012 - 08:51

Where did you find the plans for the storage stairs? I can't find them on Ana White's site or the Birds and Soap site.

Pony Wall

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 08/13/2020 - 06:17

Love your site. The 8’ pony wall I recently made was a great plan. I’m also going to build the outdoor storage plan you have. Thanks for your creativity!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Linseed Oil

Double Trash Bin

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/26/2020 - 08:32

This was based on the "Small Kitchen Island" Plans but needed to put 2 - 33 Gal Trash cans in. I used Select Square edged Pine. The depth remained the same as the plans but the width changed dramatically (52" wide). I also increased the height to match the other furniture (3' High). I added 4 - 1 X 2's to the top of the cabinet to secure the top.

Estimated Cost
$350-$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
The bottom was paint that matched the other furniture, the top is an Classic Oak Poly/Stain - 3 coats
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Playhouse

Submitted by Dawnybb on Thu, 11/22/2012 - 09:32

This was so much fun to do! Very easy and I added some personal touches. I made the lower level an enclosed sandbox area with a chalk board on the back wall. On the outside of the back wall, I added a "ball wall" that my kids love. I enclosed the bottom sandbox with plastic "chicken wire" to keep the cats out. :)

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Dawnybb

Thu, 11/22/2012 - 15:34

Thanks! Glad you like it!

The paint was from Dunn Edwards: Roof was "Louisiana Mud", playhouse walls were "Drifting" and then the white was a snow white from Lowe's.

The slide and accessories were also from Lowe's.

m7hennen

Tue, 04/15/2014 - 09:35

I LOVE this! This is exactly what I'd like to build. Do you have plans you can share with us? I think I'd also like to add a couple of swings on one of the sides too. Thanks so much!

In reply to by m7hennen

Dawnybb

Sun, 04/27/2014 - 08:39

I know I messed with the dimensions a bit but I don't remember exactly. I made the playhouse larger (deeper and taller than original plans) . I also cut the roof line on the deck side for more room. I put aluminum over the wood on the roof and then painted. The Ball Wall was made out of plastic gutter pieces that I painted and we used practice rubber golf balls to throw into them. I hope that helps! We sold that house, so I can't go out and measure it :)

eegad1973

Thu, 05/28/2020 - 15:32

You may not get this as this is an old post. Did you dig post holes? I have older kids and I am thinking about building a plan like this but at a 6ft height. Wondered how much it moves around when there are a bunch of kids on there. The house I will build is also 6 ft heigh.

Seasonal And Holiday

Simple Outdoor Chairs for the Firepit

Submitted by Retta on Fri, 10/03/2014 - 19:27

I used Ana's plan and made ten of these for our firepit area.  The only thing that I changed was the back brace pieces....I couldn't get 1x2s so just used 2x2's.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300 including paint
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Exterior paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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