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Community Brag Posts

Shoe Storage Flip Top Bench - First Attempt at "Woodworking"

Submitted by rskeels on Thu, 12/26/2013 - 07:48

This is my first attempt at building and your website made it possible. There were a couple of mistakes, I admit. This was especially true with the finish. I did my best, but I'm a little impatient with letting things dry.

I am also having a difficult time estimating how long it took to build as I am the sometimes proud father of 3 boys...aged 2, 4, and 5....resulting in frequent stopping, starting, and intermittent chasing down the street. I need an exterior lock on the garage.

Thanks so much for your website Ana.

Built from Plan(s)
Pine Board Flip Top Storage Bench
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax English Chestnut - Two Coats
Minwax Jacobean - One coat
Minwax Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Mimi's Faux Mantle with bookshelves

Submitted by JoshuawG09 on Wed, 05/25/2016 - 18:15

Made from the modified Mimi's Faux Mantle design from another brag post.

Built from Plan(s)
Fake Fireplace Mantel built from Pine Boards
Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used Valspar furniture paint. However, I will never buy it or use it again. It's just over priced paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

laurenwalker

Tue, 12/19/2017 - 22:01

Are you able to tell me how wide this is from the end of one bookcase to the other? I'm trying to find out if it will fit in my living room. Thanks!

Modern Farmhouse Bed Frame

Submitted by SofiaTaz on Thu, 01/06/2022 - 23:15

I love how this bed frame turned out! Everywhere that has stain is cedar and the rest is all scrap spruce. Thanks for another great plan Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Modern Farmhouse Bed Frame

Comments

Play Structure & Swing Set

Submitted by Colby032 on Fri, 04/18/2014 - 11:52

My second building project... this one took quite a while, building in the evenings after the kids went to bed.

The playhouse is based off of Ana's Playhouse Building series, with some modifications to fit the space in my backyard and accommodate climbing wall, monkey bars, and slide.

To put the main deck structure into the ground for sturdiness while protecting from moisture, I dug out 5 holes to fit single hole cinder blocks (4 corners plus an extra 4x4 for the monkey bars; you can see an leftover block on the ground in one of the pictures). I placed some brick in the holes, then the cinder blocks on top. I then partially filled the cinder blocks with sand, put the pre-built deck in the cinder block holes (with help - it's heavy!), and then filled the rest of the cinder block holes with sand. It's worked remarkably well - the deck has been up for about a year now. I also sprayed some clear waterproof sealant on the bottom part of each beam near the ground for extra protection (deck, monkey bars, climbing walls, and swingset A-frame). This has allowed me to still run sprinklers near/around the playset and even grow grass underneath the swings!

Materials used:
* Playhouse: pine, plywood, Suntuf solar grey polycarbonate corrugated roofing panels (I live in Arizona, so little rain to worry about but lots of heat - the sheeting lets light in but blocks most of the UV rays, corrugated shape also provides venting at top when placed sideways)

* Deck/Swingset/Monkey bars: treated lumber, composite decking, pine for railings, monkey bars purchased from Amazon

* Climbing wall: pine, treated lumber, handholds/railing bought off ebay/Amazon

* Swings/slide/bongos/wheel, telescope: purchased from Amazon

Modifications:
* Turned playhouse 90 degrees to be in back of the deck, with swingset coming off the side. This meant the support beam for the swingset had to pass through the playhouse - modified the frame for that wall slightly and created a notch for the beam to pass through.

* Slide comes out one end of playhouse - made the "window" on that end larger than the plans called for in order to give room for the slide.

* Monkey bars come off one side of the deck - used extra 4x4 here to create support for the bars, and used extra bars to make a ladder on this side

* Climbing wall instead of ladder for main entrance

* Put large window in back wall of the playhouse

* Added cross bracing to side of decking on swingset end to make it more solid/cut down on sway when swinging

Built from Plan(s)
Build the Simple Playhouse - Front Wall with Door
Build a Simple Playhouse Deck
How to Build a Swing Set for the Playhouse!
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint on playhouse, water seal on railings
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

yubbie2

Tue, 04/29/2014 - 20:41

This is phenomenal - just the plan & design we've been looking for. Can you upload a few more pictures? Any sketches you can provide? Shopping list? Really great job - I hope your kids love it. It looks awesome.

JeremyFox

Wed, 04/30/2014 - 04:53

Love it! I like the way it sits right next to a tree - I thought it was a tree house at first.

Colby032

Wed, 09/10/2014 - 14:03

Thanks! It's certainly nestled in right behind that tree - I originally was going to place it in between that tree and another one but then decided to just place it behind them in order to take better advantage of shade (critical in AZ) and fit in everything I wanted to put on it (monkey bars, swings, slide, climbing wall)

masons_momma2015

Mon, 07/08/2019 - 00:48

We've  been looking at these type of players for our son, and good grief! Prices are astronomical for playsets that are NOTHING like this. This absolutely an amazing  place for those boys to make memories. You're  amazing!  Do you mind if I ask what it cost once it was finished? I never imagined  that it would cause a tic in my eye to look at the kids from Lowe's or anywhere else for that matter.

Colby032

Tue, 08/20/2019 - 10:14

I don't remember how much it cost in the end... but probably around $900?  That may include getting some tools that I needed but didn't have at the time.  The slide was the most expensive single piece I bought - I think I got it from Amazon.

When it was all done, I remember thinking that what I got for my money was *way* beyond what I would have gotten by purchasing a kit or a pre-built play structure.  Plus, by going my own way, I was able to build it to fit my space and the needs/abilities of my kids.

While the whole thing is big and looks like an intimidating build, it really isn't bad - the platform is a fairly blank base to design everything else off of, and is incredibly sturdy.  Everything else is a discrete part that branches off of the platform and can be planned out as you need.  Adding the monkey bars required putting in a 5th upright (the first 4 are the corners), but that was an easy modification since I knew I wanted it before building the platform.  The playhouse just sat on top of the platform (screwed down, of course).

 

patelscope

Sat, 08/01/2020 - 20:40

Hello. This is pretty cool, probably the best modification that I am looking for from Ana's default plans. Could you please add some more detail on the right side wall, and how you incorporated the support beam through the playhouse? (with maybe a picture from inside of that wall). And secondly, if you can add the dimensions for the monkey bar setup on the left side of the deck? Thanks, much appreciated

8x10 Shed - Built by Julia Eliopoulos

I made your 8x10 shed! Turned out so well, thank you for the amazing plans.

Julia Eliopoulos

Blog Link
Julia Eliopoulos
Built from Plan(s)
Classic Shed Plans

Comments

DIY Greenhouse

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/03/2023 - 16:02

Thank you so much for the plans. We enjoyed building it. We love it!!!

Built from Plan(s)
DIY Greenhouse

Comments

Christmas Tree Decor

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/18/2023 - 13:03

I made four of these wood Christmas trees from Ana White pattern. I am polished them by adding a cup hook at the top hanging a Christmas ornament and then gluing on these cute little presents. I gave them to each of my four grown children and their spouses.

Beth Belflower

Built from Plan(s)
Wood Christmas Tree Decor DIY
Seasonal And Holiday
Christmas Decor

2 Tier Stocking Stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/11/2023 - 09:20

This my expanded Christmas Stocking tree. With a growing family we needed room for at least 9 stockings. I decided to hope for one more and made it large enough for 10. Decided to make the sides look more like a candy cane and added red stripes. Thanks to Ana for the ideas.

RBM

Built from Plan(s)
Stocking Stand
Seasonal And Holiday
Christmas Decor

Rustic X Coffee Table

Thanks to the beautifully written as well as the example build post by Hilary, I found this project easy to build for a beginner like myself. I followed the plan as written and can't wait to start my next project.

Blog Link
I have a new love
Built from Plan(s)
Rustic X Coffee Table
Estimated Cost
Sixty Dollars
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Vinegar and steel wool as described in the example post. I used wax as a protective finish. Clear mixed with a little brown wax, followed by a coat of liming wax then a final coat of clear wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

DIY Wood Christmas Tree

This project was such a fun challenge for me!  I needed a table top version of this great Christmas tree shelf, so I modified the plans just a bit, and created an additional shelf. The little ornament blocks were fun to make too! 

Blog Link
DIY Wood Christmas Tree
Built from Plan(s)
Wood Christmas Tree Shelf
Estimated Cost
$12
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
MinWax Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Recording Studio Shed Build

Submitted by brittanyj on Wed, 09/01/2021 - 10:48

As an on camera actor, I found myself with zero work during the pandemic. All productions were shut down and my day job no longer existed. It was time to get creative.
Voice over work started booming, particularly for actors who could record from home, because recording studios were shut down. I've dabbled a bit in voice over and had been interested in diving in and took my first step by buying a sound reducing booth called a whisper room.

The problem? There was nowhere in our house to to put the 6'x8' booth. So it sat on the back porch for months, covered by a tarp.
For a woodworker, this just wouldn't do! It was time to build an out building to house the booth and have my own outdoor recording studio. I read endless books and watched videos on building recording studios and made my plans over a few months.

Finally, in March, I excavated the land and prepped it for a pour. We had a concrete guy come in and pour the slab.

As soon as that set, I began work from the ground up in building this fancy shed. It took me 3 months, but I learned so much about the basics of building a house, and now I am auditioning for professional projects in my beautiful studio. I couldn't be prouder.

I ran electric, ethernet, I put in flooring, I roofed, drywalled, made a custom door threshold, inserted a window and framed every last bit of this building. There were bumps along the way- to be expected in a one person build- but she's done and ready for work.

I documented the build from start to finish here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPcEW6cqhcQ

Blog Link
One Woman Recording Studio Build

Comments

Kitchen Island Trolley

Submitted by naomi on Fri, 06/23/2017 - 08:29

Base was made from recycled timber and the top was made with new pine.

The rails were made from curtain rails. 

One end has wheels for easy moving.

Built from Plan(s)
Simple Rolling Bar Cart
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Enamel Paint and Brown Japan Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

sis2795

Wed, 07/31/2019 - 16:58

I don’t understand the cost for this. The wood is going to cost significantly more than $20. Am I an idiot and don’t know where to get the wood from??? How does that equal out to $20?

naomi

Sun, 08/11/2019 - 22:41

Hi,

All of the base was made from free pallet Wood and the timber top was one line length of new timber which cost about $8 and the wheels I had in the shed and the curtain rail was a couple of dollars from Bunnings. The paint and stain I already had.

I hope this helps. 😀

Entry Shoe Bench

I've officially stopped stalking and started building! First project a modified spa bench. Still have to stain it, but it already makes the big pile of shoes by the door look neater! I'm a hands-on person and not afraid of power tools (got a band saw for my birthday!) but it's still a challenge building a piece of furniture. I've already learned lots of do's and don't do's for next time!
Thanx a bunch for your site, Ana! It definitely gets the mind plotting great projects to come!

Built from Plan(s)
Spa Bench
Estimated Cost
~50$ (honestly, I can't remember!)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
PolyShades Royal Mission, several coats... and a spray can of clear coat too.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Bedroom Dresser

First time using drawer slides, and what a learning curve it was! The color is Varathane Weathered Wood Accelerator. This piece is huge and heavy! Absolutely love it and rebuilding other bedroom pieces to match this color. I also built a matching dresser which is taller and much more narrow. It can be found here: http://www.ana-white.com/2018/08/DIY_furniture/tall-bedroom-dresser

Built from Plan(s)
Wide Dresser with Open Bottom Shelf - Cabin Collection
7 Drawer Extra Wide Dresser
Estimated Cost
$200-$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Weathered Wood Accelerator, Varathane Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Murphy bed

Submitted by bpcooper14 on Wed, 05/08/2019 - 06:09

So I've always wanted to build a Murphy bed.  And by always I mean since I first came across plans here that made it look so simple.  It ended up taking me a while to do because my job has me working 6 days a week so I was only able to work on it for short chunks of time.

I ended up utilizing a few different plans and mashed them together to build a full size murphy bed.  The shelves are the support legs when the bed is down.  The "hinge" mechanism are heavy duty 360 degree seat swivels.

All-in-all it turned out WAY better than I expected with only some minor issues throughout the construction process.  

Next up is a twin xl Murphy bed with a murphy desk attachment that will serve as a craft  table when up.

Built from Plan(s)
PLANS: A Murphy Bed YOU Can Build, and Afford to Build
Modern Farmhouse Murphy Bed and Bookcase Featuring Addicted 2 DIY
Estimated Cost
3 - 4x8 sheets of 3/4" plywood ($25 each)
3 - 1x2x8 to wrap the frame ($2-3 each)
1 pack Door Hinge pins to serve as the pins to hold the bed upright ($3-5)
1 pint stain
1 pint shellac
2 - Heavy Duty 360 degree seat swivels ($20)
Screws/nails/etc.

All told, this project probably cost around $200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Bookshelf for our nursey based on your terrific Channing plan

Submitted by Astern on Tue, 12/24/2013 - 14:24

Great, simple bookshelf for our nursery

Built from Plan(s)
Channing Bookcase
Estimated Cost
$150 for wood, $150 for paint and tools I needed
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat wall paint -- the same we used for the trim in the room.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Patrick’s Router Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/18/2020 - 14:44

As a beginner woodworker I was searching for a router table project and came across this one. I constructed it entirely out of birch plywood. I will admit is was a challenge for me as I had never done drawers before. The biggest challenge was the small drawer for bit storage. I used a Rockler table top and it worked perfect. Overall I’m pleased with the way it turned out and have already used it in several projects

Built from Plan(s)
Patrick's Router Table Plans
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Linseed Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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