Community Brag Posts
Craft Table
This is the first project that i completed. I made a few minor changes. I used a Kreg jig to fix the shelves into the book cases. I also wanted the top of the desk to be thicker so i glued and screwed two pieces of 3/4 hardwood ply together and finished the edges. I then added heavy drawer slides to handle the drawers as i had made them larger.
Book Ledges
These ledges are incredibly versatile and will easily grow with any child. Books for the younger ones and then a gallery wall for when they grow. They are so easy to build that literally, a child can do it, as you can see. This was her first build that she completed by herself. After the boards were cut of course. Thanks Ana, this is a great plan and it was an AWESOME day for the girls!
Banquette Style Bench
This is the first thing I built from your site. I used rainwear for the cushion so my grandkids can spill stuff and it won’t stain.
This is in my 134 year old cottage. Really spruced the place up.
Thanks for having your site - love the projects on it.
King Size Farmhouse Bed
I fell in love with the Farmhouse bed after seeing Ana's bed on this site and just knew I had to make it. I'll preface this by noting that neither my husband or myself are builders or even owned any tools with the exception of an 18 volt drill. After building this bed, we went out and bought everything we need to build more pieces from Ana's collection of plans :) This project was very fun, forgiving, and the finished bed is absolutely beautiful.
I do have a few notes that would hopefully help people build this in the future. Hopefully you are reading this.
1) As Ana suggested, read ALL of the Farmhouse plans thoroughly, including the comments! Each of the plans are slightly different and might have a modification that would better suit you (I wish I had built the frame using the Fancy Farmhouse Bed. The way you assemble it makes it 7 inches narrower which would have been nice in our small room). There are also very valuable tips in the reader comments, so read those!
2) Read as many brag posts as you can. I saw that one lady used joist hangers for her support beams and side rail brackets so that the bed could be disassembled some day. That's what I did and I'm so, so glad that I did. You can find her post by googling "joist hanger + Ana White."
3) 4.5" screws are hard to find. I wont say impossible since some people did find them. If you use the new method for the posts of using 2x4s, you wont need the 4.5" screws. If you are using 4x4s, like I did, use lag bolts. I think the lag bolts will be more sturdy in the end anyway.
4) I should have made this item #1. In regards to the King size headboard plans, Ana has her mattress turned sideways and posted plans for a bed 80" wide. Since I did not thoroughly read Ana's notes, I missed that bit of important information and made my headboard 80" wide. Oops. Well, like I said earlier, this is a VERY forgiving plan. We just put the side rails on the inside of the 4x4 posts and added a .5 plywood scab to the inside of the side rails before we installed the joist hangers and that solved the problem. 80"-1.5"-1.5"-.5"-.5"= 76"! Since our bed is a platform bed, it worked out perfectly... just a little wider than it needed to be, but no one can tell the difference.
5) You actually need (5) 1x8 boards. I believe someone also posted that in the comments under the king farmhouse headboard plans. You also need (24) 4.5" screws or lag bolts, the plans only call for 20. (Ana calls for 6 per leg @ 4 legs = 24.
6) Really be sure of how high you want your bed before putting it together. Ours came out a little high, and if we wanted to, we could have cut the posts on the headboard a little shorter and mounted the side rails lower, but we just wanted to get the bed done. There is a lot of room to customize things in this plan so be sure to think everything out.
I think that’s it for now. If you have any questions, please let me know. I’d be happy to offer up any information I have learned while making this bed.
Kilz white oil based primer - 1 Coat.
Sanded between coats with 120 grit paper.
Valspar Satin Ultra White - 1 Coat.
Roughed up edges with 120 grit paper for a worn effect.
Comments
Sat, 01/26/2013 - 17:49
Great information!
I really appreciate reading what you learned and would have done differently. Thanks for posting this!
Rekourt table
I modified the size for my table a bit to make it smaller
Comments
Tue, 09/24/2013 - 15:35
Beautiful Top!!!
Fancynancy, that tabletop is fantastic! That's something so nice that if I had the money, I would buy it! I was hoping you would share the process you used to get it so smooth. I've done a planked top before and it wasn't nearly as pretty as yours. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous table.
Thu, 09/24/2015 - 20:23
length and width
hi fancynancy. i want to know what your modified measurements were on the rekourt table? i can only go to 6' long. width. i am not sure. thx
Sun, 01/22/2017 - 08:38
Rekourt dining modified
Hello, I am also curious about the modified rekourt plans. Would love your help/input. Thanks.
Twin Changing Table
My beautiful wife and mother of my two 3-day old sons asked for a changing table. I deviated from the plans quite a bit for her tastes and added strength; it still turned out really well. The top is removable when we're ready to turn it into a book shelf or toy station. Stain is Sedona Red.
My wife says it makes her feel wealthy to have her own changing table. I know I'm wealthy because I have a beautiful family (and a great changing table)!
Comments
Tue, 09/08/2015 - 11:18
Very nice!
Beautiful build and congratulations on the birth of your twin sons.
RyobiNation workshop carts
The plans were easy enough to follow. I made the miter and table saw carts not as long because of the space I had to work with. These were perfect to provide a stand for my saws while at the same time giving me the additional storage I need. This was the last part of the garage that needed to be organized so I'm extremely pleased.
Comments
Sun, 07/08/2018 - 20:56
Glad the plans worked for you
Glad the plans worked for you! So much extra storage now!
Potting bench
Simple potting bench in dark walnut
Cedar Boxes
We built these before we saw these plans, but they are pretty much the same... We added the chicken wire to keep the rabbits (and our dog) out of the garden. We added the owl to keep the birds out. We've gotten a ton of tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers so far. Next year, we'll add a few more beds. We also added the verticle garden to take up less space, but its not deep enough. We'll make the next one deeper.
Comments
Sun, 07/10/2011 - 14:19
Love the vertical garden!
Love the vertical garden! What a wonderful idea! Did you line the boxes with plastic??
Thu, 11/17/2011 - 07:59
Success
We ended up getting a ton of tomoatoes and green peppers from the garden boxes. We've actually built a couple more. We'll probably double again before next spring. We're looking at adding more veggies.
We now have ton of stuff planted for the fall...
Tue, 04/03/2012 - 06:19
vertical box instructions?
i love the vertical boxes. I am just trying my hand at the world with a green thumb and could use as much advice as possible about how to make as well as to line the boxes or not to line them. All advice appreciated!
Fri, 11/23/2012 - 21:53
Hello there
Hi, my name is berman. I found you pin from my pinterest and your box garden is so great. I am a newbie in this field and so interested to build garden in my house. If i can ask you some question, could you please to answer that?
cheers,
berman
Tue, 03/10/2015 - 21:19
Vertical Box Instruction!
Hello! Do you mind sharing the Vertical Box Instructions? I absolutely love this idea!
Sun, 05/31/2015 - 21:00
Love the vertical boxes
Came across this beautiful design while searching for my next diy garden idea. Wondering if there are blueprints available
1st Build: Ledge Shelves
I had tons of help from this website and from the employees at Lowe's in deciding what to purchase and what steps to take. I ended up spending around $130 on all the items needed - but if I ever need to make more it will be just the cost of the lumber!
I am the poster girl for making mistakes while learning, no joke. Generally, I make the uh-oh on a step that I’ve done a zillion times, because I am so busy making sure that the parts that are brand new to me go well. Years ago I was trying to impress a roommate and I worked super hard on a lemon spaghetti dish. I learned to zest and juice a lemon but completely forgot about draining my noodles. Hello disgusting! Putting together my Ana-White project was no different. I gently sanded the wood with my sanding sponge and wiped them off with a rag. I then placed two of the 1x4’s together and made sure that they were even. I discovered that it would be next to impossible to have perfect shelves, so I was going to let it go and just have fun. I pre-drilled a hole, then used a countersink bit to match the head of my wood screw, and held the boards together with all my might while I drilled in the first screw. Of course, since that worked out so well… I decided to try something different! Cap had told me that these particular screws practically countersunk themselves. Sweet! Therefore, on the second screw I predrilled and then tried to see what would happen if I skipped the countersink bit step and just put the screw in. Fail! The wood made this groan sound and the screw didn’t go into a nice neat hole, but instead just kind of escaped in like a finger in pudding. No good! I realized that I had forgotten to use wood glue, so I took both screws back out, put the wood glue in, and back in the screws. I returned to the first method of predrill, countersink bit, wood glue, then screw and finished it off. I held the 1x2 into place and used finishing nails to attach it to the 1x4s. Using a nail punch, I made sure there was a little hole atop each nail. I filled all the holes and a few of my mistakes with wood filler. While the filler was drying I repeated all the steps, sans many of the mistakes adding in a few others, and was done with the first step of building shelves! Next I used a two inch angle brush and applied the primer. After it was dried I applied the paint using a two inch roller. When it was all dried I marked my studs and my board, predrilled, and screwed them into the wall! That was it! It was so much fun and completely empowering. I can't wait to do the next one.
Rustic X beach beverage center
We used old dock wood for the surface of our X table for a nice beach house beverage center (sand bar!). We adjusted the size to fit our space (a little longer and wider) and used additional studs for the shelves instead of 1" shelving, glued and PH/PS together. To cut the X pieces I just held the 1x1 on the end of the table where it goes and marked the lines. Then I clamped a guide board at the correct angle on the table saw to make all the cuts, starting a bit long and shaving off until it just fit.
With all the pocket holes and screws I wouldn't consider this a beginner project. Some additional steps and pictures in your description would help also. End result is really nice.
Comments
Loft bed with stairs
I wanted to share this build, as I get a lot of people asking me where I got the bed from and they're shocked (and many motivated!) to find I made it myself.
When we moved into our house about 6 years ago my son asked for a loft bed, but with relatively low ceilings in our house (and his desire for a Minecraft themed room), many of the ones we looked at in store wouldn't work. So I gave this a try, modifying sizes slightly to fit with the layout of the room. It worked perfectly for his Minecraft themed room, then, when tastes changed, with a couple of coats of paint it became part of his Pokemon room. We've recently moved to a new house, and sadly the bed doesn't work with his room here or his nearly teenage sized body, so the wood from it is now in our shed, waiting to be built into something new.
Comments
Thu, 05/12/2022 - 19:27
Beautiful bed!
Thank you for sharing, what an awesome project! Thank you for sharing.
Rustic Desk
I had a great time building this desk. The finish turned out amazing and the desk is leveled prefectly. I added a 2x3 between the 2x12s and I also added a 1x4 as a trim piece to the front of the desk.
Comments
Tue, 07/12/2011 - 08:01
Nice finishing job. It has a
Nice finishing job. It has a nice rustic feel to it. The 1x4 you added gives it a complete look.
In reply to Nice finishing job. It has a by kmatt55
Tue, 07/12/2011 - 19:35
THank you.... I also added a
THank you.... I also added a 2x3 in the middle of the top 2x12s so I wouldnt have the gap. I saw your projects. THe chairs look great.
Trundle Bed For Grandma and Grandpa
Built a twin bed trundle for visits from grandma and grandpa. Thrown together when we realized our setup was not going to work, we are planning to paint or stain once this visit comes to an end.
Garden Bench
Used the plans changed some dimensions a little bit.
Super Simple Bedframe/Hailey Planked Headboard
My grandaughter and I built the super simple bed and modified the Hailey planked headboard. We used common douglas fir from Home Depot. The finish is equal parts Minwax cherry and early american with 3 coats of Minwax wipe on poly with a light sanding with 220 grit between coats. Total cost was about 250.00.
Comments
Single Locker Cabinet
I built this simple but super cute locker for my daughters room! She loves it and so do all of her friends! This was a super simple build just follow Ana's awesome plans!
1-Board Cedar Desk Accessory Set
This build is the prototype for the 1-Board Cedar Desk Accessory Set plan. From 1 cedar fence picket, I was able to build this set in 1 afternoon. It was a fun project that I'm hoping will make a great gift. No angles, rips or special cuts were required. The only tools needed were the miter saw, nailgun and palm sander. Of course you could do this all with hand tools, but I love my power tools! :) The inspiration for this plan was some desk sets which I had built entirely from scrap wood. I thought it would be fun to make a plan to build them from just 1 kind of board, just 1 board, and cedar pickets came to mind. You could also do this plan with craft boards - you would need 2 pieces, 1/2" x 5 1/2" x 2'.
The build was really very easy. A lot of sanding to get the picket nice and smooth, but not difficult. The plans show where to cut as you go, to get the best fit and account for variations in the sizes of the wood.
I finished this one after assembly, but on the next one I'm going to try it by finishing all the little pieces first.
Comments
Sun, 08/18/2013 - 17:18
Fantastic!
Fantastic! I need to find those cedar fence pickets and get started on some desk accessories! =D
Mon, 08/19/2013 - 02:31
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your nice comments! I hope you find your cedar pickets, I'm sure you'll be able to whip up some "desk bling" in no time! :)
Kids' Desks
Simple design, very practical, and the kids love them