Community Brag Posts

Little Red Toy Box

Submitted by hawaiitara on Thu, 01/10/2013 - 20:47

I built this toy box for a friend who just had a baby. I followed the plans, except I used pocket holes for the main box. Instead of the base moulding I used 1 x 4's and carved out the shape with my jigsaw. I also used quarter rounds instead of cove moulding because I couldn't find that.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
less than $50
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
rustoleum painters touch ultra cover in apple red gloss

Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by ssshindler on Fri, 11/07/2014 - 05:39

This is my first project and I am thrilled with how it turned out. Thank you Ana, you have empowered this stay at home mom! 

Finish Used
minwax dark walnut stain, polyvore wax varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

sagey

Sun, 11/09/2014 - 18:41

I  love this table sooooooo much .

please explain exactly how you achieved the finish on it > is the wood reclaimed!!!!

sagey

Sun, 11/09/2014 - 18:42

I  love this table sooooooo much .

please explain exactly how you achieved the finish on it > is the wood reclaimed!!!!

Farm House Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/13/2017 - 13:42

I am not a carpenter, I do not even have a tape measure. I got tasked by my leadership dothan class to build a farmhouse table for the academic dream room which is part of the Bright Key Program. Which is being renovated at Honeysuckle Middle School. Found your plans and got inspired. One glitch they wanted this table to be able to sit fourteen chairs. So I had to make a few adjustments like increasing the main boards to twelve foot. Because of your plans, many urban middle schoolers will have a place to get tutored considering cafeteria tables are so expensive. I am a believer of your plans. The positive feedback I received was well worth my time and would not of been a sucess without your plans. I did mine with pocket holes as well. 

Estimated Cost
146.37
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
American 230 and the middle a bluish grey.

Spent an hour picking out lumber. All boards are not the same length. Ran through a planer and I found it eliminates the need to sand. But remember not to plane them to different heights. Pocket holes are great but I found some really nice table joints at Lowes that looked classy with the kreg screws.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Customized TV table

Submitted by dtmak on Wed, 11/11/2020 - 19:23

I started with the Farmhouse Bedside Table stand to get the general dimensions and materials list. I adjusted the plan to get the height I wanted for a TV stand and left out the drawer where I could place the cable box or other AV equipment. It worked out really well. I used a router on the top to approximate the other furniture in the room. I finished it off with some adjustable height screw in feet for carpeting.

I added a lazy susan TV stand to allow the TV to adjust to different viewing angles.

Cutting and assembly was only a weekend's work. The painting and finish - to make it suitable for indoor furniture - required more time with multiple coats of paint, sanding, and polyurethane.

Thank you for sharing your plan!

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rustoleum 2X spray paint and water-based polyurethane semi-gloss finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Small-Large Rustic X Bench

We made eight of these benches for Christmas gifts this year. It was a lot of fun and we learned so much along the way. We made 5 benches in the standard 30" length, 2 in 36" and 1 42" bench on request.

Suggestion for building: Make jigs so that the legs and side boards are the same size. It doesn't exactly matter if the measurements are a little off from the plan, as long as they are consistent in each bench.
We chose to paint the bottoms off-white and stain the tops for an elegant rustic look. However, we fully stained a couple of the benches as well because we thought they would look best for a few of our family members.
It was hard to tell exactly how long each bench took because we worked on all eight at once when we had free time, but one bench shouldn't take more than an afternoon if you are new.

I also added a picture of the one bench we chose to distress.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20/each
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean stain
Martha Stewart "Glass of Milk" paint
Helmsman spray spar urethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Pam the Goatherd

Mon, 01/14/2013 - 11:10

Love!Love!Love! these!!!!! I so badly want to make some of these benches, but have too many more important projects to complete first. You did a great job on them. How do I get on your Christmas gift list ;-)

Simple Workbench

Submitted by coolove on Sun, 11/09/2014 - 15:27

A few months ago, I made a simple workbench to store my miter saw and other power tools when I'm not using them. I love it. It was a very easy project. I opted to do a full bottom shelf and added more 2x4s instead of the standard three.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish but I applied three coats of wood hardener for the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Castle Loft Bed "Frozen" Themed

I present the "Castle Loft Bed" with minor modifications. Finished in a "Frozen" theme.

It was time to upgrade my youngest to a "big kid bed" and she was insistent on a frozen bed. After searching for various options we settled on the "Castle Loft Bed" from the Ana White catalog of plans.

We left the slide off, due to available space. Also we changed the steps to be more of a usable toy box/storage and hamper area. I also modified the internal bookcase to have a small "secret" cubby for her "valuables". We also added color changing LEDs to fit the little princess's mood.

 

I hope you like my rendition and keeps in spirit the DIYers quality.

Estimated Cost
$425.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Various paint colors
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic X Desk

Submitted by CarolinaL on Wed, 11/18/2020 - 14:48

I finally got tired of my computer set up being on my sewing table. I will be working from home for quite some time and I'm so glad I finally have a designated desk for work.

This desk came out perfect. It's not too difficult but the X did take some time to get right. Used Ana's video instructions.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Provincial for the top
White satin paint for the base.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Narrow farmhouse table

Submitted by vic b on Thu, 01/17/2013 - 16:59

I shortened this table to fit the space, it works perfectly. Thank you again Ana for your wonderful plans.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
maple stain and varnish
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Tryed Side Table

Submitted by CJaq7 on Wed, 11/12/2014 - 17:16

Absolutely love this site. Built 2 of these for my living room. Now building the matching sofa table to match. Couldn't be easier and I think they turned out great. Thank you for all the great plans

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Golden Pecan with Minwax Satin polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Large Wood Pet Kennel End Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/17/2017 - 14:02

I followed most of the instructions, but made adjustments on the sizing of the wood because I was using rebar.

Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Beginner Farmhouse Table

Submitted by cwatson on Wed, 11/25/2020 - 11:19

I found Ana's book at Barnes & Nobel and as they say the rest is history.
This was my very first ever wood working project. I made the tables and found the pre-cut lumber for the chairs online.

The table is made out of Cedar and the table cost me roughly $500 in lumber and hardware.

I am in love with woodworking now and plan to decorate our newly purchased Farmhouse.

Thank you Ana for empowering us to expand our skills and find value and pride in our work.

Estimated Cost
500
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax - Colonial Maple
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Bookshelf

Submitted by JReed on Mon, 01/21/2013 - 12:44

We were looking for bookshelves for our children's bedrooms, but with 3 kids the cost was going to be astronomical. So I found a bookshelf I liked, googled the name and stumbled across Ana's plans. So glad I did!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Basic interior paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple staircase bench

Submitted by BenjiRPX on Sun, 11/16/2014 - 12:02

A simple bench to try my first Kreg Pocket hole Jig. I designed the bench myself, but did not create plans. I used pine wood and 3 layers of varnish for protection. My wife wanted to natural finish so I preferred varnish over paint.

Surprinsingly easy project ! And my wife is very happy that the staircase if finally tidy. Happy wife, happy life ;-)

Estimated Cost
20 euros
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varnish - 3 layer
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Little Helper Tower

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/20/2017 - 07:54

This project is so great! At first I put one side of the hinges on backwards but it was easy to fix and now it actually folds flat. I left the stabilizer feet off because I only have about four inches beside my fridge to store the tower in but it it's still completely stable. My son was "dancing" on it yesterday and it held up perfectly! Thanks Ana, I'm so excited to use this for years!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Garage shelves

Since piles of anything in garages just ends up being a hard to clean home for spiders, We decided to get some space between totes and open some space to stick the shop vac to clear out critters. This was made of pressure treated wood and plywood bc we are in FL. I used 4 inch decking screws to attach to the wall studs. Ana’s advice of measuring your totes before was very helpful so everything fit where we needed it to.

Estimated Cost
Under 100
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Ana White Admin

Sat, 11/28/2020 - 10:48

Really like how easy it is to customize this plan with the step, making it still achievable!

Faux Vintage Metal Letters

Whenever I see vintage metal letters in antique stores my instinct is to buy them all…that is until I look at the price! I was determined to figure out a way to make them myself for a fraction of the price. Here is what I can up with. I am excited to try other colors and fonts.

For the full process check out the post on my blog.

http://re-storedesign.com/2013/01/14/faux-vintage-metal-letters/#

Estimated Cost
Less than a $1 a letter
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Hammered - Silver, Martha Stewart Coffee Black Metallic Glaze
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic X Coffee Table

Submitted by jesskb on Tue, 11/18/2014 - 14:37

This was my first build and I'm really happy with how it turned out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$45
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used the oxidation technique and finished with 5 coats of satin poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Custom built kitchen

Submitted by DIYMomof4 on Thu, 02/23/2017 - 11:30

With our old kitchen crumbling to pieces, I decided to build a new kitchen.  I followed several of Ana's cabinet plans to build the entire kitchen(more than I could list at the bottom).  I was able to customize the cabinet sizes in order to maximize my kitchen space.  I made the doors myself, so I didn't need to worry about standard sizing.  It took me about a year from demolition to completion.  I had to buy a few new tools, all the wood, appliances, the floor, and countertop, and still spent around $5,000.  I learned so much from this project and we all love our new kitchen!  Thank you Ana for all of your wonderful plans!     

Estimated Cost
under $5,000 - including a table saw, hardware, appliances, flooring,
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Target Coatings golden chestnut stain and waterborne alkyd varnish semi-gloss. You can order this online.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate