Community Brag Posts

Distressed Barnwood Frames

Submitted by cdswhite on Sun, 12/11/2011 - 19:56

My bigger version of the barnwood frames. They are about 35x31 inches. I used a nail gun for the first time and it sure did make this go faster! I found it was best to build the inside square first and then I cute each piece of the outside square as I went to the fit was as "perfect" as possible.

Estimated Cost
$11 for two (had all materials but the furring strips and black spray paint)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Black spray paint, two coats of Behr Swiss Coffee, sanded and one coat of water-based poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

coffee table

This coffee table is huge. will be finishing once I build the console table, the last piece of the rustic x furniture I have to build.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
will be using Minwax dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Media Cabinet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/20/2016 - 22:00

Being a stay at home mom I am on a budget. Finding a cabinet that fit our price and style was near impossible, until I found these plans. I was looking for a piece that could function as a media stand but also had enough space hide my kids toys. This plan fit the bill perfect. I modified it slightly to suite our needs by adding additional drawers in the center and making the doors full height on either side. This was surprisingly easy to build and I plan to make another in the future.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Body of cabinet was painted was a latex ultra white paint and top was several layers of antiqued walnut wood stain that was sanded in between coats till I got the desired look I was looking for. I ended by sealing the cabinet with three coats of polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Adirondack Set

Submitted by JamieLynn on Mon, 06/24/2019 - 11:48

These were a labor of love!  I bought my first miter saw and decided this would be the project to try angles.  It wasn't easy but I figured it out.  

These were pretty easy otherwise to put together once you get past the stringers.  They aren't perfect but they are very sturdy.  I've had a few people ask me to make them one too!

Estimated Cost
$60 each
Scraps for the small table
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Door Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Blue Little Kids Picnic Table

This spring I was able to build the preschool picnic table for my son. Today we fully used it for a picnic breakfast with the cousins. It can easily fit up to four kids ages 2 to 7. (I also built the chairs in the fall)

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Adirondack Chairs

This took me 2 solid weekends of work - one weekend to measure, cut, sand, prime, and paint both chairs and another to assemble and finish them. I had a small amount of trouble (wood split) with 2'' deck screws on the seat slats and ended up using 1.25'' screws there, which seem to have fastened the pieces adequately. The stringers were the most challenging part, but they don't have to be precise, as long as they are the same size. These are very good plans; I built these two chairs as a gift for my parents. I hope they'll get years and years of use at the cottage 'Up North' in Michigan. Thanks!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Exterior primer/sealer, exterior flat white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Entry Table

This way our first project! It took about two hours to complete the table and an additional two hours for sanding and staining. My husband and I had a great time making it and are already planning our next project.

Estimated Cost
$85.00 with stain
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
We used pine to make the table and Minwax dark walnut stain. One coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

American Girl Doll house

Submitted by just sayin on Fri, 01/22/2016 - 17:29

smiley

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

Comments

Work Bench

Submitted by kyounghome on Sun, 07/07/2019 - 08:36

Got tired of working on the floor so built this.  Took me about 6 hours.  Was in no hurry.  Happy it is done and all my tools are organized.

Estimated Cost
Cost approximately $120.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

porcupine

Sat, 03/20/2021 - 12:38

I love this with the shelves at the back. I want something like this I can attach my hand crank flour mill to as well as have a place to store all my jarred grains and flour. Do you have plans for this?

Simple Bed Bunks

Ok, to start off with I am a guy and I love to build things, but I'm not some techincally savvy dude. I need simple plans and this was an awesome build! I love it, my kids love it, and most importantly my wife loves it. As others have said, It is BIG. but small things I did saved some space. For instance I cut the 3" off of the tops of the headboards to save 6" of linear space. Little things went wrong along the way, but they always do... finished in about 4 days workings sporadically. I've got about 350$ in it, and couldnt be more pleased. I will definately build more things from your plans. IF anyone is thinking of building it DO IT! Definatley need the KREG Jig. I should have bought that thing a long time ago. would have made several projects easier.

little blue box

This was my first project. I used my jigsaw to make all of the cuts because I hadn't worked up the courage to use my circular saw...so it is far from perfect, but it is very sturdy.

I modified mine a bit and used 2 1x8s in place of the 1x4 but still used a 1x4 for the lip.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Under $50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Mythic Paint in Seaside Reflections
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

DIY Desk

After obtaining two file cabinets, I painted them my desired color (which matches a futon cover in the room a well). I bought 1x6's of wood and 1x2 to drill underneath and secure.

Pretty easy job. Money saver.

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

American Girl Doll House

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/26/2016 - 09:20

After visiting the American girl store this seems like a no-brainer! In truth it really was not that difficult to build - that's coming from someone who is a novice. We ended up adding a small closet for clothing and also went to Michael's for room theme ideas (bedroom, study, movie room, etc.) All said wonderful plans from Ana and a great Christmas present!

Estimated Cost
$300, closer to $350 with all decorations
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic X Coffee and End Tables

Really enjoyed building these tables. The plans are great and easy to follow! I aged the wood before staining it, then finished them with 3 coats of poly! Best thing is my wife loves her new “Pottery Barn” like tables!

Estimated Cost
$250 for coffee table and 2 end tables
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Step Stool for Niece

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/15/2023 - 11:58

My niece is turning 6 soon and I built this step stool for her birthday. I used the design for the Simple Step Stool but angled the legs in more because I thought it looked better. To help personalize it, I carved my niece’s name into the front using a v-groove carving tool. I hope this will be a gift she holds onto for many years to come.

Comments

Weatherly Sofa

Submitted by astcgirl on Mon, 11/11/2013 - 14:25

Just wanted to show my Weatherly Sofa (Sectional) that I built recently. I've been drooling over Ana's plans for months now, I waited patiently until I could get a good deal on a Kreg Jig since so many of Ana's plans use it. I purchased my cushions first, I really wanted Sunbrella fabric since they will be outside in my Lanai so they need to stand up to the Florida elements, I was so excited when I found the seat and back cushions for $40 a set discounted from $98, however I kept watching them after I purchased them and they eventually dropped down to $20 a set (called Lowes and they refunded me the difference), so total for all 8 seat and back cushions was only around $170...the problem with them however was that they were 25 x 25 and not the 24 x 24 that Ana recommends in the plans. I just modified the length of the sofa's by adding 3" and With by 1" which did increase my cost of wood since I was short certain pieces however I really wanted them to fit and not look squashed in there. The extra 3" made them fit perfectly. I also have 8 matching back cushions but they are a little too puffy to keep on there so I just use 2 on the ends and stored the rest. The small cushions I also purchased were on sale for $4 a set of 2. This was a relatively easy project. I was a little intimidated to use a compound miter saw to do my cuts so instead I just purchased a Stanley Clamping Miter box that was able to do the 30 degree cuts to make the x's. Total cost was $470 with all the cushions. I used Behr Weather Proofing Wood Stain & Sealer Semi-permanent in COFFEE which gave it a driftwood beachy look. It is so comfortable and sturdy. I love it and considering it was my first build from Ana's site I'm now hooked....Thank you Ana

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Behr Weather Proofing Stain and Sealer Semi-permanent (Coffee) they didn't have quarts so I just got 4 sample cans and only ended up using 3.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Cedar Bird Feeder

Submitted by JamieLynn on Fri, 07/19/2019 - 12:48

Took some liberties on this one. Used paint stirrer sticks for the roof.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Used all scraps and paint that I had laying around
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Random paints
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Seasonal And Holiday

Coffee Bar

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/21/2023 - 10:41

Our wine fridge died, and we didn't really need to replace it. Since we can always use more storage space in the kitchen, the hubby made me this coffee bar as adapted from a coffee bar brag post that was adapted from Michela's Kitchen Island plan. He was able to make it with all 2x4s and created the 4x4 legs by gluing 2 boards together. Put it on some caster wheels and we have a perfect coffee bar!!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

baby doll crib

Submitted by hopester76 on Mon, 12/26/2011 - 16:49

I made my daughter the doll crib with drawer from the pattern provided by Ana. I wanted to give my daughter a special baby for Christmas but couldn't imagine giving it to her without a crib. I cut and assembled the crib with the help of my neighbor, and then made the bumper pad, mattress, and quilt for the baby. I also made matching nightgowns for her and her baby. My sister also made an afghan to go along with the ensemble. There have been huge smiles at our house since she opened her gifts Christmas morning. Thank you for such an easy plan!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
paint, I used a high gloss paint to finish the crib. I really struggled getting a smooth application, but I believe it was due to the cold room I was working in.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner