Community Brag Posts

I used cedar left over from a bar my husband made in our kitchen. I didn't have to purchase any materials as I used his left over pieces.

I didn't like my ledges with the back board, and I wasn't too keen on making the key holes. Instead of 24 inches I made my shleves 1 ft. long. I also laid the spacers so that the distance between the top and bottom of the ledge was less than the plan called for. This allowed me to attach a wooden strip (7.5 x 1.5 cut from the cedar 1x4 that I ripped on the table saw) to the wall that the barn beam shelf slips onto and anchors the ledges instead of using the key hole hanger.

The plans are so easy to follow! They are a great jumping off point for customizing the coop for your own needs! We added a run door, ladder support, insulated floor and wall, removable window, and a loft door. The girls LOVE it!

Thank you for all the diagrams on this website, this project could not have been completed without these.  The entire project took a month worth of weekends.  I used 2 sheets of 3/4" Birch plywood, 2x12x10 Southern Yellow Pine (rip to 4" strips), and 1x8x10 Ponderosa Pine for the roof and slats.  Our 3 year old loves the bed and could not wait to use it.  All month he has been asking about his new room, normally he does not like change but he loved this bed.

Built the benchright table with a few modifications. Finding straight or even somewhat straight 2x2's is near impossible so I used top choice 2x4s. I used a chain and a turnbuckle instead of the black iron pipe. I painted the hardware with copper spray paint. The stain is ebony miniwax water based stain. Let me know what you think, I'm open to suggestions.

American Girl Farmhouse Doll Bed.

Modification:

Customized a space for our trash bin, to lift it up to the main floor level. Now we can toss trash without leaving the kitchen.  Fantastic!

My daughter-in-law needed a compact sewing table, and this plan fit the bill perfectly! I did use 2 x 2 legs instead of 1 x 2s. This makes the table considerably more stable if you plan to use this table with your machine. If you do use the 2 x 2s for legs, you will need to widen your table top dimensions from 15 1/2" to 17" to accommodate the larger diameter of the legs. I also used a piano hinge for each drop leaf. They weren't much more expensive than the hinges listed in the plans, but again, they provide more stability (imho).

I wanted to show the locking mechanism for the legs in detail. I love these as they hold the legs in place when the drop leaf is down, and they pop into place when the leaf is in use. Called "folding leg fitting" it is part S-149L at $3.65 each at the following link:

http://www.hardwaretree.com/proddetail.php?prod=S-149L

When my daughter-in-law received her gift on Christmas Eve, she wouldn't even let me keep it for another day or two so I could touch-uppaint some spots...she loves it.

Thank you, Ana, for the wonderful plans!!

This was my first project (ever). There were a few times that I wanted to throw the whole thing on the floor and start over but I persisted and it actually turned out very nice. Way better than I had anticipated. Thank you for the plans!

My little girl needed a step stool after building a modern height bathroom vanity.  She was so excited to help with the painting.  This was a very fast build.  I spent more time painting than building.  I used scrap 3/4" purebond plywood and had the paint on hand.  I also used a spray lacquer to seal the paint.  I used glue and my brad nailer, but will also add screws for extra support now that it is painted. I used a CD to trace the curves and the edge of a 2x4 to trace the handle.  Thank you for another great plan! 

We used the plans for the Fancy X Farmhouse Table and made some modifications to fit our space. Our first mod was to make it only 65 in long ... which meant the angled pieces in the middle aren't there any longer as it would have been too busy. The second mod we made was anywhere it stated to put 2 2x4s together we replaced it with Douglas Fir 4x4 (found at our Orange store).

I was looking for something to hold my scrapbooking supplies.  I want to use my formal dining room as my craft room but have the illusion it's still a dining room. This plan was perfect.  This was my first time building anything from Ana's site.  I added feet to the bottom to change up the look just a little.  I also used a more detailed base molding.  I also added some support to the bottom to have somewhere to attach the feet and distribute the weight of all my scrapbooking supplies.  The best advice was to leave the top off until the end.  I also waited to attach the back till the very end also.  I thought I'd have the most trouble with the drawers but the doors ended up being the hardest part for me. Overall I'm very happy with the buffet!  I haven't decided how I'd like to satin it yet. I'll eventually get that done!  On to the next project. :)

Moses Cradle, easy project. Used a rocker from an old rocking chair and traced it. Finish is Minwax Polyshade in Espresso. Sprayed using my $12 Harbor Freight sprayer. 

Made as a baby shower gift. It was well received!

I followed the plans exactly, and added the headboard at my daughter's request. My brother recently tore down an old fence, and I pulled this gate out from under a brush pile. I strengthened it with lots of screws and cut each side to bring it down to the same width as the bed. The whole project cost me somewhere around $150-160 because I literally had nothing but a drill. I had to buy everything from screws to nails to wood conditioner, etc. Not bad for a truly "from-scratch" project.

This was really a simple and fun project!  My wife saw this on Ana White and knew immediately that this was a “must do now” endeavor.   The industrial look of the pipes really fit the decorating motif of our guest bath. 

We used reclaimed barn wood purchased at a local hardwood store.  The wood was, presumably, some type of cedar and was very user friendly; no cracking from screws and cut / glued very well.  We did have to run the stock through the joiner first, however, as the edges were weathered, warped & gouged.  We didn’t sand or finish the wood in any manner and it looks exactly as it did when it was part of a standing barn. 

We used 3 – ¾”  30 inch pipes for the towel racks and 1- ¾” six foot pipe for the top rail.  The pipes were  assembled & painted with Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic Paint & Primer in One – Flat Burnished Amber.  Instead of eye hooks to hold the ladder to the top rail, we decided on pre-painted bronze robe hooks.

After stock was squared, pieces were cut for the border and ladder.  The ladder is 32” wide (x) 48” long with 4” boards.  We chose that length so as to accommodate 2 towel racks with enough space for 4 sets of towels.  The assembly was made very simple by first attaching the  30 inch ¾ ” pipes as they really brought the construct into square.   

The only significant challenge to this project was selecting & cutting stock so all of the exposed edges were weathered facades. 

The project was finished off w/ a small shelf 23 “  wide (x) 30” long w/ shelf depth of 7” hung behind the toilet and a toilet paper holder base.

The bard wood was expensive (approximately) $200 for the project) and we spent about 20 hours building it.  It was well worth the effort.  And, to our amazement, all components finished level to the ceiling and square to each other … better “lucky” than “good”.

This was a simple and rewarding Fall project and is recognized by our guests as both a unique and utilitarian augment to our guest bath.

I built this table in one day and modified the plans to my wife's specs. It is 36"x36" and instead of using the two 1x12s on the bottom I used seven 1x4s cut down to fit and for the top used seven 2x6s which gave it the look she wanted.

Great plans!!!!

Ana's $10 ledges. In Colorado, they cost just a couple bucks more at $13. Thank you, Ana, for helping me see just how easy these shelfs really are!

My boys were in desperate need of beds and I am always on a tight budget. I have always loved the farmhouse bed design and decided it was time for DIY project. The instructions made everything so simple. And Home Depot and Lowes are always so helpful in making the cuts....I can do it myselft, but I have to say it is nice to unload the wood and start building right away. 
A few things I learned....

1. Not all 1x6's will be 5.5" wide, so just like the instructions tell you....double check

2. You can't stain wood filler...I had no idea it wouldn't take the stain very well

3. Using 2 2x4 to make a 4x4 post is WAY cheaper

Dear Anna,

Thanks a ton for such inspiration and detailed instrusctions! I showed then to my husband and he created a craft station for our daughter.

We used different fittings ( used the ones we could find in the nearest shop). Also, to decorate front pannel we used polyurethane molding left from house repairs.

=Tatiana=