Community Brag Posts

We purchased an unloved Victorian Farmhouse in 2008 and have been working on it ever since. The latest project is the main bathroom. It started out really small and dark. Like most rooms in the house we had to gut the room and start from scratch and like most projects the cost was much more than we anticipated. We had to come up with some creative ways to get what we wanted on a shoestring budget. Part of that creativity involved building our own bathroom vanity. I knew I wanted marble to compliment the marble floor we installed. I took to Craigslist and found a marble slab for 75 bucks. Then we scoured for plans and made modifications that would work with our ideas and dimensions. We still need to install the vessel sink and the wall-mount faucet to complete the vanity, but we are really happy with what we've created, and I don't think we could have found exactly what we were looking for anyway. I'm so grateful for this site and for the support everyone here offers!

We created the legs out of 3 - 1x3's that we glued and clamped together. We decided on a slat bottom shelf to help with any moisture issues that might happen in a bathroom. The drawers were probably the trickiest part of the build, but my husband says even those were not overly challenging. We just primed and painted to match the custom beadboard my husband also created in the garage. He also replicated and created period moldings for around the windows and doors. Finally, we built a custom built-in medicine cabinet that I will be posting in another brag post.

The bathroom really turned out better than I could have imagined and it was all built using materials from Home Depot - no special orders here!

I wanted a place to sit and watch the koi in my pond. I have a bi-level home and the bottom of my deck is about 5' from the ground; the support posts are 6'3" apart. The joist layout made hanging a 4' swing absolutely perfect. So, I took the simple design and modified it to be shorter to fit my space. This swing could hold a small car - I just hope the chain and connectors I bought will! I used treated wood and plan to use an opaque stain for lower maintenance when it has dried out (3 weeks). Now, to pick the color! Love this plan! Thank you!

* I have tred EVERYTHING to get this picture right side up!!! So sorry it is upside down! This was my first every woodworking project and I am very pleased with the result. I have used it many time since for other projects now too. The plans were easy to follow and although it took me some time it was easy to make. Very sturdy and a great size to work on. I made it out of wood from orange and stained it with weathered oak stain.

Made these side tables for our master bedroom using the wood from 3 wooden pallets. The pallets took about 45 minutes each to disassemble and the plank sizing required us to ripped the boards to 3 different uniform widths.

This was my very first woodworking project. It took me longer than it should have due to my unfamiliarity with power tools. Overall I would say that this project is a pretty easy build. The plans were clear, and I only made a few changes/additions. I increased the overall height of the chalkboard by 4" and attached the back legs with a hinge rather than screwing straight into the back of the chalkboard.

Grill station

Made two 48" long cedar benches that could be carried down to the firepit in our yard. They're also nice for sitting on the deck and watching the dogs play. I had to use 3 - 2x6s for the seat instead of 2 - 2x8s since 2x6 was the largest I could get in cedar. Made it a little bit wider.

It took me longer than it would a normal because it was my first completed project. I couldn't decide if I wanted to build the top or use plywood or a project panel. I ended up building it using Aspen 1x3 for the apron and whitewood boards for the rest. I probably wouldn't buy the Aspen again. I would use whitewood for all or maybe pine. I do prefer the wider apron that the 1x3 provided.

Also, Jen from House of Wood suggested painting prior to putting the top on which was a great tip!! I stained my top after I put it on though, because I didn't want to accidentally scratch it trying to move it into place.

I glued everything and attached with pocket hole screws just for safety. One thing I learned is that wood glue does not stain, so I had to sand it down completely and sand off the glue that seeped for the final result I got.

Also, having paintable caulk is a good tip. I got a board for my lower shelf that was slightly bowed and the caulk was great to hide my beginner imperfections.

It was really easy build (keeping things square was the hardest part, but the carpet hides the small wobble I had on the cement). It looks great in our living room.

This is my second project. It's a coffee bar to free up space in my kitchen countertop. It has quite a few imperfections but I am very proud of the finished product. Can't wait for my next project!

I basically stuck to the plans, but I shortened the length of the table just a touch, and lengthened the bench to fit just inside the legs. I also used 2x4s for the legs, tapered them for aesthetics (similar to some other posters), and reinforced them with "L" brackets to reduce the wobble. We finished it with Semigloss white paint, Minwax Honey stain, and Minwax Gloss Polyurethane.

If I can make this table, just about anyone can.

Used square laundry baskets instead of regular rectangular baskets. The square ones aren't as deep but are a bit taller so I had to modify the plans. I added a backsplash and some wooden tags to the baskets to designate them for certain colors. I also added some decorative trim and finished the bottom in a gray stain and used white chalk paint for the top.