Community Brag Posts

Apothecary Media Console

I know we've all seen this piece done a lot, but I knew I had to have it as soon as I saw it. I finally got around to making mine. I altered the plans slightly to allow for 4 doors. I also omitted the upper portion of the backing to allow for easy access to component wires. The piece fits perfectly in my space.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
High gloss Behr White Paint and walnut stain with high gloss finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Cindy from Indiana (not verified)

Wed, 11/30/2011 - 13:29

That turned out great! It looks fantastic!

Guest (not verified)

Thu, 12/01/2011 - 10:23

That's gorgeous!

4 x 4 Truss Beam Table

Submitted by Wilson1022 on Tue, 10/29/2013 - 11:43

We recently built a new home, which left us with a lot of empty rooms and not enough furniture to fill them. Loving the look of pottery barn and restoration hardware, we started looking around for ideas. This truss beam table is exactly what we had envisioned for our modern farmhouse dining room. Mike (my hubs) did the building, which took only about 4-5 hours total. Then I did the finishing, which is what took the bulk of the time. We are super happy with our table and it is finished just in time for the upcoming holidays!! Thanks Ana White and Shabby 2 Chic for the inspiration and free plan!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I started out by applying Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner, to ensure that I got a nice even finish. I then applied one coat of Minwax weathered oak stain. This stain is very sheer, and I wanted something warmer and darker, so I applied a coat of Minwax special walnut with a paintbrush. I let it sit for about 8 minutes and then wiped it off. Then to warm up the color and add some depth, I used a rag to apply a light coat of dark walnut, which I pretty much wiped right off with a clean,dry cloth. Then I finished it all with a coat of wipe on poly!!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Altered 8 seater table

Submitted by Spayton821 on Sat, 01/16/2016 - 08:58

I fell in love with the truss beam table, but realized that it would be too small for our family of 7. With a little altering and using ideas from the pub/counter table, my husband and I were able to complete this lovely square table!! It stands about 36 inches high and is about 60 inches across. I am in love!

Estimated Cost
About $300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Weathered grey stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Firepit Table

firepit within a table....great fun!

Estimated Cost
£270
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
fireproof paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Mug Tree Stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/21/2023 - 12:05

I followed Ana's plans for this Mug Tree stand! I absolutely adore it! Great plans and cute stand.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Storage for my Classroom

I am a teacher and my school is a brand new school leasing out an old school building for us to use. The classrooms were completely empty and I needed storage solutions. I didn't have cubbies for the kids to put their belongings in, nor did I have any storage for my own supplies and things for the kids/classroom. So I decided to build "lockers" for them with the additional storage, plus some bookcases to store supplies on. One of my fellow teachers loved them so much, she asked me to build her some - so I did. My classroom has the BLACK "lockers" and bookcases, the Honey colored are my fellow teacher's bookcases.

Estimated Cost
about $350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
black glossy paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

spiceylg

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 02:27

These are great! You have some very fortunate students to have such a gifted and generous teacher!

sgilly02 (not verified)

Tue, 12/06/2011 - 21:55

I'm surprised the district hasn't hired you to create storage for all the classrooms! These are really nice. What lucky kids - and coworkers.

Guest (not verified)

Sat, 03/24/2012 - 06:59

Hi, was the $350 price tag for just this main piece pictured or for everything including all the lockers? I'd love dimensions on this main storage piece! Are there plans anywhere?! Thanks!

In reply to by Guest (not verified)

marlaandwilliam

Fri, 08/01/2014 - 15:39

the $350 cost was for everything in the pictures. the plans I used are linked - the main storage is just 2 of the bookcases stacked one on top of the other.

Oudoor sofa and coffee table

Thank you thank Ana for this awesome plan. It took me a week to transform the ruff cedar into beautiful 2x4. We use the kreg jig everywhere we could so the holes would be hidden, and black deck screws, and I couldn't wait for the cushions to share :) we added the extra pieces at the back and armrests. We used 12 boards 2x4x8 and no waste as we changed the measurements of 24" instead of 25.5 and height at 11" for the seat. One regret I used Thompson water sealer... we live in Florida and I am planning on leaving it outdoor.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Thomson water sealer clear
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Ssbme7

Sun, 06/05/2016 - 18:07

I love love love this! What size are your cushions? Did you buy them or make them?

In reply to by Ssbme7

Lila Archer

Thu, 06/09/2016 - 18:32

I made them ;) bought the foam on Amazon 72x24x6 (I wished I bought 5 inches high instead) and the fabric I found in a discount fabric store , sumbrella fabric for $12.00 a yard!!! And cut all the cushion seats 24x24 and the back pillows I copied the pottery barn lumbar pillow size, I believe it was 26x18 razor age . 

In reply to by Ssbme7

Lila Archer

Thu, 06/09/2016 - 18:34

I made them ;) bought the foam on Amazon 72x24x6 (I wished I bought 5 inches high instead) and the fabric I found in a discount fabric store , sumbrella fabric for $12.00 a yard!!! And cut all the cushion seats 24x24 and the back pillows I copied the pottery barn lumbar pillow size, I believe it was 26x18 razor age . 

In reply to by Ssbme7

Lila Archer

Thu, 06/09/2016 - 18:41

I made them ;) bought the foam on Amazon 72x24x6 (I wished I bought 5 inches high instead) and the fabric I found in a discount fabric store , sumbrella fabric for $12.00 a yard!!! And cut all the cushion seats 24x24 and the back pillows I copied the pottery barn lumbar pillow size, I believe it was 26x18 razor age . 

Lila Archer

Thu, 06/09/2016 - 18:37

I made them ;) bought the foam on Amazon 72x24x6 (I wished I bought 5 inches high instead) and the fabric I found in a discount fabric store , sumbrella fabric for $12.00 a yard!!! And cut all the cushion seats 24x24 and the back pillows I copied the pottery barn lumbar pillow size, I believe it was 26x18 razor age . 

Farmhouse platform bed. 1st furniture build.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 03/25/2023 - 13:34

My husband thought I was joking when I suggested I could build this bed instead of purchasing one. Was my first time building furniture but won't be the last.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

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