Outdoor DIY Play Set
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The one toy that we could not live without! Started this as a 2020 covid project and play on it everyday.
The one toy that we could not live without! Started this as a 2020 covid project and play on it everyday.
I made this without the fancy headboard, but I'm very happy with how it turned out! See my blog for complete details.
All scrap lumber was used on this, cost was $0
3/4 plywood 2'x4'
1x6x24"
1x4x24"
1x2x13" front trim
Mon, 08/29/2016 - 08:29
My son loves horses, so I made him this Horse Wall Hay Feeder to keep with the theme but where he would have a place to put his babies! :)
I altered the original plans in the following ways:
I'm not that experienced with projects so here are a couple of things I learned:
Thanks for the great plan! Now I can start on all the other projects on our improvement list.
Yes, my husband and I share our bedroom with 6 dogs and an occasional cat (or 4). Our older dog (Petra) has slept on our bed for over 10 years, and she's getting too old to jump anymore. We didn't want her to feel like she was getting kicked off the bed, so I made Petra her very own bed at the end of ours so that she wouldn't feel left out. I was inspired by MurdaRae's dog bed (http://ana-white.com/2012/06/doggie-daybed), and thought it was genius to use a toddler/crib bed. So I went looking for plans on Ana-White, and came up with a mixture between a couple of twin bed plans. I love that the plans are easy enough to modify my sizes, and come up with exactly the custom solution that I need. This was my first big project using Bri-Wax. The last one was kind of a disaster when the wax changed the stain color to something not-so-great. With this project, I learned to wait at least 2 weeks before attempting to wax it. I was blown away with the results. It is a beautiful subtle satin finish that feels great to the touch. Plus, I can easily touch up all the dog fingernail scratches that will inevitably occur. When I re-assembled the bed in my bedroom, I actually nicked it in a few places. No problem -- slap on some more Bri-Wax! My Bri-Wax was 11 years old, and pure liquid. I tossed it in the fridge (per Bri-Wax's recommendation), and it was as good as new. The only real problem I had with this project was leaking sap from one of the 4x4s. I'm still fighting this today. In talking with Rustoleum/Zinsser reps, they said that no sap could penetrate their "Seal Coat" shellac product. After 5 coats, the sap is still penetrating, but only if I turn it on it's side or upside down. I'm still baffled. I made the mattress cover out of a dog blanket, and made the cushions from some remnant fabric (suitable for dogs and weekly washing), so this was a fairly inexpensive project. It was a success because Petra slept in her bed from the fist night and loved that she had all the room to herself, and no boston terrorists (I mean terriers) attempted to bother her.
Sun, 08/26/2012 - 10:24
It matches the woods in your bedroom so well and looks great! Also, I love the bolster pillows around the edges. That is something I need to make for our dog bed. Thanks for sharing.
I really appreciated your garage/mudroom project guidance. I stumbled on it as I was trying to figure out how to design my project. I basically copied yours!! 😁
You also turned me on to pocket hole joinery. Previously I have used a biscuit joiner and find it very challenging. Thank you, I am a convert!
Don Arrowood
We had some leftover granite from an outdoor kitchen build and wanted to maximize the use of it. We loved the look of a rustic table from Pottery Barn and set out to find something that was asking the same aesthetic. I came across the Jilly and Mia workbench console and thought it would work great with some minor modifications. I shortened the overall length and height, went with some heavy duty casters to support the weight of the granite, and reinforced the cross beams that would support the 3/4" plywood sheet and granite. I went with cedar for this build since it was outdoors and I'll finish it with a clear sealant.
Made the swing then just kinda came up with my own frame.
Tue, 09/11/2012 - 05:04
I have been considering making this bench for a friend but I wonder how comfortable it is...is it comfortable? Does it require a cushion? Is the back high enough to be comfortable leaning back in it for long periods? Also - how long did you wait to paint your pressure treated wood? I just recently learned you have to allow pressure treated wood dry out before painting...no one seems to tell you how long you have to wait though. Thanks for any help/opinions you share.
In reply to Comfortable? by mikejillnelson
Wed, 09/12/2012 - 19:38
Honestly, it's not very comfortable. I think the seat part is a little too long, and the back is a little too short. We're going to put a beefy cushion on the back, and I think that's going to help because it will push us forward a little bit. It's not bad to sit in, but I definitely think it could be tweaked.
I let the wood dry out for 4 days (but I cut and assembled it the day I bought the wood). I'm not sure if that was long enough of not, but I was getting impatient, and, like you, couldn't find any real answers on drying time. It wasn't really that wet to begin, though. Hope that helps!
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 00:04
I thought my kids and I were the only ones who used "ghetto" as a way to describe things... but I have to say that your frame looks great, it serves its purpose so I have to respectfully disagree with you, it doesn't look anything like "ghetto" :-)
In reply to I have to laugh by tracysmith
Thu, 09/13/2012 - 15:31
Well thank you! I put the first coat of white paint on the frame today and it looks much nicer now!
Tue, 01/22/2013 - 10:02
Hey, can you post the dimensions of your frame? its exactly what I'm looking for. Do you have it screwed down to the deck? will it tip over?
Tue, 01/22/2013 - 11:27
Hey, can you post the dimensions of your frame? its exactly what I'm looking for. Do you have it screwed down to the deck? will it tip over?
My very first big project! My 6 year old daughter was in need of a new bed and a room makeover so I decided to build her a headboard which then turned into a whole new room!!!
I really wanted it to it to have some dimension to it so I added some moldings and a mini shelf to the top of it. I basically just designed it myself, based on what some of the $1000+ pottery barn ones look like and spent hours at the hardware store finding the perfect moldings.
For the main backboard I used plywood, however to keep it light I used a sheet of molding and added a round edge to make it seamless.
My my daughter was so excited Mommy built her whole room.
In reply to Beautiful! by Ana White Admin
Sun, 10/16/2016 - 23:50
I am so excited!!! And fully addicted to your site. Thank you so much! You're an inspiration!!!
A nice quick build to add some decoration to the house. I made three ledges at 80" long. I had initially made them for a different room that could only allow 80" ledges, but ended up not being able to put them there because the wall was too curved to attach the ledges. Ledges have two coats of Miniwax Special Walnut Oil stain and Polycrilic.
All the "art" things were painted on old scrap from a years worth of ana-white projects. I used the three different stains I had left over (Miniwax Aged Oak Gel Stain, Weathered Oak Oil Stain, & Special Walnut Oil Stain) and alternated them on the three different types of wood scraps (Oak, pine, & maple). Then I "distressed" them with physical abuse and watered down acrylic craft paint. The designs were also acrylic craft paint. Then I sanded it all down to give it a worn look.
Mon, 07/14/2014 - 19:11
These are beautiful and creative! I see some staples from my own childhood there. :) Come do mine!
Still needs stain and cushions. Will post finished product once complete.
My wife wanted a collapsible table for her craft fair sales. I put a wooden dowel in the opening for her to drape packing paper over and hooks on the sides for gift bags. Easy plans to follow and it turned out great!
Todd Martens
Made two of these this spring. One for strawberry plants, and one for herbs and flowers. Made according to plans.
Thanks Ana, for the great plans and inspiration!
Hi from Pittsburgh! I’ve always wanted to make stuff from your site, and I finally did it — I made Ana’s favorite Adirondack chairs and man, are they comfortable! I made them out of cedar 2x4s and cedar shelving pieces for the slats. Very comfy and I hope they last a long time. Awesome instructions, Ana— I’ve directed my neighbor to your site bc he wanted to make some, too!
My daughter turned 5 in July. She loves twirly dresses, unicorns, and building. Her current project is a full size airplane made from wood. She is certainly ambitious. For her birthday, she received all kinds of building toys (Legos, knex, etc.) and quickly got to work, creating masterpiece after masterpiece. Like every 5 year old, dismantling a masterpiece is unthinkable. So, she has taken it upon herself to display her projects on every available surface, despite its intended function (i.e., my desk). We needed something that she could use to build, store, and display her projects that wasn't in the way and didn't disrupt our everyday routines (Mama's gotta work!).
Enter, this window seat. I've been wanting to build one for years but never really found a plan I liked. This is exactly what I was looking for, as it has enough building space and storage space to meet our needs. Maybe one day i'll get to use it as a window seat!
I used the flip top storage bench plan and modified the length to fit our windows. The lid is 69" wide and the base is 64.5". I added some supports in the middle, as well. I painted the inside storage space purple to give it a kid friendly touch. I also added lid supports on both sides to prevent pinched fingers.
First table my husband and I have ever made, and it turned out beautifully!
I'm still pretty new to woodworking so this cabinet took a little longer than it probably should have. I made the drawers a little deeper than the plans originally called for, which changed the height of the cabinet doors, but otherwise, all the other dimensions are the same. The laminated glass would have added another $100 to the cost so I used a chicken wire mesh that I dry brushed with the white I used on the interior. The knobs are from Anthropologie and I added a little trim piece around the top. I really love how much this cabinet holds. It is very versatile.
Tue, 08/19/2014 - 13:05
Thank you for the kind comments! I am excited to build another one of these for my mom.
Sun, 10/30/2016 - 13:07
love it! Did you have any issues getting the drawer in when the slides are installed? We installed the slides on the drawer box and then the slides on the case and we had to loosen some to actually get the drawer in, because the little wheels of the slides were basically blocking us from pivoting it in. Thanks!
Diy farmhouse table
We built three base units-each with different storage options and used the corner desk plans. Then created our own long desk top using a 6ft long board and using a jigsaw to create an open space for the sewing machine.
Mon, 01/20/2020 - 07:49
It seems to me that this room is suitable for yoga or painting.
Mon, 12/27/2021 - 18:28
How did you go about cutting the hole for the sewing machine and what extra building did you do underneath?
Great desk, easy build and very solid.
Only issue with the plans was not enough 2x4 (unless I cut it wrong).