Built from plans from diyPETE.com.
One day project (another day for poly)
Extra Wide Console- we will use in our beach cottage. A little rustic paint job and tongue n groove back board. The paint job was a tedious process. First coat was Semi transparent gray stain, next was a thin coat of Kilz primer, then a light sanding and finally a baby blue stain.
Dana T
I was tired of stooping to do laundry with my front-loading washer. I used the plans for Sausha's washer/dryer pedestals and tweaked them a bit.
My wife and I were looking for a dining table for our deck. We looked at a few to purchase but could not decide. I wanted something that would not take up a lot of deck space. When the Facebook post for the "Outdoor Bar Table" came up, it inspired me to try to build a similar table. I already had purchased a Kreg HD pockethole jig for a project I never got to (At least yet), so I figured construction would be pretty simple.
I should say my tables are loosely based off of Ana's plans, they served as a good reference. I lowered the table to 30" to match our existing deck chairs. I decided to actually build 2 half tables, so that when we were not using the table they could be set to the side of the deck. The back of each table is constructed with 2x4s so when the tables are put together it maintains the 4x4 look.
For the tabletop I had extra composite deck boards that I never used for the deck, so the depth of each half table was based on using 3 deck boards, with a 1/4" gap between each deck board. I used the same hidden fastener method I used on the original deck, so the deck boards are secured from under the table.
This being my first pocket hole project, there are a couple of small mistakes. 1) On the 45 degree trusses cut all 4 at the same time, then did the pocket holes. I missed the fact that I needed to drill 2 of the pocket holes on the opposite side. 2) I built the 2nd table back on top of the 1st table back so they matched. but I got mixed up when assembling the 2nd table so the pocket holes that should have been on the side facing the other table back, are facing the opposite side.
I did use Treated lumber for the table frame, and some of the pieces were still pretty wet, so we will wait until next year to paint the base.
We really like how they turned out, and that we still have almost all of our deck space when the tables are in the "Stored" locations.
Mon, 10/12/2020 - 09:54
I love your creation and the use of deck boards for the top, thanks for sharing!
Mon, 10/12/2020 - 20:50
I should say Thank You for all your sharing, which made this project possible!
Modified the original plan to meet our needs of a laundry sorter. Had problems with the hinges so ditched them. I used dowels with a combination of a chamfer cut on the bottom of the door. Dado-ed the trim on the doors and slide the bead board panels in. The face frame is all held together with pocket hole screws, which I highly recommend because it eliminates nail holes and keeps the face frame square. This was my first wood working project, took me a little long to get it done. Thanks for looking.
Modified January 28
So here are some more pictures of my project. I don't really have any good pictures of the dowels. But what I can tell you is, I drilled holes through the sides of the face frame and the trim pieces and then measured where the holes would be in relation to the "drawer". I then drilled holes in the drawers at those measurements, I was careful to not go to deep. I think I went in half an inch. After that I started at one end and placed the dowels in, then put each drawer in. It wasn't easy but with a little patience it worked. The key is to wax the dowels so they will last longer as well. I also am including pictures of the top and bottom trim. On the top the original plans called for an overhang piece and I didn't like the way that looked. I ran the top board an inch long on each side and then wrapped it in quarter round trim. I did this because I plan on adding the Mimi Hutch Top. The bottom was built per the plan, but I ran into a problem with my bottom trim not being level and you could tell. So I raised the whole unit on 1 1/2 legs then placed it on a level surface and again wrapped it in a decorative trim. The key on both trims was a nice miter joint. Last picture I added was of my stoppers. I took scrap from the 1x2 trim and cut them to an inch and a half or two (can't really remember), then using the Kreg Jig drill bit drilled recessed holes. I then opened the doors until the side 45s were level then mounted the blocks on each side. I feel that it is better than a chain or string catch. Again thanks for looking and I hope I answered all of your questions.
Tue, 01/22/2013 - 11:29
Dowels! What a great idea! Would you mind sharing how you did it? Could you possibly add some pictures showing the dowels? You did a great job. It looks beautiful.
In reply to Dowels! What a great idea! by moosmani
Tue, 01/22/2013 - 20:11
Yes I will send you the info you requested, I'll try to get it out to you tomorrow or Thursday.
Wed, 02/15/2017 - 11:05
Can you send the plans to me?!?! I need this for my new home! [email protected]
Thu, 01/24/2013 - 09:27
I love what you have made! Could you post pictures of the top and the bottom trim? I'm very impressed that this is your first project!
Sat, 11/16/2013 - 18:23
I am a little confused. I love the three bin laundry sorter, but everyone is mentioning plans. I am not finding plans for it on the site. Also, what goes in to hold the clothes? There may be obvious answers, but I am not seeing them. I'd appreciate any help you could give.
Tue, 12/02/2014 - 02:58
I've been thinking of working up one very similar to this, also with 3 bins, but I didn't want to use chain either. Those stoppers will be ideal - do you put them on both sides or is one enough? Thanks for the share!
Sat, 01/24/2015 - 11:29
Hi-
Im not sure if you still have the plans to this awesome project, but if you do, would you be able to share them with me? Ive been looking to make something like this forever, but just couldnt find any help!
thanks,
karah
[email protected]
Wed, 02/25/2015 - 12:35
If you still have these plans, could you please send them to me? [email protected]
THANK YOU!
Wed, 02/25/2015 - 16:45
I am searching for the plans for the gray corner entertainment center. Does anyone still have them that could email it to me….
Tue, 01/19/2016 - 17:43
Hi there! If you still have the plans for this I would love to have them! Thanks a lot
Tue, 04/12/2016 - 18:51
I would love to have the plans for the laundry bin if they are still available, Thank you!
Wed, 02/15/2017 - 07:16
Can i also have the plans! This is perfect for what we want to do in our laundry room
Wed, 02/15/2017 - 11:24
Can you please send me the plans! [email protected]
Mon, 07/10/2017 - 04:19
I absolutely LOVE your laundry sorter!!!! You did a fabulous job and the TRIM, WOW amazing!!!! I've searched Ana's website and cant find the plans' could you please email me the plans to [email protected]. I started building my own furinture back in October 2016 and the reward is amazing... Keep up the good work.
Happy Building,
Lisa
Tue, 01/16/2018 - 19:55
Love this! Can you email the plans to [email protected] please?
Thank you
Tue, 01/16/2018 - 22:18
I'm too new at woodworking to be able to tackle this right now, but would love to download the plans for future. My most successful project so far is a pretty standard bookshelf. I got a free plan, with lots of guidelines and explanations, at https://tinyurl.com/ydeup8lo -- it came with a 440 page guide, "The Art of Woodworking" that has tips and techniques, and am plowing through that right now.
Wed, 02/28/2018 - 12:53
This is amazing. I am very new to woodworking. Could you send me the plans please? I would be most appreciatative
Wed, 03/11/2020 - 23:27
I would love to have the plans for the three bin laundry sorter to build for my laundry room. Are the plans available? Awesome work!
Thu, 07/16/2020 - 14:14
Looks amazing!! I want to build one just like that, can you please email me the plans, thanks!! [email protected]
Tue, 01/12/2021 - 06:26
This looks like something I can build. Would you please e-mail me the plans? The address is [email protected]
About This Project
Fun project
It was truly great for us to find a greenhouse design from a fellow Interior Alaskan blogger. We kept coming back to this design, enough times to where we decided to actually build it.
We would be the first to admit that tackling a gambrel style building was slightly intimidating and not what we had in mind for our very first self-built building! But, we faithfully followed the cut lists and directions. It turned out beautifully! If you're in the same boat, have confidence that you can build this too!
We love the options available for making it your own. We decided to stain the greenhouse lumber of ours to match our cedar sided home. We also built a semi frost-resistant foundation, since we're a little north of Ana at 65 degrees and sometimes experience frost heaving. We also added full climate controls to ours, adding both fans and louvers that keep our greenhouse at perfect temperatures.
The performance has been great! Building this greenhouse has been the single greatest thing we have done in our years of subarctic gardening. We might even consider building a second greenhouse down the road. No matter how big your greenhouse is, it's never quite enough!
Thanks for the great plans, Ana! We appreciate your work!
We made two of the Picnic Table to Bench units in the month of March. The second one is in the bottom part of the picture hidden by the wood rack. I took the picture from our upstairs porch. My husband is still amazed that we accomplished this. He is not a DIY'er. We built a new house in 2016 and had a bunch of leftover wood sitting on our (unfinished) basement floor. We managed to build our benches mostly from that wood. We did have to buy 3 more pieces to finish the second back/tabletop. Then we got the balance of the wood moved out to our storage barn. The color is deck stain from our porches. I chose 20 hours as our time frame because the used wood required a lot of sanding and prep work. Our time frame was probably about 3 weeks but we are 68 and 73 years old and were really in no hurry. The plans were very simple to follow. We made them 6 feet long.
We mainly followed the plan but made some adjustments because we wanted the “ugly” side to be able to house brooms and mops and we cut the width down just a tad. We absolutely love how it turned out!! And we definitely needed this in our space!
We followed the outdoor sectional plan from Ana Whites blog to create this outdoor sectional. First we bought the cushions and custom built this sectional to fit the cushions. We used 2x4's and the kreg jig for pocket screws, then covered the base in beadboard and some pine trim, gave it a good sanding and a nice paint job.
Fri, 04/12/2013 - 05:46
Thanks! We built the frame according to Ana's design (customized dimensions for our cushions) and then covered the base in bead board and used pine trim around the edges. The cushions are from the Frontgate Outlet in Cincinnati.
Wed, 05/07/2014 - 15:34
Is there a link to the side/corner section of this so I do not have to guess. Thanks.
I used the basic design principles from Ana's site but decided to use 3.5x6.5 round fence posts (purchased at my local Tractor Supply Company) for a different look plus they are a little cheaper than 4x4 posts. I also used pressure treated 2x4s for some added strength and perhaps longer durability. I used Ana's cedar fence pickets idea for my roof (these pickets are used as walls on one of the other shed plans on this site). I didn't need a very robust roof as my firewood shed sits underneath the deck which provides a lot of protection from the rain. I attached the structure using 3 inch deck screws and the roof with 1.5 inch deck screws (nails would have been more than adequate for the roof but I had the screws on hand).
I did run into some problems due to my design changes. Most of my issues involved attempting to square up the round posts which are much closer in shape to a jagged stick than dimension lumber such as a 4x4 post. If I had to do it over again I would not have used the round posts. Constant tweaks and adjustments to the posts significantly delayed my build time and frustrated me at times. I was just barely able to wedge my woodshed in between the 2 deck posts which actually came in handy as I was able to secure the shed to the deck posts with 3 inch screws...making the shed very solid! The final issue I discovered after loading up my wood shed. The 2x4s at the bottom of the structure began to sag. I fixed this by using my floor jack to raise them up and placed 8 inch tall 4x4s underneath (2 in the front and 2 in the back).
Overall I'm happy with the way it turned out and I really love all the plans on this site...GREAT ideas!!
This was my biggest project to date. The hardest part was finishing it.
Mon, 03/23/2015 - 03:01
I liked this desk. how much would it cost for doing this? I am a writer at one of the and btw way work full time infront of my PC, wish to have a separate work room with well interior designed.
Threw this together over a 4 day weekend. Love how light these chairs are.
Substituted edge glued project panel for the table top and seats instead of joining several planks.
Used a combination dark walnut, jacobean, and early American stain on the finish.
Followed the new home depot plans, only change I made was using 2x4 instead of 2x2. Getting ready to build another one, but this time will also change the arms to be wider on the ends to accommodate wine holder on one arm and cup holder on other arm. :0)
Fri, 11/13/2015 - 20:36
Hi Ana,
Thanks for all your free sharing and advice. I'd like to return the favor (hopefully)...
Just wanted to say (as I am a painter) that it is best to avoid using any sort of "clear" varnish (such as poly, or spar, etc...) on anything that sits outdoor (such as furniture, doors, decks), because UV rays from the sun will break-down the varnish and cause them to fail.
Instead, it is best to use a stain that is suited for decks, like Cabots Semi-Transparent, or semi-solid, etc,,
best regards,
Aaron
Fri, 11/13/2015 - 20:36
Hi Ana,
Thanks for all your free sharing and advice. I'd like to return the favor (hopefully)...
Just wanted to say (as I am a painter) that it is best to avoid using any sort of "clear" varnish (such as poly, or spar, etc...) on anything that sits outdoor (such as furniture, doors, decks), because UV rays from the sun will break-down the varnish and cause them to fail.
Instead, it is best to use a stain that is suited for decks, like Cabots Semi-Transparent, or semi-solid, etc,,
best regards,
Aaron
My kids are very into the "Magic Treehouse" books so my version of the Sweet Pea Bunk Beds is called The Treehouse Bunk Beds!
I made a few modifications, mostly for ease of access and airflow. I added windows for each bunk on the non-stair side of the bed because my kids room tends to be really hot so I thought they would appreciate more cross ventilation.
I made the side panel on the upper bunk removable (so that I would have access to put the fitted sheet on that end) by using pocket hole screws to hold the boards together, which make it one solid panel then I put 1x2s behind where the panel would go so it wouldn't fall in and used 4 slide bolts to hold it in place so it wont fall out. Also I made the two front panels on the lower bunk hinged doors so I could just lean in to change the sheets. The method for these was basically identical to what I described above but I attached them with non-mortised hinges.
I'd love to get the storage boxes made on of these days. Maybe after they start kindergarten!
Fri, 06/28/2013 - 00:44
Great Job! I love your latch system. It looks so easy to access the beds and it looks like a simple addition to the plan. Way to take it to eleven!
Finished over 2 hrs with 2 more friends. All of us inexperienced :)
This chair was pretty easy to make with Ana's plans. I plan on making four more just like it (updated: completed). The only modification I made was adding another slat to the back of the chair. I used a miter saw for all cuts which really helped with the speed of the project. The 2x2's are treated pine and the 1x3 slats are cedar that I got from the "orange box store" for about four bucks a stick. I also primed and painted the 2x2's (legs) before I assembled. I could not imagine trying to paint the legs white and not getting at least some on that beautiful cedar. The contrast really pops in person. Thanks ana-white.com! $20 per chair.
Thu, 07/14/2011 - 10:35
Love the chairs! and like the painted body with the natural pine slats.
Wed, 08/03/2011 - 08:03
I love that you added the extra slat on the back. Such a simple change that made a big impact. The contrast is also very clever! They look great :)
In reply to Way to go! by CreativeBaggage
Wed, 08/03/2011 - 11:29
Thanks CreativeBaggage! I finished the dining table yesterday, I'll have to post that soon. As a couponer myself, I really like the standing can rack you made on your blog. Brilliant!
This was a very fun and one of the easiest projects I have made from Ana's plans! This makes me want to see if I can make matching chairs as well!
If you have seen my other projects, you know that I try to keep the lumber cost of my projects as close to free as possible. Living on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, pallets are not free, so I did have to pay $2 for each pallet, being VERY choosy about the slats being all the same size and straight. The hardest part of the project was taking the pallets apart! Check the blog link for more details.
I used 1 1/2 pallets for this project, and the following tools:
Jigsaw (to cut the ends off the pallet)
Pry-bar (to loosen the slats from the center of the pallet)
Miter saw
Drill
Table Saw (ripping the 2x4 sections of the pallet, to make the legs and spacers of the table)
Palm sander
LOVED doing this! I am a total beginner so it is not truly perfect but that is what we love about it! My five year old helped me and learned how to work an electric screwdriver. We saw Pottery Barn was broadcasting a table like this and using that the screws showed as a marketing piece - so we have some screws showing and it is soooo warm and inviting. It looks 100 years old. Everyone loves it!! Thank you for the great inspiration. We made ours 6 feet long and 3 feet wide to fit our space and 4x4's for the legs.
Thu, 11/24/2011 - 20:26
Can I have the step by step plan too! Pretty please! I love this table :)
Thank you so much
-erin
I love my new sofa! It is ten times more comfy than our old one. We live on an island and it was definitely cheaper to build my own sofa than to ship one in and pay duty on it. Thank you Ana for making this possible! Never thought I'd be building my own sofa, but we are so thankful for it. We even threw together our own little ottoman/toy box to go along with it from scraps...added bonus!
Sat, 07/21/2012 - 09:56
this is so amazing! We go through so many sofas, mainly because we buy used, and you never know if they are going to last. This one looks really sturdy, and it could be recovered if the fabric got old, or you just wanted to update. Definitely considering this before we buy another one. And the storage hidden inside makes it even more desirable!! Love the fabric you chose as well.
