Community Brag Posts

Slipcovered Bench

Submitted by Linda7 on Tue, 02/11/2014 - 16:55

My mother needed a bench in her small entryway. She had definite dimensions in mind and we looked everywhere. None fit the bill. Then I saw these plans and we went from there. She had leftover fabric from recovering her dining room chairs, and I had the plywood. She wanted the Queen Anne legs to go with her traditional furniture; we put felt floor protectors on the bottom of the feet of the legs, which helps keep the bench from moving so easily on the tile floor. The plans were easy to follow, including the tutorial on how to sew the slipcover. The bench worked out just like she had hoped. Thanks Ana, for the great plans.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60.00; about $40 for the legs, foam, and finish
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Polyshades in walnut; two or three coats. This acts more like paint, but you can re-coat in just an hour or so. I then used minwax poly in satin three coats for protection.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Green House

Great little project from your site!

I put PVC to the ground vs the metal siding and added a heat sink in the middle with some old computer fans.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$1,300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
PVC
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Niccador

Sat, 05/23/2020 - 17:23

That PVC heat pipe intrigues me. Can you share a little more about it? I'm assuming it pulls hot air from the upper vent, and cools it down via the section of pipe below ground, sort of like a natural A/C. Keeps things from gettting too hot during the summer months?
Kinda looks like you'd frequently trip over it though. I'd probably have run the lower exhaust right up by the edge of the door frame, or a corner.

King Size Platform Bed

Submitted by hawaiitara on Sun, 06/03/2012 - 20:09

After building my daughter's beds and some outdoor day beds, I finally got around to building a bed for my husband and I. I altered the plans to a king size bed. I added a second 2x4 in the middle for support and around the inside edges as I used the box springs to make the bed taller. Using the kreg jig really made this project so easy. I also used 1x8's instead of 2x8's because I couldn't find those in Hawaii anywhere, except pressure treated wood. It still turned out great.
Thanks for the wonderful plans!

Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used cabot stain in antique walnut with a cabot satin poly over it.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Katie Saldivar (not verified)

Mon, 06/25/2012 - 19:40

I LOVE this bed! I'm asking my husband to build it and I was wondering if you could email me the dimensions for the plans of a king size Chestwick Platform bed? I'm pretty sure he could figure them out on his own, but I'd love to make it easier for him :) Love your work!

Larryshandywife

Wed, 08/22/2012 - 23:04

Whats the point of sharing projects with people when they dont leave the dimensions????............How stupid!!!

sgilly

Thu, 08/23/2012 - 08:25

For sharing. It's beautiful, and how smart you are to work from existing plans but be able to figure out the dimensions you need for your own bed!

4x4 Farmhouse Table with Video

Submitted by petesveen on Sun, 04/06/2014 - 14:55

When I saw Ana's plans for this table I had to build it. I did modify the size to make the table top a little wider and longer. The extra width is great for putting more food or a center piece in the middle of the table.

I thought the build was pretty simple and everyone who visits our house loves the table. It is definitely a conversational piece.

The table and benches are heavy duty and will be able to passed on for many generations. I love the rustic look and so the steel wool/vinegar stain was my finish of choice.

I decided to document the entire build and created the most in-depth farmhouse table video tutorial online. The goal with the video is to show how easy it is to build the table using Ana's plans!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Steel Wool and Vinegar Mixture. I then used an oil based Polyurethane from Minwax to protect the wood.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Altered Apothecary Media Console

Submitted by vlilly on Sat, 04/12/2014 - 08:34

I had the wood to make this for about 2 weeks. Started on Tuesday and finished Thursday evening! I wanted the look to be different from the Apothecary look so I made the doors a little different!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained all wood with Rustoleum "Carrington" stain, then painted over the bottom part with Rustoleum "Heirloom White" Spray paint. Distressed through the white so the dark stain could peek through.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

jeanniemn

Mon, 04/14/2014 - 17:16

I love this! I just finished putting the frame together but wasn't loving the original door look. Can you tell me how you did the beadboard doors? And what hinges? Thanks!

vlilly

Sat, 04/19/2014 - 08:02

Sure! I just bought a 4'x8' sheet of beadboard from Lowes. I have about half left over. They sometimes have half sheets but didn't when I went. I had them to rough cut it into 20" strips to fit in my car. It came white but I painted over it with Rustoleum Heirloom White spray paint. I bought 2 12ft boards for the frames, I think they were 1/2"x2".. only around $8 per piece and they are stocked vertically at lowes near the beadboard (at the store near me at least!) I cut the beadboard at home and then cut the frame board to fit. I used glue and a brad nailer with 5/8" nails to attach them to the beadboard. My doors had to overlap the plywood since I had the extra shelf that was flush with the rest of the cabinet.. I couldn't inset my doors like she did at Shanty-2-Chic. I bought the same hinges she used, the brand is Liberty and I found them at Home Depot. $5 something for a 2 pack. They are awesome! The doors aren't heavy duty but we didn't need them to be. You could always add a layer of MDF or Lauan if you wanted them to be more sturdy!

I hope this helps.. I'll be glad to answer more questions!

jeanniemn

Thu, 05/01/2014 - 18:28

Thanks!! We are almost done but are stumped by the hinges (I bought the Liberty ones too). Any tips on those? I think we are just over-thinking it, it can't be that hard!!

jeanniemn

Thu, 05/01/2014 - 18:42

Thanks!! We are almost done but are stumped by the hinges (I bought the Liberty ones too). Any tips on those? I think we are just over-thinking it, it can't be that hard!!

pde00311

Fri, 05/02/2014 - 06:53

...has completely stumped me before, and buying the wrong type has halted one of my first projects. Make sure you pick the right hinge for how you want your doors to align. From my experience, HD sells mostly "overlay" and "3/8 offset" hinges, with a small selection of "inset" hinges. These links are to a different hinge manufacturers, but the little pictures/explanations have helped me figure out what type of hinge I need to buy:

http://www.rockler.com/how-to/understanding-hinges

http://www.menards.com/main/store/20090519001/items/media/Millwork/Belw…

(and vlilly, I love the distressed finish on the console above).

$18 Star Shaped Clothes Drying Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/15/2016 - 19:54

Make a beautiful star shaped clothes drying rack that magically expands, using very simple tools and materials! Detailed tutorial and free building plans.

Estimated Cost
$18
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Custom Step Stool

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/03/2024 - 08:40

I’m going to make a step stool for the son of good friends in Florida. The design I liked had dovetail joints, which I’ve never cut before. So I made this stool for my wife as a prototype. Walnut sides with Cherry for the steps. 12.5” front to back, 14” tall, and just about a foot side to side.

Mark Johnson

Hand Made by: Rusty Pine

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/22/2016 - 09:27

I made this in 1 day from the plans here on Ana White what a fun project it was and fairly simple to build 

for such a beautiful piece..www.facebook.com/groups/ozaofwc/ 

Estimated Cost
it cost me roughly 49.00 to build materials got at home depot here in florida..
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
We used Varathane Dark walnut stain..
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Sawhorse Table - Sewing Table

Submitted by samdwest on Tue, 07/17/2012 - 14:46

Found the plans for the sawhorse table on Ana and knew it would be perfect as my new sewing table. Such a lovely piece that will be very universal throughout the house!

Became a weekend project only because of the stain and painting that had to be done.

Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Mermaid Treasure Satin on Legs with Glaze
Minwax Polyshades Espresso Stain on Table Top
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor Sectional

We have been looking for a deal on an outdoor sectional for a whole year. Nothing. The cheapest we could find was $899 for one that was much smaller than this one and with thinner cushions. So we upped and drove to the lumber yard and purchased the lumber on the list and got to building. The total cost of lumber was $200, the Spax screws we already had on hand. We used pocket holes for the joints. The wife made the cushions herself. She had most of the fabric on hand, we just had to buy 3 yards for the back cushions, which are made of standard size pillows. They have been sprayed with fabric protectant for outdoor use (I think she used the Scotch brand). The seat cushions are 5 inches thick (they are wrapped in silk film to protect them from getting soaked when it rains or when someone who just got out of the pool sits on them), around $100 for both. It took her a couple of days to sew the box cushion covers.

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Seasonal And Holiday

Rustic Planked Wood King Headboard

This was a very nice and easy project. I probably could have finished in one day if it had not been 105 degrees outside! I recommend these plans to anybody who knows how to use a saw. I also used all screws instead of nails. Wood- Grade II Pine, purchased from Lowe's FInish- One coat Minwax Dark Walnut oil based stain One Coat Minwax Polyshades Mission Oak After the Polyshades dried, I went over the whole piece with steel wool to smooth it out.

Estimated Cost
$130
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Finish:

One coat Minwax dark walnut stain
One Coat Minwax Polyshades Mission Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My Greenhouse

I went from a 6 x 8 Harbor Freight Greenhouse to this one 10 x 12. I added a few windows...

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Garden Shed

Submitted by Deborah on Sat, 08/18/2012 - 23:01

I have been dreaming about building so many things featured on this website, and I finally buckled down and built something. I figured that an outside garden shed would be a bit more forgiving than a project requiring a bit more precision, and from the picture, you can see that it's not perfect! I'm still working on trimming the shingles and I still have to stain/seal it. I've got to admit, when I first picked up the wood for the project at the store, I wondered what I had gotten myself into. But I just jumped in, and here it is.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Plan to stain it with some sort of deck stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Planter Boxes

Submitted by rendall28 on Mon, 06/22/2020 - 16:26

I followed the plan exactly including the suggestion of the fence paint (2 coats). This was a very easy build. It took much longer to paint than it did to build. These boxes are the perfect accent on our new patio/firepit.

Estimated Cost
$10/box for the wood
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Fence Stain (white) 2 coats
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Nightstand shelves

Wanted new nightstand but also wanted so shelving for pictures and stuff. Saw a picture on here and google images and decided to make it my own.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
paint is Rust-oleum Chalked (linen white). Had this from pervious project.
Stain is Minwax semi-transparent Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

12 year old built her bed!

Submitted by gmktt on Wed, 07/08/2020 - 20:01

Thanks Ana White for the awesome plans! My daughter decided she wanted a new bed, so I told her I’d help her build one. I am not a carpenter, by any stretch, but I thought it would be some good dad/daughter bonding time. She tweaked your plans, did all the cuts, drilling, sanding, and painting (well, most of the sanding and painting anyway), and tolerated her father with great grace. It turned out pretty well. We couldn’t have done it without your plans! Thanks again! —Gabe

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$600.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White semi-gloss interior latex.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Dining Table

Submitted by rpecho97 on Fri, 07/10/2020 - 08:08

Wood - common pine Stain - Danish Watco Oil Light Walnut - 4 coats Top of table Sealed - Minwax Polyurethane Clear Satin - 2 coats Legs painted with Rust-Oleum Chalked Charcoal - 2 coats

Estimated Cost
$50 lumber
$50 stain, seal, paint
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Danish Watco Oil with topcoat Minwax Polyurethane Clear Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
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