Community Brag Posts

Upscale - vintage bar stools

Added some decorative detail with roping and accents to apron pieces and back. Then painted and glazed the whole piece. Adjusted seat height but not overall height. Built it for our awesome neighbors.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
For three, altogether about $140.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint, Glaze, and water based varnish.My blog has more details. Valspar paint, Rustoleum glaze, and Minwax varnish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Bluebird Birdhouse Made From Pallets

Submitted by mtairymd on Sat, 11/25/2017 - 15:20

Build Instructions: https://www.instructables.com/id/Bluebird-Birdhouse-Made-From-Pallets/

This is a very easy project to make for attracting bluebirds to your yard. I wanted to reuse some of the wood I have from with the pallets I broke apart last year. This project uses a combination of industrial strength pallets made from 2x6s and standard pallets which provide slats in the 3/8" to 1/2" thick range. As for the house, I tried to hit the basic bluebird birdhouse dimensions for this build:

  • Hole Entry Size: 1.5"
  • Hole Distance Above Floor: 6" to 7"
  • Floor Dimensions: 4"x 4" to 5" x 5"

Feel free to leave the birdhouse exterior to weather unfinished or stain/paint it. I finished the house with a combination of stain for the bottom and sides and green paint for the roof.

Estimated Cost
$2
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Cherry & Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Bookcase

Submitted by Cassie1686 on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 11:17

This is my second Ana project.  It matches my apothecary cabinet that I made a few months ago.  I am using this in my living room to nicely store kids shoes.  I still need to get a few bigger baskets for the bottom.  Thanks for looking!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30-$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded, painted with moss green spray paint from Rustoleum (2 coats) and rubbed edges with Minwax Walnut stain that was used on the matching piece to stain the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Entryway table

I took inspiration from the Library Catalog Play Table and modified it to fit my needs for an entryway table that would not obstruct the radiator.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
25 USD
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
walnut glaze and yacht lacquer on the top of the table for extra shine , drawers with white water based paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My Little Garden

Submitted by HOWsMom on Mon, 05/18/2015 - 09:52

I started with Ana's raised garden beds, but due to limited funds, opted to cut down the size of the beds to be able to use a smaller amount of lumber.

I also used 2x4's screwed together instead of 4x4 posts for the legs.

Estimated Cost
$100 CDN
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompsons Water Proofing - clear
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Coffee Bar

My husband building this using Ana White plans.  I just love getting to put a bunch of different items almost as a display.  I love this coffee bar  and it is now almost the focal point in our dining room.  I just love the presence it has in this room.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Dress up Center

Submitted by Kassidy_D on Wed, 11/24/2021 - 09:50

Project #2 in the bag! I haven't personalized because I am still considering making another at 36" wide to better fit her room and giving this one away. Very pleased with how it turned out! Still learning!

Comments

Simple Pallet Storage Crate on wheels

Pallet Crate on Wheels
I had some leftover pallet boards and wanted something for storage to put under my new pallet sofa table and found this plan on Ana whites plans. I changed it up a bit with the side of the crate being different only because I had to use what I already had on hand....if you want to read more and see how I built it, come check it out at my website...http://www.mysimplehomelife.com/2011/04/pallet-crate-on-wheels.html
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
I did not use a finish, just chalkboard paint for the stencil. I wanted to keep it rustic.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Husky Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Victorian on Sat, 06/15/2013 - 17:17

I've been wanting to build a "plank" style farmhouse table for a long time. I used metal corner brackets to allow for easy removal of legs of the table. However, I found the corner brackets quite hard to work with. I think they're probably sturdier than just pocket holes, so I guess that's good.

I used 100-year old barn wood and it looked so beautiful. BUT...I have a two year old and I'm expecting another child soon, so I wanted to plug up some of the gaps in the wood (like old nail holes that went the entire way through the boards) and put something down to preserve the quality of the wood.

After researching a lot of ways to fill in the gaps in wood tables, I tried a few things.

First I tried clear silicone. I think this would have been a great option if the holes were just a little bit smaller. It ended up just looking like plastic in the spaces, though. So I scooped that out and then tried wood filler. The wood filler looked terrible under polyurethane, though, and no matter how much I tried to get them to match, it just looked like a different color. Finally, I ended up using painter's tape on the bottom of the table under slats and holes and filling them slowly with polyurethane (I used an eyedropper for this task!). It worked really well. I should also say that I sanded the already planed boards as much as possible to reduce the gaps between boards.

I'm really pleased with my new table!

I used only poly on the top. The wood is its natural color.

Thanks for the idea, Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Maybe $100 (wood, brackets, legs, poly)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Clear, water-based polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Round Trestle Table

Submitted by ktprinkey on Fri, 05/22/2015 - 13:16

Table was a fairly straight forward build. The only thing I'd do differently if I were to make another one is to paint the base pieces before assembling. Once the base is together its hard to get in between the angled supports. I ended up having to use my paint sprayer to paint the base because brushing it on was just not working for me. I ended up buying the round top piece from the Blue big box store and it was around $11 so that put the cost of this table over the price quoted in the plans.

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Base is painted with SW ProClassic in Bright White. Top is stained with Rustoleums Weathered Gray.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Doll cradle

Submitted by JBachelor on Sun, 12/17/2017 - 20:14

My husband and I used your plans to make this cradle... He built it, and I painted it.  I’m so excited to give it to our granddaughter for Christmas!!

Estimated Cost
We used wood and paint we already had, so it was basically free.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JBachelor

Sun, 12/17/2017 - 20:52

I put that it took 10-20 hours... that was mostly the painting and drying time between each coat, and doing the A for her name.

Custom Pantry Spice Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/06/2021 - 02:56

After special ordering glass spice jars for my cupboard I came across your plans for this spice rack and decided to attempt the build. Plans were very well written and easy to execute with a few customizations. I opted for brass rods to hold the jars in place and lined each shelf with shelf liner to ensure the jars don’t move when the pantry door swings. I am very pleased with the outcome and will be making a matching rack for my aluminum foil, plastic wrap, etc.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Sweet T's Easy Console Table

Submitted by Sweet T on Sun, 04/10/2011 - 21:33

My first build! Added a shelf to the bottom.  Think it came out great :)  Super excited to tackle my next project!!

Estimated Cost
$30 -$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum - Universal Hammered Brown
Added the bottom shelf. Did not cut the breadboards, but made a solid top. Also, added hardware for a faux drawer look.
Needed to adjust the cuts for the width to 9 3/4, because the 1 x 12 were only 11 1/4 inches.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Fireplace Wall Remodel

I needed a solution to my shelving problem. I wanted something clean looking, modern, and white to flank both sides of my fireplace. Count on Ana White to come up with a plan. Within seconds of sitting down to surf her site, I found that perfect plan to build four floating shelves.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Cube Entertainment Center

Submitted by mommabutts on Thu, 04/14/2011 - 11:00

We combined two 5 Cube Tower Bookshelves with one 6 Cube Bookshelf (with a larger top center compartment to fit our cable box) to make an Entertainment Center for the kids playroom. 

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
White Satin Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My little mini farmhouse bedside table!

Submitted by DogDoc25 on Wed, 06/19/2013 - 19:49

Fun project to do! I still have to make the other one, but thought I'd post the one that I did complete so far. The drawer doesn't fit in as perfectly as I wanted it to, but it's still ok and not completely noticeable. I was really torn on whether to do the paint/stain look but ended up staining the whole thing and like how it turned out. I had to split this project up into several days because of work, but hopefully the next one won't take as long since it'll be the second one. Overall not too hard!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
about $40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Mini Adirondack Chair

Submitted by MrCoffee on Fri, 05/29/2015 - 03:53

This was a fun little project that I built for a friend, whose son was turning one year old. I used 5/4 cedar deck boards and ripped them down to size. For a finish I used Watco's teak oil. I love the way it brings out the cedar's natural tones. You can see in one of my pictures the before/after when applying the teak oil.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Watco Teak oil for a finish and applied as directed by the can.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Last minute Christmases gift. Bunny hutch.

Submitted by jlsomers on Sat, 12/23/2017 - 14:27

Thank you Ana for the plans. Our daughters dolls needed some pets and this project was the perfect home for her New bunnies!  I can't wait for her to open this gift Christmas morning. 

Estimated Cost
Used all scrap wood
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

4 in 1 Entrepreneur Stand

Submitted by jkjackson on Thu, 12/23/2021 - 19:55

I LOVE the hot cocoa stand but wanted to make it “year round”. So I also created accessories for lemonade, fireworks and snow cone stands. The signs are reversible. They are made of metal and attach with magnets. The banners also attach with magnets. There are hot cocoas, gingerbread cookies, peppermints, lemonades, iced cookies, a cake plate, fireworks, smoke bombs, bottle rockets, sparklers, snow cones and a snow cone holder that flips over to become a crate.

Comments