Community Brag Posts

Custom Kitchen Island

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/27/2023 - 12:15

Our daughter lives in a small attic apartment that doesn't have much counter space or cupboard space in the kitchen. So my husband and I designed and build her a kitchen island for more usable space and a place on the back she can put stools and she can use it as an eating bar as well. It took us almost 2 weeks because we were trying to build it in the garage below her apartment when she wasn't home. Her reaction was perfection! It turned out so great!!!

Rob and Jen Smith

My daughter's beautiful dress up wardrobe

Submitted by Motsy on Thu, 06/21/2012 - 12:31

This project was very much needed in my house! My daughter loves playing dress up and is obsessed with all things pink and princess-y. It has been driving me crazy that she doesn't play dress up as much as she wants to, though, and the reason why is because we didn't have a good way to store/display her things. Up until we built this it all stayed in this storage bin, but since you had to pull it out in order to even see it, she never played with it. So once I saw this plan I knew it had to be ours. I'm so glad we did it! It turned out beautifully!

My husband built it (his second woodworking project), and, like his last project, he did a great job. No complaints or issues at all. I primed (although I doubt that was necessary) and painted it. I actually did all of the painting other than the letters before he built it, and that turned out nicely. My only complaint was the letters. I bought some stencils from Hobby Lobbby and used a smaller brush to paint them on. For one thing I wish I had of been more careful and paid more attention to how straight the letters were. For another, although you can't tell unless you're up close, there are spots where the paint pooled up under the stencil. My husband sanded it down as much as he could without messing it up, but it's still there a little. I'm no painting expert so I'm not sure how to go about doing this without having that happen. Even with those things, though, I'm so happy with it, and my daughter has been happily playing dress up all week!

Estimated Cost
$30 for lumber
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Double Twin Lift Bed.

Submitted by rojohn on Sun, 04/13/2014 - 14:15

My sister asked me to look into building a double loft bed for my two nieces, since the younger was outgrowing her bed and found a plan for one from "The Hand Made Home". http://www.thehandmadehome.net/2011/08/how-to-build-a-loft/
I didn't love how their plan had a rope ladder and no center support in back, so I changed that up. Took around 50 hours work time total, but was a lot of fun and both of my nieces totally loved it, so it was well worth the time and energy! :-)

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
4 coats of Minwax Satin Polyutethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic end table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 05/05/2020 - 15:38

Doing the whole set of rustic coffee/end tables 1st one done! Thanks for the plan!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Black walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple Potting Bench

This is a very simple weekend project, it took longer to put the finish on than to build it. It is made out of spruce and pine shelves. The finish is done with homemade vinegar steel wool stain for the shelves and paint for the legs. We distressed the legs by sanding and wiping stain in some areas. Finished with 3 coats of exterior poly.

Estimated Cost
50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
homeade stain , paint , varathane diamond outdoor finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Cyn-d Williams (not verified)

Sun, 07/29/2012 - 15:37

I love the potting bench that you want to build from the Southern Living magazine.
How can I get my hands on those plans?

Apothecary Console

Submitted by Jorlik on Wed, 04/16/2014 - 09:08

Built straight off the plans except I added drawer slides.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Frozen Loft Bed

Submitted by ndelanuez on Thu, 07/14/2016 - 10:09

Those angles on the ladder are challenging. This is our first time building any furniture. Thak you Ana W

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Standup Desk built from Modified Farmhouse Potting Bench Plans

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 05/08/2020 - 08:31

Hello! I used the plans for the Farmhouse Potting Bench and modified them to make a standup desk. This has been awesome for making a simple but effective desk during the quarantine.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden Oak by Varathane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

CreativeNest

Tue, 07/14/2020 - 07:10

This is great! I was thinking of modifying the potting bench plans as well, to build a kitchen unit. My stove recently bit the dust, and seeing as I never use the oven anyway, I'm hoping to build a convection plate cooking unit to put in the old stove's place. I'll probably pop some doors onto it and have closed storage underneath.

Double Drawer Channing Computer Desk

Submitted by Ji on Sun, 07/01/2012 - 15:44

We made some alterations to Shanty2Chic's design. Rather than one side open we made two cabinets with drawers. It made it a little longer and deeper than expected but we are still happy with the desk.
We have a six month old baby, so we build during naps and when we can convince grandma to watch her.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax American Walnut and Briwax.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

JoanneS

Sun, 07/01/2012 - 16:21

Wow, this looks amazing! Looks better than what you would see at a furniture store, and the finish is so beautiful! Awesome job.

Ji

Mon, 07/02/2012 - 11:57

Thanks alot! My husband and I were worried about the staining process. The stain didn't look very good at first but after a couple more coats it started to get better. We love to build but we are still struggling with finishing.

Jason S (not verified)

Wed, 08/22/2012 - 20:44

Ji,

If you are finishing soft woods, especially pine, it is woth the few dollars it costs to but some pre-finish wood conditioner. The conditioner will help eliminate the irregularities in stain color on soft woods. It doesn't really cost too much and it really does help eliminate blotches, streaking and helps get a more consistent color.

Modern Craft Table for Two

This was my first project! I love this site. My husband and I needed a work space we could share. I loved the width of the craft table so I extended it to the full 8ft of plywood available and added a support shelf. Voila! Table for two!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Red Mohogany
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My first homemade table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/17/2016 - 03:04

This was my first time building something like this. I used reclaimed wood from my wife's family farm and decided to use thinner materials. I'm very pleased with the results.

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
Linseed oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple Table

This table is very nice and so simple and inexpensive. Just choose your lumber selectively. I used prime 2x4's for higher quality.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Screen porch table.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Craft Desk

Submitted by grandmaof2 on Wed, 07/04/2012 - 11:13

I found some measurements from this site and another site in order to build my craft desk. Thanks Ana

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Our Farmhouse bed :)

Submitted by drewant on Sat, 04/19/2014 - 19:34

My wife and I wanted to upgrade to a king size bed and we stumbled upon this website and are so glad we did. My dad and I built this over the course of a month, working a couple hours at a time as time permitted. It was a fun build and the plans are easy to follow. I encourage anyone building these beds to find the exact measurement of your mattresses and modify the plans accordingly.

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Valspar antique white in semi-gloss 4 coats
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

wthalin

Mon, 02/20/2017 - 13:43

I plan to make a bed very similar to what you did. I like the idea that it has a headboard and footboard with storage on the sides. How did you end up fastening the head and footboards to the body of the bed?

JanieMR

Mon, 02/20/2017 - 21:06

Bought your book and I love it, pouring through it every nite.  Planning to make the full size farmhouse bed.   Got lots of tools in the Garage and taking inventory of what's in there and what I'll need, (none have been used in a few years).  So glad my husband left all the tools behind when he left.

I've already built the worktable and saw horses. 

 

JanieMR

Mon, 02/20/2017 - 21:07

Bought your book and I love it, pouring through it every nite.  Planning to make the full size farmhouse bed.   Got lots of tools in the Garage and taking inventory of what's in there and what I'll need, (none have been used in a few years).  So glad my husband left all the tools behind when he left.

I've already built the worktable and saw horses. 

 

The Kelley's Triple farm house table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/20/2016 - 14:09

This was more or less a honey-do project for my birthday. My husband was able to use the entire length of the original plan that was downloaded from this site. It took him the entire weekend to complete all of the cutting and assembly. the wood glue application and staining went well-basically, after the wood glue was dry he sanded then applied two coats of a stain that has a white wash appearance. After letting it dry he sanded then applied two applications of matte poly. This project actually took about three weeks for us because we were in the mist of moving. I believe it could have been completed in the course of one weekend if there were know distractions. The table is now a piece that is the conversation of all who visit our home and it will be in the family for many years to come.

This honey do project gets a 100% thanks to making this tool available to others!

Thank you

The Kelley's

 

Finishing products: minwax water based white wash pickling 32oz.

minwax water based polycrylic clear matte

 

The $200 dollars was due to other materials and tools that were required

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
white wash followed with matte poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

2x4 sectional outdoor sofa

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 05/12/2020 - 08:10

My first Ana White project. My friend Shelley and I are RN's, and she got me hooked on woodworking. I started with cushions from Lowes ( in the sizes that you recommended)to see if I loved the sectional for a few years. I loved it so much I decided to have custom Sunbrella fabric ones made. Even though the custom ones were more expensive, it has been worth it. They go perfect with my California Mission style home. Now I want to add the armless one and make it a U-shape. I did add a piece at the bottom back of each sofa to hold the cushions in. The seat cushions would slide out the back when sitting on the sofa. I made the coffee table to match. Our family loves it!

Estimated Cost
building materials for sofa $250. Custom Sunbrella Fabric cushiosn $2000
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained with Carrington Minwax and sealed with spray Shellac
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Jelly Cabinet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/09/2024 - 08:48

BUILT FROM PLAN(S)
Patrick's Jelly Cupbard

ESTIMATED COST
$155.00 (wood alone was $145.00 from Homedepot)

ESTIMATED TIME INVESTMENT
Weekend project - about 10 hours

FINISH USED:
I used white beadboard for the backing and the door inserts. I stained the rest with Minwax Provincial stain. I will be adding black metal stars to the doors to break up the white.

RECOMMENDED SKILL LEVEL:
Intermediate

AAA Farm Tables - AAAFarmTables.com

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Entryway shelf

Submitted by solomonson on Fri, 07/06/2012 - 14:13

I built this ages ago but never got around to posting. This was my first build to replace a coat tree that my baby was using to pull himself up with. Hanging it up was more difficult than building it! The amount of storage on this thing is amazing.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Valspar black spray paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

loft bed for 18" doll

Submitted by mollyb on Tue, 04/22/2014 - 21:46

My daughter had asked about American Girl doll beds two summers ago. She looked at several plans on this site and chose this one.

A huge thanks to my neighbor who lent me his compound miter saw.

My 9 yr. old son and 10.5 yr. old daughter helped with pocket holes and screws. The were also helpful in determining next steps when I got "stuck".

Started this project last summer. By fall, when life got crazy, stopped the project. Finished details this spring.

Note: Chair was a garage sale find and repainted.

I'm a recovering perfectionist. If I wasn't so particular, I probably could have finished this in a weekend, but it took me much longer.

I attached photos of the finished bed and before painting. I'm very visual...hoping the photos will help someone else.

I have a few more photos. If anyone needs to see more views, please feel free to contact me.

Hoping to build more projects before my neighbor needs his saw back!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
sanded, primed, behr interior semi-gloss (color: daylight lilac).

(Thank you Little Stuf for the plans)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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