Community Brag Posts

Farmhouse Toddler Bed

Submitted by aehutton33 on Wed, 07/24/2019 - 09:07

I made the headboard a little different by using tongue and groove car siding leftover from our kind bed. I also added 1x2s on the top of the head/footboard. I decided to do 2 side rails with a 12" space in the middle since our little guy still moves around a lot in his bed.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax weathered oak
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Coffee Bar Sideboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/28/2023 - 05:48

I made this coffee bar from your plans making modifications to fit our space .It came out beautiful, I have made numerous pieces of furniture from your plans but this is my favorite . They plans are super easy to follow and modify to my needs .
Thank you Ana and keep up the good work!!

Comments

Kitchen Set

Submitted by lunabin on Sat, 12/31/2011 - 07:08

My husband made these over the course of the last year. We started with just the sink, and are still looking for a good faucet. For Christmas this year he added the oven and microwave stand using the sink design just scaled a little narrower. I made the curtains and the are attached with wooden dowels screwed into the sides. The sink basin is a dog bowl from Big Lots, and the clock was made from a set at Michaels. We bought a lot of the kitchenware from a flea market in town along with The Dollar Tree. My daughter is turning 3 this month, and loves to cook along with Mommy!

Estimated Cost
$150 for all 3 pieces
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Superhero Loft Bed

This was my first Ana White project and we had a blast putting it together. The plans were clearly explained and the end result is a sturdy loft bed for my son.

There were only a few modifications to this build from the suggested plans. First, I traded out the 2X6's for the bed supports and replaced them with 2X8's. I also replaced the cleats with 2X3's and used the same for the bed slats. Between the slats and the mattress is 1/2" OSB. We also did not use the steps as it took too much floor space for our needs. We added some 2X4's for a ladder step up to the landing.

The theme is Superhero so I designed a custom hero logo in Adobe Illustrator, printed it out and carved it into 3/4" birch plywood with a rotary tool and router.

We're pretty much done with the bed. We now just have to arrange the room and add some lights underneath and maybe some extra storage under the landing.

My boy loves his new bed and I loved building it with him and my dad. It was a blast and will be one of the most memorable weekends of our lives! There's nothing like building with family.

Estimated Cost
$200 (including new mattress)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The finish is two coats of Clark-Kensignton paint + primer availabled at Ace Hardware. The red accents are from the "oops" pile of paints I rummaged through while they mixed my gray paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

First DIY Project

Submitted by Barnes9916 on Thu, 02/04/2016 - 16:16

This is my first DIY project and I learned alot. It was fairly easy to put together following the ste-by-step plans. I did however have to cut the legs of the table down by three inches due to mis-measuring, but besides that minor hiccup this project was great. This was also the first time ever applying, or even working with, wood stain. Some of the areas did not come out as dark as I wanted, but the overall look of the stain, and the finished product we're pleased with.

 

For my next project I'm going to really try my hand, step everything up a notch, and attempt the Faux Fireplace Mantle with Hidden Storage Cabinets ( http://www.ana-white.com/2014/11/free_plans/faux-fireplace-mantle-hidden-storage-cabinets ). Wish me luck!

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut, Semi-Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Captains bed with Drawers

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/07/2019 - 09:01

Since you’ve been posting a lot of beds, I wanted to share my recent project. A captains bed with 6 full extension drawers beneath. I joke that it took a month to build and 8 months for my wife to chose a color...which is homemade mix of antique white and dark walnut stains.

Comments

Ana White

Wed, 08/07/2019 - 10:46

Wow this is awesome! Exceptional craftsmanship.  The full extension drawer slides are a huge bonus.  The stain color looks great, worth the wait!

Children's Ladder Bookshelf

Loved doing this project! We had been have a book-tastrophy for over a year. Too many books and not enough shelf space, and the shelf space we had wasn't being used efficiently. I love the different sizes for different books. We made some adjustments to the plans including using baseboard and wider shelves.

We did a blog post going into more detail here:

http://thisinsanehouse.blogspot.com/2013/11/brag-post-diy-small-footpri…

Thanks for viewing!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted it white first, then attached blue painter's tape and painted blue over that. Once that was almost completely dry, we peeled it away for clean lined chevrons. The chevrons weren't made to be perfect since they'll be covered 99% of the time.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Tryde Console Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/07/2016 - 01:19

I used the Tryde Console Table plans to make a small table to go in our conference room.  I liked the design, but if I had to do it again, I probably would have not built in the breadboard ends.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My Queen Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by redhead_61 on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 07:34

My little two year old is sleeping on this right now, hehe, which is so funny to see his little body take up only 1 square foot of it.

We got a queen mattress from a family member and I had been wanting to build this bed for a while so what better excuse. I had a TON of 1x3's from other projects so used those as slats instead of 1x6's as in the plan. I also used some other scraps up so my headboard part is shorter than in the plan which I also was fine with. It barely fits in his little 10 x 10 starter home room, but I am still pretty proud of it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Primer Plus Glossy White Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

candyc327

Sun, 01/07/2018 - 11:13

I am a beginner and I understand what to do until this point. I am confused by this. Can it be explained in another way: Thanks.

 

Construct the frame as shown, leaving a 3 1/2' overhand on the headboard end to secure the frame to the headboard. Predrill to at least 4 holes to in this overhang to ease attatching to the headboard.

Bunk bed

Submitted by Pkoldman on Sat, 11/23/2013 - 13:12

The ladder was a little to straight up, so I built a separate ladder. Made the toy box
From recycled kitchen cabinet doors.

Estimated Cost
Bunk bed
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Pallet Scraps Table

Submitted by BERobinson on Tue, 02/09/2016 - 07:28

Had a bunch of scrap wood laying around from deconstructed and unused pallets. Great idea for a table top. NOTE: Table top will be uneven because of different widths and thicknesses of pallet scraps. Use a planer if you have access.

Estimated Cost
FREE
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
deep redwood stain on the top with a poly finish. Same stain on legs, then painted with white chalk paint, sanded down, and waxed with a dirty black paint rag.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Extra tall TV stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/10/2019 - 04:53

Modified console plans. Used my router to make the doors look fancy. This was a fun build! Thanks for great plans.

Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Freestanding Living Room Cabinets

Submitted by keribeth on Sun, 01/08/2012 - 11:41

I made two smaller versions of the Simplest Armoire for either side of my fireplace.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150-$200 (maybe), including paint
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore's Advance paint in White Dove
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Triple pedestal formal dining room table

Submitted by indi82 on Tue, 11/26/2013 - 07:16

This beautiful table measures a little over 8ft x 3ft and made out of oak plywood and pine.
Instead of using individual slats for the main surface as in the building plans, I decided on one large 8ft x 3ft piece of oak plywood. I encased it in 2 inch pine and routed the top edge with a 1/4" round over bit.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Pre-stain conditioner (1 coat)
Oil-based Minwax Red Mahogany stain (3 coats)
Oil-based Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane (2 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Tall Media Cabinet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/12/2016 - 08:58

I made my cabinet slightly taller and wider. I also made taller doors to hide our massive DVD collection! I used faux metal ceiling tiles as the panels on the doors and on the inside top part.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I painted it black and distressed the finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor chairs w/ accent table

Submitted by bnakka on Wed, 09/25/2019 - 18:18

I have bookmarked these plans for my front porch a year ago. Finally last Saturday I decided to finish. 

I had to change the chair dimensions to fit 24" x 24" cushion, and the accent table leg height from 13 1/2" to 20". 

I also forgot sanding the surface too fine makes staining so hard and fine sawdust is not good to be around. 

Estimated Cost
80 for the furniture (100 for cushions and carpet)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Premium (Russet). Finish the wood before you assemble. If you want the cushions to be snug take off half inch more than the recommended specs.

Found the cushions on wayfair for around 30 a piece and the carpet for 40. I am using old pillows I already have in storage.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

The quickest project of all

Submitted by Debi G on Tue, 01/10/2012 - 14:27

I used scraps, so these drawer organizers cost me nothing and took very little time. I painted the tops to match my cabinets, just because I could.

Estimated Cost
$0.00
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
sanded and cleaned, a bit of paint on the top, otherwise nothing
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farm house table based on "Rustic Table" plans

Submitted by timmoore2 on Fri, 11/29/2013 - 20:47

This was my first big project, so I opted to use these simple plans. I ended up making some changes on the fly at the lumber yard by switching the 2x4 legs out with 4x4s and the 1x10 top slats with 2x10s for added solidity. I also had to adjust the length of the table from 8' to 6' in order to fit into our dining nook. We painted the legs and skirts with Behr Anonymous Gray and the table top with Minwax Mission Oak Polyshades. We decided to use the 2 in 1 stain in the interest of time (needed to be done by Thanksgiving). The 2 in 1 didn't come out as well as I would've liked, but all in all it adds to the rustic feel of the table.... not to mention the process was an absolute breeze. The simplicity of the plans allowed me to make numerous easy adjustments to customize the table to our needs/wants.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$105
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Two coats Behr Anonymous Grey paint on legs and skirts. One coat Minwax Mission Oak PolyShades 2 in 1 stain on tabletop.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Table & Rustic X-benches

Submitted by T.R. on Mon, 02/15/2016 - 08:58

Used plans from Ana White's Farmhouse Table plans and made the table a bit smaller to fit the space available in the kitchen.  Used Ana's Rustic X-bench plans for the seating.

Estimated Cost
Table cost about $120 for materials and the benches were about $27 each.
Project total of about $200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut Stain with several coats of poly-acrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Powder Room Vanity

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/01/2019 - 18:50

We're building a new house. Instead of paying hundreds to thousands on a Pottery Barn vanity I built this one! I love how it turned out!

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Miniwax provincial
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Richie1

Sat, 04/02/2022 - 13:56

@anonymous,

Wow!! Very nice.
Do you have the plans for this build?

MLC

Tue, 01/12/2021 - 09:51

We are remodeling our small bathroom. I really like what you built? Would you share any plans you have in how you made it?

Easiest Industrial Laundry Cart

Submitted by robinles on Tue, 05/30/2023 - 08:37

After a laundry area refresh, I was looking for a slim utility cart to fit between the washer and dryer. I couldn't find anything that fit the space appropriately, so after finding the Easiest Industrial Cart plan, I decided to make one for my space. I built it using a 2x6x10 board and aluminum angle.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments