Community Brag Posts

4x4 Truss Beam Table

Submitted by CJaq7 on Wed, 10/29/2014 - 18:56

Built for my son and daughter-in-law. Love it

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut with Minwax Ultimate Poly Matte
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Washer/Dryer Pedestal with Flush Front Drawers

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/06/2017 - 18:24

Thank You Dmccoy for the plans used for this project.  Great idea using the 2×6s for strength and stability! I built this Pedestal and placed furniture slides underneath to allow for sliding out for cleaning and access.

Estimated Cost
$130
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
First 2×4s, 15/32", and 23/32" Plywood
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Fancy X Farmhouse Table

Submitted by jonahnkopp on Tue, 01/08/2013 - 08:50

Just finished up this table. I'm probably going to sell it as the wife would rather have the Pedestal Table. So, it will remain in the house until it sells. Then, I'll get to work on the other one. Thanks Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$90
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
English Chestnut Stain
Polyueurathane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Garage Shelves

Submitted by coolove on Sun, 11/02/2014 - 23:16

This project was a bit of a challenge. My garage has uneven flooring and a concrete lip around the edge of wall so I had to make the back legs 10 inches shorter than the front. Overall, it turned out well and everything is completely leveled much to my amazement. I'm thinking of making more shelves on the other end of the garage to free up more space.

Estimated Cost
$90 including extra nails.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Pine Chifferobe

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/10/2017 - 05:58

I designed and built this chiffarobe based off of the mirrored wardrobe plans provided by Ana White.  I received a Kreg jig for Christmas and immediately put it to use.  We used 1x12's for the top sides and back to make it narrower for our entryway.  My wife did an excellent job painting it green with brown distressed look.

Estimated Cost
$200 - $250
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Brown and Green Furniture Paint purchased from Lowes
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Loft Cabin Bunkbed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/06/2020 - 08:11

My daughter-in-law and I (mother-in-law) built this bunkbed for my granddaughters following Jen Woodhouse and Ana White's plans. Excellent, easy to follow plans! Be sure and read through plans carefully and start with the sides.

Estimated Cost
$400?
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Camp Loft Bed With Stairs

Submitted by fletchro on Wed, 01/09/2013 - 15:51

Note: I think the plans were slightly incorrect. Add 2 more 2x4s @8' long (construction studs will do, you don't need 96" length) to be certain you have enough wood. I bought 15, planning to add the lower rear support rail, but then I found I didn't have enough decking. So I scabbed it for decking. Then I didn't have enough for the stairs, so I found some 2x4s in the garage that gave me 5 out of the 6 stairs. The next day I made the last stair. So buy 2 or three more 2x4s than the plan says. The worst that can happen is you have an extra 2x4 sitting around for a while. As for all the other cut items, just don't mess up your cuts and there is enough material.

This was pretty easy to build. It took a lot of work for just me, working by myself. I think the thing is VERY sturdy. We had about 200 lbs of adult and kids up there and it didn't seem to be complaining at all.

I used no glue. I think I was too focused on getting the project completed that I forgot to apply glue at the several steps where she mentions to apply glue.

I did not use Kreg(R) brand screws. But I used the nearest equivalent available at my local home store. It turns out there is another specialty woodworking shop in town which sells the Kreg brand screws, and it turns out they are pretty much the same price. So next time, I will make a special trip to that store because the Kreg screws seat much more solidly in the pockets than the regular pan head screws.

Estimated Cost
~$90
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I didn't finish this project yet. I have a pretty busy life, so just getting the thing built and installed in one day was kind of a feat. We will probably paint it with some good quality indoor paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farmhouse King Bed resized to fit standard king

Submitted by hpu2002 on Wed, 11/05/2014 - 06:14

Hello everyone and thank you Ana-White for all of your plans.  I love this site and have built several pieces of furniture for our home from them. 

This bed is absolutely Rock Solid! In reading the blog I noticed several people asking for the "modified" dimensions or resizing for a standard king ( I put them in the blog but this is what I did)

Headboard: 9 1x8's at 30 inches long and 2 1'x6's at 30 inches long (I omitted the 1x3 end pieces at 30 inches and that way I had 76 inches wide.

The plans call for the 1x4 panel trip pieces (for headboard and foot board) to be 80''.  I resized them to 76''

The headboard 4x4 legs were still 54''

The bottom headers 2x4's for both the headboard and footboard calls for 87''...I changed it to 83''.

The top header 2x6's  for both the headboard and footboard call for 89''...I changed those to 85''.

The plan calls for the footboard to have 10 1x8 panel pieces at 15 inches. like the headboard I changed these to 9 1x8's at 15'' and 2 1x6's at 15''.

We have a new 12'' memory foam mattress so I did like others and used 2x4's for cross beams secured with truss hangers and then used peg board for additional support.  The side rails are 2x12's at 62' ( I wanted a little extra room to be able to bolt them to the head and foot board.)

NOTE: The cut list calls for 4 1x8's  You Need 5.  And to do the plans my way you need a few 1x6's.

Sorry if this is wordy but I hope it helps!

Thanks Ana for all of your awesome plans!  My Fiance' loves the furniture and I am addicted to building because of you!

Dave

Estimated Cost
$200-$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Polyshades in Mission Oak (it has poly in it)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Apothecary Console Table

Needed a storage spot in the living room to hide the wii remotes/games and the iRobot mop, while allowing easy access and charging capabilities. This piece fit the bill and looks beautiful!  

We cut a hole in the back, in front of an outlet, and placed a power/USB strip inside the cabinet. 

 

Used routed plywood scraps for the false drawer fronts and they look so real that everyone tries to pull open a drawer rather than swing open a door :)

 

NOTE:  The cut list in the plans say to cut the 1x3s for the decorative top @ 35.5". They should be 37" each, which we realized after cutting and went to put the cabinet together :(

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
around $150, including $40 in hobby lobby knobs.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Finish in Ebony. Decorative top has gloss clearcoat and the rest is semi gloss.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Adirondacks

Submitted by Tom_H on Mon, 11/09/2020 - 15:23

Built a couple of these earlier this summer for the wife. We went with a torched wood look, so after cutting all the pieces, everything got torched and then finished with spar urethane. After assembly I sprayed a few more light coats just to seal up the screw holes. These are super sturdy, and really comfy. By far the majority of the build time was in the finishing. Cutting and assembly can be done in an hour or two.

I'll probably be making ~4 more of these for around the fire pit by the lake, but this time after torching the wood, we're going to use some color-dyed stains to change it up.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
shou sugi ban (wood burning)/spar urethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Clubhouse bed for my Eli :)

I was sitting down looking through the pottery barn catalog one day and saw the Eli fort bed. My sons name is Eli so I found it funny it had his name but also decided he had to have one! I of course was not going to pay the pretty penny of $1400 that pottery barn wanted so I knew if he was going to have it , I would need to build it. He is 2 years old btw. I decided to google Eli fort bed to see if I could get any other measurements. Then I saw Ana Whites website for the first time. I was in my glory and super excited when I saw the clubhouse plans. Though I changed alot of things, her plans gave me a great layout to give me the confidence I needed to go and do it! So here is my building before and after pictures. Just thought Id share and of course the last picture is my son super excited about his new fort bed!

Some of my changes:

I added 7 inches to the posts height to give more space underneath it and to give me space to lower the mattress .Then I changed the angle of the peek as well to make it shorter to make up for the height difference as well.

I used plywood that looked like panels for the walls instead of pine planks. Im not sure if the cost is cheaper or more but I wanted wood above the door instead of just a piece of trim like in the Clubhouse plans and this I believe was much faster then cutting planks and putting them all together.

I dropped the mattress height down 6 inches because I wanted the railing to be taller after the mattress was in the bed for extra safty since he is only 2. It is easier for him to climb up into the bed with the mattress being lower in the doorway as well. I hid the fact that is was much lower behind the 2x8 trim in lou of the 1x6 trim the plans called for.

I also added the top step to the ladder as well because 3 wasn't going to get him up there. :)

Thanks Ana White for the plans!! They helped to give me a starting point so that I knew which bases to cover when I altered something!

Estimated Cost
$210.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut stain by minwax and apolycrylic satin clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

bhoppy

Fri, 01/11/2013 - 14:45

It looks so awesome! I can't believe this was your first project!! This may seem like a silly question but how did you get the mattress inside the bed?

Storage Sectional

I had a horrible time finding an outdoor sectional that fit in my sunroom and didn't cost a fortune, so I adapted the Storage Sofa plan to work for my needs!

It took a couple of weekends, but I didn't work straight through both days - I would do one task at a time; cut all pieces, assemble boxes, stain, put together cushions, install in sunroom.

I used my kreg jig for as much as I could, and adapted from the original plan to leave the backrest open to give it a more outdoor look.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300-375
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Sandbox with seats

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/13/2017 - 22:09

This was my first project ever. I had a lot of fun and it didn't quite turn out right but next time it will be perfect.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$65
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Thompson water seal in cedar
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Platform Bed with 4x4 legs

Needed a sturdy bed for our Autistic adult son. Added an extra bracket at the head and base to support the corners. Then used 4x4 for the legs. Painted it a fun color and he loves his new bed! Need to find some ideas for a headboard but this is such a sturdy bed. We love it! Thank you so much for these great plans.

Estimated Cost
65
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Krilon Chalk paint. Blue gray off the self color. (Primed first)
Minwax stain for legs.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Triple Doll Bunk Bed

Submitted by dananryan on Sun, 01/13/2013 - 21:18

My friend's 7 year old daughter custom ordered this bunk bed! She asked for a bunk bed for her 3 dolls and she even picked the color! I had a lot of fun building it and learned a lot in the process. As usual, finishing took longest. Lucky for me, my hubby likes spray painting :-)

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
3 coats of Rustoleum Berry Pink spray paint, sanding btw. coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

entry bench using barnwood for shelf/coat rack

thanks for the plans! Took me about three hours to build, sand and stain!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
gun stock stain and a mat finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Fancy X farmhouse with extension

This was the first piece of furniture  my husband  built. He also built a matching sideboard/buffet table.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a wood conditioner then used a dark walnut.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modified Wide Cabin Dresser

Submitted by rhettar on Fri, 01/18/2013 - 20:59

I live in a small mobile home, so I didn't make the dresser as wide. I also used a little combo of the 2x4 look from the Rustic X Console (which I already made a modified version of) I liked the 2x4 look and I wanted the dresser a little sturdier because I was making it a little taller without a bottom shelf. It's 44" wide and 40" tall. I wanted a space where my dog could have her bed out of the way (you can already see her in her spot :) ) Because I didn't make it as wide I also thought 3 drawers to the top would be too busy, so I put two to the top and one large bottom drawer. It is already given me more room for clothes.

I have to estimate on skill level and time, because I do it here and there, but I probably finsihed this with in a week. I haven't been real good at keeping track of costs because I have bought wood here and there, but this may have been around a $100 more or less?

This was also my first project with drawers. The first was a toughie...but the other two went right in (???).

But I am proud of it and love it! Without Ana and her website I wouldn't have been able to do it....

I also have 4 other dogs who started out as fosters....so more space saving projects on my list....tons to do! So, please don't look at any mess, still lots of work in progress :)

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used 2 coats Behr paint and primer "Corner Stone" and Rust O Leum Dark Walnut stain (I've used Minwax before, but thought I would give it a shot). I paint and stain my pieces before I put everything together. This is just my preference I find it not as frustrating as trying to paint a big piece and getting into odd spots. The finish is what seems to be the most time consuming, waiting for the drying between coats. Before staining, I sanded around edges of pieces some enough to expose some wood. I also use a small brush for my stain mostly making a streak where the exposed wood was, use it sparingly and wipe immediately, letting the rag do the rest of the work in some places. I found this gives me the finished effect I like vs. other techniques I have seen or tried.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ann M. (not verified)

Sat, 01/19/2013 - 04:51

Lovely build and excellent space saver too. Also, so kind to keep your furry buddies comfort in mind as well.!

ACM (not verified)

Sat, 01/19/2013 - 04:53

Lovely build! Love the adaptations to fit your space AND make a wonderful place for your furry buddies!

rhettar

Sat, 01/19/2013 - 05:20

Thank you for the comment Ann. Quite a few of my projects will have my babies in mind :)

Dana P (not verified)

Sat, 01/19/2013 - 09:19

I love the way you painted it. Looks great!

Dana P (not verified)

Sat, 01/19/2013 - 09:20

I love the way you painted it. Looks great!

Laundry Cart

Submitted by ashlie on Thu, 11/13/2014 - 10:10

Super easy. Under $50 .. wanted an industrial look to match new shelves, and could storage laundry baskets. Wanted a certain width / color. Added extra pieces to bottom shelves to create a cubble shelve.

Love the outcome!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane - Weathered Gray Poly Wood Stain (home depot stain + poly $14)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments