Community Brag Posts

HGTV'd myself

Submitted by angiemicn on Fri, 02/10/2012 - 04:21

This was one of my first big projects, this site motivates you to get better. No, at first I couldn't build a box, now, I'm building outdoor bars! All of my skills, I learned from this site. The boxes are heavy, sturdy, they've had 5 golden retrievers on it, 4 adults at once, and the storage is incredible. The pics below show what an improvement a piece of furniture can do. This piece went into a dead space corner, a catchall. I'm not proud of the mess, :), but I am proud of the after. Extra room, light, airy, yeah!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
80 to 100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
primered x2 coats, Kilz2, stained n between. Semi gloss Pure White 2 coats
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modified fancy x

Beetle kill table. I chose to mortise the support and use pegs for effect. As such used 4x4 for leg uprights. Made the top removable because it's heavy!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Oil based gloss plolyurathane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Josh-Adam

Wed, 08/03/2016 - 09:59

That table looks awesome ! I am in the process of making one similar i went to a local mill and they had ambrosia maple to make the table topper and i am making the base. I was wondering how you went about making the table top removable did you use threaded inserts ? also how did you get the cross support cut out done? Last question i have is where did you find the 4x4 material i am in eastern north carolina and it seems it doesnt exist around here. thank you for sharing

Josh-Adam

Wed, 08/03/2016 - 09:59

That table looks awesome ! I am in the process of making one similar i went to a local mill and they had ambrosia maple to make the table topper and i am making the base. I was wondering how you went about making the table top removable did you use threaded inserts ? also how did you get the cross support cut out done? Last question i have is where did you find the 4x4 material i am in eastern north carolina and it seems it doesnt exist around here. thank you for sharing

Coen's Cabin Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/29/2016 - 15:28

This is a fairly easy build. It did take some time with three little ones running around, but the finished product is well worth it! My three-year-old doesn't want to get out of bed in the morning (win!).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250-$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax weathered oak stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ana White Admin

Tue, 03/01/2016 - 12:19

You did an amazing job on this, I wouldn't want to get out of bed either! Thanks for sharing:)

Rustic Farmhouse Vanity

Submitted by jameslee on Thu, 10/10/2019 - 16:23

My master bathroom was my first DIY remodel. I took this room down to the studs and built it back up. I struggled to find the perfect vanity that felt strong and sturdy and could not find one. I needed a wide vanity to accommodate this 3 foot wide vessel sink. I found Ana White and this plan online and fell in love! This was my first build and I’ve become addicted to wood working since. As my first build, this took me most of a day to build and assemble drawers. Sanded and painted with a flat finish! I love it! Thank you Ana!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes milk paint in Seagull Gray with a high performance flat finish. Hardware and sink found on Amazon.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Child adirondack chairs

Submitted by sidman on Tue, 02/14/2012 - 02:37

I just had to build these for my two kids. Thanks Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
15.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Painte two of them per the kids request and the other I just coated with a light oak with poly stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Play Teepee

Submitted by keiatbohma on Mon, 12/23/2013 - 21:17

Play Teepee used 4 yds of fabrics, 2.5 yd of webbing, bias tape, ribbon, heat and bond double sided adhesive, and 4 1x2s at 8 ft.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor sectional

I have been wanting outdoor seating by my pool forever but couldn't afford anything I liked. When I came across Ana White's plans for the outdoor sectional I knew I had to build two. They are just what I was wanting and cost under $200. It took my brother & I one afternoon to buy the supplies and put it all together. Since this furniture is outdoors 24/7, I had to caulk the seams & paint the whole thing. That process took two days. The biggest expense was of course the cushions from Home Depot that Ana White recommends for this sectional. I have to admit, they are well worth every penny. They look amazing! Can't wait to spruce them up with some throw pillows.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150-$200 for sectional; $550 for cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

1st Project - Dining Table for (Canadian) Thanksgiving

Submitted by KyleMohler on Sat, 10/12/2019 - 17:15

Hi Ana! - I'm so glad that I found your site. Thank-you SO much for your plans and video tutorials. 

I was recently in a car accident and found myself away from work for several months. Though I've always been hesitant to build anything (for lack of having been taught), I've found a new passion for woodwork. It's been a wonderful pastime and has created hours of fun with my young daughter. 

This is my first project (save for a few small boxes). - I'm very proud of the final product and was thrilled to be able to share it with my family for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend.

The project was quite pricey, due in large part to the live-edge lumber that I sourced (2 x (2x6) @ 8ft). - The project includes the Fancy Farmhouse Table as well as 2 matching benches. 

Thanks again :)))

- Kyle

Estimated Cost
500.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Miniwax American Colonial (2 coats) + high gloss polyurethane (4 coats to table top).
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

DIY Potting Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/02/2023 - 11:37

Such an easy build with a little woodworking experience. I am in love with this project and am so excited to have done it myself!

Amy

Built from Plan(s)

Farmhouse table with benches

Submitted by Delilah on Sun, 02/19/2012 - 10:02

We made this table from the farmhouse table plan but used 4x4s for the legs and slightly wider (2x10) boards for the top.

Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Provincial 211 and 2 coats of poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic X Console - Surprise Christmas Present for my Wife

So my wife found this on Pinterest last month and loved it. We have been searching for something to go behind our sectional couch in our den. When she showed it to me I discreetly emailed it to myself as a plan was forming in my head. She was working nights for the month of December so I worked on it in the garage in the evenings and hid it in the crawl space so she wouldn't see it. She woke up Christmas morning to find it in place with a bow (clearly made by a man who is much better at carpentry than bow making) attached and was very surprised and excited.

I distressed the wood using several highly complicated techniques such as hitting it with a hammer, dropping a bag of screws on it, and scratching it with a screwdriver. It was then sanded and stained with Minwax Provincial 211. I applied two coats of satin polyurethane for protection.

I liked the look of the hex head screws so after painting them flat black I actually used them to hold the top on.

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Provincial 211
Clear Satin polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Reclaimed wood king bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/17/2019 - 20:34

Built for a customer out of reclaimed 2x6 spruce corrral boards. There was a lot of sanding involved in prepping this wood, but I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!

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

Smiling Mudroom

I fell in love with Ana's Smiling Mudroom plans and knew it was just a matter of time before I built it. I just made one tiny change, I substituted 10' deck boards (stained and sealed) for the seats instead of plywood, because I wanted a thicker surface. Check out my blog to follow along with the rest of the laundry room/mudroom renovation! www.thecottagegray.com

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$130
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted white. Stained Dark Walnut and sealed with Waterlox clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

fanofana

Thu, 03/01/2012 - 15:02

It looks great! I am hoping to get this made this spring and was going to do the same color combo you used. Like the idea of the thicker board for the seat that will work to stain. Thanks for the idea.

JessiW (not verified)

Thu, 03/08/2012 - 15:06

I just love this the two toned and I am thinking about doing this what stain color did you use for the bench part?

5 tator tots (not verified)

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 09:27

Wow! The "smiling mudroom" has been on our to do list for a couple of months. I love the look of the stain with painted wood. We have 5 children so a stained surface will hold up much better than a painted seat.

I'm just trying to decide on color...it's a laundry/mud room and I want the "Sausha's Washer/Dryer Pedestals" to be black. Black might be too dark for the mudroom cubbies and I'm not sure if it would clash to have black on one painted piece and white on another.

Your mudroom is gorgeous, too pretty to be associated with the word mud!

lacarlson

Mon, 12/23/2013 - 10:21

Can you share any more information about the wood used for the seat? We're looking to do something similar with a flip top bench and don't want to use plywood for it. Thanks.

Doll Bunk for Raffle

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/10/2016 - 18:32

Built this bunk for a school fundraiser raffle. Hope it will be a hit! Followed the plans as written with only one change. I cut the tops and bottoms of the vertical ladder rails at 45 degree angles so they slant in towards the bed.

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

Outdoor Chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/08/2023 - 10:09

It was pretty straight forward with your plans. I've built others from your great posts. I used a dark walnut stain after sanding and dusting real well.

 

Tom Lucas

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by sbowes1 on Sun, 02/26/2012 - 23:05

This was our first woodworking project. I was not that hard to put together.

I made a couple of changes to the design. I used 4x4 for the legs. I also change up the board that were used ontop. I have a step by step on my blog.

The almost the same as the table. Check out the changes and the cut list here: http://www.domesticated-engineer.com/1/post/2012/05/bench-for-farmhouse…

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
#41 Walnut Wood Stain
Satinthane Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Tue, 02/28/2012 - 05:13

Can you post a link to your blog with the instructions? Did you make your table a little shorter than the original plans?

Topless toy box with a top

This is my first fully finished build. My very good friend was about to have her first child and I wanted to do something special for her so I embarked on this project. I had HD cut my wood to size. After I came home and started building I found that my wood was not exactly cut to size. One side was one quarter inch too short. I did some improvising and some trimming with my jig saw (only saw I had) and was able to eventually create a rectangle.

This is also my first mitered trim project. The edges are NOT perfect but what I could I filled in with wood filler. That helped hide where the edges did not quite meet.

I then sanded and sanded and sanded. Don't want little fingers to come into contact with bad splinters. I finished with a bright white paint.

I wanted the toy box to also be a seat so I got some fabric and did just that. I was going to add hinges to it but then thought again and decided not to. Wanted to prevent any accidents.

I built it over many months spending maybe 20 hours or so. Many many mistakes and many hours thinking about how to fix them.

Estimated Cost
$85. Includes materials for the seat.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Bright white semi gloss. And then two coats of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Clear in gloss.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farm table and bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 03/13/2016 - 21:05

The table was my very first project and with the help of my Dad, we completed build, stain, and finish in 2 days.  I've had it over a year now and of course it is still beautiful (I've learned not to move it around too much to clean because the legs have a few splits in them now!).  Just finished the matching bench ($17 project). I adjusted the legs to make them longer, so that my kids will sit up higher at the table  :-) 

Estimated Cost
Table about $75. Bench $17.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
minwax honey stain and polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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