DIY Mattress Size Porch Swing
I altered the plans to fit a twin mattress. It’s a bonus sleeping area on the porch. My second project. I’m a 69 year old female and enjoying the building.
Lou Ann
Built from Plan(s)
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Leaning Wall Shelf
Easy project, I really enjoyed making this and it looks great! I used MDF for the shelves and finger jointed poplar for the rails. I work in a lumber yard so the materials and tools were readily available. I recommend for all levels and again really enjoyed making it! Hope you enjoy my first post!
Finish Used
Black wood paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Library Book Cart
This was one of my first woodworking projects I completed with limited help from my handy husband. And the first time I used a jigsaw (to cut out the handles). I used mostly scrap MDF we had leftover from other projects - only purchasing one additional sheet of MDF for around $12. The MDF worked ok, but I did have some trouble with splitting when screwing it all together and screwing the castors on. Used our Kreg Jig where it made sense.
As a beginner, this project took me somewhere in the neighborhood of 16 hours over the span of a couple weeks. Cost was approximately $50 - including the MDF (but I used mostly scrap we had on hand), spray primer and paint, castors, and "Library" decal.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
To finish, I primed with Rustoleum spray primer and sprayed several coats (two cans) of Rustoleum spray paint in their bright yellow. (Note that if using MDF, the spray paint did not cover the edges well. I read a tip online that suggested spreading a thin layer of drywall spackle over the edges and that worked for me.) I had someone on Etsy make the chevron "Library" decal for me for about $5.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Farmhouse table
Prior to making this table I had never used a power drill in my life, and I was scared to death. I was intimidated by the power and scared to death to mess up, and in making this table I messed up A LOT! It was a big undertaking but I was determined. It’s rustic and authentic and full of mistakes and I LOVE IT!! Thank you Ana for modeling how to make such wonderful things. Up next is the raised flower bed.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Under Sink Organizer
I wanted to get my nasty pot scrubbers out from behind the kitchen faucet, so I thought this was an ideal solution. I substituted the paper towel rack for a length of vinyl rain gutter. I cut a piece of a baking cooling rack for the bottom of the rain gutter, so the wet pot scrubbers would not sit in dampness. I also made the rain gutter removable, because I knew it would get nasty and need to be washed occasionally.
kuyaLars
Built from Plan(s)
Kitchen Island
We had an area in our kitchen where the washer and dryer use to be, and we wanted to build a cabinet that would fit in that spot. We took these plans and adjusted the sizes to fit the space we needed. We made the depth deeper and we cut off one of the side drawers and doors. We found a pre-made 1 1/2 inch butcher block counter top at a local wood supply warehouse that fit our needs perfectly. The countertop was about a quarter of the price of the whole cabinet, but it was worth it. In the drawers we used wrapping paper that we found at Cost Plus which fits us to a "T". We painted it with General Finish Milk Paint in Bayberry Green and used a clear coat with a satin finish. My biggest advice to someone making this cabinet is to take your time and make sure everything is square.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$600
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
General Finish Milk Paint Bayberry Green, Satin Clear Coat
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Comments
Mon, 07/02/2012 - 10:10
Gorgeous!
You've done a beautiful job! What did you find was key to getting everything square?
This is lovely & has inspired me to make my own. I need a piece for my master bedroom that I can use as a TV stand and also to conceal my laundry baskets. Originally I'd planned on adapting a sideboard and using a tip-out door like Ana's trash bin for the laundry -- but this piece is so beautiful I may just ensure that my laundry basket will fit inside and build as-is so that I can easily have the option to use it differently if I want to.
Wed, 07/11/2012 - 19:42
hinges?
Love your modified sideboard! The color is gorgeous and the butcher block is a great addition!
I was wondering what kind of hinges you used. I looked for flush mount hinges at Lowes today and they are not going to work. I want it to look like yours where you can barely see the hinge.
Do you remember the name of it? Where you got it? Pic? Any help would be appreciated!!
Dustin Roberts
[email protected]
Wed, 07/11/2012 - 20:15
Hinges
Thank you very much. We had a really hard time finding hinges also. We tried Home Depot and Lowes and came up empty. We finally went on to Hillary Louise's blog and follow the links to the website where she bought her hinges. http://www.cabinetparts.com
Here are the links that she posted.
http://www.cabinetparts.com/p/amerock-traditional-cabinet-hinges-AMCM31…
http://www.cabinetparts.com/p/amerock-traditional-cabinet-hinges-AMCM31…
We just bought ours in a different color.
Sat, 09/08/2012 - 13:14
Awesome!
My husband & I are looking to build our own too but the dimensions of the original plan would make it too big for our dining area. Yours would be a perfect size though - would you mind posting the size adjustment for yours? Or could you email it to me? I would be forever grateful :)
Love the color you painted it too....very nice choice!
Sat, 09/08/2012 - 13:18
Awesome!
My husband & I are looking to build our own too but the dimensions of the original plan would make it too big for our dining area. Yours would be a perfect size though - would you mind posting the size adjustment for yours? Or could you email it to me? I would be forever grateful :)
Love the color you painted it too....very nice choice!
Sat, 01/19/2013 - 11:37
Absolutely gorgeous!
This is exactly the size down I had in mind and was wondering how it would look with one door off by itself, it looks great! I even thought about incorporating one door to actually be a tilt or pull out for trash. You guys did a wonderful job and it looks like it was built in where you ended up putting it in your kitchen... Are you going to do a little something now to match on the other side of the stove?
Wed, 07/31/2013 - 17:36
Cut list or measurements?
Really well done. I'll be clearing out the garage getting ready for this very soon. Do you happen to have a cut list or measurements?
Farmhouse Storage Bed - Solid Maple
My Dad and I started with solid maple lumber. We altered the plan to use mortise and tendon joints and adjust drawer sizes to that night stands would not interfere with the drawers. Final product weighs about 500lbs.
Estimated Cost
$1600.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cherry Minwax
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced
Hanna Canopy Bed
This was a fun and relatively easy weekend project. Shaping the legs and getting the rounded header and footer were the only challenging parts. A good stretch project for the novice DIYer.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint/ primer combo. Three coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Modern Outdoor Chair
This is my first project. I loved how easy it was and I loved my husband’s reaction to the completed project.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
80
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Semi Transparent Stain in Sable
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Double Desk with Window Seat Filing Space
We built a double desk based off of the eco-office desk plans. We made various modifications and still haven't decided how we're going to attach the door the cabinet on the right. The window seat has the same style as the other pieces but is totally our own invention - it has three rows of filing inside!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300ish??? Can't Remember Anymore
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Semi-gloss white and dark walnut stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced
Husky Farmhouse Table
Took about a week to build and put together. Most expensive part was the table legs but the most challenging part was to get the table top smooth and level. I built the benches based off the farmhouse bench plans and then picked up some chairs from a local second hand shop for just two bucks a piece. So far the feedback has been very positive!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Comments
Bailey console table
Bailey Console table from the #igbuilderschallenge
built by Instagram: @sawdustandperfume
built to be used in an buisness office that a former cattle rancher conducts buisness.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Lumber was about $50 but I used scraps I already had as well.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I painted layers of different colors on the top and then sanded down to the wood again in most spots to get the barn look. I then used a dark stain called Jacob bean.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Shed Chicken Coop and Run
I had such a fun time on this shed coop/run build! My wife and I have 5 children and it was fun involving them in building everything about this coop and run. They have a wonderful sense of accomplishment in looking at what they helped build.
A few notes, while this what a fairly straightforward build, there are a lot of little intricacies to be aware of. Such as:
• Make sure your chicken coop is about a foot off the ground. It's best to do that so critters such as rats and snakes don't make their home under the shed and potentially eat their way through the floor.
• It is highly advisable to dig a trench about a foot to a foot and a half deep around the coop and the run and attach chicken cage fencing from the bottom of the coop/run into the trench, and then taper the cage fencing outward. This will prohibit critters such as raccoons from trying to dig under the coop.
• When you attach the poultry netting to the outside of the chicken run, staple one side really well, then move to the other side and pull the netting fairly hard to make the netting as tight as possible. (Also, be careful when putting the netting across the top of the run to not fall off the ladder as I did and dangle there until one of your kids comes to help you! Ha! :D )
Thank you, Ana, for posting these plans! We are so excited to get our little chickies out into their new home as soon as their feathers come in!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$800
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
8' Entertainment Console
We have been looking for a TV console for the last couple of years, but couldn't find anything we liked. My husband said, "Why don't we build it ourselves?" We found the Simplified 8' Barn Door Console plans! The rest is history! We LOVE this console. And we loved making it together!
Janet Pulleyn
Built from Plan(s)
Reclaimed-Wood Headboard
Reclaimed-wood headboard from pine boards with minwax aged oak gel stain and stain finish wipe-on polyacrylic. I distressed some of the board with a screwdriver, a pipe, and whatever else I found in the garage, and etched my and my wife's initials in a heart on one side. Aww!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
~$85 in lumber
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax gel stain in aged oak
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Comments
Fri, 07/06/2012 - 19:44
Nice job...but how funny because...
I was going to carve mine and my hubby's initials in a heart on our reclaimed headboard, too!!!!! I didn't end up doing it because I think we'll eventually sell it and build a headboard with padding on it since my husband likes something padded to lean against while watching tv at night.
Dining cart
This dining cart is very versatile. It could be used in any room of the house. I love that it has wheels on the bottom so you can move it easily if needed.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Early American, Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Bed Bridge Bookcase
I hacked three IKEA bookcases into this beautiful bed for my princess of a daughter who was getting her first apartment in Orlando, FL, because she got a full-time dream job with Disney. Full details at http://handydad.tv/ikea-hack-bed-bridge-bookcase/.
Estimated Cost
$390
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
4 Post Slat Bed
Slatted four posted bed and I adore my new bed!
Built from Plan(s)
Modular Office Wide Bookcase Base
The toy room needed some attractive storage for the books and puzzles instead of the floor! Enter this plan. I shortened the shelves to 36" and fastened the shelves to 1x2 stretchers that I fastened to the inside of the sides. I hid them by nailing a face frame to it made of 1x2s. I used beadboard for the back, which I painted before attaching it.
I had a hiccup when I forgot to use my square and had to backtrack some, which made this project longer than I anticipated.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Used some conglomerate for the back of lots of little samples of oops paint I had lying around. I used Valspar white everywhere else and Minwax spray-on poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Toybox with shelf
After building the farmhouse table, I got really excited about doing another project. While I was on spring break (nice benefit of being a teacher) I put together this toybox for my son. It's great to finally get the toys out of the laundry basket we had them in and into something more appropriate. We decided to make the lid a chalkboard for a little added fun.
Estimated Cost
$80-$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
The toybox is painted with Glidden Sea Glass Green. The top of the lid we used Rustoleum's tintable chalkboard paint in Periwinkle. It's a really cool combo and our boy loves the chalkboard.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Miter Saw Modification
I followed the plans as listed pretty closely. I added a 2x4 under the main shelf for extra support, and used 2x4s instead of 2x2s at the bottom, so I could have something to attach the casters to. I also opted for 1x3 braces, rather than the hinges to hold up the sides. I need to add the fence and paint it white.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$80-100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
white paint (forthcoming)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner