Community Brag Posts

Pretty AND Functional Wall Shelf

To finish off my bathroom remodel I built the Martina wall shelf. I reused the metal hook that was previously on my wall before the board and batten treatment. It fit perfectly in the space under the shelf meant for hooks. I wish I had measured out my towels and storage needs. I could have actually stored more if I had adjusted the plans to make the shelf a little deeper and a couple inches wider. Overall, I'm very pleased! The Kreg Jig is a fun little tool, too!

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
primer/sealer (1 coat)
Valspar High Noon in Flat Enamel finish (2 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modern Craft Table *tweaked*

Completed Modern Craft Table! We tweaked the plans a bit because I was looking for a larger table top. The top now measures 48" x 76". We simply did this by adding an extra set of cubbies to the other side of the shelves. Absolutely LOVE how this turned out! All I need now is 4 counter height stools built and lots of shelves to complete my craft room! Will be sure to post those once they are completed!

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

Comments

Ana White

Thu, 11/17/2011 - 01:10

Darn I was so excited to see you craft table! I apologize that your brag post did not show images. If you can send me images at knockoffwood(at)gmail.com I'd be happy to post. Thanks so much for submitting a brag post. Ana

Guest (not verified)

Sun, 03/04/2012 - 07:31

I LOVE LOVE LOVE your craft table. I want one! Looks like my husband wil have to get busy! Thanks for sharing!
Kristina
Houston, TX

Kimmy (not verified)

Tue, 03/20/2012 - 17:51

Is this the pic of the one you did ?? I am wanting a bigger table top too. I have waited years for just the right table and this is it.

Kimmy (not verified)

Tue, 03/20/2012 - 17:51

Is this the pic of the one you did ?? I am wanting a bigger table top too. I have waited years for just the right table and this is it.

Kimmy (not verified)

Tue, 03/20/2012 - 17:54

Is this the one you made ? I want a bigger table top as well. But I don't see the extra cubbies.

Kimmy (not verified)

Tue, 03/20/2012 - 17:54

Is this the one you made ? I want a bigger table top as well. But I don't see the extra cubbies.

naildoctors

Tue, 05/29/2012 - 00:05

This is great!! I am planning something similar, but what is your idea or the plan you used for the middle support to keep it from sagging over time? My idea is to run another cubby in the middle from side to side. What do you think?

Laura Mulholland (not verified)

Mon, 01/21/2013 - 09:54

I love the modern craft table, just what I have been looking for, do you share instructions, dimensions, etc.? thanks, Laura

HapETexanGal

Thu, 05/12/2016 - 15:14

I'm loving this and would love to have FIL build it for me but the plans look like its for the regular modern craft table but not the tweaked?  Also is there support for the middle?  Can you send me a link for the tweaked supply list please, can't seem to find it.  Love what you do!

Bookshelf for our nursey based on your terrific Channing plan

Submitted by Astern on Tue, 12/24/2013 - 14:24

Great, simple bookshelf for our nursery

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150 for wood, $150 for paint and tools I needed
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat wall paint -- the same we used for the trim in the room.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Twin Loft Beds for Twins

Submitted by annierey on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 16:33

My twins just turned four and were still sleeping in their toddler beds, so it was time for an upgrade.  They still want to share a room so we knew we needed to maximize space and open up some room for them to play.  We chose the Camp Loft Bed but raised the height to 72" (with 53" of headspace) so we might be able to add a desk underneath when they get older. 

Essentially, we made two loft beds with the platforms but omitted the stairs.  Then we built a slightly lower platform to put between the two beds, which acts as a step down.  Then instead of making stairs that jut out into the room, we added two 2x4s as ladder rungs to the lower platform.  This also acts as a tunnel for the twins to crawl under to go between each other's play spaces.   This also makes it so the beds can be easily separated if we ever need to put them in separate rooms. 

When it was complete we noticed one of the beds was a little wobbly, so we added diagonal braces in the corners and another 2x4 across the length of the bottom to help stabilize it.  We also chose to use 1x4 pieces of pine as the slats for the mattress to lay across, but they didn't feel like they would support our weight if we wanted to read to them in bed.  So we added two more 2x4s underneath the slats the entire length of the bed, which has added a ton of support. 

We stopped keeping track of exactly how much it cost, but it was close to $400 for both beds combined.  And it took most of my husband's free time for two weeks, but most of that was painting two coats of paint on every piece before assembling.  First he cut all the pieces to size, drilled the holes with a Kreg Jig, and then painted.  To make the painting more efficient, he put a bunch of screws into boards so he could paint all the exposed sides of the lumber, flip, and leave them to dry.  Then we assembled the beds in their room. 

The twins love their new beds, and we love how much more space they have to play in their room!  We were worried the room would feel too crowded but with the openness of the plan and the space that was opened up underneath, we think it turned out great!  Now we can move in a bunch of their toys and reclaim some of our house!  Thanks for the great plans!

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Two coats of white paint/primer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

TWINNING!

Twin Farmhouse Storage Bed With Hinged Footboard.
After making a queen-size for myself, I built this twin-sized version for my niece. Along with a "Breakfast at Tiffany's inspired" theme, she got a new bed and a new bedroom for her 15th birthday.
For this version of the bed, I made just one storage cubby because it sits against a wall. With the addition of the hinged footboard, she has a secret vault for storing her Super Secret Teen items (or shoes or snowboards). I followed the traditional farmhouse bed design, omitting one 1x6 in the head/footboard panels. This way, it is not as wide and the storage cubby meets the bedpost on center.
(Again, my daughter modeling the hinging action).

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Primed and painted with Olympic Heirloom Lace in Satin.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

kad050209 (not verified)

Tue, 09/11/2012 - 20:43

I'm wanted to make my daughter a bed simple to this... Was wondering, since you took one 1x6 piece out on each end... How many inches is the gap from the wall to bed? I want to have my DD's bed against the wall but, since she is only 3 I don't want a big gap for her to fall into! I hope you understand what I mean. Thanks.

In reply to by kad050209 (not verified)

birdsandsoap

Tue, 09/11/2012 - 21:53

The gap is actually determined by the widest part of the bed, which is the cap piece on the head and footboards. At most, your gap would be around 3 inches, but you can shove a foam pool noodle from the dollar store in that gap if you are concerned she will get stuck.

And just to be clear, I only removed (1) 1x6 from the headboard and (1) 1x6 from the footboard to match; not two boards from each panel. Wasn't sure if you understood.

Under Cabinet Spice Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/11/2023 - 13:06

I needed to clear out a shelf in my cabinet and add a spice rack so I could actually see everything. This came out perfect! Made of Oak and stained with classic oak. Very simple to build and hung with pocket screws

James Breadbox

Built from Plan(s)

Small Balustrade Coffee Table

Submitted by mmadden20 on Sat, 02/22/2020 - 12:33

This might be my favorite build yet! We made some minor modifications to the plan since we only needed a 2’ x 3’ table. The legs were ordered from Osborne Wood - delivery was super quick and they make the table! The plan was easy to follow. I still can’t get over how much I love the final product!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
1 coat of special walnut and 1 coat of weathered grey. I used a wipe on poly for the legs and water based triple thick satin finish poly for the surfaces.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern farm house bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/19/2020 - 00:11

Project was quick and easy

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden oak
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farmhouse Table & Benches

This was my first time building a piece of furniture on my own, so it was a lot of learning and trial and error on my part. The plans were fantastic for the most part (I thought the bench plans could have used a little more specification and couldn't seem to find a pocket hole version). We completed the project over the course of a couple months, simply because we revisited it when time allowed. It could easily be done in a much shorter period. One thing I will say is this -- add a step to the plans and utilize a planer and jointer on all of the boards. I had the table put together at one point and whew, I wasn't sure what I did wrong, and I went back and had followed all the steps. While this might sound obvious now, remember it was my first time doing something like this, so I followed each step to a T. I also used a belt sander on the table and bench tops to level things out even more, and went across the grain to make a smooth surface with an 80 grit belt, then hand sanded with a sanding block with 120, 220, and 320 grit. I also modified the bench plans to cut about 5 inches off so that they would fit under the table.
We used Minwax pre-stain conditioner, then one 10 minute application of Mixwax Honey stain, followed by Mixwax Satin Poly. It turned out great and we are already moving on to other projects!

Estimated Cost
About $400 inclusive of lumber, stain, poly, and sanding.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner
Mixwax Honey (10 minutes then wipe off)
Mixway Satin Poly (3 coats, sand with 600 grit after coat 1, 800 grit after coat 2).
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

PB Sawyer Trestle Look Alike

Submitted by samdwest on Tue, 07/17/2012 - 14:32

So my husband and I have this thing...I find the projects, he builds the projects and I get to finish it. I'm more of the artsy one and he is more hands on. So this is the first table we did from Ana!

Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Yellow Paint w/ Glaze...will update with specifics later!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple Composting Toilet Outhouse

Submitted by Emillie on Thu, 06/18/2020 - 13:36

We built this composting toilet as one of the first things we did on our piece of vacant land. (How can you build anything else without somewhere to go when nature calls?)

An eco-friendly design was important to us, so we used cedar fencing instead of plywood. Otherwise, we followed Ana White's simple outhouse plans. It came out perfectly! It even has a rain barrel for hand washing.

Estimated Cost
800
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We stained the outside with a semi-transparent stain and varnished the inside with an outdoor varnish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Laundry Basket Organizer

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/19/2024 - 10:58

This was a modification to an Ana White design and another brag.
Designed on sketchup. It holds 4 laundry baskets sideways. Because I wanted it to be counter height I have a 6 inch shelf.
3/4 reconditioned plywood for the base assembled using Kreg pocket screws.
The top is a low cost pine 11.5 wide.
I jointed them using a 14 inch hand plane. First time for that. Cut the top to 22 inches wide.
Prestain conditioner. Minwax dark walnut stain and 6 coats of minwax poly wipe on.
Attached using Kreg screws.

Randy Eby

Built from Plan(s)

Pottery Barn Style - Full Size Headboard

Submitted by Oshynlover on Thu, 10/13/2016 - 03:21

My very first big project!  My 6 year old daughter was in need of a new bed and a room makeover so I decided to build her a headboard which then turned into a whole new room!!! 

 

I really wanted it to it to have some dimension to it so I added some moldings and a mini shelf to the top of it.  I basically just designed it myself, based on what some of the $1000+ pottery barn ones look like and spent hours at the hardware store finding the perfect moldings.  

 

For the main backboard I used plywood, however to keep it light I used a sheet of molding and added a round edge to make it seamless.  

 

My my daughter was so excited Mommy built her whole room. 

Estimated Cost
$150 The Moldings added cost but can be made for less than $100 without it. But why would you??? It looks SO much better!!
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Semi Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Collapsible Table for Craft Fairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/03/2024 - 08:58

My wife wanted a collapsible table for her craft fair sales. I put a wooden dowel in the opening for her to drape packing paper over and hooks on the sides for gift bags. Easy plans to follow and it turned out great!

Todd Martens

Built from Plan(s)

Folding Work Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/11/2020 - 16:03

First build.

The plans and cut list were a tad off but I made a saw guide a cut it down from 36 to 24 after assembled.

I had HD do all my cuts but have since done my own!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Not sure bought tools, wood and hardware at same time ($160)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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