Community Brag Posts

Bench

Submitted by Shellipsm on Sun, 11/04/2012 - 19:22

I chose to make the simple bench 2" shorter, and upholster it, using 4" foam and fabric.

Finish Used
black paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ana-White's Modern Park Bench

I told my husband that I wanted to try a project since he was getting to have all the fun building around the farm. So we bought the materials and started this bench. It was so easy. The only things he helped me with were some of the measurements and to speed things along :) some of the cutting. The project took us about 2 days. I had some paint I was going to use on another project so I just used it. I have the bench under some trees by my grandkids' swing. Thank you Ana for all the plans you graciously share. I have made a point to visit your sponsors' websites and actually visit their stores when I am able. Go for it ladies. You can do it!!!

Estimated Cost
$72
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
We used Kilz first since I only had a pint of each color and I wanted to be sure I had enough. We still used 2 coats of each color. We bought the Valspar paint at Lowes which by the way, has the worst website ever.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic X Console with a twist

Submitted by Rifka on Sat, 12/10/2016 - 17:23

I just love this plan of the rustic X Console.  You can create so meny versions from this one plan.

This one I made is 42" long, with two X in the back.  The finish, is vinger and steal wool with a dash of black tea.

Thank you, 

Rebecca

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Vinger and fine steal wool
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Truss Table Bench

Submitted by Joella C on Sun, 08/23/2020 - 11:40

To go along with the 2 outdoor tables for our COVID-19 birthday celebration “ all together but socially distant” party for my hubby and his twin. I used the Happier Homemaker Bench plan x 3, for a bench in between the tables to create more seating with social distancing....this is the 2nd plan of Ana’s I used after the Truss Table...finished with the same outdoor deck stain and poly! I am so new to this....I’m a nurse never been around power tools but it was I,Portland for me to create a happy birthday for my husband and his twin during this pandemic!! Thank you Ana for making this possible!

Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)

Farmhouse Table with Bench

Submitted by Mdcary on Tue, 11/06/2012 - 12:11

This was my first project inspired by Pottery Barn and while shopping in a local furniture store we realized the cost to have something very similar would cost $1500-$2000. This table was cut and prepped in my garage and then transported to my daughters house in my car and assembled and finished there. The bench is constructed from left over boards. I choose not to use 2X4 legs but rather opted for 4x4's. The length was shortened to 5' for a cross bar was not neccessary. I used carriage bolts to attach the legs to the shirt in case they ever needed to be disassembled. The top is not glued on, only PH screws used. This has been a very satisfying first project, thanks Ana for showing me the way to having lovely homemade furniture that really impresses, is very well made and for a fraction of the cost.

Estimated Cost
$150 includes bench
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
minwax stain and polycoat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Jake

Fri, 11/09/2012 - 19:11

You did a wonderful job on the table and bench. I like the idea of using the carriage bolts and not gluing on the top. I have done the same for a couple of projects especially if you need to take a table apart or if the top should need repair.

Coffee Table

Submitted by naomi on Fri, 08/29/2014 - 03:06

My eldest son and his girlfriend just recently moved into their own home together and seeing as I like to build things I decided that as a house warming gift I would build them something.

I decided that a coffee table would be perfect!

I like the character in old timber instead of new timber so I went out and gathered some pallets and I got to work.

I wanted to use hairpin legs for the coffee table but soon discovered that they are crazy expensive to buy. Solution: make them myself. So I purchased a cheap welder, steel rods and some L brackets all to make the hairpin legs.

When staining the table top I used the same stain colour for the entire top but I used a extra coats to get different colour depths.

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

Comments

naomi

Fri, 08/29/2014 - 07:34

Thank you. They do love it. The hairpin legs worked great and if I take out the cost of the welder the legs worked out really cheap - less than $30 for four legs.

Chunky Barnwood Farmhouse Table

Submitted by jgioulis on Wed, 12/14/2016 - 12:27

I was lucky enough to know someone who's property had 4 barns that were on the virge of falling over.

I removed wood from the barns I needed, some wood was just inside the barns. The thick pieces with holes going around the table were actually old telephone poles (horizontal section). 

 

The plans were straight forward, but prepping, cleaning, sanding the wood from an old barn was the most time consuming. Also hardly anything was straight or square! 

Estimated Cost
cost of tools I didn't have... pocket hold jig, belt sander, 36" clamps
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
unfinished
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kids Home School Desk and Chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 08/27/2020 - 12:42

We have the covid home school season in effect here in Texas. I built this for my grandson who is in kindergarten. He really likes it and I enjoyed building it. The table is made from pine primarily 2"x 3" boards and a 2' x 4' panel desktop. It is 25" high and 24"W x 48"L. I used the Ana White X Design for the frame.
The chair is 30" high with the seat being 15" high. It is 12" wide by 14 1/2 long. I made the rear legs from a 2" x 6" boarded ripped at 2 1/2 inch wide and the back rest angle at 6 degrees off center. The front legs from 2'' x 2".
I installed adjustable threaded glide felt pads to both the chair and table legs.
I painted and distressed for the older used look.

Estimated Cost
$40 with my 10% military discount for material.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded 120 grit and used Glidden white for frame that I had from an old job. Dark wax tabletop.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Upcycled Dresser

Submitted by naomi on Sat, 08/30/2014 - 04:18

After building my farmhouse bed and 2 new bedside table I still had my very ugly and old dresser.
It functioned really well so instead of building a new one I decided to up-cycle the old one.

I simply framed it up with some pine, painted it white, added pallet wood to the top, stained the pallet wood walnut, then added some fancy handles and now it's like a whole new dresser.

Thanks to Ana-White's website and book I have a whole new set of skills and I am not scared to give just about anything a go.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Walnut and White Enamel
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

In reply to by CSaintD

naomi

Sun, 08/31/2014 - 00:58

You're right, I had a ball doing this mainly because I was winging it the whole time.
This dresser was actually a hand me down when I got it about 15 years ago. I don't see the point in throwing out something that is still useful.

Rustic Farm Table

Submitted by RNorris11 on Sun, 12/18/2016 - 10:04

I've got a few years experience doing carpentry work . I was asked if I could build a farm table for a friend of mine. So I gave it a go. I think for my first table to ever build from scratch, it turned out beautiful . I'm extremely happy with the outcome. 

Estimated Cost
$170.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Used a flat paint ( teal & burnt orange ) bushed on randomly over the entire piece. Then I used some white semi gloss in places to add some high lights. ( stain wipes off of semi gloss paints and does not dull the finish) then stained over top of everything.
Stain color- minwax Jacobean
Then 2 coats of minwax semi gloss polyurethane .
Apply 1st coat after it completely dried I used 0000 steel wool to sand it all again for any impurities to get a clean smooth finish. Then apply another coat of poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/31/2020 - 08:41

My first wood project. Had a blast! Learned a few things for the future. Instructions easy to follow - thank you! Stained in Jacobean.

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
wood conditioner and stained Jacobean
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Ledges built for our travel photos

Submitted by MsMonet on Fri, 11/16/2012 - 07:50

Fastened together with Kreg screws, and glue. I chose to put the pocket holes on the inside and back so they wouldn't show on the bottom. This does make the ledge a little less deep. Easy project for a rainy day !

Estimated Cost
$25.00
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted one coat of quality Valspar semi-gloss in white, then distressed with chain and sandpaper. Finished off with coat of polyacrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

keirabride

Wed, 11/06/2013 - 06:30

Plan clothing for your trip so that everything can be worn together. This reduces the need to pack individual "outfits" and allows you to plan for the number of days you'll be traveling. If all of your clothes match, you don't have to worry about which are clean when you're doing laundry.
http://www.getbustours.com/

X coffee table

This X coffee table built from ana's plans. Fairly easy project. Used douglas fir for the frame and top and pine for the shelf. Finished with dark walnut stain and 2 coats of poly. The only thing I modified from the plans was the top. I added the breadboard style ends.

Estimated Cost
$60.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats of dark walnut stain and 2 coats of poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Handmade by Trenton

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 12/22/2016 - 17:45

These made the perfect benches for my first farmhouse table.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
@ $55 Per bench
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams Wood Classic stain and Target Coatings Emtech 9000 poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Beginner Farm House Table w/ pocket holes

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 09/02/2020 - 19:28

Love this! The farm house table and bench (1st photo) were my first 2 wood project ever. They came out great so I decided to make a coffee table using modified dimensions (2nd photo) and used poplar for the table top instead of pine. Poplar took to the stain I used really well. The farm table is Danish Oil, Light Walnut and the coffee table is in Danish Oil Dark walnut. I used wipe on Poly to finish both tables and I used matte black wood screws for an accent on the base of the coffee table. Everything else was assembled with a compact circular saw and pocket holes w/ a Kreg Jig. Thanks for the plans!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
-Danish Oil Light Walnut - 2 coats (dining table)
-Danish Oil Dark Walnut - 1 coat (coffee table)
-Wipe on Poly, Gloss - 2 coats (both)
-Sanded all wood w/ orbital sander prior to assembling (I find it easier to get all the splinters, scratches, and stamp marks out if I do it before assembling)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Outdoor Sectional

Submitted by ahkatie on Fri, 09/05/2014 - 10:28

After spending most of our budget on patios and grass this summer, we needed some furniture. These plans worked perfectly for our space and were so easy to build.

 

Estimated Cost
$150.00, not including the cushions.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Interior/Exterior High Glass Enamel - "Natural Gray"
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Beautiful and sturdy dollhouse

Submitted by DIYMomof4 on Sun, 12/25/2016 - 13:04

Thank you Ana for the wonderful dollhouse plans!  I have been making furniture using Ana's plans for a couple of years now.  I made this as a Christmas present for my 3 year old daughter.  This dollhouse is safe, strong, and my daughter loves it!  It took me about a month to make the dollhouse and furniture.  I do have 4 children and have limited spare time, so I'm sure it could be done faster.  I followed the plan almost exactly as written.  I used screws for the stair treads and added 1x2's underneath for support.  I just put up 3/4" plywood for the roof as my jig saw is not the best.  I also added small push LED lights for the first and second floors.  This dollhouse will last for years maybe even be passed down to grandchildren!

Estimated Cost
It was under $100 for the dollhouse. I'm not sure how much the furniture would cost, as I used a lot of scrap wood.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Lindseed Oil - I really liked using this finish. It is so easy and there are no fumes. I also used it on the furniture.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Barn Door Media Console

Submitted by dlangford on Sat, 09/05/2020 - 16:19

Another weekend project this time built for my brother and his girlfriend. I lowered the console from 37” down to 31” to accommodate a more natural seated eye level for TV viewing. This one was left natural so that they could paint and distress themselves.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$280
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

My modified loft bed

Submitted by Mouse on Fri, 11/23/2012 - 21:13

After building a small dinghy, and a slightly longer pirogue, I was ready to build something else. I was looking at another boat, but to save my marriage my lovely wife suggested something more... practical. So my summer project was a surprise loft bed for my 12 year old son. He was staying with his grandparents for most of the summer so I had a month or so to work on it. This was my first piece of furniture and I'm very proud of it.

I did modify the plans a bit. I added a shelf to use as a nightstand, because you need a place for your water bottle, book, tissues, etc.

I made the desktop significantly deeper so that it was more useable.

I moved the ladder to the end of the bed and made it wider.

I added a towel bar to one end.

I added a drawer under the desktop.

and lastly I put corkboard on the side of the bookcase.

Estimated Cost
I think I spent about $350 for the whole project.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Two coats of Pecan stain, and four coats of spar varnish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Sat, 11/24/2012 - 03:48

What a great build! Love all of the mods and attention to detail! Was he beyond excited? I know, I would have been, ha!

spiceylg

Sat, 11/24/2012 - 03:50

What a great build! Love all of the mods and attention to detail! Was he beyond excited? I know, I would have been, ha!

In reply to by spiceylg

Mouse

Sat, 11/24/2012 - 09:23

He was excited. It replaced one of those cheap metal loft beds you can buy at Wal-mart. The old bed was kind of wobbly and made creeky noises every time he moved. he loves having bookshelves and a nightstand. I'd have posted his exited face photo but I ran out of photo slots. =)

I also made him a locker to go with it. So there were no excuses for not hanging up his jacket.

I love this site!

bbygrl78

Sun, 03/08/2015 - 10:20

I am getting ready to build my 5 yr old a loft bed. I have been searching for a design I want to use and I would like to more or less use yours, if that's okay? I don't want to use one of the kids designs because I want it to grow with her. I want to add stairs and a higher banister. I'll probably paint it white or something.