Community Brag Posts

Counter Height Table & Chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/10/2021 - 17:42

Built this amazing table & chairs a few years ago for a customer.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Hanging Diaper Changing Station

A good friend of mine needed a changing table to save space.  I originally planned on building her a standing changing station but then she wanted to have one that hung and she planned on buying one that you find in a store restroom.  I knew I could make her one that she wanted and that looked awesome.  Here are some of the photos I have of it pre-hanging on the wall.  Click the URL and you can see it being used!!!!

Estimated Cost
$ 60.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Red mahoganey/ 2 coats poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Doll house Bookshelf for Grand daughter

Submitted by mary tuper on Tue, 06/04/2013 - 18:13

This was my first project and there were many starts and re-starts and tearing apart and re-doing but finished product was great! I added the arched doors to original plans and had fun with the whole project!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint - for this I used leftover paint from grand daughter's bedroom and same colors.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Extended and Customized Sausha's Laundry Pedestal

Submitted by jtshaver on Tue, 05/05/2015 - 07:44

This was my first ever project. I would have done a good amount differently if I had to reconstruct it now, but it came out pretty good and definitely serves its purpose.

These are the changes I made compared to the original design:

  • Increased the length to 69" to fit our room
  • Added center posts to support the extended length
  • Doubled the top thickness
  • Routed an ogee on the underside of the top
  • Extended the top and bottom deck by 1' all around
  • Increased the post height to 12"
  • Chamfered the corners of the vertical posts
  • Enclosed the sides with inset panels
  • Painted to match our baseboard trim
  • Added furniture slider feet to make it easy to move on the tile

It definitely took longer than I would have liked, but I could do it much faster if I had to do it again.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Oil based primer with semi-gloss Behr "Swiss Coffee" enamel on top. 2 coats of each, and an extra coat of paint on the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Afternoon farm table

Submitted by Lizzardt04 on Wed, 09/20/2017 - 13:24

I saw this super simple farm house table plan on my Facebook feed from Ana and I just had to do it !!$50 in lumber a Saturday afternoon and I was done!!!! Followed all her tips and it turned out great

Estimated Cost
$50 in lumber
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Danish oil medium walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor sectional and table

Submitted by sarah252 on Fri, 10/15/2021 - 14:25

First time building anything. I think it came out pretty good! Thanks Ana white for the plans!!

Comments

Upholstered Bench

I wanted to take on this project simply as practice. I didn't have any room for it in my home, but I really wanted to make it anyway! Besides, I had a friend who not only had a birthday coming up, but a housewarming party as well. What better present than a handmade bench could I give?! I had MDF leftovers on hand, as well as a Hobby Lobby giftcard to buy the foam and fabric, so the only purchase necessary was a couple of 2x4's.

I pieced together the foam top by cutting two 4" blocks from Hobby Lobby to size (you can save 40% with a coupon if you time it right, and get the two 4x22x22" blocks for $16). Though it worked fine, after sitting on it you can definitely see the creases from the cuts in the foam. So if you can afford it, try to get one full strip.

The sewing was really simple, I outlined the process step-by-step in my blog post. Then all you need to do is staple it down, and you have a bench that's the perfect size for a 6' long dining table!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax stain in dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Our Greenhouse:)

Submitted by lmckinney on Thu, 06/06/2013 - 19:43

Your plans made this project so much easier. We love it and have gotten a lot of compliments for it.

Estimated Cost
1000.00
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Joni

Fri, 06/07/2013 - 12:42

This is amazing! All of your finishing touches make this really special. I love every detail.

Kirsten.dehart

Sun, 05/01/2016 - 17:43

Do the gable style roofs and greenhouse panels hold up in a climate for heavy snow loads??

 

Thanks!

Little Bear's Loft Bed

My daughter had talked about wanting a loft bed for a long time so after of plenty of research, we went for it. The shelves of the bookcase, except the top and bottom, are made from 3/4 plywood I had laying around. I did my best to utilize as much lumber that I already had in the basement to reduce costs.

Underneath the bed is LED Rope Lighting and the gaps under the rails were stenciled with the bear paws since my daughters nickname is Little Bear.

People have loved it enough I think there's a couple people that are going to buy the supplies so I can build it for them. The one thing I wish I had during the construction was an oscillating multi-tool to trim off the Kreg plugs. I now have one and plan on using it a fair amount.

On to the next project!!

Ben

Estimated Cost
Around $200 since I used higher quality lumber and Ohio is expensive
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Semigloss paint and bear paw stencil
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Pink Playhouse

Submitted by DIYMomof4 on Sun, 10/08/2017 - 16:59

This is a great playhouse for kids and sturdy enough for adults too.  The plans are so well written and easy to follow. The deck was made exactly to her plan, but I made the playhouse a bit wider.  I also framed it with 2x4's and roofed it with metal.  Metal roofing is light and relatively easy to install.  It took me about 1-1/2 months to finish the playhouse.  The windows are hinged and can be propped open.  I used 2x3's for the railing and attached it to the playhouse for stability.  On the inside, I put down colorful foam mats to make it comfortable.  My daughter really loves having her own playhouse!  Thank you for the great plans!

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cabot deck stain
exterior Behr paint-can't remember the names of the pink colors
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Desk with X Detail

Submitted by vendo on Thu, 10/21/2021 - 11:46

I found a loft bed on the marketplace and had fun revamping it! I wanted to add a desk underneath that matched the existing desk surface, so needed to slightly modify the plan to make it the same height and width of the opening. This was a simple build, built in about 2 hours and the finish took about the same. I modified the bottom to be a full shelf, love the way it came out!

Built from Plan(s)

Adirondack Chairs

Submitted by ktrodger on Fri, 03/25/2011 - 20:01

This was the first project my husband and I completed from one of Ana's plans. I'd wanted a pair of Adirondack chairs for our yard, and convinced my husband that we could build them ourselves. Once he was on board, he suggested we build a pair for our neighbors as a surprise and leave them in their yard while they were out of town. We had a blast and learned a lot. We've had tons of compliments on the two sets of chairs, and during our last neighborhood garage sale, we had many offers to buy them (but we're not selling!). Thanks, Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 for 4 chairs
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I wanted to paint and my husband wanted to stain, so we each took a pair of chairs and did our thing. I spray painted with red Rustoleum and my husband stained with Miniwax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Sofa/Console Table

Submitted by ndetermann on Sun, 06/09/2013 - 08:16

I used an all oak wood with a maple inlay on the table top to give it a different grain pattern and stand out a little more than just one type of wood. My wife wanted 3 shelves so she could display all our babies photos in our living room, toys on the bottom and odd storage in the middle. The way I figured to find the height of the second shelve was because we have a scentsy warmer and the basket we use to hold the scents I made to just fit under the table top. I also went with a fancier router-ed edge to the top which has three grooves instead of your normal round over or just square. I used a lot of kreg jigs to put this together and the two bottom shelves are free floating without a support beam. The way I did it made it really sturdy with clean lines on the peace. I sanded the whole project to 400 which made it feel like glass. If you would like to know more ask questions. I love to do this type of stuff.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Cherry stain with a Gloss polyurethane top coat
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

ndetermann

Fri, 10/18/2013 - 01:46

I just finished a second, smaller version of this one for one of my friends who just got married. I also inscribed their names and date they got married on the bottom. I made it look like a carving in tree. It was pretty cool.

Bookcase wall unit

Submitted by kwhitt on Tue, 05/12/2015 - 08:38

This is the project that inspired me to start woodworking. I'm a bookaholic and have always used cheap, particle board bookcases from Walmart for storage. They're fine for the price, but over time the shelves bow and they NEVER survive a move. When I outgrew the three units I had, I balked at buying a fourth, which I didn't really have room for anyway. Enter Ana White! This is actually based off a brag project under the IKEA Lack Inspired Bookcase. What I love best about building my own is that I can customize to suit my needs. I was able to put almost twice as much shelving into about the same area. And if I outgrow these, I can just build another!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
about $175
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Miniwax Espresso Stain, Varathane Satin Triple Thick Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Sliding Barn Door Office Set

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/23/2017 - 10:06

Built by What Once Was Old Furniture Design submitted by Kari Baker

We get lots of inspiration from you Ana! We started building the sliding barn door cabinets from your plans and since have built several of them. We have also altered them to fit our customers needs. They are very popular here in Texas. The sliding door cabinet in this picture was used as a credenza in a home office. We also added a sliding keyboard tray under the computer screen. The printer is on a sliding tray as well, so it can be pulled out when in use. Base of the cabinet and desk is new pine and we used a lot of pallet wood for doors and shelves. It would be a treat to be added to your brag board, you can see lots of our work, lots of which you should recognize at What Once Was Old Furniture Design . Thank you!!

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Tote Storage Bed

Submitted by Ana White on Wed, 11/03/2021 - 17:12

Shortened the essential loft bed up so legs are 32” long. This is the perfect height for putting totes underneath. I fit six totes easily. 
 

The back row of totes is out of season/size/etc stuff. The front totes don’t have lids on them and the kids use them for toy boxes.

The bed itself is at a nice height.  It’s easy to put kids in bed and make the bed.  The guardrail is great for keeping pillows blankets and kids on the bed.  Kids also love the ladder and bunk feel!

This is a great bed that I couldn’t recommend enough.  It could easily last from toddler to teen.   Very sturdy and comfortable.  
 

Console Table

This plan had comments about the 1x12 being a little short. 

Well mine was a lot short measuring in at 11inches even. 
So I adjusted all the boards to fit correctly. 
And with a little simple planning, that took 5 minutes, PERFECT. 
No gap, no issue, no problem. 
Super Easy Console Table, is just that. 
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes Espresso (Water Based Stain), and General Finishes Poly acrylic Water Based Top Coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Tryde Console Table

Submitted by Livvyhill on Mon, 06/10/2013 - 14:15

I love this table. I needed a little console table for my bedroom, and this was a prefect fit. It took me a day (not including buying the lumber), and it was fun to build. This was the 2nd project I have done, and I am really proud of it! (PS i found one on the pottery barn website that looks very similar for $600!) I spent about $50 on lumber, and already had the rest of my materials:)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum stain- Kona
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Officer_Dad

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 16:05

Great job! I love that stain! How come you did not use pocket holes to attach the board so there would not be any visible screws? I love this table though. I saw the plans last week and want to build one next!

Focal point of the room

Submitted by Diesel911 on Wed, 05/13/2015 - 11:19

Beautiful and functional. Nobody believes I built this :)

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
Paint with stain applied over it. This was a very bright red with kona stain wiped over and then immediately wiped off. I did apply a clear coat to protect it. The kona stain really subdues the color of the paint.. This was a VERY bright red.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

JoanneS

Wed, 05/13/2015 - 14:19

What a gorgeous build! Absolutely love the color too! I was just trying to picture a red like that today, and now I know it looks wonderful!

Modified Spa Bench

Submitted by michellek on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 22:01

This is my first build ever...except for a rad cd rack I built in 8th grade shop class.  My husband and I team-worked it as a date in his dad's garage. 

So it all started when my amazingly crafty friend Lee built a toy kitchen for her kids.  I was so impressed and started looking up other people's diy kitchens.  So then I was searching for something totally different and saw the play kitchen on Ana's website (love it), and I got totally addicted and decided I was going to build a dining room table, because we have been using a hand-me-down brown card table and chairs from the 70's since we got married.  (How's that for a run-on sentence?)  I wasn't sure if my husband would take me very seriously, but after I showed him this website, I started noticing him on it all the time.  He's more addicted than I am! 

Fast forward some time and we decided to start with the spa bench as a warm-up.  Once we are in a house with our own garage (God willing in the next few months), we plan on tackling the Farmhouse Table.  Anyway, when we took the kids to Gma and Gpa's, my father-in-law got really excited that there were going to be carpenters in the family, and he took us out to the garage to show us all his tools that we could use. 

We had to buy all of the wood, screws, sand paper, stain, polyurethane, and a paint brush since it was our first project, so it ended up costing about $85.  At least now we have a lot of supplies left over for our future projects!  We had Home Depot make the cuts for us so that we could fit the wood in our car.  We used 1x4s instead of 1x3s because we didn't know that 1x3s were furring strips and not in the same place, but now we know.  :)  We also bought one warped board, which was a total pain.  Don't do that. 

This is probably a weekend project if you count the staining and finisher.  The actual building part only took us three or four hours (please don't laugh at us if that's painfully slow), but we actually took about two weeks to finish it because we have rain, no garage, and three kids under 19 months.  And we weren't really in a hurry.  Anyway, it was fun.  We like to build.  Thanks, Ana, for inspiring us and for making it doable for so many people!  We think you're neat.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20-$85
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We used one coat of Jacobean 2750 Minwax Wood Finish for the stain and then two coats of Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane (clear satin).
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project