Community Brag Posts

My First Big Build - A Workbench

I have been wanting to build a workbench but just hadn't decided on a plan. I stumbled across one here and decided to go for it. It was easy to build, easy to follow the plans. I had fun building it and I'm super happy with out well it came out. This is my first big project and it's only my 3rd thing I've made.

The only deviation from the plan that I did was that I used 3/4" plywood for both shelves instead of just one. And I only did this so that I wouldn't have to buy a second piece of plywood. And I used 3" screws on the whole thing.
Also... I cut 3" off the height so that I could add wheels and it be the same height.

$18 - 2"x4"s
$ 7 - screws
$24 - Plywood
So about $49

The wheels... well... if you go to Lowes... I spent $30 including the bolts. Then I went to Harbor Freight and got some different ones for under $20. So I'd shop around on that. Or... you don't need them if you don't want them.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Just leaving it as it is for now.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Distressed Farmhouse Storage Bed

Submitted by atphelan on Thu, 05/08/2014 - 11:33

This is my biggest project to date; I put it together with a few modifications to the plans on this website (as I'm sure everyone does!) It will be my wife and my bed for quite some time and hopefully I can pass it along in the future. Seems sturdy as a rock and the additional storage will benefit us as our home has minimal closet space. The finish is a waxed-stained-sanded painted surface.

I broke this project into 3 phases: headboard, benches, and footboard. Juggling two kids and a wife, its hard to be able focus completely on a project without some (often welcome) interruptions.

One final note: this website introduced me to and this project confirmed that my favorite tool in my tool shed is the Kreg Pocket hole Jig; bought it thinking I would use it on a buffett table I built and have used it on every project since!

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
waxed-stained-sanded painted surface
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Alabaster White X Desk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/09/2016 - 09:58

Shortened to 5ft length.

 

  I used a lot of extra screws in the legs for additional supports, and filled all the gaps and screws with wood filler. I also used electric planer on top to flatten surface and then sand, sand, sand. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40 (not including the paint)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Alabaster Satin Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Potting Bench

Submitted by jhunch on Mon, 05/25/2020 - 10:58

We had a pile of old wood and an old fence in the backyard that I wanted to repurpose. I had a spot along my house in the back yard that was empty, that really needed something. Thanks to Ana's "Farmhouse Potting Bench" tutorial and plans, we got inspired. We changed the measurements to make sure we could incorporate an old stained glass window that I've had, just waiting for a purpose. We also changed the measurements to accommodate the different sizes of wood that we had on hand. Our project took a much longer time, because of all the measurement changes and wrapping our head around how to mount the window, but it was worth it. We're really happy with how it turned out.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
very little. All material on hand
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
special walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

King Sized Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by stephsj on Fri, 07/20/2012 - 06:29

We have been sleeping on a inexpensive platform bed for the last 7 years and after falling in love with this website (thank you Ana, I am constantly bragging and showing your website to others) I decided to build us a farmhouse bed as my first project. I started this project back in October 2011....yes it took much longer than expected, but I have 2 kids a husband (so make that 3), a full time career in the military and a house to maintain. That and we got the news I am pregnant back in Nov!!! The head board and foot board did not take long and luckily we had a very mild winter here in NC (boo to no snow though). I decided to save some work and money by reusing the slats and hardware from my old bed to avoid buying more wood or having to get a box spring for our mattress. Unfortunately, that was my huge delay, I cut and stained my sideboards, bought what I thought would be great bed brackets and found myself with a space that was to wide for the slats and on top of that my husband managed to loose one of my brackets. Needless to say, months of sleeping on a mattress on the floor with my head board and foot board on either wall mocking us every night due to my overwhelming frustration and fear of having a colossal headboard fall on me while trying to work. I called upon the assistance of a good friend of mine (Christie you are amazing!!) to come over while my husband was out of town in May (I figured this would be a good time to surprise him, plus keep his opinions from making things take longer). So lots of how the heck are we going to do this and finding out the bed frame brackets I purchased were not as strong as they appeared (they broke!!). We got some new wood for the sides and some long bolts to get everything together and worked a whole Saturday to get it complete. Added a few L brackets to get rid of the wobble and its sturdy as a rock! It may have its flaws, but I love it and don't regret any of the time and stress it took to build it. I now have a beautiful comfortable bed to sleep in every night to patiently wait for my third little girl to arrive. It should last us for a very long time especially since I made sure that it could come apart and go back together for any future moves the military may take us.

I cannot wait to start my next project.....and hopefully it wont take as long this time ;).

Estimated Cost
$250 (using my local builder's supply saved a fortune compared to the local home improvement store....even though I did have to go to them for a few things)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used 2 coats of Bombay Mahogany stain with the polyurethane already included in.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

My Very Own Rustic Table

I wanted a farmhouse table look, but no too county. I think that this table accomplished that.

I debated a while with staining the entire table or staining the top and painting the legs. I'm really glad that I decided to paint the legs. I think it turn out great.

This was my first DIY wood project. I'm pretty much addicted now. Every time my wife wants to get a new piece of furniture, I always tell her that I can probably build it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-Oleum Ultimate American Walnut Oil Wood Stain on Top

White paint on legs & aprons
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Double Kayak Rack

Submitted by JamieLynn on Tue, 05/26/2020 - 09:44

I couldn't find a plan for this but found a picture of what I was looking for. It's a little too big but works. Took about 3 hours to make. Used mostly scrap wood.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Sauna

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/15/2024 - 10:17

Outside sauna.

Charles

West Elm Knockoff Rolling Cubby

This was my very first build! I didn't even have a saw, so I had the lumber guys at Lowes cut my boards for me. Also, I altered the dimensions to fit my space.

Check out my blog link for more info!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$64.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Primed and painted with white glossy paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Amy's "My Chair"

Submitted by rosiejane on Tue, 05/13/2014 - 22:09

My daughter needed a chair that wasn't as bulky as our high chair but higher than a normal dining chair. This plan was perfect. I changed the dimensions to suit what I needed. The actual building took only a couple of hours but the finishing seemed to take forever. I probably spent about a week just on the finishing. I distressed it to help disguise the inevitable bumps and grubby handprints.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
AUD$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Cabots stain - burnt gum, dulux vivid white, clear water-based varnish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

cthomas

Mon, 05/01/2017 - 16:30

Is this adaptable for adult size with no back. Looking for something like this to slide under a new kitchen desk.

Kentwood bed 2016

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 21:12

I wanted to build my 10 year old son a new bed after getting rid of bunk beds. We both liked this one and worked on it together.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$130 for bed and a nightstand (not pictured)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain, poly, steel wool, and beeswax finishing wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

COVID 19 end of year home school project success

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/31/2020 - 07:10

Great build. Hubbie extended to couch one seat and added legs for additional support. We painted after assembly and the x’s were a PITA to paint. Love the end result. Now to pick coffee table plans!

Estimated Cost
300 not including cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams Caviar exterior paint and spray poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Combined the Kentwood and Farmhouse Beds!!!

We loved the storage of the Farmhouse bed, but loved the headboard and foot board of the Kentwood. We also wanted a twin size bed. Instead of trying to figure out the measurements to make the farmhouse to a twin size (which is shorter in length), we made it at the full size length and just bought XL twin size mattresses, which were not hard to find and now we can keep the beds even after our boys become teenagers :-)

We basically built the headboards and foot boards from the kentwood exactly as Ana's plans state. Then we built the Farmhouse storage drawers. We love them!!! Thank you so much Ana for MORE great bed plans (this is our second set of bed plans we have made!

Estimated Cost
$350 per bed
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Primed and painted
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

sgilly

Tue, 07/24/2012 - 20:48

These look great. I'm sure your kids are thrilled with their beds, and how amazing that you made these for them. They'll probably take them with them when they move out - years from now!

Full Bed with upholstered headboard

Submitted by skyzen on Sun, 05/18/2014 - 20:04

First of all, thanks Ana for the wonderful plans. I made this in full size mainly from the farmhouse bed plan with some modifications. The headboard is made of 1x4s with an upholstered pegboard. Instead of using 4x4 post for legs, i glued 2x4s studs together and later wrapped them with fabric instead of painting them.

This looks great in our second bedroom.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Glossy White
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Folding Workbench with Storage

Submitted by lookitsash on Fri, 08/19/2016 - 13:15

Digging through my scrap wood collection, I came across some pieces of pegboard from our previous home that I had forgotten about. I had just relocated a lot of garden tools to the shed, and there was an empty wall in the garage that would now be perfect for the pegboard. After mounting the pegboard and hanging up some tools, the wall still looked a little empty. I had a vision of mounting a heavy duty folding workbench to the wall. This was the perfect location, and if the workbench folded, we could still fit the car in the garage.  You can read all the details about my folding workbench on my blog at:

 

http://www.justmeasuringup.com/blog/building-a-folding-workbench-with-french-cleats

 

The workbench is a perfect addition to my garage, and its used every day.  Best of all, I just fold it down when I need to park the car!

Estimated Cost
Around $150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
No paint or stain, but I did route the edges of the table with a roundover bit to give it a professional finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Adirondack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/01/2020 - 14:55

Lots of room for improvement but I'm pretty excited for my first time following plans.

Thanks, I love your videos and have learned a lot.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic Table

I made this table before the PB plans came out on the this site. I used gate hinges on the corners and 3/4" piece of all thread on the bottom. The top was poured with the High Gloss glaze from Lowes. It fits 8 all around and you could squeeze in 12 if you really needed to. All together this only cost $350.

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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