Community Brag Posts

Raised Bed Garden

This is a very simple project. It measures 8' x 8' and is 11" high. I simply used eight 2" x 6" treated pine boards and one 8' 4" x 4" treated pine post. I used an 11" 4 x 4 cross member in each corner and an 11" 4 x 4 in the center to connect the 2 x 6's. I used 2 coats of a water based natural cedar deck stain as a finish. I connected everything using 3 inch deck screws.

Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Water based deck and fence stain (natural cedar). I used 2 coats applied with a brush.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Cindy from Indiana (not verified)

Sat, 03/10/2012 - 07:58

Wow! That turned out beautifully! We are looking at starting a raised bed garden as well. Yours turned out great.

Quick question/concern, though. Are you growing edibles in yours? If so, what did you do to block the treated lumber so it doesn't leach chemicals into the soil?

You did a fantastic job!

windjamer812

Sun, 03/11/2012 - 01:37

The chemicals used to treat lumber today are safe. Even with growing food. I can attest that the plants will not be dwarfed by it either. My tomatoes reached heights of 6 feet. I have included a link to a PDF file from Purdue University explaining that. The stain is simply an exterior water based deck stain called natural cedar. The chemicals in stain that are used today no longer contain arsenic. This was eliminated in 2003. This includes oil based stains. I hope that answers your question.

https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hort.purdue.edu%2Fe…

Cindy from Indiana (not verified)

Mon, 03/12/2012 - 08:28

Hey windjamer812,

Thanks for the response and the link! That's good to know as it really opens up the materials available to me. I'll go check out that PDF as well.

Your project turned out beautifully. I'm excited to start something similar.

Thanks, again!
Cindy

P.S. Go Boilermakers! ;-)

King Sized Hailey Bed - Customized

Submitted by dsgdesigns on Fri, 01/03/2014 - 07:26

I took these plans (http://ana-white.com/2012/01/plans/hailey-platform-bed) and adjusted the size for a king size bed. I beefed up the sides with 2x10's instead of 2x6's and extended the trim to 1x4's instead of 1x3's.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
two coats of MinWax Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Adirondack Chairs and end table

Easy project to build. I added a full board to make chair 4in wider. I also counter sank all screws and used wood plugs to cover screws. I also used 1x4's for all the slats and arm rests. Didn't use 1x3's at all. I added cup holders with some scrap left over wood. Got some plastic cup holder inserts.

Estimated Cost
Roughly $40
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
3 stage sanding with 320 grit finish. A coat of sanding sealer followed by outdoor urethane. Then added some 10yrs outdoor vinyl decals. I also urethaned over the decals.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Geo Headboard

Submitted by Ana White on Sun, 11/03/2019 - 08:48

For more information and photos see House of Rumors in Instagram www.instagram.com/houseofrumours 

Comments

Picnic Table

Submitted by tara2 on Tue, 03/13/2012 - 07:35

Our first project of many to come!!! Thanks Ana for your website!

Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Triple Pedestal Table 12ft long

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 03/26/2016 - 12:01

First DIY, my twin brother and I decided to build a table for my parents; as they are currently remodeling their house. Thank you so much for these easy-to-follow yet very thorough set of plans! We made some adjustments to the length and width: 144inches (12ft) long by about 45inches wide!! It's a monster of a table! We made the legs wider as well to compensate for the adjustments of the table top. We are all extremely happy with the results- thanks!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$160
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Barn Door Pantry

Submitted by @dbenn on Wed, 11/13/2019 - 09:25

I am so happy with this repurposed media center.  I finally have a pantry!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$800
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Porch Planters

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/24/2023 - 13:40

This build was a lot of fun! Thanks ANA!

David Marks

Comments

Single Lounger for the Simple Modern Outdoor Collection

Submitted by Shai on Fri, 03/16/2012 - 20:07

I used Ana's pattern, but modified it a bit to suit my needs and my materials. I used a large pallet I got for free from a local building supply company. My total cost was $8.00, which was for the hinges and the screws. I am so happy with it, and very grateful to Ana White for providing the plans!

Estimated Cost
$8.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Unfinished, but I plan to stain it dark brown to match our other patio furniture.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

komalb

Tue, 08/20/2019 - 14:54

Can you post some pics of the back/underside so I can see modifications better? I was hoping to do something just like this and wanted to get some inspiration for the backrest portion. 

Superhero Tower

Submitted by ellie_pete on Tue, 01/07/2014 - 13:07

When my 4 year old son perused the toy catalogs that came in the mail prior to X-mas, one thing was certain - he loved all the towers and buildings being advertised for action figures. However, I refused to buy one more plastic piece of junk that inevitably breaks after a couple of uses. When I found these plans, I knew they were perfect! My husband and I worked on this together, he's much steadier with our jig saw. I fitted my drill press with a hole cutter for the tops of the arched doorways. We added a rope swing and green paint to the original design. I had trouble knotting the twine for the ladder at even intervals so I used some cylindrical wooden beads I found from an old necklace to use as spacers. It doesn't close up as tightly as we'd like, but we can still get the clasp closed. I decoupaged some of the inner walls with scrapbook paper for fun scenes: maps, brick walls, pebbles, bark, and forest. It was a fun project for us and it's been fun watching him! He has played with this tower nearly every day since he opened it up X-mas morning!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum spray paint and primer, paper was decoupaged with Mod Podge, everything was then covered with a Rustoleum clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Coffee table and matching side table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/29/2016 - 07:20

Great plans. I got a lot of attention for these tables. I think they're easy to build and a few bad cuts/mismatches can make it look more rustic so no need to worry about perfection with these. I use them in my apartment and they're both really nice. I stained with miniwax jacobean and used a satin clear poly on it after. I only needed one layer of stain.I think a dining room table version of this plan would be really awesome too!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
stain/poly/lumber/screws all were around 50$

Can be alot cheaper if you already have these things. I had a bunch of the lumber in scraps already.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Darker Stain (jacobean) with clear polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Perfect Guest Room Bench

Submitted by LampAtFeet on Fri, 11/22/2019 - 13:49

We needed a bench in our guest room for the upcoming holidays. After searching Ana's site I decided on the Flip Top Storage Bench. (We didn't need the flip top, so I just built a flat top and added a couple boards under the top for extra support) The plans were very easy to follow and the bench works perfectly in our room for extra seating as well as suitcases. Thanks Ana!

Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut stain then a coat of satin wipe on polyurethane to seal it
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Pedestals

My husband built this for me because it cost as much for one pedestal as it did to build this. I got storage and height for both my washer and dryer for the price of one pedestal. My husband built it, We painted it and I stenciled it.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic Bookshelf with Door

Our second project after successfully creating the X coffee table. I used 1 x 4's both for the back and the door that I added.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Vinegar and wire wool oxidisation achieved by applying 24 hrs after the application of strong tea.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/26/2019 - 08:30

I made a few changes to the queen size farmhouse bed plans. Going to add drawers underneath so we can maximize space in our room.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Cherry
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

First Ever Furniture Build - Outdoor Sofa

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/02/2023 - 10:30

This was my first ever piece of furniture that I made and it was so much fun! I’ve got the furniture making bug now!

Melissa Pilcher

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Soda Crate Caddy

I had some scraps lying around, and it was just the right amount to do this soda crate caddy. The only change was using scrap 1x12 on the bottom instead of two 1x6's. I finished the whole thing in under 2 hours, including stain and the chalkboard front. I gave it to a friend as a thank you present for baby sitting my baby girl.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
free - used scraps
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum's Ultimate Stain in Kona
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Shoe dresser

Submitted by KelleighW on Sat, 01/11/2014 - 07:13

I loved the idea of the shoe dresser and decided to fancy it up a bit. I changed the dimensions a little to suit the space in my home where I wanted it to go. I decided to use the dowel pins for the doors because I didn't want to be able to see the hinges - which I found to be the hardest part - you need to make sure you get them as low in the corner as you can otherwise your doors won't open. I also found that I didn't cut enough off the top of the dividers which prevented the doors from opening - they needed to be more slanted than round at the top - I ended up having to use a planer to take the excess off. Very happy with the way it turned out - just have to train the kids to put their shoes away now instead of all over the floor :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 (Australian)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I mixed some paint together that I had leftover from other projects to get the colour I was after and made up some chalk paint. I had never used chalk paint before and was very pleased with the outcome. I lightly sanded and paid more attention to some areas more than others to give a slightly distressed look then applied a coat of wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

suschen

Mon, 01/13/2014 - 07:46

This looks amazing! Do you have photos of what it looks like open? Which plan is this based off of?

Modified Rustic XX Console Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/02/2016 - 16:07

I wanted a smaller table than the plans called for, so I built this one at 51 inches. The side design is slatted rather than built with an X. I love the more modern look with this mission-style modification. This was my first build and I'm pretty happy with it and how easy these plans were to follow.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
DIY chalk paint and vinegar stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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