Community Brag Posts

Small Loft Bed with Dressers

Submitted by JeffHooper on Sun, 07/12/2015 - 19:25

This took about a week to complete.  I modify the original plan to include "built in" dressers and a night stand type of dresser.  The night stand has shelves built on the side.     Two beds were built of different configurations.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Cost about $400 per bed.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Painted with a high gloss white.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Rustic reception desk

Submitted by Markb25 on Tue, 02/08/2022 - 13:21

A friend is opening a new tattoo parlor up and wanted a rustic looking reception desk making up.

Using reclaimed wood wasn't an option so we opted for 25mm t&g boards and randomly cut 1/4 way through it to give the appearance of individual boards. The main carcas is made with 2x4's clad with Baltic birch ply to give it a cleaner appearance from behind and, to give additional surface area to attach the boards to.

To finish inised a combination of forced aging with a solution of WWV, iron sulphate and black tea + coffee, varying degrees of Charing, the walnut and oak stains were by V33 and the whites and greys by French chic.

Comments

Library Book Cart ( A smaller version)

Submitted by nanpannapa on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 13:22

I built a smaller version..THank you so much Ana for the plan. This one is only 2 ft tall and 22.5 inches wide..Perfect size for my 2 year old.
I added a hook to hang my daughter's doodle and on the other side, I added an aluminum tin(wrapped in a scrapbook paper sealed with mod podge) so she can put her magnetic letters/numbers on there. Added this little crayon holder as well. :-)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Left over satin paint. Scrapbook paper, Mod Podge
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Kitchen Renovation thanks to Ana-White

Submitted by mcbuckle on Tue, 07/16/2013 - 12:38

The ongoing saga of our cruddy old kitchen is finally over, for the most part. We attempted the quick fix and failed and now with a little time, knowledge and cash we think we finally got it right. Our ceilings are lower than the average house so we couldn't buy stock cabinets. We custom made everything and added some accessories. All thanks to Ana-White!! You are so awesome!!

For more photos etc... just visit:

http://buckleyjournal.blogspot.com/2013/07/kitchen-reno-redo-20.html

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Benjamin-Moore "Dove White" applied with a spray-gun.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

mcbuckle

Wed, 07/17/2013 - 05:23

Thank you Gina! I couldn't have done it with out that wonderful chop saw table you designed!!

yurra-bazain

Thu, 07/18/2013 - 23:16

You've got guts AND glory! :) Wish I had the confidence a year ago to build our kitchen cabinets. I hired a friend of a friend. It took months for him to build the 5 bases, then he took another job and left our kitchen without doors and drawers. If he doesn't come this weekend like he promised, I'm revving up our circular saw and growing some guts myself.

Thank you for the inspiration. (Oh, I was not able to post a comment on your blog. When it asked me to type in the code to prove I am not a robot or web spider, the submit comment button was missing.)

mcbuckle

Fri, 07/19/2013 - 05:48

Go for it!! Trust me, if I could do it anybody can.

And thanks for the heads up, I think I fixed the comment issue!

Lasso the Moon

Fri, 07/19/2013 - 11:54

This looks so beautiful. Aren't you proud!?! I'm relatively new to this site, and can't believe the sense of empowerment that comes with building for my home. Well done. This is inspiring me to keep going!
Anna

Red Oak Top - Coffee Table

Submitted by cent on Thu, 07/16/2015 - 14:29

Built this from Ana's plans over a weekend and spent a few nights painting/staining/finishing. We decided to use a true quarter sawn red oak for the top. This is not a cheap wood (~$180) for the top alone, but I wanted it to be solid and thick. It is extremely hard so you will not want to use this if you don't have the necessary tools, like a table saw. It is usually purchased rough cut, which means the width can range in size by inches. You will need the table saw with a sharp blade in order to cut it down to matching widths. For the stain we used a General Finishers gel stain in Java from Woodcraft. That was followed with a General Finishers Gel topcoat. This is an excellent topcoat as we have 0 scratches in almost 6 months of regular use. My wife painted the base in a Cream Puff color from Behr I believe with a dark stain glaze, followed by a wax coat. This is a solid table that cost a fraction of what this would be in the stores. Most of our friends think we bought it! Thanks Ana! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishers Java for top with General Finisher Gel topcoat finish. Cream Puff by Behr with stain glaze and wax on base.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Lilly_03

Mon, 09/14/2015 - 09:02

Bautiful work!! The colors you picked are great! This has gone on my list of projects, it actually cut line hahahaha I have two questions, where did you get the sofa and the area rug? That rug is perfect for my bedroom! The colors are just perfect!

Tall Panel King

Submitted by Mnash on Mon, 02/05/2018 - 11:16

Thanks for another great plan! We wanted to replace our King sleigh bed with a Panel Headbord to free up some room in our master. Off to Pinterest I went to find a picture of what I wanted Hubby to build. I was excited to find that Ana-White had tackled this project because I knew there would be a great, well written plan to follow!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Chalk paint and Clear wax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Wall entertainment center

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/01/2022 - 18:02

Using your simplified 8’ barn door console plans I was able to make my dream wall come true. I made 2 of the consoles, added a center piece and shelves in either side. Your plans were so easy to follow, even a beginner like myself pulled it off. Thank you for sharing your talent!!!!

Comments

First Tryde Side Table

Love the simple look of this collection! This was my first table to do. I will be doing more...such a great and sturdy table. The wood is absolutely beautiful stained too!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 (island living cost more)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Nuwood walnut poly stain. Top has 2 coats of glossy poly finish as well, but the legs just had the 2 coats of stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Smaller size stackable chairs

Submitted by rosiejane on Thu, 07/18/2013 - 02:23

Two little girls we know recently celebrated their 1st birthdays, 4 months apart. I thought chairs would make perfect gifts. I finally got around to finishing both chairs around the time of the second girl's birthday. The other one was rather belated. The parents didn't know I was making it so it was still a nice surprise. My own 1 year old rather enjoyed testing them out.
I've previously made one of these full size chairs for my 8yo. but for these I changed the measurements to be smaller and easier for a one year old to sit on. I made the seat 28cm high and adjusted all the other measurements to suit. I enjoy using Sketchup so resizing the plan was a good excuse to use it again (I used an old ikea chair we had on hand as a guide for the sizing.)
I primed and painted the wood used for the slats before I cut it to size. This was so much easier than trying to paint in between them. Filling the screw holes was a bit of a chore and I'm not totally happy how some of them were still rather visible under the paint. A bit more practice needed I guess. Finishing took quite a while because of all the drying time. Chose to distress them to help disguise any bumps and marks they're likely to sustain. I discovered there is a fine line between distressing and distressing too much.
Really happy with how they turned out. Thanks for the fantastic plans!

Estimated Cost
$5 (not including leftover timber, I already had paint, screws etc.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
1 coat primer, 2-3 coats semi-gloss white for the frame, 2 coats Dulux low sheen paint for the slats (it was a mixture of two purple shades I had on hand), lightly distressed it and then a couple of coats of Cabots Cabothane water-based poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

SHaynes

Sun, 10/12/2014 - 18:30

Love the use of the 1x6 instead of slatted for the back and the addition of the name takes it to a whole new level. So glad I saw this before making them for my littles. Btw, love the font you used for Brianna, so pretty. Well done!

4x4 Truss Beam Table with Half Lap Joints

My take on Ana's table that I made with my son over Summer Break.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

claire.whitis

Wed, 03/30/2016 - 01:07

I really like how you made half cuts so that the beams were more supported!

On the legs did you attached with pocket holes or where did you attach so that the screws were hidden?

Iron Board Holder

Submitted by Sunny4 on Sat, 02/17/2018 - 14:58

I had all that was need in my scraps:) Great project for this rainy day!!

Thanks Ana!

 

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Briarsmoke
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Dining Set

Wyldwood 42-square-inch pine table is finished with red mahogany stain and matte varnish, with black painted legs. It's paired with four of our custom dining chairs.

Comments

Emma's Secret Library Shelves

These shelves were absolutely perfect for hiding behind my daughter's bedroom door. Space is tight in her little room, and that 27-inch stretch of wall was not being utilized.

These shelves were so simple and took no time at all. I think total cutting and assembly time was about an hour for all four.

I put them together using pocket holes, so the order of assembly was a bit different than the original plan. I screwed the sides to the bottom, then added the front beam, and attached the back last, using pocket holes and filling them with spackle.

I can't wait to find more nooks and crannies to build creative storage from plans on this site.

THANKS!
Anna

More pics and details on the blog post:
http://lassothemoon.typepad.com/lasso_the_moon/2013/07/emmas-secret-lib…

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
30
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
behr paint in "Honey Bear" yellow. sanded at the corners, then rubbed with "early american" wood stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Loft bed for son

I've built a few bookshelves and cubbies before, but nothing on this scale.  I built this in my basement this past December as a Christmas present for my three-year-old son.  The plans were easy to follow.  I believe I spent about $150 on lumber.  The bed is very sturdy.  My kids love it!  Now the the other kids want their own special daddy-made bed :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150 on lumber. $50 on wood putty, stain, sand paper, etc. Way better than the $1100+ similar model at the local furniture store!
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
min-wax water based stain protected with water-based polycrilic. It all dried way too fast and didn't give me time to correct errors. Next time I will use oil based.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

End Tables

I changed the size of one of the tables to fit the space. Otherwise they are built from the plans. Turned out very nice.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 for Both
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Deck Chairs

Submitted by melaniesue on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 10:46

These were so simple, and SO FUN to build! These were done all while having a schools out party, and an evening outdoor movie with kids running wild! I really liked building them, and can't handle how cute they are! I used pocketholes and also brads and glue. Pretty sturdy, but I think I will use harder wood for them next time. We went to a cabin over Memorial Day, and we ended up leaving them for the owner because we thought they were so cute on her deck! My finish was super easy and fast because I wanted them finished so I stained, and dry painted then set them in the front to dry out in the sun, sealed with poly and TADA, DECK CHAIRS!!

Estimated Cost
15.00, maybe?? Including the fabric for both chairs.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Oops paint, and Minwax Dark Walnut. Distressing, it was a super simple finish. I got the fabric at JoAnns and used my coupon 40% off.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic X Console Table with Minwax Gel Stain in Red Elm

Submitted by pbookman on Sun, 07/21/2013 - 12:22

For this project we needed a piece quite a bit smaller than the original plan called for. We ended up keeping it simple by only altering the width. We kept the height and depth the same in order for the x's to keep their angles. So we shortened the width and only did one shelf section instead of two! Vwala...our first project-complete!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Gel Stain in Red Elm
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor Sectional

Submitted by Adakaye on Tue, 07/28/2015 - 12:28

This project took a day to build and about four days to stain with a day of drying in between each coat. Great plans! I love my new couches!

Estimated Cost
$110- Wood, Douglas Fir studs at Home Depot
$30- Deck Stain, Merlot, Home Depot
$250- Cushions, Hallo, Ikea
$100- Fabric and pillow forms for extra pillows
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Deck Stain in Merlot Color
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Loft bed

I really enjoyed making this.. I used Anas plan for this. I changed a lil bit.. but it was easier than i thought... My 1st time using kreg jig so it took me a little longer to build.. I did mess up a few times which is why i changed things lol. My Daughter loves it! Wife wanted it white.. i also  made a chalk board and put it at te head of bed

Estimated Cost
220.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner