Community Brag Posts

Castle Loft Bed

Built this castle loft bed for my 2-year-old after seeing the plans and building the princess playhouse loft bed for my 4-year-old. Using stone textured paint worked well. Also, used an old slide a neighbor gave me. One change I made was that my wife really liked the toy chest stairs, so I made those again instead of the coves called for in the plans.

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark grey primer, stone texture spray paint, light grey semi-gloss. It would have been extremely expensive to texture the whole bed, so only painted the towers and front panel. The dark grey primer makes the light grey paint 'pop' a bit more. The pictures are untouched since I had to reformat my machine, but in real life the color is pretty rich; for grey anyway.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Coffee table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/15/2017 - 18:09

Thanks for the plans

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
35
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Fancy Farmhouse Table

Submitted by ntrigg on Sun, 09/27/2020 - 14:13

This was our (my husband built, I applied finish) second such table. We first use these plans about 6 years ago, and revisited to make this for my mother. One modification we added to both, was we built a cleat system under the table top. This way it fit snuggly over the base, but it can be easily moved when necessary. Thanks for the plans- lots of compliments on this one!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$90
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We primed the whole table, then applied an off white Benjamin Moore paint in Pearl finish. Then we sanded down areas to look distressed, and applied a thin wax coat which we buffed for a little luster.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Doll house book shelf

Submitted by mybartmart on Tue, 12/25/2012 - 12:34

Doll house book shelf: made this for a friend and her daughters. At first I didn't realize my chop saw could not cut the 12 inch wood, had to use my circular with clamps. I think if I build again I might try mdf as it is cheaper or pocket drill some wood together.

This was a bit harder to build than I thought it would be had help from hubby!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White high gloss door and trim paint the blue is a custom colour I made and had tinted at Home Depot.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Mudroom Bench & Cubbies

Submitted by MegsBK on Sun, 10/05/2014 - 08:48

I used the Smiling Mudroom as a starting point, but had to make some modifications for size and to accomodate the fact that I couldn't secure much to the wall behind the bench because there is a pocket door in that wall.

The main difference in my plans is that the sides of the cubby/bench are continuous instead of broken into Cubby, Divider, and Bench. I think it would have been easier to keep things square (which I didn't, really) and certainly could have moved it all by myself without any husband help (but he needed to feel useful, right?) if I had built it as separate pieces. But, it was worth a shot.

Up close it's a bit rough looking here and there because I got the plywood that is only sanded on one side (Home Depot guy was less than helpful when I asked to find the furniture plywood). So I had to do a lot of extra sanding and filling myself and at some point I just threw up my hands and said "RUSTIC! It's done."

Minor errors aside, I am really happy with this. It was my first big project, and first one with the Kreg jig, and I had fun.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Kilz primer
Benjamin Moore Advance semi-gloss "Oxford White"
Hooks: black single hooks along back are from Home Depot; white locker hooks are from local hardware store that is part of the Do it Best chain.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Veronica P

Wed, 10/08/2014 - 20:40

If there are any "minor errors" on your build, they're not visible in the picture! It looks gorgeous to me! :)

Indian Rosewood Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/18/2017 - 06:48

please sample my other work at the adress provided below.

Estimated Cost
£40
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Water Based Varnish.
Would not recommend oil for tables that will see spills heat or mark.
Oil based varnish is too messy too.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse x desk from handmade haven

Submitted by Dbridge125 on Sun, 10/04/2020 - 18:58

I used the plans from Handmade Haven and added a pencil drawer with dovetails

Comments

Clara Table and 4 Dollar Chairs

I recently built the Clara table and the four dollar stack-able chairs for my two kids as a Christmas present. Like most plans on this site, they were easy to follow and the materials were easy to find. I own a Kreg pocket hole jig, so putting the pieces together was really easy. It took me about two hours a chair and around three to assemble the table. I used glue along with the pocket holes, so the joints are nice and strong.
I sanded and finished the table and chairs with a stain called "Early American" and I thought it turned out nicely. I also coated the table top with a polyurethane, to give it a nice, durable finish. Not only did it add some shine to the top, but also made the #2 pine I used much more kid resistant!
Thanks again for the great plans, I look forward to building more.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American stain.

Sand all parts with 60-80 grit. Fill all holes with wood filler. Resand with 120 grit. Sand table top with 220 grit prior to stain. After two stain coats, coat table top with polyurethane. Resand with 220 after two to three hours. Coat with polyurethane and let dry overnight.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic X with a beachy twist

Submitted by KSmith123 on Thu, 10/09/2014 - 13:21

I was really looking forward to building this coffee table for a while.  I followed the base plans for the Rustic X Coffee table and added my own twist.  I planked 1x3's for the bottom instead of using a solid bottom shelf to give it a "beachy" feel.  I also used 1x6's for the top instead of 2x's to give it a lighter feel.  I framed out the top so there were no exposed edges.  Instead of the X's, I took 2x2's and angled them in the front and back. I know it's very different than the original plans but I had this design in my head and I absolutely love it!  Thanks for the plans!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Probably around $100 but only because I had a few wrong measurements!
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The bottom was painted a flat white. For the top, I used steel wool and vinegar, sanded and then wiped on weathered gray stain that was thinned out with mineral spirits, and wiped off. Poly for the topcoat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

longshot

Sun, 10/19/2014 - 15:08

thanks for the pictures, can you give me the cuts you made to make the top?

 

KSmith123

Sun, 10/26/2014 - 14:08

Hi!  Sorry it took so long to respond!  I did the dimensions the same, so I kept the top 52" x 27.5".  I did a 45 degree cut for the outside boards, making the longest sides 52" and 27.5".  Then I calculated the distance for the middle boards.  Since I used 1x6's, which are actually 5.5" wide, I did 52" minus 5.5" minus 5.5", since there are two end pieces to the frame, which gave me 41" for the inside boards.  But measuring the inside boards when the outside frame is attached is a better way because then you know exactly what to cut them at.  Just make sure the top's frame angle's are cut precise and you should have no problem!  Hope that makes sense and if you have any other questions let me know!

Stacy Herringbone Daybed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 01/21/2017 - 08:06

My wife wanted a daybed for our guest room and this one was perfect. Thank you Ana and Stacy for the plans. My wife loves it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
we painted it using the color "Moss Print" by Behr
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Rustic x coffee table

Submitted by Keldani5 on Wed, 10/07/2020 - 14:58

This project took regular pine, pocket whole screws. This took a weekend to build

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
80
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain with a wax coat and white satin paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Variation Twin Farmstyle Bed

Submitted by nicolemayo on Sun, 10/12/2014 - 21:28

This is a variation from a brag photo I saw on the Modified Twin Farmhouse Bed. I built two for my girls and also created plans of the variation. We love these beds! They are so beautiful!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White Gloss Interior Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor couch

Submitted by travhale on Mon, 01/23/2017 - 19:33

Reclaimed this wood from a >100 year old home that was being renovated. This is just the couch portion, I also built the sectional part. I really like how it came out. 

Estimated Cost
Wood was free. Maybe $10-15 in screws.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

pirate ship loft bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/12/2020 - 21:10

based on the loft plans. like other mods, I made the step a bit different. more vertical.
no screws. all bolted together. 3/8" bolts. the posts for docks were made from cut trees. neighbor did the sewing from my design. posts are 2 2x4s glued and dowel and cut down in size to be different. Everything overdone. vertical dowels are supposed to make it ship like. the galley is a bookcase. the nephew and my in-laws love it. way too much time went into it.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
dark ebony stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

My first table

Submitted by mshotwell on Fri, 10/17/2014 - 07:34

This was my first table, great directions from Ana White and other postings. Turned out great, the main addition I had was to add some supports for the ends as it felt like it needed it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Pecan Gloss Stain/Poly - Quart. We did two layers of stain, using steel wool in between coats. The finish turned out very nice and feels smooth. The top was sanded very smooth with 220 grit before staining.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

King Storage Bed *Forgot to post*

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 01/25/2017 - 18:03

It was a long and brutal process, but so is child birth and I did that twice so... I was definitely a beginner at the start. I learned A LOT from this process and it paid off in the end! Couldn't be happier with the outcome!

Estimated Cost
A lot more than expected. Measure 10 billion times before you cut!!!
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Espresso Minwax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Lift Top Coffee Table

Loved this plan! Slightly modified to include a shelf.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained with honey. Finished with semi gloss polyeurthane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Pedestal farmhouse table

Submitted by Nate74 on Tue, 01/01/2013 - 23:33

After my wife pinned the triple pedestal table, I took a look at the plans and redid them for a double pedestal table 78"x40". This is the first wood project that I have done in close to 12 years, it was good to get back to wood and I look forward to builing some more.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane stains and minwax wipe on poly. The stains I used are Varathane Kona on the pedestal legs and a mixture of Tuscan (2 coats) and 1 coat of Kona over top, on the table top and spreader beam. This was followed by 4 coats of Minwax wipe on poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic Storage

Submitted by Scrapwood on Mon, 10/20/2014 - 11:52

To build I used mostly all pallet wood.  This made things interesting because not one drawer was the same and had to custom fit each drawer.  

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced