Community Brag Posts

Bookshelf Hidden Doors Over Closet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/23/2017 - 10:13

Hidden door bookshelves hide a furnace closet.  Built by Kraig Faulkner

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

charkue

Thu, 09/17/2020 - 08:01

I'm currently working on a basement renovation project. I'm probably going to incorporate a feature like this for my mechanicals, too.

One important safety note for anyone who wants to do this: It's recommended that your furnace be a minimum of 30" away from any combustible materials. That includes walls and partitions. The image of this project displayed is right next to the furnace, which is not a good idea.

Wooden garden tools storage shed

Our last project was building a tiny garden tools storage shed. We used only 1 x 4 boards. We don't have any plans, but you can watch the entire building process on our YouTube channel. We are very proud of the way the project turned out.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Toddler version of the platform bed

We reworked the plans for the pottery barn inspired bed into a toddler sized version. Arms were added near the head to prevent our child falling out in the first year. They ended up being something of a hazard in those early days, as our child kept hitting her head. If we were to recreate it, we would make the arms go up higher or without the finished top. The bed also was not lifted off the ground in as great of a proportion to the original.

The pine is left untreated and unfinished. The only glue used was homemade milk glue.

Estimated Cost
<$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Bread Box

I started baking my own bread a few months ago, and storage was an issue. My husband decided to build me an old fashioned bread box and set out designing one on his own to fit in our small galley kitchen. I love it. It is a double decker, so I can fit two loaves in it just fine. The inside is coated with a food-grade sealer.

Estimated Cost
$20: $16 for the food-grade sealer and $4 for the handle, scrap wood used from other projects.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
White spray paint, food-grade sealer inside.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Wed, 12/07/2011 - 03:49

This is an awesome idea, can't wait to make one for my kitchen. Beautiful job! Thanks for sharing this!

Standing Outdoor Planter

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/14/2023 - 06:42

A friend of mine has issues with her knees but loves gardening so I built this to allow her to continue gardening. She loved it.

I didnt follow any particular set of plans I watched several you tube videos and combined different ideas from the videos to develop my own plan.

Comments

Nathan's Montreal Canadians bed

Submitted by Corinne67 on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 16:04

Our nephew Nathan really wanted a captain's bed like his friend. We built him one even better for Christmas this year. I couldn't find one plan with everything we wanted to I used the plans for the Storage Daybed for the base, and used the plans for the Cozy Corner twin bed collection wide bookcase unit. We combined both the headboard and sideboard into one unit (by extending the top to the short end) giving him an L shaped headboard for all his hockey stuff :) The only thing we messed up on was the height of the bookcase. He wanted it higher so it's on blocks for now to raise it. My sister did all the final painting to match his room and it looks AWESOME!!!

Steve had everything cut at work and we put it together in one 12 hour day! Nathan LOVES his new bed. Thank you Ana!

Estimated Cost
about $125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Nathan is a HUGE Montreal Canadian's fan. He applied 2 coats of wood primer, then his mom, my sister did the finishing paint with the official Montreal Canadians colours to match his room. A couple of little touch ups to be done but it looks great.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Lou-Anne (not verified)

Fri, 01/06/2012 - 21:24

The colors are the official Montreal Canadiens hockey team's colors, My son is a HUGE fan! Nathan LOVES his bed. and it is very solid.

Guest (not verified)

Fri, 01/06/2012 - 20:29

Ummm... The bookcases were too short because you didn't take the mattress height into account. Looks really good though.

Solid maple IKEA inspired bookcase

Submitted by ccbuilder on Tue, 01/24/2012 - 08:38

I made this bookcase out of solid hard maple lumber. The project was more expensive because I chose to use this wood. It also took more time because I had to do a lot of sanding in order to finish it with shellac and paste wax, but I think it was worth it. I altered the plans and made the bookcase 5' tall instead of 6' as it would have been a little large for the room I put it in otherwise. I used a kreg jig to create pocket holes on the undersides of the shelves so that I did not have to drill and make holes on the sides of the bookcase. I also used L and T brackets on the back to hold the whole thing together.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$115
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Shellac and paste wax. The key was to sand extensively before finishing, as the lumber I bought was very rough. I sanded to 400 grit which may have been excessive, but it did create a nice finish. In between coats of shellac I also sanded. I finished it all up by adding a coat of paste wax. I liked this finish as it was much more natural and less hazardous than many other finishes.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

claydowling

Tue, 01/24/2012 - 10:12

I really like this. I made a similar set a while back out of pine, because I needed a lot of book storage in a hurry, but nothing near this nice.

How is the side to side stability? I found a need to put bracing along the back, which also served to keep my books from falling off when the cats push up against them.

ccbuilder

Tue, 01/24/2012 - 10:46

The side to side stability is pretty good. It'll rock a little bit, but it's really quite sturdy. The L and T brackets in the back helped significantly with the stability.

Bookshelf for our nursey based on your terrific Channing plan

Submitted by Astern on Tue, 12/24/2013 - 14:24

Great, simple bookshelf for our nursery

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150 for wood, $150 for paint and tools I needed
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat wall paint -- the same we used for the trim in the room.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Twin Loft Beds for Twins

Submitted by annierey on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 16:33

My twins just turned four and were still sleeping in their toddler beds, so it was time for an upgrade.  They still want to share a room so we knew we needed to maximize space and open up some room for them to play.  We chose the Camp Loft Bed but raised the height to 72" (with 53" of headspace) so we might be able to add a desk underneath when they get older. 

Essentially, we made two loft beds with the platforms but omitted the stairs.  Then we built a slightly lower platform to put between the two beds, which acts as a step down.  Then instead of making stairs that jut out into the room, we added two 2x4s as ladder rungs to the lower platform.  This also acts as a tunnel for the twins to crawl under to go between each other's play spaces.   This also makes it so the beds can be easily separated if we ever need to put them in separate rooms. 

When it was complete we noticed one of the beds was a little wobbly, so we added diagonal braces in the corners and another 2x4 across the length of the bottom to help stabilize it.  We also chose to use 1x4 pieces of pine as the slats for the mattress to lay across, but they didn't feel like they would support our weight if we wanted to read to them in bed.  So we added two more 2x4s underneath the slats the entire length of the bed, which has added a ton of support. 

We stopped keeping track of exactly how much it cost, but it was close to $400 for both beds combined.  And it took most of my husband's free time for two weeks, but most of that was painting two coats of paint on every piece before assembling.  First he cut all the pieces to size, drilled the holes with a Kreg Jig, and then painted.  To make the painting more efficient, he put a bunch of screws into boards so he could paint all the exposed sides of the lumber, flip, and leave them to dry.  Then we assembled the beds in their room. 

The twins love their new beds, and we love how much more space they have to play in their room!  We were worried the room would feel too crowded but with the openness of the plan and the space that was opened up underneath, we think it turned out great!  Now we can move in a bunch of their toys and reclaim some of our house!  Thanks for the great plans!

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Two coats of white paint/primer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

TWINNING!

Twin Farmhouse Storage Bed With Hinged Footboard.
After making a queen-size for myself, I built this twin-sized version for my niece. Along with a "Breakfast at Tiffany's inspired" theme, she got a new bed and a new bedroom for her 15th birthday.
For this version of the bed, I made just one storage cubby because it sits against a wall. With the addition of the hinged footboard, she has a secret vault for storing her Super Secret Teen items (or shoes or snowboards). I followed the traditional farmhouse bed design, omitting one 1x6 in the head/footboard panels. This way, it is not as wide and the storage cubby meets the bedpost on center.
(Again, my daughter modeling the hinging action).

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Primed and painted with Olympic Heirloom Lace in Satin.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

kad050209 (not verified)

Tue, 09/11/2012 - 20:43

I'm wanted to make my daughter a bed simple to this... Was wondering, since you took one 1x6 piece out on each end... How many inches is the gap from the wall to bed? I want to have my DD's bed against the wall but, since she is only 3 I don't want a big gap for her to fall into! I hope you understand what I mean. Thanks.

In reply to by kad050209 (not verified)

birdsandsoap

Tue, 09/11/2012 - 21:53

The gap is actually determined by the widest part of the bed, which is the cap piece on the head and footboards. At most, your gap would be around 3 inches, but you can shove a foam pool noodle from the dollar store in that gap if you are concerned she will get stuck.

And just to be clear, I only removed (1) 1x6 from the headboard and (1) 1x6 from the footboard to match; not two boards from each panel. Wasn't sure if you understood.

Under Cabinet Spice Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/11/2023 - 13:06

I needed to clear out a shelf in my cabinet and add a spice rack so I could actually see everything. This came out perfect! Made of Oak and stained with classic oak. Very simple to build and hung with pocket screws

James Breadbox

Built from Plan(s)

Small Balustrade Coffee Table

Submitted by mmadden20 on Sat, 02/22/2020 - 12:33

This might be my favorite build yet! We made some minor modifications to the plan since we only needed a 2’ x 3’ table. The legs were ordered from Osborne Wood - delivery was super quick and they make the table! The plan was easy to follow. I still can’t get over how much I love the final product!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
1 coat of special walnut and 1 coat of weathered grey. I used a wipe on poly for the legs and water based triple thick satin finish poly for the surfaces.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern farm house bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/19/2020 - 00:11

Project was quick and easy

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden oak
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farmhouse Table & Benches

This was my first time building a piece of furniture on my own, so it was a lot of learning and trial and error on my part. The plans were fantastic for the most part (I thought the bench plans could have used a little more specification and couldn't seem to find a pocket hole version). We completed the project over the course of a couple months, simply because we revisited it when time allowed. It could easily be done in a much shorter period. One thing I will say is this -- add a step to the plans and utilize a planer and jointer on all of the boards. I had the table put together at one point and whew, I wasn't sure what I did wrong, and I went back and had followed all the steps. While this might sound obvious now, remember it was my first time doing something like this, so I followed each step to a T. I also used a belt sander on the table and bench tops to level things out even more, and went across the grain to make a smooth surface with an 80 grit belt, then hand sanded with a sanding block with 120, 220, and 320 grit. I also modified the bench plans to cut about 5 inches off so that they would fit under the table.
We used Minwax pre-stain conditioner, then one 10 minute application of Mixwax Honey stain, followed by Mixwax Satin Poly. It turned out great and we are already moving on to other projects!

Estimated Cost
About $400 inclusive of lumber, stain, poly, and sanding.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner
Mixwax Honey (10 minutes then wipe off)
Mixway Satin Poly (3 coats, sand with 600 grit after coat 1, 800 grit after coat 2).
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

PB Sawyer Trestle Look Alike

Submitted by samdwest on Tue, 07/17/2012 - 14:32

So my husband and I have this thing...I find the projects, he builds the projects and I get to finish it. I'm more of the artsy one and he is more hands on. So this is the first table we did from Ana!

Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Yellow Paint w/ Glaze...will update with specifics later!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple Composting Toilet Outhouse

Submitted by Emillie on Thu, 06/18/2020 - 13:36

We built this composting toilet as one of the first things we did on our piece of vacant land. (How can you build anything else without somewhere to go when nature calls?)

An eco-friendly design was important to us, so we used cedar fencing instead of plywood. Otherwise, we followed Ana White's simple outhouse plans. It came out perfectly! It even has a rain barrel for hand washing.

Estimated Cost
800
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We stained the outside with a semi-transparent stain and varnished the inside with an outdoor varnish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Laundry Basket Organizer

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/19/2024 - 10:58

This was a modification to an Ana White design and another brag.
Designed on sketchup. It holds 4 laundry baskets sideways. Because I wanted it to be counter height I have a 6 inch shelf.
3/4 reconditioned plywood for the base assembled using Kreg pocket screws.
The top is a low cost pine 11.5 wide.
I jointed them using a 14 inch hand plane. First time for that. Cut the top to 22 inches wide.
Prestain conditioner. Minwax dark walnut stain and 6 coats of minwax poly wipe on.
Attached using Kreg screws.

Randy Eby

Built from Plan(s)

Pottery Barn Style - Full Size Headboard

Submitted by Oshynlover on Thu, 10/13/2016 - 03:21

My very first big project!  My 6 year old daughter was in need of a new bed and a room makeover so I decided to build her a headboard which then turned into a whole new room!!! 

 

I really wanted it to it to have some dimension to it so I added some moldings and a mini shelf to the top of it.  I basically just designed it myself, based on what some of the $1000+ pottery barn ones look like and spent hours at the hardware store finding the perfect moldings.  

 

For the main backboard I used plywood, however to keep it light I used a sheet of molding and added a round edge to make it seamless.  

 

My my daughter was so excited Mommy built her whole room. 

Estimated Cost
$150 The Moldings added cost but can be made for less than $100 without it. But why would you??? It looks SO much better!!
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Semi Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

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