Community Brag Posts

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

Comments

Collapsible Table for Craft Fairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/03/2024 - 08:58

My wife wanted a collapsible table for her craft fair sales. I put a wooden dowel in the opening for her to drape packing paper over and hooks on the sides for gift bags. Easy plans to follow and it turned out great!

Todd Martens

Built from Plan(s)

Folding Work Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/11/2020 - 16:03

First build.

The plans and cut list were a tad off but I made a saw guide a cut it down from 36 to 24 after assembled.

I had HD do all my cuts but have since done my own!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Not sure bought tools, wood and hardware at same time ($160)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Printer's Console or Sneaky Litterbox Cabinet? Cat Litter Box Cabinet

Submitted by Joni on Sun, 11/25/2012 - 08:12

I had been wanting to build something to hide the litterbox for a long time. When I saw the Printer's Console plan, I knew this was the perfect plan for a cat litter box furniture. I loved that Jen Woodhouse's version was completely modified to her bar plan, so I thought I could modify for my litterbox idea. I modified the plans on size, as I was trying to use a bunch of mis-matched plywood. I also modified it to include a cat door, a cat passageway on interior panel, a vent on the back behind one of the drawers, and the stone top. I built a frame on the back to house the backing as an inset piece, as I didn't want it to be seen at all. I learned a very important lesson during this build. Not all 1x3s are created equal. Once I got my doors assembled, they were too big for the opening. I couldn't shave off the tiny amount needed, and couldn't make anything work short of starting over with 1x4s, sawing off a small amount, and cutting down the # of "drawers" (and handles). I wanted the inside to be fully finished (because cat pee on raw wood would not be good!). I had to finish certain "planes" prior to putting the thing together. I used kitchen and bath paint on the inside floor and sides for easy cleanup. The stone was carryover from construction on our house 12 years ago. The handles were an amazing deal @ $1.81/each .

 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Conditioner, followed by a mix of American Walnut & Onyx Minwax water-based Stain. 3 Coats of Old Village Gel Varnish. On inside, I used a kitchen/bath paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

blueskiesinNM

Mon, 06/17/2013 - 12:23

Love your use of the buffet. Our family has discussed making a piece of furniture like this for our smaller dog. Nice to see someone has done it! Our big dog has scheduled feedings but our little dog would prefer to be a free feeder. Poor thing chokes down his food in our pantry listening to our big dog breathing under the door waiting for him to finish. When he is done we open the door and the Big, greedy dog bolts in looking for left overs. A family member has to wait patiently for the little dog to finish so he can escape the pantry. I really don't want a doggy door in my pretty swinging bi-fold doors to my pantry which is also access to our kitchen.That would be a pain to have to keep closed all day. But this buffet idea is super cute! Thanks for the inspiration.

wayneled

Fri, 01/09/2015 - 22:01

I know this is an old post, but I'll ask anyway

I love this piece and am in the planning stages for ours. Thank you for sharing!

I am Wondering how you went about the table top. Did you install a 3/4 ply on top but not flush, allowing room for mortar and tile? If so how much room did you allow for the tile/mortar? 1/2 inch? How did you keep the surface of the tile level and uniform? Lastly, did you seal the tile with anything when you finished?

Aesthetically, the tile top really sets this piece off and I really want to make my own.

Thanks

Seasonal And Holiday

Treehouse bed with slide

Submitted by ritchsam on Fri, 02/10/2017 - 19:56

I built this for my daughter Keila.  She loves it and her friends do too!  Took me one day.  I painted the entire bed in deck paint.  It completely eliminated all
Splinters!!! I added the slide, a USB plug, cup holder, and fan.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
350.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Deck paint to cover all splinters. Slide was 75.00 extra found at a discount overstock supply house. I had to cut off two feet for it to fit in a 11x11 room
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Adirondack Minnie Mouse

Submitted by vangy04 on Fri, 11/14/2014 - 08:29

My daughter is into everything Minnie Mouse right now so I figured, why not!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used stickers for the white details, but my daughter promptly peeled them all off. I suggest paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

pr22joyce

Thu, 09/08/2016 - 12:08

I have looked, clicked all over this site to download the plans for the Minnie Mouse Adirondack chair.  Can someone please help?

KelHad

Sun, 02/19/2017 - 13:28

Has anyone been able to locate the plans for the Minnie Mouse chair yet?

I still can't find them.

Stocking Stand

Submitted by mpjacob08 on Thu, 12/10/2020 - 06:34

So fun! Directions were easy! Can also be used as Backpack hanger if you put a little bit longer feet on them. I bought the metal hooks from Walmart.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$18
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Jacobean Minwax stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Bathroom Storage Tower

Submitted by Quintin79 on Sat, 01/26/2013 - 08:53

I loved the look of the Craft room Storage tower but modified to suit my wife's bathroom theme/decor. The inside back (MDF beadboard) is painted a milk coffee color to lighten it up. The door inserts are plexiglass, which was more expensive than glass but with 2 boys 6 and 2 it is well spent, and the MDF beadboard. Covered the plexiglass with self-adhesive film for glass on both sides to hide the towels inside. This project took me about 12 hours to complete but over a 3 month period, mostly spent on finishing the project with my boys underfoot or at 12-2am. YIKES!!! If i keep this up she will want to buy instead of letting me build.
Price List:
wood: $100
Stain/Paint: left over from house reno. would have been $15 stain $20 Varnish 30$ quart of paint
Handle: $7
Hinges: $4 basic style
I wanted to use Eurostyle hinges but opted to buy the Kreg system instead of Forstner drill bits.

Will be building another just different dimensions for laundry room makeover.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
100$ CDN for lumber everything is more expensive in Canada
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Saman's waterbased stain Chocolate Varnish applied
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Quintin79

Sat, 01/26/2013 - 12:18

Thanks! It was my first furniture building project! I did a huge reno that i did on my house but that is construction and 1/8th in isnt as big of an issue as in furniture.

SMALL GABLE ROOF GREENHOUSE

Submitted by Ledopmi on Wed, 12/23/2020 - 06:07

I was planning on building a greenhouse some time next year but I just happen to see this by chance and fell in love with it. I've always built from my own designs but when I saw this I decided to purchase the plans. I couldn't be more happy with it. Right now its doubling as a feed room. I wanted a solid foundation so I build a floating deck to mount the walls on. The deck added quite a bit to the total price.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$1384.94
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Lawnmower Shed

Submitted by PipesTX on Wed, 01/07/2015 - 06:19

Modified the design to allow me to roll lawnmower directly in the end. Fun project.

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Modified Clubhouse Bunkbed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 06/04/2017 - 18:39

I used the plan from the Clubhouse bunk bed and modified to look similar to a Mathy-by-Boles Treehouse Bunkbed.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$450
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Primer and kid friendly paint. oh yeah...sanding. Lots and lots of sanding!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Cal-King Storage Bed

Submitted by Chris 1975 on Thu, 04/25/2013 - 12:03

I loved the bed by plan, and now love it more that I have built it.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Triple Printer Console

Submitted by jbolson21 on Tue, 04/07/2015 - 16:07

We made this and a dresser just like it.  We wanted matching furniture.

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Danish Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Jewelry Box Retirement Gift

Submitted by JoanneS on Mon, 04/20/2015 - 17:19

This jewelry box is a gift for a friend at work who is retiring.   It is a variation of the Easy Jewelry Box, with the following modifications:

Hinged lift-up top with mirror

Overlay drawer fronts from ¼” craft wood (Gold stencil on top false drawer front, and drawer boxes are 1/8” shorter than the shelf from front to back, to ensure the fronts sit flat against the box front and drawer back doesn't touch the box back at all)

The bottom is 2 pieces thick, to allow space for the drawer overhang and attaching the bottom moulding.

Solid wood back (instead of plywood)

Top and bottom edged with mini stop moulding to make the overhangs, and added feet made from lattice

Removable drawer divider tray and 2 heights of removable dividers for the top, made from dentil, lattice and screen bead mouldings

I really took my time on this build to get everything just right with the build and the finish.   Probably spent about 6 hours spread out over the last few weekends. 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Cost: 1x8 and 1x2 Lumber and finishes were already on hand (left over from other projects) and I spent about $25 for the mirror, hardware, felt, mouldings, and craft board.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
3 coats Clark & Kensington semi-gloss paint + primer in Crushed Peanut, sanded between coats. Stencil: 1 coat Americana Gloss enamel metallic in glorious gold. Soft wax on the shelf and drawer bottom.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Linda7

Tue, 04/21/2015 - 18:57

This is your best one yet, Joanne. Love it! :-)

JoanneS

Wed, 04/22/2015 - 18:29

Hi Linda, thank you for the nice comment! This was a fun build, and I'm very glad to say the gift was a big hit! :)

Rustic X Farmhouse Table

We were able to finish this table after work one afternoon and stain it the next day. (we have a 16 month old also, so you can do it! :) ) I wanted a similar style I had found at World Market that retailed for $700 we were able to complete this entire table for $100 including all hardware and stain. LOVE it so much and get SO many compliments on it. Thanks so much!

Shelby
The Dandy Lion

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
A satin poly with espresso stain in one
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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