Community Brag Posts

We remodeled our basement and added a master bathroom. The vanity space we had needed a custom vanity. We saw the Balin Console Table here and thought it would work nicely. It does! The four 12x12 drawers hold everything we need to use and keep discrete and the storage space underneath works nicely for extras that need to be away but quickly accessed.

I used the Martina Bath Wall Shelf as a design element and extended the length to 49.75" to create a custom piece to hang over my little one's dresser in the nursery. I used select pine, pre-stain and dark walnut for the finish. I spent a little more than what can be expected as I didn't have scrap pieces in the desired size as well as spent $20 on bar brackets that can hold 200 lbs. I went a little overboard on the strength capacity but its for a baby's nursery.

This was our first big DIY project and I absolutely LOVE the finished product. We now have a solid, sturdy king size bed that everyone loves. The plans were pretty easy to follow although I chose to make the headboard and footboard taller than mentioned on the original plans. The measurements came from another Ana White DIY-er  http://diystinctlymade.com/2014/02/05/diy-pottery-barn-farmhouse-bed/  . For the bed frame, brackets and 2x4s were used. The stain use was dark walnut by Rust-o-leum and finished with minwax polyurethane semigloss. Working on and off, it took us approximately 2 weeks to finish the project; although, I'm pretty sure it could've been completed in a weekend. 

Thanks for the great plans. Love this bed.  Next project, a nightstand.

Built this a little smaller - only 15" deep and 42" wide for use behind the couch with multiple functions - laptop desk, dining room buffet table, and behind-the-couch-set-things-on table. Love it!

Tricky parts - the drawers. Because I changed the dimensions, I built the drawer box to fit my new dimensions and installed it. Then, I cut the sides of my drawers 10" deep (the smallest drawer slides I could find and a perfect fit). I laid the Hettich ball bearing drawer slides (from my local lumber and cabinet supplier, not big box) in the drawer box and trimmed down my drawer front/back until they fit nicely. If you're interested, it was 15 1/8" wide.

Nail gun is a must on this project!!! And remember to glue and use 2" nails.

I used the Kreg jig to build my drawers because I'm familiar with building drawers that way and feel comfortable getting them squared. I highly recommend the Kreg jig!

Then, I attacked it with my orbital sander until it was nice and smooth.

Love Ana's great patterns!

This was so fun. My little girl loves it and we have another on the way, so I am thrilled with how it turned out. The assembly wasn't hard, but it took FOUR coats of paint and three coats of finish. That was the most tedious part. I made a box for the apron sink, rounded off the edges, sprayed it with a white lacquer, and modified the countertop so it fit in nice and snug. It's my favorite part. I love that it tied in the white fridge. It ended up costing me 130 bucks. 50 in wood, 35 in paint/supplies, 45 in handles, knobs, faucet, hinges, stovetop etc.

COUNTERTOP AND SINK MODIFICATION:
I hope this isn't too confusing. It's hard when you can't see it, so don't hesitate to email for clarifications.

Countertop
(2) 1x3 @ 10 ½” (these boards go on either side of the sink when looking from above)

(1) 1x4 @ 11“ (this is the board the faucet sits on)

Put the backsplash on the same way the original plans say.

Sink box
11” wide, 8” deep, 5.5“ high (Using all 1x6 boards)

(2) 1x6 @ 11” (front and back)

(2) 1x6 @ 6.5” (left and right sides, on the inside of the 11" boards)

6.5x9.5 inside bottom (cut down whatever board you need to to get this size. This should fit snuggly inside the walls of the box)

Because a 1x6 is really 5.5 inches wide, and the countertop is 3/4" thick, and 3/4" of the sink sits above the countertop, that means 4” of the sink will be under the countertop. So looking at the sink from the front, you need (2) 1 ¾” wide x 4” long blocks of wood on either side of the front part of the sink. Then I just put a 1x12x14 1/2" shelf under the whole thing to hold it up. I built the sink box first and spray-painted it with a white lacquer, then I built the entire sink countertop and base, and then shoved the sink in last. It was a very tight squeeze so I didn't have to nail or glue it in or anything. About an inch of the sink should be sticking out of the front, and 3/4" should be sticking out the top.

Good luck!
Email me for questions!
[email protected]

Or visit my blog for details where I got all the accessories
carlyandjordan.blogspot.com/2013/08/play-kitchen.html

Love how it turned out cost a little more if you count stain,wood conditioner..etc wasn't bad still.wood probably cost around 60-70 cheap and better then most anything you can buy.. Lots more to come 

We built this corner cabinet shelf in three days (only because it is over 100 degrees here, so we had to wait until 9:00 at night to work on it) for our office space. We love, love, love it and can't believe how nice my corner cabinet turned out. Only our second building project ever. :)

We needed a desk for my kid's computer. Something simple and functional but with a little customization.

Since we live in Hawaii ocean themes are everywhere in our home. I scrolled out the waves to make the shelf supports original and let light into the little cubby below.

24" across and 18" deep I built this off the rough plans for the Clara desk and customized it to be at a normal table height of 29" so my elementary school children will be able to use this all the way through high school.

Stained with a blue minwax wood stain on the legs and shelf support. Arctic white latex paint for the table and shelf tops.

My under the sink door cabinet is smaller than what's on the plan so i had to improvise.  A paper towel dispenser won't fit anymore so I just made another shelf.  I love it.  No clutter and everything is so organized. :) 

Thank you for these plans - they were great for a first time build. Definitley learned a lot building this...and now on to the next project!

Our kitchen table buggered out so I decided to give making one a try. This was my first project. With seriously low funds available- I asked around to family for scrap lumber. Turns out the old lumber in the barn was black walnut! I had to plane and join it by hand so it took quite a bit longer to make.
I made the table one foot shorter and one foot wider. It seats 6 comfortably on the sides. Thank you so much for the plans!

This was my first major DIY build and I LOVED the way it turned out! I have wanted a large office desk for quite awhile, but never could find anything in a store that fit my needs and/or style. I modified the plans to fit what I wanted and it turned out great! The top is just a hollow-core door from Lowes ($19) that I stained with a Dark Walnut color. I added a file drawer to the right and just a hinged pull-down door on the left for more hidden storage. Purchased the baskets at Michael's for 50% off.

After I built the dresser for my son, he decided he needed a nightstand. This was his project, I only advised and offered assistance. He was 15 and he came up with the design and we glued up the panels. He cut, sanded and assembled himself. He stained and applied the shellac. I am very proud of him.

Great project!

It took me a long time to finish the chairs, although the table was a snap. The time consuming thing was my desire for two paint colors. Painting is not my strong suit. But I got it done, just in time for our annual Labor Day house party.
I cut the lumber using our radial arm saw. I sanded with an random orbital sander, and used really great cordless drill and driver. My husband likes to buy good tools, but hardly ever uses them.
I had never used pocket screws before: I love them and found it very necessary to use the face clamp and right angle clamp Kreg sells to prevent splitting. My assortment of speedclamps were not getting the job done.
For the table, I tried masking off the white when I painted the red on the legs, which did not go so well as there was annoying paint-creep under the tape. I also decided that the red paint needed two coats to look good (it actually seemed to do better on bare wood then on primed wood.) So that took more time.
I finally bought a really good paint brush and that made a huge and positive difference.
I had intended to paint the chairs' slats red, but the back frame white, and the side supports red. To do this I intended to paint individual pieces and assemble the painted pieces, but the splitting (before I invested in the specialized clamps) was heartbreaking after all the sanding and painting. So I took a month off from the project, ordered clamps, recut a few pieces, and simplified my paint scheme. Much better!
I'm looking forward to starting my next project (NO paint!)

I started about 2 years ago by making one of the Mini Farmhouse Style bedside tables.  My wife loved it so I made a second.  Then I made the bench a year or so ago with plans from this site too.  Unfortunately I can't find where those plans are now.  Maybe in Ana's book (I have that at home too)? I just finished the Reclaimed Wood Headboard with wood I reclaimed from the big orange store :)
I put a 1/4" chamfer on the edges of the panels for the headboard, and had to add a brace in the back because none of them were perfectly flat.  No one has seen the headboard yet, but I've had friends ask me where I bought the bedside tables and bench.  I've never had a matched set before.  This is a definite bedroom upgrade!
Stain is Minwax Special Walnut, paint is Gotham Grey from Behr.