Community Brag Posts

A More Traditional Modern Craft Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/26/2017 - 18:37

This is my more traditional take on the modern craft table (I guess that means it isn't technically "modern"!).  We call it the "Lego Table" at our house.  I doubled up the ends like others have so that my two daughters can have their own sides.  My wife asked that the there be backs on the side shelves so that items aren't pushed off.   I also added trim around the tabletop and molding to give it a bit more traditional appearance.  Finally, I made the shelves adjustable.  

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

Outdoor Sectional - Love It !

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/18/2020 - 06:11

Great experience building this sectional, although would recommend pre-drilling the holes where practical to avoid splitting. It only happened to me a few times on #2 douglas fir, but I would have preferred to avoid it. As you can see from the picture, I didn't account for the siding taking up the space, and was expecting a perfect fit. Easily fixed with a bit of saw work, and now it's really custom fit for the space. :-)

I've added the details of the finish we used, and really happy with how it turned out, with the exception of my garage workshop lighting not revealing the spots I need to touch up now that it is in the natural light.

And of course, this is a terrific time to purchase couch cushions at the end of the season. Lots of great sales, and we found these at Target for $47 per top/bottom set.

Estimated Cost
$600
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Rock Solid Deck Start Wood Primer followed by Behr Premium Porch and Patio Floor Paint. This gave a really matte finish that looks a lot like the metal patio furniture we will have next to it, and Home Depot was able to tint this for us. We also added a mildew and moss inhibitor to the paint at the store for a couple extra bucks since we live in the PNW. The extra time needed to get multiple coats on for full coverage was totally worth it.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Cabin Bunk for my 5yo son

Submitted by SDPerkins on Wed, 01/02/2013 - 12:27

My first Ana-White plan project. We are pleased with the plans and result. only made a few minor changes.

Estimated Cost
375
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Kona stain/sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Labine37

Tue, 03/31/2015 - 09:01

I'm making the top bunk right now, I was wondering which plan you used for the ladder?

Thanks

Our version of this awesome little greenhouse

I found your plans last summer and loved the design so I decided to build one for my wife for her birthday last August. I didn't get started until the weekend of her birthday in late August so there was little expectation to have it finished before winter. It is now 14 months later and I only have a few trim pieces left to install. We live in a harsh climate and I wanted to be able to use it through the winter so I made a few changes. I built a 2 x 12 base and insulated it with R40 and the bottom walls are 2 x 6 instead of 2 x 4 and are insulated with R20. I used twin wall polycarbonate instead of the corrugated lexan because of the superior R factor. The insulated walls are of course vapor barriered and I covered them with tongue & grove cedar. I also made raised benches out of cedar for growing potted plants on. The floor has ceramic tile on it and the exterior is colored metal. I also ran underground power to the building and installed a fluorescent grow light. Surprisingly a small 110 volt heater keeps the temperature above freezing even during our awesome -40 winter temperatures. If the daytime temperature is anywhere near or above freezing we have to keep the screen open in the door or it overheats inside. I have attached links to a few pictures of the almost finished product, ready for another winter full of flowers and veggies. I initially used clear vapor barrier until the twin wall polycarbonate showed up. This worked rather well. 

I have posted this in the comments section as well, but I think it belongs here.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Material costs were just over $5,000
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
exposed cedar was stained
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

JB

Sat, 03/21/2020 - 09:42

Love your ideas! I have a few questions if you don't mind. Where did you buy the polycarbonate sheets, and what sizes were available? Did you end up changing the plan a bit to accommodate the vertical sheets? Did you seal top and bottom with foil tape and dust tape respectively or poly flashing?

Any help or advice would be appreciated very much.

JB

Flat Wall Book Shelf

This is a shorter and wider (and simplified) version of the Flat Wall Book Shelf.  (Approx 48" wide and 40" tall). Trying to maximize wasted space under sloped ceilings.  I did jig-saw out a notch for the baseboard so it would be secured flat to the wall.  My only regret is that I didn't put this baby up sooner.  I've been kicking books around this room for years!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
45
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Off the Shelf red paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hidden Catbox

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/22/2020 - 07:26

Wife and I decided we needed something to contain the smell of our two litter boxes. Found the Ana White plans and modified them to fit my needs. Used a grow house filter attached to an inline extractor fan to keep a slight negative pressure inside the box. With the extractor fan on low there is zero litter box smell.
Project turned out really well. Although this one turned out great, I would spend the extra money and buy the better wood for the frame next time.

Estimated Cost
$350.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax water based prestain, old leather stain, and polycrylic finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

4-Foot Crown and Hooks Wall Shelf

The decorative 4-foot crown and hooks wall shelf makes a beautiful place to display photos and other decorations and also provides a practice application to hang backpacks, coats, hats and even Christmas stockings. It is fairly simply to build with basic tools such as a table saw and a miter saw.

The project costs about $57 to make with about half of the cost in the hooks. The overall dimensions of the project are 48 inches wide by 12 inches tall. It takes about 2-3 hours to build.

Download the plans at my woodworking blog at:
http://www.jrlwoodworking.com/

Estimated Cost
$57
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
We painted the wall shelf with a high-quality Rust-Oleum 32 oz. Painter's Touch (two coats) and then mounted Everbilt Decorative Coat and Hat Hook from Home Depot. We chose a semi-gloss paint to give it some sheen. Depending on the color, we used the Everbilt Oil-Rubbed Bronze hooks for white shelves and the Everbilt Antique hooks for dark shelves.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

kristenlotz

Fri, 01/04/2013 - 12:30

We actually have this shelf in a bright white color in our foyer to hang coats for visitors. We also put our Christmas stockings on it (one hook for each member of the family).

Toddler bed

Submitted by Mommaoven on Fri, 10/24/2014 - 21:38

 

Pottery Barn inspired toddler bed, made with reclaimed lumber from our home reno. The wainscoting is real (not mdf), $2 from the HD cull lumber rack. It had a damaged piece, but the remaining part of the board sufficed for this small project. Screws are countersunk. 

The curve is elliptical (drawn with loop of string and two nails for foci, transferred to board and cut with jigsaw)

The construction is lighter than the original plan, using what was at hand and for a young toddler. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$2 lumber
$3 stain
$1 screws/sandpaper wear/saw wear/etc.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax "golden pecan", clear poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY BARN DOOR STYLE SHUTTERS IN THE MAN CAVE!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/02/2017 - 08:39

Ever since we've moved into our new home, My Husband Matt has put his room (Or "Man Cave" as we know it) on the back burner so that other things could be done first. He has been so sweet about letting me use it for home decor, event decor, clothes, and misc. storage. 

Well, since the hectic first couple of months as new homeowners is starting to die down, I had made my mind up that I would help him get started on his Man Cave as an early Birthday present! He deserves it!!

In passing, he made a comment to me the other day that he would love to have some kind of rustic window treatments in his room. I pulled up Pinterest and nonchalantly pointed out a couple of ideas to see which one he liked the most. We went in the room together and he started to describe what he wanted them to look like. (Again, he was saying this in general. I doubt he thought I was crazy enough to attempt it. Welllll…)

The next day I worked on my usual “project prep” routine:

  • Find the best design that will fit the space.
  • Take measurements
  • Draw up a plan of what it should look like and include measurement points
  • Take measurements, AGAIN, just to be safe
  • Look for Lowes or Home depot coupons
  • Head to the store and get this bad boy rolling!

I first measured the window casing. (My window casing doesn’t have crown molding around it on the sides or at the top, which was a plus! This will make them easier to attach!)

My window measures 35″ wide and 58″ tall. So, here’s how I figured the math:

  • If the window is 35″ wide, and we need two shutters, we will need to divide 35″ by 2, giving us 17.5.
  • I would like to get a little room for clearance, so lets round both sides to 17 even, giving us a 1 inch clearance. (Room for the doors to open and close properly without worrying about rubbing.)
  • You will want the shutters the same height as the window of course, so each of my shutters will need to measure 17″ wide and 58″ tall.  There are tons of different styles for these shutters so all you need to know is that each shutter needs to be half of the window width (minus 1/2 inch from each shutter for clearance.)And then you can just decide what design and boards you want to use.
  • I used (4) 1×10’s for my shutters. (And if you are familiar with wood, you know that the real measurement for a 1×10 = 9.25, so I had 37 inches of wood to work with.) I trimmed 1 1/2 inches from each of the inner 1×10’s to get them where I wanted them to be. Leaving them as 7.75″.
  • You will need 1×4’s for both sides on the window to attach your shutters to. They will need to measure the length of your window as well. (1×4’s are really 1×3.5)
  • For the boards that lay across the shutters, I purchased (4)  3×24 thin boards.
  • Cut these boards to the same length as each shutter. Which in my case, would be 17″. DON’T FORGET you will need to also cut (4) pieces to go on each of your 1×4’s that are on the sides. The latches will sit on these pieces and make them even with the pieces that are on the shutters.

So, after my cutting was all said and done, I had:

(2) 9.25×58 

(2) 7.75×58

(2) 3.5×58

(4)3×17

(4)3×3.5

Estimated Cost
This entire project cost somewhere around $100 to make! Including the hardware!
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Stain in Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Outdoor Collection

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 16:06

Great plans - thanks so much! Started with two chairs, and kept going...

MODS: Once built, we felt there wasn't enough back support, so added a 2x4 then 4x4 on top. Also added a 2x2 in back of the seat bed, so our 25" x 25" seat cushions didn't float around.

Recommend paint gun vs. painting by hand.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Two coats of Behr waterproof stain + sealer (BM swiss coffee)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Thankful FAUX the Fireplace!!

This Christmas I was determined to have a fireplace for the stockings to hang from! I played with the design a little to add depth and height.... and tiled a little.

Loved the results for only my second project from here!! Not perfect, but mine!lol Thanks for sharing Ana!!

~Dina

Estimated Cost
140
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
American walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Not So Rustic Table

Submitted by Oawad79 on Mon, 10/27/2014 - 06:44

I have built this table following the plan from the woodwhisperer website under the name "Not So Rustic Outdoor Table", Used white pine

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
PolyShade
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/05/2017 - 16:19

Farmhouse bed and night stands. Second bed I've made with Ana's plans, absolutely love it and easy for all........Deb M.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Mixed dark walnut and ebony
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Toddler Bed with Rail

This was my second Toddler bed. This one with a single side rail. I really like this plan. Just remember that Toddler mattresses are not always the same dimensions. Find out the size of the mattress first and adjust your dimensions accordingly. I also stained and clear coated the railing separately so it can be removed as the child gets a little older and still have the bed completely finished without it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$56
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
English Chestnut Stain with a Satin Poly top coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

6 DRAWER COFFEE TABLE

Submitted by Nathan1342 on Mon, 01/07/2013 - 10:22

This was a fun little project. Followed the plans roughly. I made a few changes in the fact that I only added 3 drawers instead of six and instead of using the casters I made legs. When using cheap pine from lowes its rather difficult to get a frame that is completely square. This makes it quite the hassle to get the drawers to fit properly. If I had to do it over again I would use better wood and be very careful that the frame is 100% square. But overall a nice project.

Estimated Cost
300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Writing Desk and Bookcase

Inspired by Ballard  Designs Turin Bookcase http://www.ballarddesigns.com/turin-bookcase/237257

and the Marche writing desk http://www.ballarddesigns.com/marche-writing-desk/278164

with some tweaks to my liking :0)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$700
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Tidewater by Sherman williams
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

King Easy Build Bed - Headboard / Footboard

Submitted by imsomark on Wed, 02/08/2017 - 07:26

First of all, thank you to the site for this plan. The headboard specs were spot on. I was interested in making a footboard as well, and you actually will end up with a few scrap pieces that will help you build the footboard (the 1x3's and 1x2's). My footboard ended up being about 23 1/4" high. For reference, the mattress in the photo is 10". I included a picture of the total boards you will need to buy to do the headboard, footboard, and side rails (I used 8 inch boards for the side rails, not 10 inch, but those could be interchanged). One thing to note is the plan calls for pocket hole screws but these are not necessary. I used 2" brad nails, 1 1/4" brad nails, and 2" screws (for the slats and the support rails on the slats. You could use 2 1/2 inch for the slats but the support rails need 2".). Not included in the picture I included is another 2x4x8 that I bought that I placed three scrap 4x4 posts that I had under the middle of the slats for extra support. I also bought steel bed rail fasteners ($11.30 from Amazon) to attach the side rails to the headboard and footboard. They worked great and the bed is extremely sturdy. Can't budge it at all. I used the common whitewood boards from Home Depot, which are all the correct width - the fur boards are cheaper but are not the correct width, you would need to adjust the plans if you were to use those. Overall I am very pleased with the bed. Please ignore the half dozen water bottles in the photo.

Estimated Cost
$190
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
75/25 mixture of Classic Grey and Jacobean.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

My DIY Closet Project

Hi DIY Peeps.

This is a pretty simple project.
The main point is to keep everything level across the 4 boxes.
I used simple jig's which were exact copies so I knew where to attach the shelves properly and level.

Note this on the pictures.

I wanted to use all Galvanized Pipe but sadly no matching parts.
Here I would suggest as Did Ana to keep your shelve parts no more then 3 feet or so.
Why, you can get off the shelf 36" precut galvanized pipes easy. Most closets are 8' or less so anything over that is a problem.

My measurements were

H=78"
W=8' 3"
Depth 28"

The Center Part is 2' as that was the natural distance as I went wall to wall 3 + 3 + 2 = 8

I modified the build to allow more storage on the top for bigger boxes and use as a Linen Closet of sorts.

My closet is out of Fir , and 2x4's I didn't want a all 2x4 closet. The thin wood at 3/4's get a lighter look to the closet. Also don't forget to screw the frame to the wall for safety, this is a pretty heavy closet !

Pine would work as would poplar or oak. But the 3x4 thick and 5" and 3" wood really made it look great.
Notice have the 5" is the middle and the 3" wide is at each end. This gave the closet a more fun look.

Notice the hanger for the 3' galvanized rod. I used Copper and pipe clamps to give it a unique look.
This really makes the closet Pop.

Overall it was a fun project, it took 3 weekends as I stained it with Carmel Oak color and that took 3 coats on the Fir.

The shelves are the longest part of the work, but use the jigs like I did and it will come out all level.

I am very happy with it in the End, Sadly i can't open the doors all the way to show how big this actually is!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Honey Oak Stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Entryway shelf & bench

Submitted by lswenson on Tue, 01/08/2013 - 19:08

It was so much fun building this bench & shelf for my entry. I now have a terrific place to stash things and hang my coat and purse! I am planning to make boxes to fit some of the spaces in the bench.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar "Spanish Tile" gloss paint from Lowe's
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

rocking Moses basket stand

This is my third Ana White plan. Thanks to you, Ana, and other inspirations I have came to through you, I have seriously improved my skills. This project took me about 3 nights, working around the schedule of my almost 2 year old. Would probably be a one day project. Took me a little sanding to get those rockers right, but overall much easier than I expected. I believe my neighbors will be very excited when they arrive home from the hospital tonight to find this in their living room. Thanks so much for all you do to teach and inspire all of us!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10-15 for materials plus $40 for Moses basket, purchased from Amazon
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum, dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Simple stool modified

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/10/2017 - 20:23

Simple stool plans modified.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White exterior gloss legs. Minwax honey stain seat with 8 coats of gloss varnish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate