Community Brag Posts

Basic Bookshelf

Built this over a couple of week nights. I used the basic bookshelf plans available on this site.

It was fun!

I do have a couple of observations though:
1- Sand all pieces of wood BEFORE you cut them, to the desired lengths! Make sure the wood is nice an smooth. So much easier to do with big pieces, that can be balanced on a good support! Especially important when using the cheapest pine available!

2- Take your time, double check measurements, and follow the assembly directions. (Yes.. I made a mistake on the assembly part... at least it's on the back, and no one can see it)

I did change the width to fit my wall space, and I did add adjustable shelves (1 fixed shelf, to help hold the whole thing square). (I used a piece of peg board to place the holes for the shelf supports). Pretty neat! I also added a couple of extra shelves. (I still needs some paint) I needed the extra storage for organizing the stuff we need in the family eating area.

I also changed up the top finishing details. I mitered the corners, and layed the 1x2's flat, offset by .75 of an inch. It gives a nice look.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$55.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
plain, white, semi-gloss. It matches the trim in my house (and I had it in the basement!)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farm House Bar Table

Modification of Ana White's Farmhouse Table adjusted to bar height.

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

Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 03/05/2016 - 10:35

This is a first time project that my husband and 11 yr old on made. 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Entryway or bedroom.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Double Wall Boot Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/14/2019 - 03:24

I adapt the plan for the demand of a double boot rack. One for the big foot (Mother and father, 45 :) ) and one for the kids. And each for 6 pairs of boots! It's why I've decrease the space between each pair not to have to long rack. 1.4m for the longest. I used bankirai wood from a dismantle old deck and pine.

Estimated Cost
25€
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Bankirai: no necessary Pine: normal protection for external used
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Bench and Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/05/2023 - 08:32

Hello everybody
I am a retired man from Toronto, and I find wood working is very therapeutic. All credits to Mrs. Anna that’s she is been inspiring many people to engage with this activities. The most important steps to achieve my plan is sticking with the project I had planned. In the past as a rookie, I was very excited and started the project without a plan in order to speed up the process and finishing the task. The results were very disappointing and disaster.
Thank you for reading my experience.
Best regards
John

Built from Plan(s)

Doll bed factory

Submitted by sgilly on Mon, 02/20/2012 - 15:22

I fell in love with the darling bunk bed built by so many of Ana's readers. Since seeing it I've made several for my granddaughter, neighbors, and friends. What I've learned is that although they're cute, they take almost as much time as a full sized bed!

Estimated Cost
$20-30 (less if I used scraps!), another $10 for bedding materials
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I left most of the bunks natural. Filled, sanded and sprayed with 2 coats of clear poly. Others were painted white (after filling and sanding).
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Nora E. McClure (not verified)

Mon, 02/20/2012 - 18:54

I love the beds. My child wants one so badly. I like yours better then the one American Girl makes.

sgilly02 (not verified)

Fri, 02/24/2012 - 20:48

That's a sweet thing to say. Evidently, others feel the same; I can't make enough of them! They're really pretty easy to make, I hope you try your hand at it!

Andrea Franklin (not verified)

Mon, 05/28/2012 - 17:27

Hi, I see you've made the Ana-White doll cradle from this post. The link to the pattern for the doll cradle appears to be missing as it is a dead link now. Do you know how I might obtain the pattern? Thanks so much

Rustic Kitchen Island with Maple Cutting Board Top!

Submitted by bcanoel on Thu, 12/26/2013 - 14:54

We constructed the Rustic Kitchen Island with a few modifications. My dad, president of the Norm Abrams fan club, built fantastic drawers using rabbet joints and fashioned a maple cutting board top. We also chamferred the edge of the top and the leg ends, very easy and adds a beautiful touch. We finished the cutting board top with "Salad Bowl Finish" which facilitates food prep.

This was a Christmas present for my boyfriend, he is in love with it! I watched him play with it like a little kid for hours after opening it. Thank you, Ana, for your great plans! (Also, Santa brought me your book for Christmas so I will be sharing many more completed projects!)

This was my very first project in the workshop. I was able to complete most of it on my own, which is why I rated it a "beginner" project. However, construction of the drawers using rabbet joints and prepping the maple for the top were considerably more difficult.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Bottom & Drawers: Golden Pecan, Minwax (2 coats on pine)
Top: Salad Bowl Finish, General Finishers (3 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Park Bench

Submitted by TaylorMade on Tue, 03/08/2016 - 18:42

HI Ana! Just wanted to tell you thank you for sharing all your knowledge. I really got inspired reading your book and looking through your website. I was quite intimidated but I finally completed my first build. It feels amazing and I am so grateful for your help! XO Sarah Taylor

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Modern Farmhouse Bed Anniversary Gift

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/19/2019 - 09:17

Built the Ana White designed modern farmhouse bed in a standard king size for my wife as a gift for our anniversary. This was a great weekend project and the final result was impressive! It’s the most solid and sturdy bed we’ve ever slept on. Thanks Ana for the plans and the inspiration! Night stands up next!

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Weathered Gray stain + poly in one by Varathane. Only needed one coat to get the look and feel I was going for. Sanded from 80 grit to 220 grit and lightly sanded with 220 after applying the first coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Full Size Bunk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/07/2023 - 11:30

Almost finished but I managed to alter the plans into a full over full! Just use 2×4 instead of 2×1 and use 2×6 for the legs.

Antonio

Built from Plan(s)

Magazine Boxes

Submitted by AshleyC on Fri, 02/24/2012 - 20:48

This project took us about a day. We made 15. Other then an incident where my boyfriend almost shot my father in the foot with a nail gun (accidently of course lol) it went pretty well. Way better then the paper and mismatched ones that I had before!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About $30
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

American Girl Doll Horse Stable

My two dauirlghters wanted a stable to protect their beloved American Girl Doll Horses.

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

Comments

tazmama

Sun, 10/18/2015 - 19:55

Hello Scott, 

The links provided for the AG horse stable does not work or exist. I probablly cannot create one like you did because I don't have wood working tools but if you have the pics available somewhere I may be able to do a rough version for my daughter. It pains me to buy a horse she wants knowing she won't use it much but it's on her xmas list! :) 

Christina

Toddler bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/23/2019 - 09:35

Built this classic bed for my grandson. It was one of the easiest builds yet. All of Ana White's plans are super user friendly.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax, dark walnut stain, polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Outdoor Sectional

Submitted by Boogiemy on Tue, 02/28/2012 - 05:54

We built this sectional for approximately $700. The wood and supplies cost about $200. The cushions were the most expensive, about $500. We wanted 24 inch wide and 5 inch thick cushions that were well made. I ended up ordering them online from Wal-Mart. The project could have taken about one day, but due to work and kids, it took us about a week.

Estimated Cost
$700
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Cabot Australian Timber oil in honey teak
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Corona Coffee Table

I first saw this table on the Shanty 2 Chic website and when I saw that it was based on a plan from Ana, I knew we had to build it. I asked my husband David to get started on it right away.

It turned out perfectly!!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
To finish the table, we started with Minwax Pre-Stain Conditioner, and followed it with Minwax Golden Pecan, Minwax in Golden Oak and finally Minwax Polyacrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic Entryway Table

Submitted by LN2014 on Mon, 03/14/2016 - 22:54

Made from Canadian white pine just made from 2x6s that where ripped down to the top,legs, sides and the X's. Sanded 3/4in plywood was used for both shelves instead of solid 1x12 pine board to cut down on cost of the build. 15in wide x 4ft long x 30in high

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Ash Stain
Varathane Polyurethane Satin
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Treehouse bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/28/2019 - 14:19

Completed this for my grand daughter. Only extra I added was handle and step made from metal pipe. She just loves it. Looks perfect in her birch forest. 🙂

Estimated Cost
300.00

Dresser

I originally wanted the Hudson Dresser from Pottery Barn but I wanted it a little more feminine. I also really liked the Madison Dresser plans posted on this website so I combined the two and this is what I got. It took me a weekend to build and a week to stain (a layer of stain after work a day). I got the drawer pulls from World Market and I got the bunn feet on ebay. I'm overall very pleased with it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$225
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Polyshades 2-in-1 Bombay Mahogany (three coats with sanding with 220 grit sandpaper in between coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

debandtom25

Thu, 03/08/2012 - 10:03

I need to redo my whole living room and I want to have a nice piece to put the TV on top. I LOVE the feet and drawers of this piece and I might just have to steal some inspiration.

Mario Castle Bunk

Submitted by jlholmes80 on Wed, 01/01/2014 - 00:30

So my son needed a bunk bed and we came upon the sweet pea bed. It was too girly for him so we decided to go with a theme that would be timeless, something he wouldn't mind having when he is 18 (or older, he is 10 now). What is better than Mario! (We are a house full of gamers, my 17 year old is super jealous of this bed lol). The build was fairly easy and the plans were straight forward enough, the time consuming part was the painting (without all the painting we could have probably build this in a long weekend). We changed a few things, like not arching the top windows, adding the 4 inch 2x4 squares to the top to give the castle look and stairs are made to look like stairs from the side so we stepped out the banister instead of angling it.

Estimated Cost
500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Paint colors were all Behr paint+ primer (mostly eggshell or flat):
New Brick, Black, Polar Bear White, Green Crush, Green Acres, Lemon Zest, Windjammer, and French Silver. Some of the colors (like pinkish tone on the stairs) we created on our own mixing the New Brick and the Polar Bear.

Polyurethane. I mixed regular oil based polyurethane (gloss) with mineral spirits (50/50) and wiped it on. It was remarkably simple and gave it a nice seal/finish. Last coat I used Satin Polyurethane because I didn't want the gloss finish. I opted not to sand between coats because this is a kids bed and I wasn't looking for that "perfect" finish, just wanted some added protection.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Mrswhetstone1

Wed, 01/01/2014 - 06:11

This is the coolest bed I have ever seen! I wish I could make this for my youngest. I could probably build it, but I 'm pretty sure it would go downhill when I started painting it. You did an amazing job and your son is a very lucky boy!

jlholmes80

Wed, 01/01/2014 - 16:10

You can totally do it! I am a horrible painter (I'm too impatient) and you can't tell with this because of how forgiving the design ends up being. There is so much going on it's hard to pinpoint the mistakes. :)

jlholmes80

Wed, 01/01/2014 - 16:07

Thanks so much! This was the first thing we ever built (although my husband did a lot of building stuff in his youth we have never done anything together and I was a total beginner) so we are very happy with it. :D I appreciate all the kind words.

amercpina

Fri, 05/03/2019 - 22:00

We are super excited to build this for our 9 year old son. To make this a Full size bed am I correct in thinking that I only need to alter the side panels by adding 15inches? I am paranoid about building it and the mattress not fitting. Thanks so much!

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