Community Brag Posts

Kentwood Bookshelf, kid version

Submitted by craw4dz on Thu, 02/27/2020 - 11:42

I have built three of these so far: one for my daughter, one for her best friend, and one for my cousin's son for their baby shower (books instead of cards).  I've modified it and tweaked it a little each time but the overall finished product is basically the same.  It's about 36" tall but the same width and depth as the Kentwood plan.  I put the one shelf tall enough so that the biggest books can live on the bottom.  I used beadboard for the backing but I think the next time I'll use either 1/4" plywood or common boards and Kreg them together.  This takes less than a day to build and less than $40 in lumber.  Easy to make, easy to assemble, and endless possibilities to finish.

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Whatever your heart desires
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Custom Craft Room!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/20/2023 - 07:58

My daughter asked for a corner desk for art, sewing and work. She wanted storage drawers on each end and also a mobile island to use as a place to lay out and pin sewing patterns. She also wanted her art side of the desk to have an easel that laid flat or raised up at different angles. I’m very proud of this and still can’t believe I built it. My son drew the plans on sketch up and then I cut and assembled.

Karla Stevens

Comments

Farmhouse Table

Farmhouse table from plans. Shortened length to 6.5 feet to fit our area. Good plans.

Estimated Cost
$90
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax oil-based Dark Walnut with two coats of brush-on poly all around. One additional coat of brush-on poly on the top followed by one coat of wipe-on poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

lipstickandsawdust

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 07:39

Very nice, nice stain work as well. I also really love the "filled" screw holes. I think it gives it so much character. I too have made this table and wanted the markings to show through. Thumbs up!

Debi_G (not verified)

Sun, 06/10/2012 - 16:30

Love it. Planning to make one for our new house once we get settled.

Joyous_Jems

Fri, 02/15/2013 - 10:40

Just go to the blue bar above Ana's picture at the top of the page where it says "plans" and type in the kind of table you're interested in. Prepare to drool over all the gorgeous furniture and projects!

Farmhouse King Bed

Submitted by pde00311 on Mon, 02/24/2014 - 23:05

My wife has always wanted a king sized bed. While my hobbyist woodworking skills are not (yet) to the point where I can create the mahogany sleigh bed she has always dreamed of, I think she has enjoyed the farmhouse bed that I built for her X-mas present. We bought a new gel mattress for the bed, which sits on a few sheets of plywood over a frame of 2x4s. While we have no current plans to move anytime soon, using some of the advice of commenters/posters, I constructed our bed and frame with bed rail brackets and hanger joists that will allow us the option to disassemble/reassemble it in the future.

Estimated Cost
250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr off-white #1873 paint distressed with Minwax Special Walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JanieMR

Sat, 04/22/2017 - 13:35

    What did you ue to connect the bed rails to the Headboard and Foorboard.

     I am at a loss.

We love our playhouse!!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 05/26/2016 - 15:38

We used the free plans. I bought the materials and my son-in-law built it and it only took a day!  My grandkids love the playroom now. We have a nice pool in the back yard but when the weather is not good for swimming, the kids were easily bored. Now, the weather doesn't matter!  Thanks, Ana White, for inventing and sharing!

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Lovely

Submitted by NanOk on Mon, 03/09/2020 - 20:15

The plans were simple to follow and made an awesome headboard! Just what we wanted! All pieces were finished prior to assembly. Built a simple box frame for the mattress to match. Love the result! Thank you Ana! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Chalkboard Shelf Memo Board

This was my first "build" and was a lot of fun. Very quick and very easy. I'm so happy with how cute it turned out!

Estimated Cost
$18.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I marked 3-6 hours only to account for drying time of the chalkpaint. I cutting, sanding and assembly went very quickly.

I used Rustoleum chalkboard paint from Home Depot along with some brushed nickel knobs that I got from Home Depot.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farmhouse Table

My brother recently became a homeowner and asked me to build him a dining table for his new (and first) house.  He picked out the Farmhouse Table plan from the site and I spent a few weekends building this table for him. The most time consuming part of the project was sanding and applying the stain & polyurethane. 

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
They wanted a red-toned finish so I blended Minwax sedona red and dark walnut oil based stain, followed up with a light coat of minwax gel stain in Hickory. Also used Helmsman Spar Urethane in clear satin for top coat.
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

2x4 Desk

Submitted by Livvyhill on Mon, 03/03/2014 - 18:40

I had fun with this project. I needed a long and narrow desk for my son's room, and this was perfect. It was sooo easy. I used countersink drill bit and filled in with wood filler. I sanded to smooth it out and make soft edges. I stained first with a black cherry stain, then spread teal paint around (was inspired by a lot of rustic wood and teal pieces that I saw at homegoods), then coated it with kona miniwax stain to darken it up. I put a clear polyurethane finish on it to protect it. Super easy and I love it. Got all of my wood for under $30.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Black Cherry miniwax, Teal paint, Kona miniwax, polyurethane finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

My farmhouse bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/02/2016 - 11:07

Simple and easy to build from plans provided

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish yet we are torn between a dark stain or a white chalk look.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

DIY Truss Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/04/2023 - 14:54

2x4 Truss bench with some alterations.
My first project completed with help of your plans.
Made from pine and painted using a walnut water based primer and varnish to try and match it to our existing table.

Catriona

Simple Modern Outdoor Sectional

I had been wanting a patio sofa for a long time and while googling prices for the 1,000th time I found a link to Ana White's wonderful website. I can't say how grateful I am to Ana White. The fact that she puts all of these plans online for free and asks nothing in return speaks to her character and what a kind and generous person she is. Helping people build things and helping them learn at the same time! Anyway, I followed the plans explicitly and purchased the cushions at Ikea.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Polyshades Black Gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Outdoor Chair from 2x4s and 2x6s with high backs.

Submitted by ihoppoet on Thu, 03/26/2020 - 23:02

I built these chairs with the plans Ana White shared on this site, they are sturdy and beautiful, but they are also heavy. Heavy is what I wanted though.

I used water putty for the screws and other blemishes, then I primed and painted them. when the Homedepot pillows arrived my wife decided she wanted higher backs, I used an idea shared on here, but that back used 2 2x6s, when I tried that I felt they were too high, so I altered it to one, and found they look and feel a lot better. the angle of the back is 15 degrees from 90 or 105 degrees.  I will be altering the loveseat plans to build a concrete top bbq coffee table to use with the chairs. 

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Exterior primer and paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Table for the little one

Submitted by Rennie82 on Fri, 05/25/2012 - 05:36

Got my new Kreg Jig, picked up a brand new master kit on craigslist for half the normal price! The table went together beautifully and the chairs were simple as well!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
about 25 dollars for all the lumber
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar latex semi gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kids Bunk Bed with Storage Stairs

My husband and I searched at least a hundred plans to find a simple bunk bed for our girls and Ana's Loft bed was a perfect base plan with a few changes. We wanted a lower bunk, top and bottom, since our girls are young (ages 5 and 2.5). The youngest just moved from the crib so by putting the bed lower we are able to skip the side rails. Overall we cut 10 inches off the height of the original loft bed plan and still have plenty of room in the lower bunk. I can sit up comfortably on the lower bunk and the youngest can even stand. We went with another 8 inch board for the top bunk rail, it was simpler then the rail with cap but achieved the same overall rail height. We knew we didn't want a ladder in their room because our 2 yr old is fearless. So for the stairs my husband just ended up winging it, loosely basing them on the Storage Stairs plan, creating basic cubes so we can still let light in and have storage. We also didn't want the steps to be high up in case the girls fall from them, which is more common then them falling off the top bunk. At 32 in. high (the bunk is 61 in) both of them can still climb in the top bunk without issue. At first the steps didn't have the tall "cube" at the back but the platform just wasn't that big so the long cube was an add on and gave it the perfect size and heft. We couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Thanks Ana for your awesome blog and the great plans that you post. My husband also built the original play kitchen and it is amazing! I'll have to do another post with pics of that.

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar white primer and top coat in one in satin finish. Decorative paint is Martha Stewart craft paint, our 5 year old chose stencils, the 2.5 year preferred to free hand her art ;)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

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