Community Brag Posts

Beadboard Cabinet

Submitted by jamie_C on Sun, 08/28/2011 - 20:26

Since we don't have a garage or any really good place to keep our tools, they end up all over the house while we're working on a project. So, we decided to build a cabinet that would look nice in our house, and also house our tools. We chose the armoire plan because it has plenty of space.

This project took us forever, so it's hard to really estimate the actual working time. We began working on it back in June, then we were evacuated because of a forest fire.... By the time we got back into our house and we were organized again it was the end of July.... and now finally the end of August it's finished. It took us a while, but it's a great addition to our house!

We modified this cabinet by using 1/4 inch beadboard backed with 1/4 plywood for the doors. We also modified the size of the armoire to make it deeper.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125 approximately?
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded, then painted the outside with a quart of "creamed coffee" oops paint, and painted the inside with a sage green paint from Habitat for Humanity Restore.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Smaller Dog Crate with a drawer!

Submitted by imalearba4 on Wed, 01/06/2016 - 14:02

You may remember my green stratton day beds that I built a long time ago- finally I have another project to post- I am soo happy I found Ana White's website. We just got back from a 2.5 week vacation in Israel and my dogs were staying with my sister. She told me they had been sleeping in the same kennel together instead of separately. Their kennels are too small so I decided to build them one using wood I already had. But since they are small dogs, I decided to size it down- but I wanted it end table height- so I built a smaller kennel- 20"H x 19"W x 28"D. but... I added a drawer to the top to bring it to the right height. You can read all about it on my blog- link below.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35 - for drawer pull, stain, drawer slides, and hinge hardware- I had the 2x2s and plywood in my stash
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Provincial stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

KryssQuinn

Sat, 04/11/2020 - 15:17

I really like this idea. We have a repurposed dresser currently housing two crates, but this is cleaner.

Farmhouse Table and Bench

Submitted by shaunbeck7 on Wed, 06/05/2019 - 08:28

This project took me about 3 weeks of my spare time. Maybe an hour or two a day. I was lucky that I bought the table legs and bench legs together to match. I’m really pleased with the results. Thank you Ana White!

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain the table and painted over top the stain with chalked white paint and sanded down to show some of the stain through the paint for the rustic look. Stain and polyurethan table top. Used wipe on polyurethane which I liked better then the brush on. Took about 4-5 coats though.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Easy Build Fence Picket Planters

Submitted by vendo on Thu, 05/11/2023 - 12:14

I've been wanting to build this plan for quite some time! Took me about 2 hours to build and 1 hour to finish. Giving these as gifts for Mother's Day! Total cost was about $15 per planter. I scaled down the design after I found the plants I wanted to put in them. Ana has the best and easiest plans!

 

 

Seasonal And Holiday

Twin over Full Bunk Beds

Submitted by bohman825 on Sun, 01/08/2012 - 15:47

I wanted my kids to have more space in their shared room, but I did not want to pay a ton of money for a new bunk bed. My husband and I found a plan for this bunk on Ana-White and fell in love with the design. It turned out so great that we will still be using it in our next home whether it's needed or not. We did change a couple of things on the plan that we didn't care for. The first is that we added a side rail for safety. Secondly we also traded the 1x6 boards on the head and foot boards for 1x4s on the top but kept the 1x6s on the bottom.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain: Colonial Maple and polyurethane.
Used a sponge brush to apply stain and dry cloth to wipe off. Used a brush to apply poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Tony (not verified)

Mon, 01/09/2012 - 06:31

The guardrail looks great. How did you attach it to the corner post?

bohman825

Mon, 01/09/2012 - 17:39

With pocket screws on the bottom and then one screw through the 1x4s into the post before the 2x4 on the top goes on. And then the 2x4 is screwed onto the 1x4 and post with trim screws.

NicoleS (not verified)

Fri, 03/23/2012 - 04:36

How much did it cost you to build this bunk bed? I'm wondering if we can build this one as it turned out great looking!

NicoleS (not verified)

Fri, 03/23/2012 - 04:37

About how much did it cost to build this bunk bed? I'm wondering if we can build it since it turned out great looking!

Jillian (not verified)

Wed, 03/28/2012 - 13:02

Cost us about $300 and over an entire weekend of time spent on this project.
It's not for beginners. My husband has had many many years of experience in carpentry and woodmaking.

Good luck to you.
Also, he changed a few things in the plans we found in order to make it look better.

Thank you

Jillian

Jillian (not verified)

Wed, 03/28/2012 - 12:59

Cost us $300.00 to make and almost non-stop making it for the whole weekend. And then stained for hours.
This is with many years of experience in construction and woodmaking.

This is not a beginners project and then expect it to look amazing.
My husband changed these plans a bit to make it look better than the other ppls that we've seen on here.

But, good luck to you and make sure to have plenty of room and time.
Also, we had to make this bed in 10-15 different pieces and put together in the bedroom we wanted it in. There is absolutely no way it will fit otherwise.

Jillian

bohman825

Sun, 04/08/2012 - 15:26

Yes you'd just have to change measurements for queen instead of a full.

rdaneel

Sat, 10/25/2014 - 22:25

I don't see how you could put the fill/twin over a queen since the queen is longer.  Obviously you could spin the queen around and make it an L-shape but then you are looking at a different build.

Jesse and Jillian (not verified)

Thu, 12/06/2012 - 09:53

Yes any size would work as long as you have the room and the extra materials.

rdaneel

Sat, 10/25/2014 - 22:28

I really like the look of this ... I'm going to try to replicate!

What does the bottom of the guard-rail look like?  Did you space out your slats a little more than the original design?  I like the 2x4 topper instead of the 1x6.

hmagnani

Sat, 02/28/2015 - 16:46

We made this bed over the course of a week, both of us have extensive experience in woodworking and building. Ours is very wobbly on the long axis. We had a friend who is a structural engineer come in and take a look. He offered suggestions to shore it up and nothing really worked. The 3/4" overlap is not enough to secure the side rails, imo, and we used a variety of brackets to make it not wobble, to no avail.

This bed is coming apart in a few weeks and will be stored. If it is ever used again, it will be as two separate beds. I spent about $400 on this. My son never felt safe sleeping on the top bunk and has slept on the bottom exclusively.

Just my $0.02.

Outdoor sectional couch

Submitted by schwanee on Sun, 12/01/2013 - 06:54

This was my second Ana White project (first was a sandbox). I made a few changes to Ana's plan so that it would better fit my porch. First, I basically flip flopped the plans so that the end table was on part 1. I also altered the length to better fit the cushions I found. Ana's plans were 24" between the 2x2. Mine ended up being 26.5". I also used 2x8's for the base instead of the 2x4 for added height.

The price of outdoor cushions was a big surprise!! We looked into buying outdoor high density foam and making our own cushions, but that seamed to be just as expensive as buying cushions. We also really had a hard time finding large cushions that actually fit this plan. Most cushions are REALLY small for this couch. we found some Pottery Barn cushions online that were on clearance.

It was a fun project and we love the couch!

Estimated Cost
$180 not including cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior grade white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Queen Farmhouse Bed

We've built over 100 of these farmhouse beds - we've tweaked the design ever so slightly. 

Our first Farmhouse Bed took roughly a day to complete. We sanded the entire bed, applied stain & then applied two coats of matte varnish. At least apply one. Stain can leak for weeks, and smell bad for longer.

We use 2x3's for our slats and find them extra strong! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
A Queen Costs roughly 160.00 for just the wood. That isn't including stain, screws, poly or any of the other materials.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
We used minwax stains mixed to make a custom stain called "beachwood".
Then we applied A matte polyurethane - We also used metal caps on the holes in the top of the footboard/headboard.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Leaning Herb Garden by Love & Renovations

"For this project, I decided to lean on the expertise and creativity of someone else, and I followed a tutorial from Ana White It was incredibly easy to follow, really well written, and a super simple build. It took me just a few hours to build the leaning planter, and cost about $45 in wood." - Amanda

 

Seasonal And Holiday

Fancy Hall Tree Bench

Submitted by blmalloy on Thu, 12/05/2013 - 12:08

I saw the plans for this and had to have it! My husband had it assembled pretty easily (we've built several dining tables/benches, but this was our first piece that went out of that box, lol) and the whole project took maybe a day or two including staining. We left of the end pieces just because we were trying to get it done quickly for Thanksgiving; we intended to add them on later, but I kind of like it open. Everyone who has seen it loves it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Ultimate in Early American with two coats of poly. If I had to do it again, I would stain the pieces used for the bench before they were assembled; staining inside those cubes was a bit difficult.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Val Manchuk

Sat, 12/07/2013 - 21:46

Your hall tree looks really good! (Early American is my favorite stain color!)

Val @ artsybuildinglady.blogspot.ca

Farmhouse Table

We recently moved back to my hometown and bought a beautiful farmhouse that was built in 1908. We knew Ana's Farmhouse Table plan was perfect for our dining room! We followed Hillary, from The Friendly Home, advise and black tea stained the wood, then sanded it with an 80grit paper. The next step was to apply the oxidizing solution, made up of 000 steel wool dissolved in white vinegar. We will continue to use this finish technique on other builds so we now keep a massive mason jar in the basement. If you decide to do the same, remember not to tighten the lid. The mixture creates a gas expansion in the jar that could pop the top! Once this was applied we let it dry completely and started sanding again. This is the fun part. The love of my life, who had never attempted to build anything before, felt like an artist! It was so much fun to hear him exclaim he had created another masterpiece! Once we had all the pieces sanded , we put the whole thing together and applied 2 coats of min wax. Unlike Hillary, we did not add color to our wax, but decided we liked the color just as it was.

Estimated Cost
$85
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Tutorial from The Friendly Home
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Pedestals

My husband built this for me because it cost as much for one pedestal as it did to build this. I got storage and height for both my washer and dryer for the price of one pedestal. My husband built it, We painted it and I stenciled it.

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

First Woodworking Project Workbench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/07/2023 - 12:14

My first build!!! Before this, the only thing I'd ever done was some board and batten. It's far from perfect, but I learned so much in the process. Thank you Ana for wonderful plans that you offer so generously. Next, I think I'll attempt a headboard.

April Bean

Farmhouse Table-First Project = Big Success!

Submitted by dianek on Wed, 03/28/2012 - 20:43

This was our first project; and definitley and inspiration to do more. I am so excited to have this in our dining room. Project took about 8 hrs to build and 4-5 days to stain and poly. We used a Gunstock stain with 2 coats of Walnut over that.

Overall cost was about $150 with wood, stain, materials and poly. We ended up working with 2 types of wood (yellow & white pine) which proved frustrating as we tried to match the stain color. All ended up OK after a couple of trial and error on some scrap wood.

I can't wait to make the matching benches. Thanks Ana!

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

ferbit

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:01

Gorgeous table!!! I can't believe this is your first project! Yay! Now it'll never end! Ha! My husband thinks I'm nuts - I want to build everything!

I wish I had used Pine instead of Hemlock. I made a table very similar to this, but my HD only carries 2x stock in hemlock. Apparently Lowes carries 2x pine. I like the sharp square edges of pine better. Hemlock has rounded edges. Blah blah blah, your table looks awesome!

Sandbox with benches

Submitted by h.abbott on Tue, 04/10/2012 - 05:43

I knew I needed a sandbox for my toddler, and saw the original on pinterest. I was so happy when I came here looking for designs and saw that someone had created a plan for this. I think I'm more excited about it than my little guy is.

The plan was easy to follow, and it went together quickly. Thank you very much for these plans

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior paint in light blue.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

hippyengineer (not verified)

Tue, 10/16/2012 - 19:32

You rock Ana! Your plans are some of the best quick builds with lots of features. I built this sand box in two hours and my son is having the best time. This is a Texas winter replacement for the beach and the backyard pool.

edkeogh

Mon, 05/23/2016 - 19:44

So I just started making this box and it's truly an awesome design but I couldn't get 1x8 lumber instead I got 2x8... For the box base, will this make an difference in the mechanics of the seat and back opening..and the overall size of the box is 1.5" longer at 49" instead of the 47" the plans detail.. I was hoping that it won't but I think it might interfere with the 2x4 support the seat back..

I right in the middle of this project so I need to get on with it as it's nice tomorrow..

THANK YOU
ED

Chalkboard Hangers

These are pretty easy to make, the hardest part is cutting off the extra length on the knobs, but make great presents!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain and paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Super Simple Farmhouse Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/05/2023 - 16:09

This is my first piece of furniture I've ever made that didn't come in a box ;) The instructions were so clear and easy to follow. I wish I'd had a table saw for the piece of live edge (it had live edge on both sides so I had to make a 6 foot cut with my circular saw that came out not quite perfect, but I am choosing to think of it as adding to the charm. Might go back and add some shine to the top, but for now I'm super happy with it.

emily.rhoades_

King size platform bed and headboard

Submitted by Rgb057 on Sun, 03/09/2014 - 11:25

I converted the plans to king size and used oak for the headboard and the platform edge on the bed. The oak added to the cost as it is almost 10x the cost as construction lumber.
I made the headboard frame with pocket holes and attached it to the plywood with screws from behind. I also used pocket screws to assemble the bed frame.

Estimated Cost
500
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

CreativeChaos

Sun, 04/20/2014 - 06:54

I've been waiting to see if anyone would modify this for a king size. Would you mind sharing the dimensions you used for your headboard? I love your fabric and the oak gives it such a quality appearance. Nice job!

Hall Tree minus rustic X

I followed the Rustic X Hall Tree plans almost entirely. I chose to replace the “X” with vertical posts, though I may use the X in a future project. The bench top is two 1” thick oak boards milled at my farm. Love the contrast of the white and stained oak. The plans were perfect!

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

Comments

Wishing well projects

Submitted by Jason48 on Thu, 04/03/2014 - 08:02

Started these wishing wells as only having fun and for family it seems now that it is going to be a little more than I thought now taking orders from family friends

Estimated Cost
120.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

In reply to by Jason48

crafty_love

Tue, 11/19/2019 - 07:33

I love the wishing wells, but I can;t find a plan.  My mom has wanted one of these forever! She now has stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma Stage 4 and I would love to build her one before it is too late.

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