Community Brag Posts

Modern Rustic Outdoor Sofa Inspired by RH Merida

Submitted by susanshamp on Sun, 04/01/2018 - 14:19

I was in love with the RH Merida set because of its clean lines and modern style. Also, the plan seemed simple enough that I could re-create it without a pattern. The only thing that I did not like about it is the lack of arms. I really like to have a place to put my arm or my beverage :) - so I added arms to the design.

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Natural
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

bogle

Wed, 05/20/2020 - 10:45

This is Awesome. I'm halfway in the middle as i thought I could complete without plans. Do you have any plans could share. Please....

Treehouse/Playhouse

Submitted by Bigbill99 on Sun, 01/10/2016 - 00:07

Thank you! You've helped me look like a true carpenter who knows what he's doing! My whole family is impressed with my woodwork lately, and now I'm addicted. I've done your seesaw, bar table and stools plus the treehouse in 2 weeks. Thank you for sharing your plans!

Estimated Cost
$500.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Spar urethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Apothecary Shoe Dresser

I have been planning to build the apothecary media console, but my desire for a new hall table and shoe storage won out. So...I transferred the look, and I love it! I wanted a vintage feel so I added legs, apothecary drawer fronts and knobs, a 2x10 top, and a distressed finish.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Black spray paint, distressed with a sander and finished with varathane.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

DIY sofa couch / slide in coffee table

Ana has great instructions, definitely have been using her alot. During the pandemic picked up a couple new hobbies and tools. I did the sofa couch from her plans. The coffee table I created off the whim but used her basic instructions on how to make table tops / benches. These came out super nice, surprised me and my wife :)

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded several times varying 120 / 180 / 220. Stained with Valspar semi-transparent natural redwood naturaltone.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Built-In Bed with Trundle Drawers

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/06/2016 - 18:05

My oldest son's room is only 97 square feet. We needed to add the maximum amount of storage in the small, awkwardly-shaped room. My husband and I decided to make a built-in bed using a couple of stock cabinets to flank the bed. Using Ana White's plans, we made 3 rolling trundle drawers to go underneath. 

Estimated Cost
Cost for the trundle drawers, themselves, with the hardware was $14.00 per drawer. The total cost for the built-in bed, trundle drawers, and 2 cabinets that flank the bed was $480.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Dining Room Buffet

We built this huge 7' buffet for our living/dining room area.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Custom stain blend
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

lawn and garden shed

Submitted by brittanyj on Wed, 08/19/2015 - 13:17

Needed a shed to store bikes and mowers, etc, so I'd have more room in the woodshop : )  I made a lot of modifications to the plan to fit my space and make it much larger.  The completed size is 7 foot tall at the peak, 6 feet deep and 5.5 feet wide.  I made it as a 3 sided shed, using the wall as the 4th to save on cost, increase air flow, and make the exterior house wall accessible.  I also made an egress in the back of the shed in order to get behind the shed if needed. 

Instead of roofing shingles, I opted for ribbed metal sheets and one clear sheet in the middle to make a skylight, so there would be light in the shed.  This is my favorite part of the project.  It was a huge pain to attach the roofing from a ladder with very limited access, but it looks great and I love the light coming in.  We have very little rain in CA, so I'll have to wait until winter/rainy season in order to test out its waterproofing. 

Since the shed sits between the house and the neighbors block wall fence, and I wanted to use as much of the space as I could, I decided to design the shed to have the side wall against the house rather than the back wall, as shown in the plan.  This took a large amount of modifications, but with careful planning and measuring, it can be done.  This also meant blocking off access to behind the shed, so I cut an egress in the back wall and added hinges so you can lift the back cut out panel, and rest it on a stop block attached to the fence behind it in order to have access.  That's what woodworking is about- problem solving.  Love it. 

As you can see by the full shed picture, it fits a large amount of stuff- 2 adult bikes, mower, edger, trimmer, chainsaw, hedge trimmer, garden tools, shovels, etc, with plenty of room for more.  I now have a free corner in my garage that I've already filled with a DIY rolling workbench and more pegboard space for tool hanging.  Woodshop increased space= happy Brittany. 

I should also mention that building the frame and adding the pickets was quite a quick and easy job.  The hardest and most time consuming part was the roof (I didn't have metal cutting tools), rolling each very heavy wall to the site (I was alone) and the previous 2 weeks in which I built the paver patio the shed sits on.  Hard work, but worth it.  I love it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$280
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

brittanyj

Mon, 01/25/2021 - 13:15

It has been incredibly useful for storing! One thing about the skylight- Over time the sun has warped it and there is now a hole and crack there. So I wouldn't plan on the clear roofing being a long term solution- I will be replacing it with either thicker clear roofing or 2 layers.

Simple Potting Bench, customized!

Submitted by Jilljb on Mon, 04/14/2014 - 05:32

These potting benches were so fun to make! The plans are well-written and easy to follow. My friend and I had a blast!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish plied as of yet, but probably will use a chalk paint in a bright fun color!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Outdoor Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/09/2016 - 16:29

Great plans!  I modified the bench by adding a slanted back (which enabled me to put the slats closer together), extending and curving the front of the arms and extended the seat to the outside of the legs.

 

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

2x10 Step Stools

Submitted by msyoung22 on Tue, 08/16/2016 - 07:26

My kids needed a step stool and I had some scrap wood (2x10) left over from a previous project

Estimated Cost
20 dollars
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax (weathered oak stain)
Minwax polycrylic protective finish
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

kristyzed

Wed, 08/17/2016 - 20:40

These are great.  Can you share dimensions and if there are any angle cuts on the legs?

msyoung22

Thu, 08/18/2016 - 20:12

Thank you! The dimensions are the same as the Ana White "Simple 1x10 Single Step Stool" except I used 2x10's instead of 1x10's like the plans called for. I also used some scrap pallet wood to make a design on the top of the stool. 

- Stool height: 7 1/2" for legs, 1 1/2" for top, and 1/2" for scrap pallet wood; which gives a total height of 9"

- Stool width: 9 1/4" x 16"

- 5 degree angle cuts were made on the legs

DIY Greenhouse Project -Added elevated raised beds & temp/humidity control

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/05/2020 - 09:09

We loved this greenhouse plan from AnaWhite and wanted to be able to grow in 3 seasons so we modified the design to include humidity & temperature control & 18" deep elevated cedar beds inside with 4x4 posts for support and trellis option. We added electricity in order to have a lighted workspace and the ability to put in a circulating fan to control mold and fungus. We added 2 work tables (2x2') on the inside of the door left and right side door in order to do seed trays & store supplies. This was a wonderful project for my husband and my plants inside are doing incredibly well compared to my outside garden beds here in zone 5. Products used:

Foundation
We had a landscape company come and scape/dig a platform and then fill/compact with crushed rock
My husband then used rebar driven into a 4x4 frame in order to secure the frame to the ground and create a base upon which to build the greenhouse

Active ventilation
AC Infinity Cloudline T8 Inline duct fan
Air king range hood wall cap 8" on the bottom outside of the greenhouse wall for air intake + flex 8" duct to the fan itself
Shelter logic autovent automatic shelter vent kits (1 on each side of the front wall) in order to allow air intake from the bottom back of the greenhouse under the elevated beds to flow to the front of the greenhouse and out
Circulating fan- Hurricane wall mount fan 16" - this fan has 3 speeds with tilt function and small mounting bracket

Soil - sourced 3 yards of 50/50 loam/compost from local landscaping supply
60% loam
30% organic compost
10% organic topsoil + perlite

Soil beds
-cedar frame 2 feet wide along sides, 3 feet wide on the back wall
-galvanized metal roofing with holes drilled into it for drainage
-landscape cloth lined

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$2000
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

bushy99

Wed, 09/09/2020 - 13:09

Thanks for that update! I was wondering how to vent this project, as Green houses need the ventilation. Good to know dollar amount also. Great photos.

bushy99

Wed, 09/09/2020 - 13:09

Thanks for that update! I was wondering how to vent this project, as Green houses need the ventilation. Good to know dollar amount also. Great photos.

bushy99

Wed, 09/09/2020 - 13:09

Thanks for that update! I was wondering how to vent this project, as Green houses need the ventilation. Good to know dollar amount also. Great photos.

Moulding Mantel headboard variation

This was my very first building project and I'm officially addicted! I made the headboard as a surprise for my husband while he was in Africa. I used a variation of moulding and am tickled by the outcome! I adjusted the plans to fit a king-sized bed.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Black paint with a light coat of polyurethane to finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Sat, 10/20/2012 - 13:13

Wow, this is so beautiful! You did an absolutely amazing job on this! Congratulations on a fab first project, it is prettier than any headboard I've seen in a store. :)
Joanne

5 tator tots (not verified)

Tue, 10/23/2012 - 19:09

I have so much trouble getting a smooth painted finish, always have brush or roller marks even with quality paint and paint conditioner. How did you paint your beautiful headboard?

In reply to by 5 tator tots (not verified)

bethhamstra

Fri, 10/26/2012 - 20:01

Thanks for the compliment. I did a light sand between coats and then finished with a very light coat of polyurethane. I hope that helps a bit!

Sabrina426

Sun, 03/24/2013 - 13:34

You did an unbelievable job! I'm planning on this for my first project.

Do you have the dimensions you used for the king size??

bethhamstra

Wed, 02/26/2014 - 19:07

I'm sorry I didn't keep the dimensions on the cut list. Basically you just need to add 16" to every piece that will run the length of your headboard. A standard queen bed is 60" wide whereas a standard king is 76". Hope this helps!

bethhamstra

Thu, 02/27/2014 - 13:45

2 – 2x6 @ 59 ¼”
2 – 2x6 @ 70"
2 – 2x2 @ 8 ½”
1 – 2x2 @ 84"
1 – 2x6 @ 84"
2 – 2x4 @ 3”
1 – 2x4 @ 87"
1 – 1x6 @ 89"
1 – ¼” plywood @ 72" x 22 ¾”

Margery

Sun, 10/05/2014 - 18:30

oh my gosh...this is so beautiful!  I want one just like it!  I just might attempt it after I make my faux fireplace mantel :D

GREAT JOB!!!

In love with my new miter saw stand and work benches

Submitted by seahawklvr on Fri, 11/27/2020 - 05:58

We purchased a fixer up house that requires a complete gut but the property came with a detached shop! I quickly realized I needed to get the shop cleaned up and organized so it would be easier and more efficient to work on projects for the house. I am a beginner as far as I am concerned and even though this was rated as an intermediate level build, as long as you take your time, it’s definitely doable for a beginner. The plans called for staples but since I just had a Brad nailer, I just used that and it worked fine. I did have one fail, and that was that I had a 1x2 to hang my clamps on but I placed it too far near the outside of the mobile work bench and when I went to store the work bench under the miter stand, the clamps prevented it from sliding in so I had to reposition it. Other than that, it was perfect and as soon as I save up for my Ryobi table saw then I will position it on one of the work benches. Because of the raise in the cost of lumber dut to COVID, the cost was probably twice as much as it should’ve been but I still feel I couldn’t have purchased a huge miter saw station and two mobile work stations for less than I spent on building this. Besides, I can be proud that I built this myself!

Estimated Cost
$325
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Marquee #MQ6-22 Gateway gray in satin enamel
I found it more cost effective to purchase a 6 pack of handles vs purchasing 4 individual handles. Now I have two spares for a project down the road.
The Caster Wheels were Moogiitools 3” locking from Amazon and were @$50 for 8 wheels. Very smooth and heavy duty
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Large Old English Style Farmhouse Dining Table

My wife and I were wanting a large outdoor farmhouse table that looked stylish, and like it could have been bought at Pottery Barn or another high-end furniture store. We found this plan that Ana white had made "Small Old English Style Farmhouse Dining Table". We often host groups from our church and will have 15-20 people on our patio or around our pool area, so we needed a bigger table... I just made some modifications to make it longer (7ft) in length to better fit our space and allow for more people to sit.

To make this plan longer, I simply adjusted the cut-list on the long 1x2s, 1x4s, and 1x6; and added a crossbar to prevent the longer tabletop from sagging. I also added the diagonal corner struts to make the table a little sturdier.

Adjusted Shopping List:
4 - 1x2 @ 8ft
5 - 1x4 @ 8 ft
6 - 1x6 @ 8ft
Waterproof 1 1/4" Kreg screws (for outdoor use)
Minwax Weathered Oak
Minwax Vintage Grey

Adjusted Cut-List
• 2 - 1x2 @ 26.5"
• 2 - 1x2 @ 76.5"
• 2 - 1x2 @ ~33.25"
• 2 - 1x4 @ 26.5"
• 2 - 1x4 @ 76.5"
• 4 - 1x4 @ 7.25" w/ 45º miter (diagonal corner supports)
• 1 - 1x4 @ ~28" (Crossbar - I forget the exact measurement)
• 6 - 1x6 @ 82"

For seating we just bought some inexpensive farmhouse weather resistant chairs from Walmart:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Yaheetech-Metal-Dinning-Chairs-Stackable-Cof…

Estimated Cost
$170
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American (base), Minwax Weathered Grey (2nd coat)
(See more on outdoor use of stains: https://ana-white.com/blog/2019/05/outdoor-wood-furniture-finishing-secrets)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Two Story Rabbit Hutch

For my first woodworking project, I foolishly decided to build a rabbit hutch without plans for my daughters new Easter Bunny. So I literally scratched some ideas on my wood working bench and started going to work. I did some construction over a decade ago, but never attempted to build any furniture before, so I'm pretty happy with how this came out.

I spent a few days researching various rabbit cages and for our place we needed something that was ascetically pleasing and functional as it was going in our living room. I got some ideas from the web and decided the best thing for us would be to have an entry ramp, 2 sets of barn doors for each level (for easy cleaning) and an open roof. We went with linoleum floors since she's already litter trained. The floors could easily be modified to add 1/2" wire mesh if we decide to change things down the line. Also, we chose an espresso finish with silver hardware to accent the wire mesh

I pretty much crashed and burned on the staining as I've never done that before, but it ended up looking ok after all. I did a light sanding, but will probably invest in a planer and jointer to get my wood in better shape before assembling in the future. Also, I'll probably lightly dab some stain on ends of wood before final assembly as it made it difficulty trying to hide the white pine with the dark stain.

Other cages I saw ran around $200-$350.00 so i don't feel so bad about the cost. It's really the time that it took learning and making mistakes. I'm sure if I had plans I could of cut my time in 1/2.

Total Cost came out to around $150.00 but probably would of been cheaper if I had some plans to go by. I probably wasted a few 2x2s and accidentally mis-cut a scrap piece of 1/4"plywood which added another $16.00 to the bottom line.

Here's a breakdown of my total cost.

Hardware - $30.00
Includes 5 latches, 4 sets of hinges (8 total) and a 3' piano hinge

Stain - $8.00

Linoleum Tile @ ¢.69 sq ft - $16

Brushes, Stain Rags - $5.00

Screws - $6.00

Wire Mesh Roll $30.00
Needed 2 rolls at $15.00 each. I used 1" Wire Mesh measuring 2'x15'

Total Wood $50.00-$60
I used 2x3's for the legs - 2 @ 8' - $2.00 each ($4.00)
probably 15-20 2x2's - $1.52 each - can't remember how many I used to be honest ($30.00)
and a few 1x6's for the Doors - $2.00 each ($6.00)
Sheet of 1/4 plywood - $12.00

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

ashinshaw

Thu, 05/03/2012 - 08:09

I also have been thinking with the idea of building a two story hutch for our rabbit. I love your ideas so now i have a new project to work on. Thanks for sharing!

Nicolene (not verified)

Mon, 10/08/2012 - 12:46

I LOVE your cage! We have 2 rabbits and 2 Guinea pigs which means we have 2 ugly cages in our living room. We are planning something similar, but a bit bigger (but lower if that makes sense). And we'll put a 3rd story on for our Guinea pigs. So we have everyone on the same patch of real estate so to speak. I was going to do 3 solid walls with wire "windows" too keep all the hay, poops and such contained. I am also going to put lockable wheels underneath, so I can move it to my office if I ever need to (parties and renovations).

Is there anything that you can now think of that you would like to change on yours? R my research purposes.. :) It looks awesome, I'm just picking your brain for "hindsight" tips.

Kids Tree Fort

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/31/2020 - 09:27

Built a fort for the boys with two climbing walls, a spot for their toys, and added some hammock swings

Estimated Cost
~$600
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
No stain, left natural
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

small shed

so i put this storage shed on the outside wall of my garage and then i put my dust collector inside it and cut a hole for the pipe to into the garage. It's nice and out of the way now. I adjusted the size a bit to make it fit more of my outside tools like the trimmer and blower. Its not in the picture but I also extended the roof about 30 inches over the side to park the lawn mower under it. If I were to do it again I'd make it even bigger.

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